mrbutz1

My empty light routinely comes on and the needle drops below the E mark yet when I go to refill I can only fit about 15.5 gallons until the pump clicks off. Is this right? I thought the reserve tank was like 1.5 gallons, not nearly twice that amount.

Thanks toys...but the $1,200 I'm spending is more than enough cash outlay for me for now. Hoping to get her back after work today. Will let you all know, and thanks for the comments, advice. Helpful as always. Picked her up last night. Smooth as butter! She's back!! Happy Day. Anyone in the Chicago-land area who would like information on this shop, I am happy to pass along the info. I can't guarantee he will give you the price I got, but I am sure I could get anyone from these boards a discount if you need the work done. Thanks again.

Thanks toys...but the $1,200 I'm spending is more than enough cash outlay for me for now. Hoping to get her back after work today. Will let you all know, and thanks for the comments, advice. Helpful as always.

It seems like that would be the case. And now this is complete and utterly uninformed speculation, but might this explain why I got such good (=normal) mpg on the highway over long distances (26mpg), but such awful (15mpg) in the city. Perhaps the overdrive gear was okay and the rest were causing too much friction. I'm an idiot though, no clue what I'm talking about!!

Welp...the rebuild (not replacement with a used tranny) is already underway. I was out playing with my son in front of our building and this guy came by and said hey your trans is all taken apart in the shop...wanna see? WOW...knowing not a thing about cars (other than what I've learned here in the past year which is actually somewhat impressive) I said absolutely. Incredible...so many parts, just amazing. Anyway, pan full of metal shavings all over the place, he showed me a couple parts and compared them to a V6 Camry trans he had lying around showing me where mine was f-ed up...pretty obvious. I was told by the first place that the transmission fluid pump probably stopped working and my neighbor told me that he routinely makes a minor modification to whatever part(s) it is that injects the trans fluid so that a little more gets into the gears during normal operation. I trust the guy, he's had his shop for years and as was said earlier here...he's interested in doing a good job for me so I send people his way. Will let you know how it feels later today or tomorrow when it's ready. Can't wait!! God bless the neighbor AND my wife for approving of a big job on a 13 year old car. Question...the other MAIN topic I have posted here ove the past year has been my fuel efficiency. You don't suppose a newly rebuild tranny will effect that do you?

Haha...well, don't stop trusting your Grammy! I will let you all know how it turns out...I just had it towed to my neighbor's shop an hour ago and it's already up on the rack. He might cut corners, true, but he knows I live directly above him and have a three year old who I can direct to run and scream all over the hardwood condo floors at all hours, so...

Transmission shot. Anyone recommend a used vs. rebuild? Used + labor I'm being quoted $1,800, $2,400 for the rebuild. Either way, probably bye bye to my beloved Lexus...no way the wife will let me put this much into a 14 year old car.:cries: Okay, I've decided just to keep replying to my own post! A neighbor in my condo building has his own tranny rebuild shop directly next door to our building. He says he'll do the entire rebuild, along with one year warranty, for a flat fee of $1,200. Friends, is this a good deal, it certainly seems like it. I would really value any opinions before I go home and try to sell this to my wife. Otherwise it's back to the bicycle/Honda Civic for me.

Transmission shot. Anyone recommend a used vs. rebuild? Used + labor I'm being quoted $1,800, $2,400 for the rebuild. Either way, probably bye bye to my beloved Lexus...no way the wife will let me put this much into a 14 year old car. :cries:

quote] I went back out about an hour later and started the car and was able to move back and forth along the curb when I'd parked and it seemed normal. WTF? Oh *BLEEP*e...about a month ago my little brother's Saturn crapped out and I used my Lexi to push it down a street for about three miles. No hills, flat, but it was still a stress on the engine. I've just been reading in the Search results for "transmission" and someone mentioned something like this. Did I fry my tranny? I have about 135,000 on the odo. Does it make sense to just start by examining the tranny fluid and having it flushed (not with the power flush)? This morning on my way to work it was operating just fine. I'm truly stumped, that just doesn't seem like a problem that would appear and then totally disappear.

I went back out about an hour later and started the car and was able to move back and forth along the curb when I'd parked and it seemed normal. WTF?

Driving home today I noticed the car feeling sluggish. When I got off the expressway I could barely get any forward motion. Hitting the gas just increased the RPMs, barely any forward movement. I tried several gears, same thing. I shut it off and turned back on, a little better, but obviously something isn't right. Before I take it to the shop...any suggestions of what this might be...or threads to read. Transmission brought up too many wo wade through. Note, this was on the way home from having a root canal with my jaw throbbing. Such joy. Thanks.

I think that part of the process of checking the system is to check the expansion valve (correct me if I am wrong!)...they inject some sort of dye and make sure that it isn't escaping anywhere in the system (at least that is what I was told). However, I suspect you would have to pay up front for the recharge in order for them to take a look at it. I would recommend a Midas-type place before you go to a dealership or any more complex mechanic shop...no reason to pay more for what is probably a simple fix.

Just an update...I had the engine flushed out to remove the carbon, got the plugs and the fuel filter changed, and an a/c recharge. Made the round trip Chicago-Pensacola for 2,100 miles. Lexi performed flawlessly the entire way, what a great car. Over five full tanks I averaged 25 miles per gallon traveling 70-80 mpg, cruise, three passengers plus luggage and a/c on the whole way. Not bad! Now back to Chicago city driving, hopefully the flush-out made a tiny difference. Probably not, maybe time to just accept that this old engine runs smooth from start to finish, but is just really thirsty.

My '94 had the same issue first time I turned on the air last week...two days before a long trip South. Had it recharged for $90 at a local Midas-type place. Frosty cold air in 90 minutes. Try that first before you do anything more drastic!

$95 a/c recharge at a local CarX store and I'm chillin' again. No leaks detected. Thanks for the responses. Off to Florida!

Thanks SK for the pinned codes and FAQ. I will check for error codes when I get back out to the car after work. In the meantime a couple questions as I am leaving on a 1400 mile road trip on Thursday to blazing hot Florida!!: 1994 ES. a/c light steady ON. good air flow. compressor turns on and off (can tell by engine vibration/tach movement) but air is barely cool. Do I just need a recharge? If so, I'll just take it to Midas or some such place. OR...does this sound like something worse?? Thanks, I have to get this fixed before Thursday when I leave! :)

Oh come on...someone at least give the proper name for the things so I can search. All I get is on how to take off/put on the inside panels to get to the window regulator. Give me a term and I'll search it! :cries:

I don't know what these are called so can't search for threads on this, but surely they must exist as I simply cannot be the only ES owner affected by this design flaw. The lower, outside panels on my two front doors are coming off and look terrible. Is the only way to get them back in - permanently - taking it to a body shop?

Well, they can hook it up at the shop I'm taking it too. Basically, I don't trust Lexus dealers. Anyway, can an engine throw a code even if the CEL isn't on? Perhaps I should just take it to Auto Zone, they hook up the reader for free. Re: cold...the fuel consumption is the real issue, the sluggishness is just something I've noticed getting more pronounced. Yes, worse cold, but sucks just as much fuel no matter when or for how long it's been driven.

Friends, My '94 ES still runs great, though it's getting more and more sluggish with acceleration, and the fuel consumption is increasing. I'm getting roughly 13mpg now city...that just MUST indicate a problem. Toysrme has suggested that an injector is stuck open, however checking those costs a pretty penny unfortunately. I was thinking to have the plugs changed tomorrow for a meager $150 (NGK plugs) which I can indeed afford. They have not been changed for years and years to my knowledge. I had one O2 sensor replaced nine months ago (fuel consumption then was terrible too, but now worse), and the CEL is not illuminated. No hesitation, no stalling, but takes long to warm up and virtually no pedal-to-the-metal acceleration for the first five to ten minutes of driving in the morning. So, is having the plugs changed the best next step to take to figure out why it's sucking so much gas...would I know if an injector was open by having them examine the plugs as they're taken out? Your opinions are valued, thanks much. :)

I think that means a bulb is dead somewhere. If you can't tell, replace one then the other, or both at the same time. If not, check fuse?

This is one of those questions that people just have different opinions on. I would like to see an anti-acetone poster show me proof that the miniscule percentage of acetone in your 18 gallon gas tank is doing any harm to the engine. I used it for several months and only stopped because it was a pain in the butt to pour it into the gas tank at each fill up. It did improve my mph by 1 mile a gallon or so, and 2 on the highway, and that was six months ago. No ill effects, and if I thought it was destroying my engine I assure you I would not be using it. But, to each his own...I recommend giving it a try, as long as you're not expecting to go from 18 mpg to 36 mpg!

Yes, it did increase my mpg, but certainly NOT by double! Over the course of several months and probably ten to twelve tanks of Chicago city stop and go driving my average went up from 14.7 to about 16 mpg. Obviously adding acetone did not address whatever was causing such low mpg to begin with, but it helped a little. From an organic chemistry perspective, the addition of acetone -- in the right proportions -- will increase the amount of fuel burned instead of wasted. It did for me.

So, still loving my '94 ES. Runs beautifully. I'm sure this is suspension/strut-related, but thought I would post so I have a better idea before I take it in for service. I always feel like there's a few of you on here who know more than a mechanic. When the car is loaded down, i.e. more than two adults, and I go over a dip in the road there is a LOUD BOOM, like someone's taken a baseball bat to the car body from inside the trunk. Doesn't affect ride quality, steering, braking, or anything but boy is it noticeable. What should I be looking for?

I think this is a fairly common problem...it certainly is on my '94 ES. I'm going to take it to a body shop, but I bet if you search this forum there will be some posts about it.