Lex3486

If you're willing to get a little greasy, you can get under the car and find the drain petcock on the bottom of the radiator, and let enough out to tell what color it is. Otherwise, I guess you could look at what's in your reservoir tank. Don't know about how accurate a guess that'd provide, being that Ii've never really looked at it that way!

Well, my first idea, no offense, would be to proofread your post next time, b/c parts of it confused me. Anyhow, I know that there is more than one oxygen sensor on these cars, so I'd suggest maybe replacing them one by one, not including the one you just did of course, and seeing how that works for ya. Other than that, my "shadetree mechanic" mind can't think of anything else to offer! B) Maybe SK can help; he seems to know these cars pretty well.

Well, on the topic of replacing the needles, I've noticed on my aunt's 99 that the needles, altough they do light up all the time as do the earlier models', they no longer are illuminated by tons of tiny light bulbs within the needles themselves (as I've learned the earlier models are); rather, they are just like any other car in that they have a standard light bulb at the base of them, and therefore are much easier and cheaper to replace, if need be. Good on cost, bad on luxury, if you ask me; the guages on these cars have always been something I liked about them, even if they don't last forever! I like how they light up so bright and "crisp" Okay, if anyone thinks that "crisp" thing is weird, I wouldn't blame them! :P

It would seem that most of the people on this forum own 93 ES300's. Or does it just seem that way b/c so many people are having problems out of the 93's in particular? :P Anyhow, just a little observation of mine. Being a fellow 93 owner, I'm glad that I can relate to so many of your questions and concerns! ;)

no, that garage would be truly balanced only if you add an LX450 to that equation, and then you'd have a perfect balance! We have a Land Cruiser, but im more fond of the LX450 (duh!) :P

yeah-speakin of other, faster models, I bet my uncles' SC300 is FAST! I wouldn't know though, b/c when he bought it and showed it to us, i'd only ever driven 2 manuals, so I (and he) thought it was best that I didn't drive it! haha. But if it is basically a Supra with better clothes on, that just makes me want one more!!! I'm with SK though; I love and always will love the ES. I'd just love to have it and an SC! That'd be the perfectly balanced garage if you ask me!!!

you mean to say that it doesn't run at all? could be bad... good price though! :D

so, for a 93, would y'all recommend red or green??? there's an awful lot of arguing about this, but lemme interject that yes; they are both ethelyne glycol, and what came out of mine did appear to be red, although I suppose that it is a possibility that it is really dirty green; I don't know the vehicles' complete service record, so...has it been swapped over, or ever changed at all? I don't know, but I do happen to know that it has undergone the 1000, 3750 and 7500 mile services, so....

I recently replaced the front motor mount and dogbone on my 93, and I was wondering what type of antifreeze to use; the kind that came out looked like the orange/red stuff, but who can tell if it is or if it's just really dirty?! Anyhow, i have some specs on the fluids for you; Motor Oil: 10w30 for normal conditions, 5W-40 for extreme heat or cold; either way, around 5 qts. give/take Antifreeze: ethelyne-glycol, not alcohol or straight water; mix according to specs given with coolant, although Lexus reccomends at least 50% coolant, 50% water. as for what color, I've yet to find out. 8.8 qts. (but keep in mind that this is probably for an empty system being that the spec given in the manual is for capacity; you may not require that much) power steering fluid: yep, tranny fluid; Dexron II tranny fluid: ditto; Dexron II. drain and refill, 3.1 L (3.3 qt.) differential: is this the 2nd location for transmission oil you speak of? if so, manual says Dexron II, .8 qts. I've never seen or checked this level; don't know the location or necessity of it. I know its important on 4WD's, but our Lexi? Couldn't tell ya. brake fluid: DOT 3 or SAE J1703; no amt. given; i'd say just add as needed, but probably wouldn't mess with drain & refill, as lines will need to be bled afterwards. Thats about it, save gas, which reccommends at least 91 octane. On the coolant level, it says to add coolant as needed until the level in the reservoir is between low and full; add if below low level. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS FOR A 93!!!! I DON'T INTEND TO BE BLAMED FOR FALSE INFORMATION, SO DON'T USE THESE SPECS. IF YOUR VEHICLE ISN'T A 92 OR 93!!! Hope I've been of some help, and let me know if you find any info. on orange/green coolant. Thanx!

well, I don't know if you have the same chains of auto parts stores where you are, but where I live, you can go to Pep Boys and pick a Toyota antenna mast up for $15, and it's every bit as good as any Denso part; after all, it doesn't really matter who makes it, as much as they are used, they're all gonna break eventually. Mine is about 2 or 3 months old, and no problems yet! I've had Denso antennas wear out quicker than that! :P

MCV 20, how'd you find a pic of my wrecked car? Is it a red/gray 92 with mesh grilles? If it doesn't have the grilles, then it's not mine. If it is, though, i'd like to know how you found it!

Okay, so i went out there today and saw it, all dirty and beat up. Makes me sad to see it that way;. i sometimes washed it like 2 times a week and took extremely good care of it. In fact, the night i wrecked, i'd just spent the whole day detailing it, but oh well. :P Anyhow, i got both headlight assemblies (what's left of the driver's side anyway). Figured they'd be perfect for experimenting with the angel eyes. And, i got the $80 hydraulic thingy for the hood, for only $10. Sucks having to pay for parts off a car i used to own! I didn't pay for everything i got though. Shhh! Our little secret. Anyhow, SK everything you wanted i do too, but its all there. I probably will only get the taillights, and if i do, i'll just let you have that piece. I could mail it to you if you wanted. You screwed it up clearing them, if im not mistaken, right? Don't know if i'll go back, but i'll let you know if i do. Like i said, i can't get them for you, but i can tell you its location. They just got it in like a week ago, so i was the first to pull anything off it. By the way, i tried to change my location but had no luck. For anyone who's interested though, i live in Knoxville Tennessee. I'll look up the number for the junkyard tomorrow.

yeah, ive tried that and liked it okay, but i personally liked the black better. i dunno though, i might give it another try

I was havin a similar prob. and the guys all told me that it was prob. the pins in the switch itself. Check out the thread entitled "common probs. w/ES,"see if it helps you any.

sorry it took so long. sorta forgot about this thread. the site is www.4chromewheels.com. check it out!

Recently one of my dad's friends told him he'd found my old ES in a junkyard. I plan on paying it a little visit here soon, so if anyone's interested in its' location, i'll let you know. Anyone who's ever looked for one knows how extremely hard it is to find one that isn't heavily damaged or picked off of. And since everything major worked on mine and it wasn't too bad of a wreck, plus it was only this April, im guessin its probably mostly still there. I do know this; the big ticket items, i.e. guages, CD changer, etc. didn't work when i wrecked it, so don't even ask for them. And it'd be my guess that the radio and climate controls are prob. gone by now too, but i dunno. Anyhow, just lemme know if you're interested anyone, and I can scope out the part(s) you want when I go to pay homage to my baby. I can tell you its location, but sorry-i can't get the parts for you. I hope i'm of some help to someone.

So are y'all pretty sure that this is my problem? I don't wanna go tearin stuff apart that i don't need to, especially not electronics! The ES250 does have a slightly spruced up exterior with the chrome trim and two tone (if thats your thing). They also have nicer interiors. Seems like i remember them having more wood trim than an ES300, and an in-dash cd changer, rather than the trunk unit! Seems like it was only a 3 disc though. Can't really remember.

so are you sayin 4th gear is basically a 1:1 ratio, or direct drive? i've always wondered what overdrive meant.

sorry 'bout that location thing; just saw your signature. as i recall, when i set my profile up, there was no option for location. think i'll check again

yeah, it is fun! y'all have been a huge help to me so far, even if its just enthusiasm to do somethin ive been afraid to (like the taillights), i've gotten a lot from this forum! i never knew there are people out there as obsessed with their ES's as i am! say, where r u located skperformance and bbsal?

is there any way (preferrably easy) to test the pins in the switch? id love to fix that while my car's out of service b/c of the motor mount; just fix it all while im at it! also, i was thinkin about doing a radiator flush and maybe replacing the transmission fluid filter. any suggestions on these topics, and how neccessary to a smooth running engine are these things?

i had the same clunking problem with my 92, but nothing ever happened b/c of it. just annoying is all. also annoying was how the rear windows stuck to the seals, so every time you rolled them down, they made this loud sorta popping sound. anyhow, sk, you're right about the 2nd generation thing. its easy to forget about the ES250, but it was there. say, do y'all know anyone who owns or has owned one? one of my friends wanted a Lexus but didnt think he could afford one, and i didnt know if they were good cars to recommend or not. i know they're the cheapest of the bunch, and probably the rarest too. 2.5 liter, right?

yeah, thats what me and my dad were thinkin. I just can't wait to fix it b/c until i do, im stuck with my dad's Land Cruiser. now i know that doesn't sound too awfully bad, but lemme put it this way; my Lexus is a Ferrari compared to that thing! Oh, and gas mileage wise, its like comparing a motorhome to a new Honda Civic Hybrid (the Lexus being the Honda, but only for comparison's sake. we all know the Honda couldn't even come close to stackin up to the Lexus!) :P i guess we'll find out soon if we can tackle it or not. I just hope we can, but we've never found anything on these cars we couldn't fix, so....

well im not far behind y'all. I figure if i keep it up, i'll be pretty close to 1000 here soon. seems like this is all i do in my spare time haha :D

I think y'all are talkin about a different problem than i am. See, the problem isn't with the switch itself, i don't think, rather its somethin wrong with whatever senses when the window is fully retracted. I can use the switch manually and it works just fine, but the AUTO function is what isn't workin right all the time. Unless these pins you speak of control this, i don't know if that has anything to do with my problem. Thanks for the input though!