kashi125

Gentlemen, I think I found the problem. When I started poking around in the engine, I noticed that the metal bar that goes on top of the battery and holds it in place was loose at one end (rear engine side). This means that whenever I made a sharp left turn, that metal bar moved and touched the positive terminal of the battery. Since the other end of the metal bar is connected to the body, it caused a short and hence my disappearing NAV/Audio and also today's problem. I have no idea why I only experienced the stopping problem today and not on other days when I had NAV/Audio problem.... My suspicions are further confirmed by burn marks (caused by sparks) on the positive terminal connector on the battery. Based on this, I am 99% sure that the problem is solved--but I will know for sure tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed! steviej, thanks for the prompt response.

steviej: I tried pulling and reseating the fuses, didn't help. Any other ideas? And as you can see from my other post today, I have much more serious issues to deal with now :( ( http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=48460 ) For reference for future readers of this thread: The rear window fuses are inside the cabin on the drivers side fuse box. Fuse #'s PWR. NO. 3 and PWR. NO. 4

My ES scared the heck out of me today. A little background first--for the past two days, my navigation and audio system has been shutting off for like a second and then restarting automatically whenever I made a sharp left turn. The navigation screen would go black, CD audio would stop, and then after a second it would come back on and everything would work fine until the next sharp left turn (sometimes it would work OK through the turn). I thought the wiring somewhere was loose and I would look into it over the weekend. Today, while making a left turn, my car stopped automatically as if the brakes had been applied. I was driving at about 20 mph at that time as it was a residential area. So imagine this, my foot is on the accelerator, my car stopped for 2 seconds or so, and when I glanced at the instrument panel, the ABS, Brake, and headlight indicators were on. Probably some other lights too, but it all happened so quickly that I can't be sure. The way the car stopped suddenly, it was as if the brakes had been applied automatically. And then, it moved forward as if nothing had happened. This happened when I was turning into the street to my house, so no more left turns after that--I just parked it in the garage. Obviously this can be a very fatal situation. Any idea what could have caused this? What do I look for?

If they can't figure it out, take it to the dealer and have them pay for it. You will have to do this ASAP while they are still feeling the guilt. If you delay a couple of days, they might say "this happened later on etc" They have been trying to fix it, which means they agree that it is their fault. This might change after a couple of days...

Welcome to the club! I think 18,500 is a very fair price if the car is in excellent condition. Depending on what options you have in the car, it could be a GREAT price. You can use the appraiser here which I have found to be very reliable: http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/used/index.html

Does anyone know how to reset the jam/pinch protection on these?

I am having this problem with both the rear windows on my 2002 Lexus ES300. Whenever I try to raise them, they go up until they hit the top part of the door frame....and then they automatically roll down (as if the Jam Protection feature was activated). In order for me to close them, I have to verrrryyyyyy slowly pull the button up numerous times, so that they go up in very small increments. This is the only way they close, and it is very tricky to get this right. This morning I was already late for a meeting at work and had to try this for like 10 minutes before they finally stopped in the close position Any idea what could be causing this? I got this info from the Users Manual: Jam protection function During automatic raising operation or key off raising operation, the window stops and is lowered if something gets caught between the window and window frame. If the window receives a strong impact, this function may work even if nothing is caught.

wow nice workaround there! BTW if you were able to do all that, I think you would have no problem soldering. It's pretty easy--just read up some info online.

How many miles does the car have on it now? Like blk_on_blk said, nothing to worry about. Transmission failures do happen--even on 100K cars. If it was replaced before, it is not an indication that it will happen again. And since you bought it certified, you are covered under the certified warranty just in case...

You should also run the HVAC Diagnostic Procedure which puts the system through a series of tests and displays error codes if any. To do this, with the ignition OFF, press and hold the Auto button and the Recirc button at the same time, then turn the key to ON. All lights on the climate control display will flash a couple of times and then it will enter diagnostic mode. At the end, it should say "00" on the LCD if all is good, otherwise it will display an error code. Note: Do this diagnostic procedure in bright sunlight, otherwise it can display a code (21 and 24 if I remember correctly) for solar sensor even if solar sensor is OK. After this procedure and checking the relay part number you will be armed with enough knowledge to either fix the problem yourself, or at least not get ripped off if you take it to a mechanic. Good luck!

Check the part number on your Magnetic Clutch Relay in the fuse box under the hood. If it has part number "90987-02022" printed on the side of it, replace it with a new relay part number "90987-02028". This is a common problem with 02-04 ES300 and a lot of Camry, 4Runners etc and there is a Technical Service Bulletin out for it. New relay is ~$50 online or $75 from a Toyota dealer.

"While pressing the break pedal everything gets 12v" ---This makes me think it is that yellow box / lamp failure switch. Your troubleshooting so far has revealed that it is not a wiring or fuse problem. I have not run into this problem before, so hopefully someone who has had experience with this will chime in. Do post your results once you are successful. Good luck!

Damn! I can't believe it was this simple. You made me get out of bed at 2:00 AM to test it out. LOL THANKS!

Hopefully I can explain my situation well for you guys to understand it...I tried looking for this in the manual and also in the navigation system settings, but couldn't find anything. So here is the deal. The display on my Lexus navigation system is always pointing to North. This means that when I am traveling South, the little arrow representing my car moves DOWNWARD on the navi screen. My car is obviously moving forward, so this is a little counterintuitive and also opposite to what I am used to on other navigation systems (where the screen rotates as your car moves around, so that the arrow on the screen is always moving FORWARD) Am I making any sense? <_< Do other people find this irritating? I really hope it's just a setting in there somewhere...

I am not really sure about this model, but check to see if there is another fuse panel under the hood. If you have a multimeter available, check the contacts in the bulb socket to make sure you are getting 12V there.

Have you checked the fuses for them?

About the cup holders: Ditto on that! I would say all in all I am also pretty happy about the car. Had I bought it brand new for >40K, I would have been very *BLEEP*ed though. But I got a decent price and it's got everything I can think of--navigation, premium sound etc so I am willing to ignore the cup holders and the occasional transmission jerk :) BTW, anyone have any idea where I can get the plastic curved "arm" that extends from the cup holders? My passenger side cup holder's arm is broken... In my case, if I accelerate very slowly (driving like a grandma)--the upshift for every gear occurs at exactly 2000 RPM.

The capacity is 18.5 gallons. The fuel light in most cars comes on as a warning when you have about 30-40 miles range left so you can get to a gas station before you run out completely.

Thanks guys I appreciate the feedback. Now I can't make up my mind about the reflash. I don't have any other problems such as the one steviej mentioned in the CL sticky: "...The major problem we all hate, the push the pedal to the floor-watch the tach skyrocket and wait for the car to catch up..." My acceleration is nice and smooth with all the gears shifting when they should. The only problem is the jerk when starting from a stop. I guess I can live with this, rather than having other problems after the reflash.

Your city mileage seems OK, but highway should be more. Where are you getting these numbers from? I mean, are you looking at the info display in the car itself, or are you filling up the tank and dividing the number of miles driven by gallons of fuel used? When you are cruising at 78, what is the reading for your instantaneous MPG display?

amf1932: I did read most, if not all of that thread. The problem is that I am not experiencing any of the "hesitation" mentioned in that thread. Slowing down from highway speed to 30-40 mph and then suddenly accelerating works great on my car--no delay or hesitation there. I don't think my car has any of the reflash upgrades as I could not find the "modification label" anywhere. If I remember correctly from that thread, you got the latest reflash done. Did you experience these "jerks" in stop-and-go traffic before or after the reflash? Of course you might not remember since you have the 07 ES350 now. Lucky you :D

How much was this fix? My AC started doing the same thing today. Works for about 1 minute when I turn it on, then the light starts blinking and no more cold air. Happens both at idle and highway speeds.

The ATF level is normal and it looks to be in good condition from the color/smell. I think the TSB came out after enough complaints had been filed--that is why it took a while.

Does anyone have a 2002 ES that they got reflashed? How do you like it after the reflash? Mine drives very smoothly other than "jerks" in stop-and-go traffic, or when going very slow in a parking lot for example. There is no "hesitation" when merging on a freeway etc. But these jerks are very, very annoying. I am wondering if someone's ES exhibited the same problems and if they went away after the reflash? Also, how much does the reflash cost? I have 78K miles so it's out of warranty.

wwest--what's DBW? Edit: Ah never mind, you mean Drive By Wire. I thought this started in 2002 and was the whole cause of the transmission hesitation/jerking?