grand lexus

Talked to a mechanic. He says it's the upper strut mount ($850). I read somewhere that this might be covered by the warranty. Anyone have any experience with this? 2000 Lexus ES300.

I don't mind ordering the KYBs online, but I would hate to show up at the mechanics with parts missing. What should I order? Strut assemblies? Strut inserts? And since the problem was brought to my attention by the creaking and groaning in the front end, apparently due to bad rubber mounts, do I order a set of those too? Should I do the back struts at the same time?

My struts have been rattling for some time and (of course) are just getting worse. I understand this is most likely due to the rubber mounts. Since the car has 155k miles on it, I am considering replacing the struts...not just the rubber. I am no where near a Lexus dealer so I will have to depend on my local mechanic to put the new ones on. My question: what kind of strut should I ask for? I would like something that closely matches the ride given with the originals (whatever they are).

Thanks. I will take a look at it. It does not have a squeaking sound (like bearings gone bad) and not quite a "card in spokes" sound, but it is closer to the latter.

My 2000 ES 300' blower motor suddenly started making a lot of noise when set at high speed. In fact, I notice now that it makes noise at most of the speeds but not nearly to the degree as when running at full blast. As mentioned, this came on rather suddenly. Bearings? Or? Is the blower motor difficult to get to?

Looks like it is probably the starter. Checked the battery connections. They were good. But still got clicking sound. So I took out a block of wood and a rubber mallet and gave the starter a couple of taps. It started. Turned it off, and it clicked again. Used the wood and mallet again and it started again.

Thank you. That was the first thing I tried when this problem started, since that is about the limit of my mechanical abilities. The terminals and connections were clean and tight. But just for the fun of it, I will go over them again.

I like that starter contacts suggestion. The irregularity of the starting problem smell like a loose connection somewhere.... but maybe it is just my thinking that has the loose connection!

Thanks for the info. I thought there were ways of testing both. Wonder why Toyota did not suggest it??? I promise that I don't 'bash' the battery terminals. Just little, tiny taps. That has been enough (usually) to do the trick.

Several months ago I when I tried to start my 2000 ES 300 I got a clicking sound similar to what I had experienced in some of my earlier cars when the starter or solenoid were bad. So I checked the battery connection and the fluid level. One cell was a little low, but no where near dry—just noticeably lower than the others. I added fluid, tapped the battery terminals gently and the car started right up. A few days later it did the same thing. The battery water was OK and a couple more gentle taps on the battery started the car right up. Later, it did it again. So I checked to see if the lights were dim before I tapped the battery. They were not. Anyway, this went on for a couple of months. 9 out of 10 times the car would start fine. I left the car with my daughter while I was away on business. I showed her how to tap the battery, which she had to do once or twice. But one day she tapped and tapped but the sucker would not start. She had to have it towed and was told it was the starter. When I returned, I tried to start it and it would not fire up. So I put it in gear and rolled it a yard or two hoping that would engage the starter. It did not. I tried rolling it again. Still nothing. So I jumped it from my truck and it started without a problem. I started fine (about 20 times) since... until this morning. The car has been sitting in the garage for a couple of days without being started. It is cold here in Colorado, 20F this morning, though not quite that cold in the garage. When I tried to start it, it did not click as in the past but instead started to turn over (for half a second) then nothing. I turned the key off and tried again and it fired up. Toyota (no Lexus dealer in the area) says they cannot tell me if it is the starter or not. They have to ‘experience’ the clicking. Is there really no way to test a starter or solenoid? Can the battery be tested enough to determine if it is the cause? One last bit of info for this lengthy story: Lexus installed a new engine in the car at the start of this year. Old one was bad due to sludge. The battery looks like the original. An 84-month warrantied

my 2000 es300 did the same at 99,000 miles after an oil change. Lexus finally gave me a new engine.

Having trouble starting my 2000 ES300 (new engine in 2006). I tap the battery terminals and it will start. They are clean as can be. My mechanic says that the starter is probably going bad. Is that likely?

Lexus kindly replaced my engine at 110,000 miles with a new one, and gave me a new set of heads to boot! I now have a 2000 ES 300 witn a new engine and about 113k on the car. I have no idea how to figure a sales price for it. Any suggestions?

Could a PCV problem be causing the blow-by, or is blow-by purely a problem with a ring?

My ES 300 burns about a quart of oil every 500 highway miles (ie, speeds of 65-75 mph). However, around town I can go 1000 miles and barely see any sign of consumption. I know there is blow by in one cylinder and a 'sludge' problem. I was just wondering if I can pass off the low oil consumption to the lower rpms or if some other factor might be involved.

Do you have any oil change records since you have owned the vehicle? Did you buy the car new or used? I have some records. I bought it used. Worked fine for 10,000 miles, then the oil consupmtion started. It is ata 108,000 now.

OK. I just took my Lexus into the local Toyota dealer (the nearest Lexus dealer is about 300 miles from here). The mechanic took off the oil filler cap, swiped his finger inside and said: yep, you've got sludge. He also said I would need all my oil change records, which I don't have. Am I out of luck or should I make the 300 mile (600 round trip) journey to my 'local' Lexus dealer?

OK. I just took my Lexus into the local Toyota dealer (the nearest Lexus dealer is about 300 miles from here). The mechanic took off the oil filler cap, swiped his finger inside and said: yep, you've got sludge. He also said I would need all my oil change records, which I don't have. Am I out of luck or should I make the 300 mile (600 round trip) journey to my 'local' Lexus dealer?

I posted a note here some time ago about oil consumption on my Lexus ES 300. I just received a notice of a class action lawsuit against Toyota/Lexus due to "oil gel sludge" (just as some of you on this forum suggested might be the problem). I am not sure if I should take the car in to my local Toyota/Lexus dealer or go to an independent. Hate to sound like I don't trust Toyota, but it seems to me it would be easy for them to tell me that my car does not have the sludge problem. Am I worrying too much? Or should I go to an independent repair shop that I know and trust?

Decided to take matters in to my own hands :) I took the plastic shrouding off that covers the front of the engine (the part that surrounds the oil cap). Looks like the leak is due to a destroyed plastic O-ring of sorts that used to be there. I found the remaining pieces nearly in place. Looks like the leak I saw was simply the oil that I was adding spilling directly on to the valve cover. We are only talking about spilling a teaspoon's worth. So, mystery one solved.

I did tell them what you told me. I did NOT however tell them what to do. They thought the sludge story was nonsense. They said the blow-by told them I had "weak rings". I should also repeat that the consumption of oil seems to be greater during highway driving (higher rpms).

I wrote a few months back about exhaust smoke at start up. That seems to have gone away after dumping an oil treatment. However, I am still loosing oil. Took a 270 mile trip (interstate) and lost almost a quart. However, driving round town (ie, lower rpms) I am not loosing it as fast. No drips showing anywhere I added a quart the other day and noticed some leak from the valve cover. I have not noticed an smoking from under the hood or smelled buring oil. Everything started at around 99,000 miles. The car now has 104K. One mechanic says the rings are worn. He said he found "blow-by". Before going for a second opinion, I thought I would check here to see if there is anything else it could be.

I will check with another mechanic. The first one said sludge was not the problem. Maybe they want to install a new engine!

At just under 100,000 miles, the rings on my 2000 ES300 started to go. Blowing smoke. Mechanic says the only fix is an engine replacement. Is there an other (cheaper) alternative?

I posted a question about maybe having had the wrong oil filter installed on my 200 ES300 (see: Valvoline Oil Company #vo-25 Val Vo25 Oil Filter). Seems now that the rings are going, which is why it is blowing smoke. Car just turned over 100k miles. Am I just an unlucky one of a few, or is there a problem with that model?