backwoods lex

Didi you experience any strange behavior from the car aside from slight shake at idle? What does the ride feel like when the dog bone breaks? Just curious.

Oh man! I had to take a detour home after work today and figured I'd pick up some ATF so I could pull the pan tonight. I stopped at Darcars Toyota in Frederick MD to buy some. When I got the bill, it was $6.42 a quart! Every other dealership I've gone to has it for less than $4. I was in a pinch for time so I went ahead and bought a few quarts. Anyone else seen high prices like that? Also, for anyone who is curious, I dropped the pan and was happy to see that there was very little sludge in there. The magnets were lightly covered, but that was it. I pulled the pan 16k ago and found a ton of sludge. I cleaned the pan and replaced it, did two more drain and fills between February and April, and pulled the pan again today. I'm thinking that I can probably go longer before cleaning the pan as long as I do drain and fills. There really is a huge difference in the amount of work between doing a simple drain and fill, which is easier than changing your oil, and pulling the pan, which really sucks when your working with the car on ramps.

Yeah, I think it sets off the CEL light if the car runs out of gas. I appreciate all of the help guys. Thanks!

That's awsome. One of the reasons that I am curious is because when I fill up, I can drive 50-70 miles before the gas gauge even begins to move from the fully filled point.

I'm curious just how far past "E" on the fuel gauge you can go. I'm usually running late in the mornings and it takes me forever to get to work in the mornings, so I can't always stop. I know the simple answer is to fill up before, but I am still curious. I've had the needle just below the last bar on the gauge.

This car seems to drop more water on the ground than any of my previous vehicles. No problems though.

The tricky thing about pinging is that it can be hard to hear sometimes. I've had pinging on my car before and didn't realize it until I accelerated next to a jersey wall on the driver's side. I couldn't really hear it even if all of the windows were down if there was any traffic around me. I had to be in a quiet place that would echo.

I've always wondered in this situation if the shop that the vehicle was taken to for repairs/maintenance is legally responsible for the repairs for adding the incorrect type of fluid. If a repair shop replaced my fuel pump and added diesel instead of gas to the tank, I'd be pointing the finger at them.

I think it's kind of sharp, especially since most lexus vehicles I see on the road are bone stock. I don't know about the level of quality, but you probably won't see anyone else on the road with it.

Get a carfax record. Carfax does not list every accident, but it may help if there has been a flood or salvage title in the past. When I bought my car from carmax, it looked immaculate. Later a friend point out misalligned body panels and cheap paint on the bumpers. It had obviously been in an accident before and was not repaired to original or near original condition. It has been reliable so far, but I could have had a lot more play when negotiating the price. Good luck!

I kept track a few weeks ago and I'm getting about 21.5 mpg. These cars are pretty heavy at around 3400 lbs. Plus I have the original plugs, wires, and O2 sensors at 102K miles. Most of my driving is highway, but I do get caught in some traffic jams in Northern Virginia. EPA says 26 highway, but those estimates don't represent real world driving. My last car was a four banger non-turbo eclipse, and it got only slightly better mileage, even with the manual.

Yeah, I couldn't believe all of the junk the clay picked up. I have to say I was really impressed with the results. I didn't notice any difference in luster, but the paint surface was amazingly smooth.

The lower door panels on my ES were feeling really rough so I decided to try clay. I bought clay magic at autozone and used it the other day. Overall it did a great job. The panels that felt like sandpaper before were smooth like glass. I did get a little worried when I first started using it though. It felt like I was rubbing a piece of ice(?) or a rock on the panel when I first applied it, but then it smoothed with several passes. I used a good bit of the lube that came with it. I also tried soapy water but got the same thing. I realize there was a ton of road grime on my car, but do you guys get the same rough feeling when using clay? Thanks guys.

Hmmm...I probably should have also said in my previous post that 132K is usually a long life for an oxygen sensor. I think universals can be bought for around $35.00.

I hate to come across as saying cleaning the Mass Airflow Sensor is a miracle cure and fixall, but that could be the problem. When I bought my car used with 50K miles, the cel and trac off light kept coming on and it really freaked me out. I was worried that the car was junk. I took it to lexus and on the way the overdrive went out (limp mode). The replaced both knock sensors at a tune of $800. On the way home it went back on. I had it checked locally and it was bank one sensor one. It was reset. The cel would continue to turn on when I accelerated heavily, especially uphill. I finally found a post about the sensor and cleaned it. No trouble since. It is just such an easy item to troubleshoot before spending cash. Just unscrew the sensor, unplug it, and clean it with a q-tip and cleaner. Total cost=1/1000th of a dollar, or whatever a q-tip cost. Trouble codes just don't always point to exactly what the problem is. Not trying to be longwinded, but I'm sure that you like money in your pocket as much as I do. Good luck man.

When looking for an ES, ask about maintenance records (oil changes, transmission fluid changes). If they aren't available, try to have the valve covers removed to check for sludge. You probably already know this, but the last thing that you want to do is buy a car like this and then have to shell out $5K for a new engine. Good luck man.

Thanks. I searched the web for a while but had trouble finding something. Good looking out.

Where can you get one of these oil test done at? Who usually performs the job? What types of things can they tell you? It sounds reliable and cheap.

Could be a lot of different things, like a sensor. The car is in limp mode right now. I've floored my car before and caused my CEL and TRAC OFF lights to come on and I only had to clean a sensor to fix it. When it happened to me, I thought it was a tranny problem too. Don't worry too much. Good luck.

Thanks for all of the tips guys. I really appreciate it. I guess the best and cheapest thing to do would be to get the high flow cat and have it welded in there. I can't say enough how helpful LOC has been to me. From reading other post, it looks like lexus would have charged me about $1K for the repair. Owning a lexus is truly nice, but knowing that you will have help with any problems makes it all the better. Thanks again.

Without a doubt, I can tell a difference on my vehicle. I use 93 in my car, and the performance is better. Not a lot better, but better. I think the best way to observe the difference is not to switch from low to high test, but instead regularly use high test and then try a tank of 87. It is so much more sluggish for me.

I just got my yearly inspection, and I am thinking about punching the cat since it is damaged. It makes a rattle noise whenever I rev the engine. But I have a few questions: 1. How much power will I get from it? 2. Will the sound be horrible? 3. How would I do it? Looking underneath, the last bolting connection I see is just before the converter. I guess just take it off, poke the cat with a steel rod, and shake out the debris? Is that right? 4. Will is set off my CEL or mess up the oxygen sensors? The car is at 100K miles. Thanks for any help guys.

You should go after the towing company. The repair should come out of their pocket, not yours.

I would definitely not drive the car if there is a possibility that the crankcase is overfilled with oil. Did you get it changed somewhere or do it yourself?

Honestly, if it were me, I'd just take the cheap route and put a new quart in every two weeks. 26 weeks a year x +-$3.00 a quart of ATF=about $78.00 a year. I'm just cheap like that though. I guess it all depends on factors like wether or not the vehicle is paid off, personal income, and leaving all of that oil on the ground. Good luck man!