John Martin

No, you should not have to remove the front. You will have to remove the front injector brackets to get the intake plenum -- not manifold -- off. Unless you got the wrong parts, the spark plug seals should fit. You will have to run a small wire or toothpick around the opening to get them to stretch over the spark plug tubes. JM

I fixed mine finally. You need to take the connectors off of the headlight assembley and thoroughly clean the copper surfaces with a Scotchbrite pad. JM

Yes, the lighting is as it appears, a line of teardrops. The teens think they look cool. If I redo this again, I will use the smaller 0603 packaging and run them in parallel down the length of the needles. Getting the weighting correct is pretty tricky using the SMT 1206s and a curcuit board. JM

Here are a bad picture that shows the multiple LED approach, done with a flash so LEDs are washed out. BTW, how can I include the photo in the body of the post? JM Detail1.bmp

As I understand it, there is a short wiring harness on the 3VZ-FE that exits under the intake manifold connecting the knock sensors to the main wiring harness. Where is this connection to the main harness? Can anyone point me to this beast? Thanks, JM

I took the needles off and reweighted them as you suggest. I used some lead tape that is designed for adjusting the swingweight of golf clubs, basically a lead strip with a sticky back. The key to installation is, I think, to leave the smoked cover off of the cluster, install it, adjust the needles to the correct positions, drive around to make sure everything is aligned, and then install the smoked cover and cluster bezel. I used four red 60mcd SMT 1206 LEDs on the long needles and three on the short, mounted on strips of copper-clad circuit board cutr from a Radio Shack breadboard. I used a single SMT resistor -- 150 and 270 OHM, I think. Here's a good calculator for the circuit -- http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/?p=zz.led.resistor.calculator I'll post pictures tomorrow. The needles are little funky looking. I expected the translucent slits in the needles to disperse the light more evenly. If I were to do it again, I would try to find an SMT LED with a voltage drop closer to 1V rather than the 1206's 2-2.2V. That would allow a chain of ten or so of them to be used in the long needles. The other option would be to find a smaller SMT package with a lower current that would fit horizontally in the needle, and run the LEDs in parallel instead of serially. Basically, recreate the original lighting. I would also like to see what it would look like to turn the LEDs to face downward so that the needles are backlit. I now have an additional cluster and plenty of raw materials, so maybe I'll experiment. JM

Thanks, JM

I recently replaced my valve cover gaskets, but have a lingering "whistle" in the intake area. I am assuming that this is just a vacuum leak that I haven't located yet. I have noticed a number of symptoms that may, or may not, be attributable to this leak. 1) Declining idle. I did not (stupid me) clean the IACV when I had the intake plenum off. 2) Weak acceleration. Car seems very sluggish 3) Shifting sometimes at very high RPMs and/or slow to downshift under load 4) I have a small coolant leak from the hose under the EGR valve. What symptoms would this contribute to? Any advice is appreciated. JM

I recently rebuilt the needles in my instrument cluster by putting SMT LEDs on a thin circuit board and replacing the old plastic LED arrays. They light up perfectly, but they read incorrectly because they start below zero. Two possibilities: 1) The circuit boards I installed are heavier than the plastic ones the needles came with, or 2) I need to unhook the cluster and reposition the needles to zero BEFORE hooking the cluster back up to power. Any ideas? Thanks, JM

Thanks, Larry. That is exactly the kind of experience I am trying to tap into. This part of the Toyota design does not inspire confidence in the wiring, sensor or connector, as having unshielded electricals underneath the intake manifold would seem to me a generally bad idea. But then I am prejudiced, since my automotive experience is mostly with pre-pollution-control vehicles. Their wiring was mostly worn as an exoskeleton, rather than a lymphatic system. I'll report back once I have resolved the problem. JM

So what's the best way to check the sensor, and, if it's bad, is a used one an option? The new ones seem to be in the $150 range which is more than I want to spend on this problem. The risk with a used one is that I'd have to remove the intake twice, which I'd like to avoid. Do the knock sensors go bad, or is it usually the wiring? Thanks, JM

I know that this is the Bank 1 (Rear) knock sensor code. What I can't figure out is why it only comes on after I heat the car up significantly by driving it on the highway. Does it sound like a failed sensor or something wiring related? I just put the intake plenum (not the actual manifold) back on as part of my repair of the valve cover gaskets, and I don't want to have to mess with this if I don't have to. I do have some knock at idle, and probably higher speeds, on what sounds like a single cylinder. It was not so pronounced before I fixed the valve covers and performed a tuneup -- plugs, wires, rotor, cap. Here are the possible knock causes I can think of: Valves need adjusting -- I'm hoping that this is not it I put in 20-50 oil while I was tracking down leaks, and have yet to change back to 30 weight I changed the plug wires to aftermarket (don't know whether the ones I replaced were OEM) I have not Seafoamed the car yet, so there's lots of carbon I'll check the timing again, but it doesn't sound like a general timing problem Any other possible causes I might have missed? Thanks, JM

I have a front turn signal that quick flashes even when I put in a new bulb. I suspect that the wiring may be the problem. The bulb socket looks good, and it only is a problem on the passenger side. Anyone ever this problem? Any suggestions for the best places to start checking? Thanks, JM

I am an idiot. When putting the rear main harness back on the studs in the confined space between the firewall and the engine, I folded the fuel injector harness underneath the main. I mistakenly thought that one of the connectors was for a separate assembly for the injector section. I need to stick to 70's Italian engines. JM

I have somehow misplaced the the fuel injector wiring harness for the right hand (firewall) side of the 91-93 Lexus ES 300 3VZ-FE engine while I was replacing the valve cover gaskets. Need one ASAP. If you have one to sell, or know of any place I could get one, I would be most appreciative. Thanks, John Martin 404-745-4022

What do you want the final result to look like? A) If you want it perfect, a good body shop is the best remedy. They all work with the same parts and the same estimation schedule, but, if this is coming out of your own pocket rather your insurer's, you may be able to negotiate a little. The starting estimates will all be the same. B) Want cheaper, but clean? Check junk yards for the bumper skin and replace it yourself. It's not rocket science, but will take time to find a good-condition part and attach it. C) Rock bottom. Take the bumper skin off, pop ou the dent and get an auto paint vendor to match the color. Buy a spray kit from Home Depot -- glass jar with compressed air cartridge -- for $10 and touch it up. Reassemble. This will at least hold you if you don't have the money to pay for the repair now. B & C do not include fixing the underlying steel bumper, but that is invisible anyway. JM

If you really are interested in seeing what is out there, especially as it relates to road noise, I would go read the reviews at www.tirerack.com. They conduct road tests that rate the tires on a large variety of characteristics. Be forewarned, however, you will have to put in effort to research their reviews and find the best fit. JM

I am going to replace my struts. Three additional parts are listed, and I have some questions about which is what. Strut Mount -- metal plate with bolts to secure the strut. I assume that this part seldom needs replacement. Strut Bearing -- metal bearing that goes over the top end of the strut. Is this correct, does it need to be replaced? Strut Bearing Seat -- this appears to be the part that needs replacement. Does this need to be replaced or just checked? Anything else that needs to be replaced? Are new bolts necessary? Thanks, JM

Most of the sellers I have contacted are on ebay and have good ratings. Sold lots of engines. Feedback seems very solid. So here is the really dumb question. Are these quality motors with low miles, or are they being sold mainly to salvage shops that just get the car running well enough to sell it? JM

I'm curious as to why you would consider the swap ? Let's see. I can replace the head gaskets on a 130K engine and then something else the same vintage as the head gaskets will fail. Or, I can install an engine and transmission with 1/3 the mileage. It's the classic choice between repair or replace. Spend $800 now and take the risk of additional problems, or spend $1800 now and lower the risk substantially. My original question was posed to determine how much replacement lowers the risk. JM

1993 ES300

I just put Leatherique (http://www.leatherique.com/) on the old Volvo seats. Seems to soften them up considerably. They also have an extensive selection of dyes and crack fillers. JM

I can see it in the FSM diagram, but can't find it on the block. Thanks, JM

Have you ever bought one of the engines and/or transmissions that was parted out of a low-mileage Japanese vehicle? I'm think that I should just replace everything at once. Thanks in advance, John Martin

I'm looking for a cost-effective way to get head gaskets and related stuff redone on a '93. Ideally, I'd like to find a Toyota-capable mechanic who does the work on weekends. Know of anyone good and reliable who fits this profile? Thanks, JM