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jhauck

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Everything posted by jhauck

  1. For whatever it's worth; Before replacing the rear struts on my wife's '97 ES300 in December, I searched this site and found a few threads. One long one went back and forth between KYB's and Tokico's. Some people said the Tokico's were too stiff, and others didn't. I went ahead and took a chance with the Tokico's. Got two from a distributer on the web for $104.00 each, then got the mounts from Lexusautoparts.com for about $55.00 for the pair (I think??). Replaced them myself. I have absolutely no regrets going with the Tokico's. The ride was beautiful and well controlled, and I do not agree with some people saying there too stiff (at least in our application). Ride quality was more important than handling, and I'm very happy with the Tokico's. IMO. Jeff Gresham, OR.
  2. I know what you mean. I babied my Lexus and kept it in the garage. Drove my F-150 4x4 only. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  3. Good to hear you got everything off. I had the same conclusion on the timing belt cover "modification" with a dremel. I stared at it for awhile and could come up with no reason why it would hurt anything, the only difference was I didn't actually do it. Mainly I was worn out by then and just wanted to finish. I figure the next timing belt change I'll go ahead and do what you did. 1)As far as removing the crank gear, your right, there's no reason if your not replacing the seal. 2) No problem if you turned the cam gears, as long as they were in the correct positions for the belt installation. 3) Once the belts on, you no longer need to worry about position. The pulley is keyed so will only go on one way. 4) No hidden "gotcha's". As long as the belt was slipped on with both cams and the crank gears properly lined up, you'll be fine. Just remember that there are actually two marks on the crank gear. For TDC you want to line the inner mark (actually on the flanged tooth part behind the gear) with the position cast into the block just shy of straight up). Don't use the mark on the outer part of the crank gear for TDC alignment (that mark should line up with one of the 3 lines on the new belt if your using those for reference). I did rotate mine a couple revolutions after the new belt was on and the tensioner was in place just for a "feel good" reason to ensure all 3 marks still lined up after a couple rotations. They did, and when complete the car started right up, no problem. The reassembly goes much easier than the disassembly. For torquing of the crank pulley bolt, I stuck a screwdriver in the flywheel gears (actually this is what the Haynes manual recommends). Just to the right (if facing forward) of the transaxle pan cover should be a small plate held on by two bolts and one bracket going to the exhaust pipe. If you pop the plate off, you can wedge a screwdriver in place that will lock the crank. The service manual calls for a special tool to hold it in place. You might have a much better way, that's just the way I did it. Torque is specified at 159 ft lbs (or just damn tight). Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  4. You really only need to mark the belt if your going to reuse it. The new belt should have 3 lines across it for alignment. One lines up with the forward cam pulley mark, one with the rear cam pulley mark, and one lines up with a mark on the crank pulley shaft outside teeth (not to be confused with the mark on the flanged gear behind the crank pulley shaft that was used to line up TDC). If correct, the line on the timing belt at the crank pulley shaft will actually be about (I think) two teeth off of the inboard mark that was used for TDC (but will line up with the dot on the outboard part of the crank pulley shaft (once you get the pulley off you should see what I mean). If the lines don't seem to properly line up, you might have the belt on backwards like I originally did. Won't hurt anything, it just won't appear to line up so you won't feel comfortable with it until it's flipped around (mine had arrows on the belt designating "point away from engine"). Line up everything to the TDC position with the belt off. The camshaft line up marks on the rear timing belt cover aren't very obvious. Look real close near the upper portion and you should see a raised portion of the cover with a small notch. That's your line up mark. When your ready to slide the new belt on, ensure both cams and crank pulley marks are in alignment, then slide the belt on. To back up a little bit, you should first also have removed the tensioner before removing the old belt, and don't install the tensioner until the new belt is in place. I have the service manual for the '97 ES300 and just followed it step by step. I'll occassionally check and see if you run into any questions/problems. I've got a lot of help from a lot of people on the website, so am glad to be able to give something back, especially since I just did my belt last week so my memory is fresh. P.S. Your last "big" hurdle is getting your crank pulley off. Good luck, mine was on pretty tight. I had to use a couple pry bars behind it to work it off, but I also chipped a part of the ridge off that the alternator belt rides on. A gear puller would be a whole lot safer. I was not able to get my cam pulleys off, so good luck there also. I had to blow off changing my water pump even though I had a new one waiting to install. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  5. -Bob To set the engine to TDC you line up the dot on the flange behind the crank pulley with the "nub" (don't know what else to call it) behind the flange at about the 11 o'clock position as your looking at it. I tried attaching a picture with blue arrows at the line up point. They are not lined up in the picture. Then you line up the two camshaft pully marks to the (very small) marks on the #3 (back) timing belt cover. As long as both camshaft pulley marks are lined up, and the crankshaft pulley, then it should be perfectly aligned for the timing belt installation. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  6. I did not try an impact wrench as I don't own one. But, see the link below. I was sent to this link in regards to the bolt being next to impossible to loosen, and read of many who had used impact wrenches rated at 1000 lbs without luck. I was a little unsure of using my starter, but it worked great. One word of caution if you try this: You might want to ensure your ignition system is disabled as you don't want the engine to actually start. I didn't do this, but it wasn't a problem as it only took one very quick click of the starter to loosen the bolt. Good luck. http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143221 Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  7. Whoops. Posted this with the wrong thread. Please remove. Sorry.
  8. I did not try an impact wrench as I don't own one. But, see the link below. I was sent to this link in regards to the bolt being next to impossible to loosen, and read of many who had used impact wrenches rated at 1000 lbs without luck. I was a little unsure of using my starter, but it worked great. One word of caution if you try this: You might want to ensure your ignition system is disabled as you don't want the engine to actually start. I didn't do this, but it wasn't a problem as it only took one very quick click of the starter to loosen the bolt. Good luck. http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143221 Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  9. You will need to pull your camshaft sprockets if your planning on changing your water pump. I just did my timing belt on my wifes '97 ES300 and the back timing belt cover (#3) lies behind the camshaft sprockets. The upper one inch or so of the water pump is covered by this back cover. The water pump must slide off on two studs, so must come straight out, which is impossible with the cover left in place.
  10. You will need to pull your camshaft sprockets if your planning on changing your water pump. I just did my timing belt on my wifes '97 ES300 and the back timing belt cover (#3) lies behind the camshaft sprockets. The upper one inch or so of the water pump is covered by this back cover (see my attached photo). The water pump must slide off on two studs, so must come straight out, which is impossible with the cover left in place. I could not loosen the camshaft sprocket bolt, despite a 3 foot breaker bar. I finally gave up on the water pump. I'd be curious to hear if it works by leaving the T-belt in place while loosening these bolts......sounds like something worth trying. I do agree with a previous post that the cover should have been modified to not cover the upper part of the water pump. As bad as it sounds, I was tempted to take a dremel and cutter tool and "modify" my cover by cutting off the portion that covers the water pump. I changed my mind, but would be curious if anyone has ever done this. P.S. If you have problems removing the crankshaft pulley bolt (which I did), you may have to use the "starter trick" (which I did with great success). Good luck. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  11. Thank you VGR. I was a little leery, but tried the "starter trick" and worked incredibly well. One click of the starter with the breaker bar against the ground, and I heard the breaker bar fall on the concrete. I was sure it just fell off, but I about fell over when I found the pulley bolt hand tight. Thanks very much. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR
  12. Help, before I give myself a hernia. Is the crankshaft pulley bolt standard (ccw to loosen) or left hand threads (cw to loosen). Have the flywheel "locked" and about 3 feet of leverage but bolt isn't moving. Any help willl be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.,
  13. Aircraft mechanic foreman for a US Air Force Reserve unit located at Portland International Airport that flies the KC-135R air refueling tanker. Work both as a civilian Air Force employee during the week, and a Reservist one weekend a month. We were a Air Force Rescue unit for many years with hundreds of lives saved during hundreds of rescue missions from the eruption of Mt StHelens in 1980 to our now "infamous" helicopter rolling down the side of MtHood early last summer (all over the national news). The Air Force (in there "infinite wisdom") decided that refueling other airplanes in-flight was much more important for national defense then saving lives in the pacific northwest. It's a great job that I really enjoy, but I'll certainly never get rich. Jeff Gresham, OR.
  14. I'm getting ready to call around for price quotes to change the timing belt and water pump in wife's '97 ES300 (91k miles). For comparison, what's a normal price? I'll probably call a Toyota dealer as there's only one Lexus dealership in the Portland area and there real pricey. Don't like to go to "just any place", so I'll try Toyota first. Any suggestions? Thanks, Jeff Gresham, OR.
  15. Anyone have any experience with disc brake squealing. My wife's '97 ES300 brakes squeal when coming to the last few feet of a stop, only when mild pressure is applied. No squealing when heavy pressure, or at higher speeds, only just before the car comes to a stop. Pads are only about 20% worn and the wear indicators are not touching (not that kind of a sound anyway). Tried spraying everything with brake cleaner, no help. I told her that this is probably normal as they are probably semi-metallic pads clamping a steel rotor. She still doesn't like it. Only other thing I can do is pull the pads and put some disc brake "quiet" type lubricant between the pad and the piston. If you roll to a stop light with your window rolled down, you notice many other car brakes squeal to a certain degree anyway. Anyone want to help get my wife off my back? :chairshot: Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  16. I can't remember the website now, but I recently read a review/test of the 1997 ES300, and it listed the top speed at 137 mph (it didn't say if they ran it to that speed). Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  17. "my two bits". First look at the sidewall of the tires. If they are directional (i.e. having markings designating left and right) then you must rotate them front to back. If they are non-dirctional, then you can criss-cross the rotation. My Toyo Proxes TPT's are directional and marked "left"/"right", therefore should only be rotated front to back.
  18. Sometimes cooler heads prevail. Good words, and good points steviej. I'm certainly the most guilty for trying to press my opinions. Worst part is, I'm new to this forum and have been getting some very good information by many of you Lexus owners. The information has been invaluable, and I "blew it". My knowledge and experience with automobiles of all types goes back about 25 years. Sometimes that's a good thing, but sometimes that's a bad thing. The two 32ounce mixed drinks I had in celebration with my wife for our 21st wedding anniversary certainly didn't help either. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  19. I can add a little assistance here, but not much as I don't have near the "Lexus experience" as others on this forum, but just bought a ES300 (90k miles) and am going through all the servicing items to ensure they're up to date. My 1997 ES300 owners manual calls for Dexron II or III in both the transmission and differential. Both drain plugs are very accessible. Haynes manual recommends you remove the strainer and clean it also, which requires removal of the transmission drain pan and a new gasket. Draining the radiator removed maybe 50% (or less) of coolant. In the very front of your block is a very easily accessible drain plug that will remove a whole lot more. Supposedly there's a drain plug in back but I haven't been able to find it, so I'm sure it's a big pain. Based on how much fluid came out of my radiator and front block drain plug in comparison with the listed capacity of the system, I'd say it removed about 90% of the fluid (100% is desireable). Don't forget to also dump the overfill reservoir (also very easy as one 10mm bolt will remove it). I didn't want to pay for a flush, so drained everything I could, refilled the system and ran it (with the heater on), then drained again. Did this a couple times to ensure as much old as possible was removed. This still was not as good as a "true flush", I'm just real tight about paying somebody to work on any car. Hope some of this helps. I'm dealing with some other of the same issues as you, so hope more experienced Lexus owners will add to your post. Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
  20. I certainly am proud to own a Lexus and to be a part of "Lexus Ownership", but don't forget, the engine is a TOYOTA. I don't want to make this a "urinary olympics" (read: *BLEEP*ing contest), but I consider myself relatively "mechanically inclined" as I've been "into" autos and auto engineering for 26 years and have been a government licensed Aircraft Airframe AND POWERPLANT mechanic for 21 years so know a little about design/engineering and how easy it is for a preferred item to suddenly become "the only thing that will work and everything else will destroy the engine" (i.e. "urban legend"). Prestone meets/exceeds every single vehicle manufacturer recommendations so I find it incredible to believe that the use of it will "destroy" an engine or any component thereof. I do agree that the Toyota long-life or Dexcool may be better, but cannot believe that anything else would do damage. Oh, by the way, are you aware of the several class-action lawsuits pending against manufacturers of Dexcool?
  21. Don't know about the trans, but according to the Lexus website, the word Lexus came "from the combination of the words "Luxury" and "Elegance". How they got Lexus out of that I'll never know. Your explanation makes more sense.
  22. Oh yeah, and transmission must be in park (once again, with foot off the brake). It's described in the '97 ES300 owners manual on page 90.
  23. Make sure the engine is running and your foot is off the brake, should then work. I also have a '97 ES300 and couldn't figure out why I couldn't set the memory (or recall it). Took my wife to figure it out :chairshot:
  24. Coin holder (or whatever it's called) that I'm talking about is actually underneath the panel that has the mirror control and gas filler/trunk release. Just checked, and in the owners manual it's called the "Auxilary Box", but it seems like it's design intent was to be some type of coin holder as it's very similar to the one in my Honda Accord (and that one is called the "coin holder"). Jeff
  25. Bought the car 1 month ago. Have never been able to get the coin holder to open/close properly. I feel like there's "something missing". The spring steel upper clip mounted above the hole is in-place. Is there supposed to be some type of spring or something? It takes a great deal of force to open, and never seems to close all the way. Somethings definitely not right? Anyone else run into this? Jeff Hauck Gresham, OR.
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