cui

shove that to the sales manager...threaten them you will cancel the deal if they don't want to fix it for free....

it is sad, but in automative sales world....when dealing with the con artists...it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease...

But I'd rather take a stock ES through my daily commute :D

err...that depends on how the commute is....

if the commute is stop and go....ES is way to go....

but for long and smooth distance commute....the civic is my choice....the car is built for commute....

Pulled the frame back in to shape with a tractor and chain.

there's some torque there :)

you tied the ES to a tree while pulling?

I had a wrecked integra that was going fix....of course, I don't have a tractor...so I fixed the frame with a long breaker bar (the one that is sold in home depot for breaking concrete...8 ft long of solid steel)...and placing hydrolic jacks creatively....

if there is lots white smoke...then your oil is milky...then sure you have a bad gasket....

but some white smoke is probable if you car has sat for a few days...and it is wet and cold outside...

car may also idle poorly if bad battery/ground/alternator....

back to the topic....

no wonder I start seeing ppl posting their mods with 03 maxima HID....I was like, wtf, how car those maxima HID get into civics...

I feel bad for the kid (pic here)...the guy should have just like the kid go....I am sure the kid learned his lesson...

this may sounded harsh...but the best mod is not to mod at all....

for the same work/part...you get much better response with a lighter car....

Lexus is not a light car....(although they are lighter in their _class_)...

Want a fast car? try the 6sp maxima...

have you checked all engine mount (and tranny mount) to see if none is broken?

I read that toyota tranny is not known to give problems...(well, if you have heavy footed, or mod the

car to output more hp than the factory spec...then, yeah....)

all you young people that own lexus while being a teenage is missing out part of the life revolution...

I am glad that my parents weren't rich...and I started with a poor GM made...(of course, back then, there is no lexus yet...only toyota...) And, when you own a GM car....and you can't pay someone to work on your car...you are forced to be mechanically inclined.

it takes $$ to make $$...

buying replacement parts for newer lexus is not cheap...even with free labor...

otoh, if you can find buyers for parts...you can made a fortune....but who needs parts beside a bodyshop? of course, there is always ebay if you can't sell parts locally...(and at oakland...people prefer

parts for free :)

(semi-)luxury car is hard to sell with a salvaged title....

please tell me how you find the maf has a lot to do with starting?

This is a revalation to me.

The ECU needs the MAF signal for supplying proper amount of fuel, whether for starting, idling, or running...

I had a MR2 with a bad MAF and I always have to crank longer than I like and it doesn't accelerate as it should...the problem was fixed with a new MAF...so I thought it was worth a shot to look at...

there is a big difference if you take the engine constantly to redline...

Why do you constantly take your car to redline? An ES is NOT a dragster!

err...not the ES...I don't think toyota V6 likes to live its life even close redline...

I did, tried to floor the gas pedal...and it refused to go beyond 5k rpm...

oh well, I didn't buy the ES to go fast to start with :)

but back to the point...If I can access the rear plugs easily...I would go with copper...they are like

$1.50/each....and they are good....but since the intake is on the way...I am scouting for some iridium

plugs...so far, the cheapest I found is about $7 each....I think I will just get some.

does the "rear light" light comes on in the dash?

My right side is blinking faster only if I step on the brake...and I know I have burned out light bulbs...

just never get to replace them...and my "rear llight" is on in the dash....

check to make sure all bulbs are okay...normal and when brake is on...

can you re-gap iridium plugs?

my choice of spark plugs:

copper vs platium....copper (there is a big difference if you take the engine constantly to redline...

platium just don't give you the hp/response the copper plugs do.)

and, after a bit search online testimonies/dyno:

copper vs iridium....iridium (I knew they were good...but it was the price that holds me back...

but given the hassle of removing the intake plenum....I think it is worth the price.)

Thanks. Yes, I think my upper hose is leaking (very small leak...) as well....I will look into it more...

This lexus is like my 6th car....it only gets driven like 300 mile /yr :) I may not even bother to fix it if the fluid never gets down to the floor...

I found the MAF has a lot to do with starting delay....

The stock wheels are 15x6, and weights 18lb each....

I am looking for other p-n-p wheels that are lighter and stay within 15 or 16 inch.....any suggestions?

if you have a leaky gasket...it can be checked with compressed air...

method:

* remove spark plugs

* set cylinder to TDC

* use an adapter and thread it the spark plug hole, and force in the compressed air

* listen to see if you can hear anything in the exhaust manifold...and if you do...you have bad

lucks (either the rings or gasket or valve is your problem.)

and, if you don't have access to compress air, the least you can do is do a

compression test....that will tell you if you have a leak or not too...

Is ps fluid leak a common problem in ES300? (if so, where does it ususally start leaking?)

I tried to do a search...but it just give me feedbacks on every thread in the database...

I found some fluid leaking where the base of the ps pump is...they don't look like engine oil (too thin)...

what's the chance that the ps pump is leaking? if so, what is the best way to fix this?

how often do you have to replace the battery inside the key?

How do you test to see if the remote is still working? (can I trigger the remote by some button? this is for 92.)

well, try the cheap wal-mart $4.xx/gal and mix 50/50 with distilled water...to see if that helps to solve your problem...

also, when the car is heating up, try to feel the lower radiator hose to see if it is as hot as the upper hose...this will tell you whether your thermostat is working or not...

another way of overheating is timing...if your timing is more advanced/retarded than it should be...it will overheat your system...

btw, turn heat on to full blast should delay over-heating.

once you have taken the intake off a few times, it is not that bad....I just don't like to play around with

coolants spilling on the floor...oh well, I guess it is not as bad as some V8, which you have to drop the engine to get to the rear plugs...

Why would you even consider using a spark plug that uses copper instead of platinum? Is it to save a few bucks?

because copper plugs is better than platinum...ie, you will get a bigger/brighter sparks...

the down side is they wear out faster...for copper plugs to stay efficient, you need to re-gap them

around 10k and replace them about 15~20k.

You don't need to check valve clearance for 60k...I openned the valve cover and immediately know that there is almost impossible to wear down those shims...(unless the oil isn't lubricating.)

running hot is usually a indication of running rich...(the excessive fuel is the reasons for heats.)

btw, how do you check timing on the IMZ engine since there is no spark plug wires?

(this is exactly another reason why I don't like distributorless system....)

at this point of time, if I were you, I would also check for fuel pressure...and see if the fuel return line is not clogged or pinched.

Yeah, I hated the design too...

otherwise I would go with NGK copper spark plugs...now I put in platinum plugs because i don't want to remove and replace plugs every 10000 miles...