John Martin

Thanks for the advice. I'd like to find a local mechanic who would do it on the weekend for cash, but that's really hard to do in downtown Atlanta. Anyone know any GOOD mechanics in Georgia who would take this on? The car drives well enought to make a reasonable trip. Anyone know where I could rent a service bay in Atlanta to do do the work myself? So, if I'm crazy enough to try this myself, what, other the the FSM, should I use for a guide? Haynes, ALLDATA, Chilton? Thanks, JM

I bought a 130K '93 ES300 with what I thought was leaking valve cover gaskets. After further examination, I am convinced that the car has more problems -- specifically two blown head gaskets and probably a rear seal. Stupid decisions alway have a story, and this one is no different. The car overall is not perfect by a long shot, but I did not overspend. I had already anticipated fixing the instrument cluster, new tires and doing the struts and brakes. The AC has been converted, the exterior is good, all of the interior bits work, never wrecked, etc. My choices are, as I see them: 1) Clean the engine and sell it to someone as dumb as me (not really something I would do) 2) Do the work myself. I have rebuilt 70's RWD twin cams, but the FWD is an intimidating prospect. 3) Buy a JDM engine and transmission and hire someone to install. I don't have the equipment to do it myself 4) Write the car off So the costs are, as I see them: 1) ArmourAll, Purple Cleaner, water, and a guilty conscience 2) Fourty or more hours and an iffy job -- either it will be bulletproof or it will run less than 1000 miles (see #1 above) 3) $1000+ for the JDM set on ebay, plus $200 shipping, and, what do you think, $1000 for installation? And which JDM, the 3FVEZ or the later model? 4) What can I get for the car if I precent it honestly? $1000? I bought the car for my daughter to drive sixteen miles round trip to school, so this is not a "send and pray" type of application. In need to get the car into relaible shape to do five thousand miles a year for the next four years. Your advice and experience are appreciated, JM

I'm curious about this. Was the radiator, as Toysrme suggested, heavy and encrusted? Did you flush the radiator with water when you drained it? Did you flush it with a radiator flush chemical? Did you replace the hoses when you changed the waterpump? I'm just curious about the symptoms that lead you the the radiator as the culprit, and what you tried before you got to the replacement option. Thanks, JM

I have the cluster out, want to fix it if I can. I count 24 bulbs in the thing. Should I replace them all while I'm in there? Are they all the same bulb? Is there any significance to the colors of the bulb holders -- black, blue, gray, green? My odometer is dark, completely off. Can I get a replacement for just that part? From the dealer? Will I have to have it programmed at the dealer? (I don't really care about the mileage reading, it's the trip and distance parts I want.) Is there any common problem with the circuit board that is causing the odomenter to not work that I can repair? Other than the dead needles, is there anything else I should fix while I'm in there? Actually I do have one needle question. Should I use a clamp (surgical) to hold the needle posts so I know exactly where to reinstall the needles, or do they stay still after the needles are removed so all I will need is a picture? Thanks in advance, JM

So does it make sense to drain it partially? And the FSM shows a drain plug on the block for the coolant. What purpose does that serve, sinc they show it in the diagram as being half way up the block? Thanks, JM 2003 ES300

I don't know about the Lexus, since I've never replaced a thermostat on one, but is it possible that the thermostat is in backwards? In the other cars I've worked on, the problem that you are describing is either a reversed thermostat or an airpocket, although stubborn airpockets are usually limited to cars in which the top of the block is higher than the top of the radiator. JM

If the grommet around your PCV is broken or cracked, this should tell you two things. One, the valve hasn't been changed in a long while, and, two, when you change it, some pieces of the old, ossified grommet are going to fall into the crankcase. And I can attest that getting a big chunk of burned plastic out of that little hole is not easy. As crazy as this sounds, once the grommet has hardened, it may make more sense to take you car and let them change everything. JM

The FSM for the 93 says to drain the coolant. Is this necessary? It also indicates that most of the vacuum boost hoses and hard lines have to be disconnected, injector fuel lines and the like. This sounds much more complicated than what I have read in the posts in this forum. Is there a shortcut that I am missing? I haven't looked yet, so forgive me, but do I have to remove the plastic panel beneath the radiator to drain it? Thanks in advance, JM

I know that the rear valve cover gasket is leaking, and I may have a bad main seal. What I can't figure out is what could be leaking oil onto the lower block area below the oil filter. The immediate area aroung the oil filter is clean. Is it possible that something is blowing oil up on to the engine in that area? Thanks in advance, JM

I am tracing down all of the leaks I can identify on a 130K mi 1993 ES300. The oil leaks are pretty obvious if you get under the car. The ones that trouble me are the green drops in among the oil film. The green drops I am finding are under the right passenger side. Are these likely due to: A. Water pump gasket? B. Hose and junction leaks? C. Head gasket? As evidence, no clouding of the oil, no white smoke at startup, funky smell when hot (not just oil), no overheating. Thanks in advance, JM

I want to flush my transmission the old fashioned way -- drain and replace fuid, drop pan and clean, put in new fluid and drain using cooler hose, replace filter and refill. The flushing machines scare me because old transmissions, reversed flushed, fail quickly. Which hose on the transmission cooler is the one bringing fluid from the transmission? Thanks, JM P.S. I'm assuming that the Lexus works like a Volvo, in that the transmission cooler is part of the radiator.

Looks like I am going to need to replace the valve cover gaskets in the 93 ES300 I bought. (Yeah, I should have bought a 94, but I didn't know that until after I bought it). What other gaskets and seals do I need? The standard gasket set comess with spark plug seals. Do I need an intake manifold gasket as well? Are there other gaskets and seals I should replace that might also be leaking, such as the ditributer o-ring or the oil pump seal? Thanks, JM