DBrucher

Check the door switch on your driver's side door. Mine, too, (97 ES300) has been sticking lately, but that's only because its been super-!Removed! cold out lately - Anchorage, AK. I know mine is sticking when the headlights don't turn themselves off right away. WD-40 should cure it. The clock, though, not sure. Good luck.

You bled the brakes with the car off. That's what you did wrong.

Does the 'whistling' get higher with the engine RPMs? I had a deck a long time ago do that annoying whine. Turns out it was a bad ground through an aftermarket amp. I'd just make sure you ground everything really well, including the unit itself to something metal behind the dash. Hope it helps.

I think it could be done. I removed both driver and passenger seats once to do a steam clean of all interior carpets. The chairs themselves, there's not that much to em. I bet you could figure out a swap of both 'backs.' And good you're not interested in the seat bottoms, there's too many motors and wiring you'd have to mess with.

Check your struts. I replaced all 4 of mine, 2 at a time, and it made a world of difference. Any funny noises, front or back were gone. I also did mine right at 125K...

Mike's right; check the fan, check the fuses, check the thermostat. And make sure you don't have too little or too much coolant. Might be time for a radiator flush.

I do 32 all around. 35 in the winter. 26 is mad low.

Not that this helps any, but I had to replace my rear passenger door switch with one from a crappy old Toyota truck. Same part, same connections, everything. Works great.

Yours does sound like a relay, or maybe the motor itself is out. That's nice your car is telling you something is amiss.

Good luck.

Discs upside down?

I read somewhere that the whining noise is caused by the belt being a teensy bit loose so it vibrates and hums when AC is engaged, as it has to turn that as well and has a little more resistance. Mine does it, too, and AC works fine. Have never gotten around to tightening it up.

I agree, the Bridgestone Pole Positions are sick. A super quiet tire; the best I've ever bought. 2 summer seasons with them and absolutely no wear. And I drive like a bat-out-of-Hades. Good in the rain, excellent grip in the...dry.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE960AS+Pole+Position&partnum=065HR5RE960PP&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Lexus&autoYear=1997&autoModel=ES300&autoModClar=

Damn.

I replaced my two license plate lights with super bright white LEDs. Ever since, whenever brake lights are on for a few seconds, the car realizes something back there is amiss and the dash's 'light out' shows. However, all lights work 100%. I have a hunch that the car knows exactly how many amps/watts/etc. are supposed to be flowing when brake lights are applied and changing those bulbs sets the warning off. My guess is that it's just hypersensitive so a check for corrosion on all bulbs and sockets would be a good start. Bring canned air.

Glad it all worked out for you.

Fill your brake fluid reservoir to the tip-top. The sensor on mine is extra...sensitive and the dash light will show if the level isn't completely full. Give that a shot.

Last summer (I think it was last summer), as my 97 ES300 was passing 120K miles, I also could feel a little 'bump' when the car shifted from 1st to 2nd (about 15MPH). Nothing too major, just a minor inconvenience. I took it to a local mechanic and got a flush (yes, flush) done. Problem completely solved.

Now I know there are lots of people out there who'll complain "Don't FLUSH your tranny, you'll ruin it! The old fluid is 'holding it together!" Well, you know what, I flushed mine and it 100% solved my minor problem. My only regret is not doing it myself and using the precise, Toyota-approved tranny fluid. Maybe next 120K :-)

I had a similar battery drain problem on an old Chevy Blazer I used to have. After 2 dead batteries in 2 weeks, it turned out to be poor connection with the frame. Bought new grounding cables and one of the main grounds from the battery to the frame was rusted. Wire brushed it out, put a big fat washer and connectivity juice on it, and that solved it. Hope the idea helps.

When I replaced my rear struts, both of my acordian-style boots were torn as well. You can get entire replacement kits that come with everything you need to protect the strut (~$55 X 2). Probably best to replace the struts as well, and always do them in pairs.

On my 97 ES, it's always had a sort of high-pitched whine (sort of ringing), especially when cold or just starting. Like yours, it mostly goes away when in Drive but is back when in Park. From what I've gathered, it's one of the belts that needs to be tightened a little tiny bit at a tensioner joint as to not make the squeal noise. At a high RPM --on start-- it's louder. Also, I kind of pinpointed it by spraying belt dressing little by little until it !Removed! in one certain spot. Hopefully the same thing and not something drastic. Good luck.

My boss once had the stalling/not immediately starting problem in his GS.

He spent a pretty penny at the dealership for them to discover a loose ground cable somewhere. That did it!

Do the LEDs shine down on the license plate properly?

Definitely 2 flat-top A-shaped beams, but they're bright enough to illuminate the whole thing.

I just changed my license plate lights in my ES300 and it was pretty easy. Used a super thin flathead to pop the little black clips out downward and then kind of roll the plastic housing to the side. I almost broke the second one because instead of the two being mirror images of each other (left and right), both "Face" left. Just to be on the safe side, I replaced pop-out black clips with brand new ones. The LEDs look really good; REALLY bright. I'm very happy with my 11 dollar Ebay purchase. :D

Personally, I did mine without a spring compressor. I knew it'd get in the way, and a friend convinced me we didn't need it. So with the back two wheels off the ground and on jack stands (fully extended suspension), and once everything's apart, you place a jack underneath and jack that side up to compress the spring. Then you loosen everything on the struts--top and bottom--and let the jack down SLOWLY. The coil extends, the strut comes out, bing bang bong. Same goes for install, place everything where it should go - sway bar last - and then let the jack down. Also, I thought we were going to have to pull the entire brake caliper off, but we made do with a bent coat hanger, haha.

I just replaced my rear struts the other day and holy crap was it time. 120K miles, 97 ES300. I had a suspension shop quote me a few months ago $1600! to replace shocks, struts, sway bars, etc. They also measured how bad each strut was and it basically cost me 200 bucks for them to say "Yep, they're blown."

Bought the rears online for about 60 bucks a piece and replaced in a few hours. COMPLETELY worth it; rides like a brand new car. Soon I'll probably replace the fronts as well (why not if so cheap to DIY). Also, the tops of the strut mounts are right there, so no need to rip any seats out.

Fill your brake fluid reservoir to the tip-top. The sensor is...sensitive. See if that does it.