greenie

I had a similar starting problem with my wife's '94. It turned out to be the battery terminals. These terminals deteriorate over time like shocks and eventually power flow becomes problematic. I bought new positive and negative terminal assemblies from the local Toyota parts department and replaced the old corroded ones. The old ones were a real bear to remove even after soaking them in penetrating oil so take your time. Don't forget anti corrosion felt washers when you re-assemble everything. Once I replaced these terminals the starting problem went away. The terminal assemblies were $12.42 each out the door.

Although this solved my individual problem other electrical gremlins may be at work here. Hope this helps.

Last night i noticed smoke coming out from the hood, I immediately parked the car & noticed there was coolant leaking out so i & let it cool overnight. First thing in the morning i put a gallon of water in the car & noticed it all leaked out.

I drove about 3 miles back home. I stopped at a nearby gas station/car test station & he said it may be a leakage in one of the hoses. (Which he noticed it was the hose underneath the manifold).

What do you think maybe the issue?! & How much is the estimate cost to repair?!

Sorry to be a johnny comes lately but you've probably already had this fixed. Local labor rates in my neighborhood are in the $80 per hour range with one hour minimum so add parts to that. But for future reference see below:

If it's the lower radiator hose then it's not that difficult to change out. Just awkward. Drain the coolant, remove the front belly pan (this is the awkward part if you don't have a lift) to gain access to the lower hose connection. Remove the clamp. If the car still has the pinch type clamps toss them in favor of the stainless screw type. Top clamp is easy to access. Once the clamps are off remove the old hose, slide the new clamps over the new hose and re-attach. Don't forget to re-install the belly pan. Refill with fresh anti-freeze. I recommend the Toyota red.

I've changed out the radiator and hoses on my wife's ES300 (took me a little over two hours) and it's not a big deal, just pay attention to details.

Even though synthetics cost more than conventional oil there is peace of mind knowing that you have the best possible lubricant in your engine. I've been using Mobil 1 for years in my 1994 ES300 with over 210K on the clock and I never have to top up between changes. I also use synthetic in my transmission and power steering.

Rodgie,

Normally the antenna motor timer allows the motor to continue powering the mast or down for longer than it actually takes to do the job, simply to ensure that the mast is fully open or fully stored. When the mast reaches its fully opened or fully closed position, the clutch assembly, in the gear set of the motor assembly, will simply start slipping and give a growl/grinding sound until the timer turns the motor off. All of this is normal, and on some cars its very noisy, and others are much more quiet. You say you replaced the mast assembly. If broken pieces of the old mast's toothed nylon whip were left in the gearbox, they could be jamming up with the new mast's whip creating the noise. If this is the case, the only way to get the pieces out is to remove the assembly from the car and open up its gearbox. Been there, done that. Its not rocket science but can be fiddly, particularly if the motor and gearbox are riveted together, rather than bolted or screwed.

I replaced the antenna mast on my wife's '94 ES300 a couple of years back. Before I installed the new mast I removed the passenger side trunk panel to gain access to the antenna mast tube and motor. I then unplugged the wiring harness and removed the motor assembly. Once I had the motor assembly on my work bench I removed the cover (I can't remember if it had screws or bolts) to the gear box and found small fragments of the old nylon retractor/extension tape all mixed up in the grease and around the gear. I cleaned out the gear box and repacked it with lithium grease and re-installed the motor assembly before inserting the new mast and retractor/extension tape. I'm not sure what the proper lubricant is for this part but I have not had any problems with the antenna for going on 2 years and it is quiet as can be. Not difficult, just time consuming.

I pull the dip stick out just enough to vent the crankcase then remove the drain plug and let the pan and internals drain down. Allow about 20 minutes for the filter to drain down while the engine drains out. This is the best way to eliminate spillage unless you're in a big hurry. This method works so well on my son's Camry I have yet to spill a drop removing the filter.

Hey everyone my name's Andrew and I've never owned a Lexus but I'm looking into buying one this week. There's a guy selling a 92 ES300 at a good price but I have a couple reservations that someone here may be able to help me out with. I read the FAQ and it says not to buy a 92 or 93 because of overheating issues, will an engine from a later model, say a 95 bolt into a 92, and if so would that solve the overheating issues? The FAQ also says not to put anything larger than 18" rims and this particular car has 19" rims and low profile tires. The guy told me he still has the 17" factory rims but he hasn't had a problem with rubbing from the 19" rims, has anyone here seen an ES300 sucessfully function on 19" rims? I'm just starting to learn more about cars now that I'm in the market again and this forum has answered a lot of my questions, but with 238 pages of topics in this section alone I didn't find the answers to these yet, so thanks a lot for taking the time to read this. Lastly, I know you have to get quotes on used motors but can someone tell me about what cost I would be looking at if possible to order a 95 engine and have it put into the 92? Thanks again!

Overheating is usually indicative of poor maintenance practices. E.G. thermostat not functioning properly, water pump, slipping drive belt, clogged or defective radiator or a coolant leak in the system. Other variables could enter into the equation but that's where basic cooling problems usually crop up. My '94 has never had an overheating problem but that's because I'm very picky about preventative maintenance procedures. Has the present owner experienced these cooling problems? If not I would not be too concerned with the overheating caveats. You can usually tell by close inspection whether or not a car has been abused.

I can't address the engine swap question so maybe someone else can steer you in the right direction here. Engine swaps especially on intricate and highly engineered cars such as Lexus could be problematic due to the electronics involved in engine management systems. Not trying to discourage you but be prepared for Murphys law.

I wouldn't get too radical on up-sizing wheels because of alignment and handling issues.

Take your time and shop carefully.

RE: Fluid type: Dexron II or equivalent

Capacity:

Total: 6.75 liters (7.1 US qts, 5.9 Imp qts)

Drain and refill:

3.5 liters (3.7 US qts, 3.1 Imp qts)

Hope this helps.

I assume that is tranny only and no diff here. Add in the diff you are at like 4 qts +/-

Page 3 of General Specifications:

(A541E transmission)

Differential Capacity: 0.85 liters (0.9 US qts, 0.7 Imp qts)

Fluid type: ATF Dexron II

You might need to double check but I believe your '97 ES 300 has an A541E transmission, same as my '94 ES 300. If so then the following specs would apply as to capacities.

I have a pdf on the A541E but it exceeds the max. single upload size for this site. If you think it might be of use I could email it to you.

I did a total flush and refill of mine with Mobil 1 synthetic and experienced a noticeable improvement in smoother shifting if that's possible. The transmission shifted very smooth before the trans flush however. Do it yourself and you know its done right. I had heard the myth of "flush it and it fails" but this has just not been the case with my '94 with over 200K on it.

If you're interested in doing it yourself let me know and I'll post the procedure. It's really easy and takes a couple of hours the first time you do it but this time frame can be trimmed once you get the hang of it.

Incidentally, DO NOT OVERFILL! I don't believe it has a vent.

RE: Fluid type: Dexron II or equivalent

Capacity:

Total: 6.75 liters (7.1 US qts, 5.9 Imp qts)

Drain and refill:

3.5 liters (3.7 US qts, 3.1 Imp qts)

Hope this helps.

Dashusa.com can help you with this problem. All of the needles except the fuel gauge had "burned out" on my '94 ES300 so I had my dash assembly removed by a local mechanic and then I shipped the assembly (prepaid return shipping) to Steve at Dashusa. Be sure to wrap the assembly in several layers of bubble wrap then surround this with 5 or 6 inches of foam peanuts to protect the assembly. They replaced the needles and shipped it back for approximately $360 two years ago. The local mechanic charged $100 to remove and replace the assembly. Dashusa did a great job and the new needles look better than the old ones in my opinion. Have not had any problems with the repair. I highly recommend them.

So, like many of you all, I've got the failing needle lights in my speedo and tach... well, those are actually completely gone, and the fuel and temp needles are flickering (I turned down the brightness for the time being... seems to have cured the flickering).

So... I've done my homework and found that it's $$$ to get these things rebuilt... sheesh, somewhere they want like $150 PER NEEDLE!! ( such as http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=300057733040 ) What is it, brain surgery to repair these? Anyhow, in all that I've ready, it seems the best way is to change out the whole cluster with a replacement one. That's like a 30 minute job one can do in their garage... even found a link of how to take it out of the dash.

My question is does anyone know which years are interchangeable? I've seen mixed reports... 92-96, but then another site says 94-96. It's a risk to buy a used one that the seller can't confirm if the needles work, but it's probably cheaper buy one or two of those and take a chance than have them rebuilt... a total rebuilt one is nearly $500 on eBay! What was Toyota thinking when they put in "diode lights" in their gauges... can't they just put in the tried and true refraction needles like everyone else???

So, like many of you all, I've got the failing needle lights in my speedo and tach... well, those are actually completely gone, and the fuel and temp needles are flickering (I turned down the brightness for the time being... seems to have cured the flickering).

So... I've done my homework and found that it's $$$ to get these things rebuilt... sheesh, somewhere they want like $150 PER NEEDLE!! ( such as http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=300057733040 ) What is it, brain surgery to repair these? Anyhow, in all that I've ready, it seems the best way is to change out the whole cluster with a replacement one. That's like a 30 minute job one can do in their garage... even found a link of how to take it out of the dash.

My question is does anyone know which years are interchangeable? I've seen mixed reports... 92-96, but then another site says 94-96. It's a risk to buy a used one that the seller can't confirm if the needles work, but it's probably cheaper buy one or two of those and take a chance than have them rebuilt... a total rebuilt one is nearly $500 on eBay! What was Toyota thinking when they put in "diode lights" in their gauges... can't they just put in the tried and true refraction needles like everyone else???