homemechanic

I think you need to put up some very detail pictures here to see if you caused any damages. Where did you get the gaskets? Sometimes a slight difference size gasket will not work.

I do NOT recommend you work on your R12 AC system, unless you have worked on it before. If the R12 freon gets into your eyes, it can freeze your eyes to blindness. It is not as dangerous w/R134a.

could be anything, but a bad oxygen sensor shouldn't give you 10x the limits. could be the muffler/exhaust system, internal engine oil leak, coolant getting into the engine or oxygen sensor? did the technician give you any hints? sometimes they try to fix it for you and make $$ and hope you pass the test again

The mirror look from the outside is completely illegal anywhere in the US. I don't know why they sell it. Cops do pull cars over for overly tinted windows. Depends on the cops mood that day, they have the rights to issue you a ticket or tow your car away. They can classify overly tinied windows as driving hazards.

that Mequiar PlasticX is useless stuff. the problem is the clear coat on the lens got oxidized over the years. the PlasticX is a polish and can't remove the oxidize clear coat. you might as well use toothpaste. it does the same job as PlasticX. toothpaste is a good polish as well. to restore your headlights, you need to remove the oxidized/yellow clear coat by sanding and paint a new clear coat on. see my instructions above.

I done this once before on my Mustang. The lights were worse than those in the picture. What it is is the clear coat on the headlights got damaged from the oxidation and yellow haze are from years of under the sunlight and parking on the streets. It was up to the point that with or without headlights on didn't make a difference driving at night. Here is what I did for under $15. 1. Wet sand with 600 grid sandpaper to get the first layer of clear coat off. 2. Wet sand with 1200 grid sandpaper to get the stubborn yellow stuff off. 3. Wet sand with 200 grid sandpaper to smooth and even out the surface. You might notice the lights actually look worse than before standing. They might look creamy white at this point after you dry them off. It's ok. 4. Buy a small can of clear and spray two thin layers over the lights. Allow the first layer to dry first before the 2nd layer. Once you spray the clear coat on, you will notice the creamy white is gone and the headlights look just like new. Don't over apply the clear coat or it might look dull. Some guys try using polish, but the polish comes off during rain.

A vent does not exist inside the trunk or the wheel well. Check around the trunk opening perimeter, the black seal and the tail lights. The water from the roof runs down the back windshield and behind the tail lights. You might even have to remove the tail lights to check. The other possibility is the gas filler tube loose or not in place. When rains or cash wash, water passes the gas cap and can go into the tool area if not sealed or loose tube.

a new MAF runs around $100 @ partsamerica.com.

first thing first. did you figure out which injector is bad or dead? cleaning dead injectors is not going to solve your problem. take the fuel rail off. it's the metal tube attached over the fuel injectors. the rail is typically bolted down by two or three bolts. how do you plan to clean them? if the injector is dead or very clogged up, put in new injectors. typically injectors are cleaned by a high pressure machine running a chemical solution through, not really meant to be cleaned at home. by the time you figured out how to clean them, might as well put in new ones to replace the bad ones. normally not all 4 injectors go out at once. typically one injector go out.

fuel injectors! If you have a gauge or some of injector testing device. Great. If not, try this. Turn the engine on, press a long screw driving against the injector. Listen for the clicking noise by putting your ear next to the screw driver. No clicking noise = problem! Isolate rather it's the injector wiring or the injector itself. Most of the time, it's the injector that's bad.

do not use carb cleaner, soap or water on sensors and electronic parts. use electronic parts cleaner! it cleans and dries quickly. by the way, did you put in new gaskets for the iavc and throttle body?

go look at a new Es300. it's not two-tone paint anymore.

humm. . tough call on this one. the CV Shafts are attached t to the tranny. It could be both the tranny and shafts. Lift up the car and go under with the car safety supported by stands. Shake the shafts. If the shafts can move, that will most likely be your problem. Also inspect the shaft joins.

I have to give you the credit of trying many things before posting here. Couple of things you can try: I am making the assumption here that you don't live in snow area and gas line frozen up. 1. Start the car while stepping on the gas pedal. If the car starts, but dies. Then it's a good sign either the fuel pump is out or something impedes airflow or allowing too much air to go in, like plenum gasket broken. 2. PCV valve old or plugged up??? 3. Turn the key to ON position, not start. You should hear the fuel pump pumping. If not, fuel pump issue. 4. Have you checked the fuses for the fuel pump? BTW, fuel pump is underneath the back seats. Need to remove the back seats to see it. Tranny codes don't prevent a car from starting, but just run sluggish.

Some shops will do this bead/sealer method to temporary fix the problem. In actuality, the chrome peeled/teared off the wheel at where the tire lips meet and that created a void to allow air to leak out. The wire brush-bead sealer method simply brush down the void area to allow the sealer to stick to the wheel and fills the void. Sometimes this trick is good, but sometimes it doesn't help. Mechanics recommend re-chrome the wheel or use alloy wheels. However, I find re-chroming is very expensive.

The Lexus Center is right. No lights for the 3 things u mentioned. I have a 1999 ES300 made in 11/98.

Since you have the oil pump out, I would just replace both.

According to your picture (which is a smart posting), you do not have a leaking filter. What's leaking is the oil pump. The diagram the dealer sent to you is referring to the oil pump gasket. It's very easy to replace by removing the three bolts. You may need a little glue for the new gasket, but not certain.

I have the same vehicle as you. The 99 ES300 VVTi model came out around late 1998 and early 1999. Therefore, some part stores don't show the VVTi model in their system for a 1999 vehicle. On certain parts, I have to use a 2000 yr, like the Idle Air Control Valve gasket and throttle body gasket. I am sure dealer has your part. However, here is what I do for these rarely ordered parts. I would check the part # between different store sites or call each different store near me. If they all agree, that should be the right one. www.partsamerica.com www.autozone.com www.napaautoparts.com You can also look at other online parts store, and they sell cheaper than some of these local places. Sewell Lexus (in Texas??) used to have a coupon code for online order.

o . .yea. . forgot that too. remove those black covers/panels on the sides of the trunk by turning the two screws each side, and then open up the tail light panels. you will see the nuts and bolts holding the lights to the body.

1. Remove the bolts and screws at the wheel well next to the rear tires 2. Open up the trunk and you will see bolts attached to the cover at the corner spaces 3. Some models have bolts at the center of the trunk wall. 4. Once you got all the bolts out, you should be able to pull the cover up. In cases where they glued the center of the cover to the bumper wall, you will have to ply it out slowly.

Anyone knows how to adjust the parking brake for the pedal type. I got 1999 ES300. The Chilton repair book suggests to open up the cover from the center console glove box and adjust the brakes using the cable. I do see the cable, but don't see the adjustment and locking nuts. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Try changing the coolant temperature sensor. It triggers the fan to come on/off depending on the temperature. It might be fault leading to excessive fan operations.

How about glue it w/epoxy glue? I assume the original panel is still intact on the outside. No one can't tell after you glue it. If not epoxy, some glue got to be strong enough to bind and hold it in place. I remember this trick when I was a kid. Break things at home and try to glue it with crazy glue ASAP, so my parents wouldn't notice. The only problem at one time was I accidentally glued my fingers.

Sorry to hear that man. The connector with two wires is the coolant temperature sensor. I can't make out what the 1-wire connector is. It's rather difficult to get a new set of wires to replace them and quite a bit of troubles to install the new wire set. Here is what I would recommend. 1. Buy a Chilton or Hayes repair manual at any auto part stores 2. Look at the wiring diagram. It's not that difficult to follow. Each diagram shows your the exact color of the wires and for what purpose. 3. Figure #2 out and buy some wires and soldier gun and soldier to reconnect them yourself. Most likely repair shop will do that same for you. As long as you figured out which 2 wires go to the coolant temperature sensor, you are good. There is no such things as + or - wires for the sensor, so doesn't matter which of the two color goes to which terminal. Good luck. . let us know.