landar

Hey Jim. You found me. ^_^ Yeah, the last thing I need is more headaches and cars to work on. I certainly can and have tackled tough problems such as this. I just felt really bad for the car. It was like a "rescue" pet. Rescue it from this clueless student and give it a good home and some TLC. Primarily, it will be my sons daily driver and we can make it a "father/son" project. So I tell myself. I did some searching on this site and see that a JDM used engine can be had for about $800 (shipping would probably put it closer to $1000). So, worst case (cracked block) we go that route. Else, its a tear down. There must be some good tutorials on tearing down an early 3.0L ES300 engine out there but I have not found them as of yet. I will keep looking. Thanks for the advice.

Just bought a '92 ES300 because, apparently, I am a glutton for punishment. I own several Lexus LS's but this is my first ES. I bought the car with my son after he saw it listed on Craigslist. We know there are issues but do not yet know the complete extent. However, it does run reasonably well, paint looks good, the tranny shifts smoothly, the A/C works and brakes seem fine. We paid $600 for the vehicle. The car is also a rust-free California car which is rare for where we live in the Indiana rust belt. That's one of the main reasons we went ahead and shelled out the $600. The previous owner is a grad student from Notre Dame and did not want to take the car back to CA with him because....he claims it has a blown head gasket(according to his mechanic). I guess I can believe that as I see whitish smoke come out of the tailpipe. I also see coolant dripping on the ground right beneath the main crank pulley so I am thinking the water pump is leaking as well. Probably needs a timing belt while at it. Anyone have suggestions on how to verify the blown gasket or narrow down the search? I am hoping it is a gasket and not a cracked head or block. I am also thinking a leakdown test on each cylinder might show the guilty cylinder. Thoughts?

I believe that you are to use propane gas, not starter fluid when trying to identify and pinpoint a vacuum leak.

Here's another idea, maybe worth considering depending upon how much you want to put into the car and how anal you are about repairs. You *might* get by with some RTV worked into the seal area of the leaking cam. There is really no pressure there so it would not take much to plug the leak. This of course is not an ideal solution but it could "buy" you some time, perhaps years. Just something to think about. What's the worst that could happen? So it continues to leak. Already doing that.

Oh Brandon, do not question the almighty computer. You may have a MAF sensor that is acting up. Maybe a vacuum leak. Check those areas carefully.

You are welcome. Working on cars, interacting on forums is all a learning process. You are doing fine. Just limit the size of any post to a couple of shorter, concise paragraphs and you will get more responses. Most people, upon seeing a monster post, just go on and never bother reading it.

Wow, thats one hard post to get thru, Brandon. I am just guessing at the dash lights but wouldn't it make sense that the Lexus engineers designed the dash lights to dim when the headlights came on as they assumed it was getting dark outside? That's the way most systems work. On the other issues, take a look at this site to check your TPS -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/tps.html

Got me to thinking of the joke "Dunlop disease" (spare tire around the waist ^_^ ). Anyway, I never really cared for Dunlops. Seemed to be the proverbial "you get what you pay for". Yes, the Michelins are far superior, IMO.

506k km is a lot of miles. If it is a seal and the mechanic won't "deal", I would find a new mechanic. Someone more on the ball and an advocate for you, the owner.

Before making too many assumptions, check for simple things. I had an oil leak that turned out to be just a loose oil filter. The previous owner who changed oil forgot to fully tighten it. Even if you lack the mechanical skills to do a TB/pump replacement, you can still start taking some covers off to get a better idea of exactly where the leaking is coming from. Nail that down first. A competent and honest mechanic should notice a wet crankshaft or cam seal and alert you to replace it. But in the end, it is really up to you to keep an eye on any issues and take charge. I like curiousB's suggestion of trying to negotiate a "half off sale". Seems fair to me. But get the leak isolated first. Oh, BTW, "if" the belt did get soiled in any way, just toss it. It is toast. You should also have had the tensioner and idler pulleys replaced as well.

Not too bad -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/suspension/flowerarm.html

Struts, new struts needed. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68877&hl=%2Bhood+%2Bstruts&fromsearch=1

I would have to agree that you need a "real" mechanic on this one. The first thing to check for are codes. If the engine computer is trying to tell you something, you "listen" to it first. Ultimately, you have to separate this issue into fuel or spark and go from there. You can put a fuel gauge on the rail and see if the pressure is within a proper range. You do not mention if you changed the fuel filter. You may even have a manifold leak which is messing with the fuel mixture. If you do not want to throw a bunch of money down a rat hole, you MUST be methodical in your diagnosis. Let me give you an example. So the engine starts fine and idles. But when you put it into gear it starts to shake, stutter and lose power. Ok. Get a can of starter fluid spray and spritz some of that into the intake snout and see if you get ANY kind of rise out of her. By 'rise', I mean the engine begins to run correctly, even if for only a moment. If so, its fuel related. If no, then time to explore ignition. We can talk more about that in the next episode.

The noise is obviously following the engine RPM's and could be an accessory. You might consider temporarily removing the serpentine belt and starting the engine to see if the noise is gone. If so, it is an accessory item like A/C, idler pulley, etc. If the noise persists w/o the belt, then something in the cam area may be rubbing. I would not drive it w/o the serp belt but you can start it up in the driveway and rev it a bit. A cheap mechanics stethoscope can also help isolate a noise. Just an old (short) piece of garden hose held up to one ear and the other onto various parts of the engine can be useful. I bought a cheap medical stethoscope from CVS that I put a large spike nail in the hose end and press the head of the spike onto areas of the engine to listen.

From your description, it sounds like the vibration/noise only occurs under load. And the issue only began after something was hit? Have you actually gotten underneath the car to visually make sure a stick, branch or other debris is not wedged up against or close to the driveshaft? Look very carefully.

wow. you went all winter with this condition? You certainly have more patience than do I. What I would suspect is a bum connection to the instrument panel. Intermittent power/ground or such. Have you tried tapping (somewhat gently) on the instrument cluster or rapping on the dash to set up vibrations. Good vibrations of course. ^_^

Steven, lots of issues there and many of them have been covered in fairly good detail over the years. I would suggest getting familiar with the search engine feature of this site and sitting down in your favorite EZ chair for some reading. That's what most of us would have to do to answer your questions. I know I have seen many of your issues posted, I just do not recall the details without a search.

It is not uncommon for the motor mounts or transmission mount rubber to be deteriorated. Vibrations can be felt when these parts are worn.

Very good advice from SRK. Check the codes first. Here's how -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

Opps. Guess it's too late now. A good cleaning would involve a degreaser and a heated high pressure water wash. There are not a lot of connections underneath but if you had the entire engine cleaned, it helps to 'bag' (plastic) anything electrical such as fuse boxes, coils, connectors, etc.

Also, check or replace the flexible hoses supplying the calipers. When they get old they will sometimes collapse internally and fail to relieve the pressure. [Edit] BTW, you can perform a rather simple test to see if your calipers are freezing up or remaining pressure is keeping them engaged. With the tires off the ground, press the brakes and leave off. Try spinning each wheel and note the effort. Of course the sticking side should be much harder and you may hear the brake pads rubbing. Then open (slightly) the bleeder valve on the side that is sticking. If fluid shoots out and the wheel free's up, you know the caliper is ok but the flexible hose is (most likely) keeping fluid pressure in the line. Else, it's the caliper itself.

Before you go any further, you will want to verify that you indeed have a fresh, new battery in the remote. It is entirely possible to get a bad battery even from the store. Second, try pressing and holding the button until you hear the unlock. Many times we, myself included, punch the button quickly and expect results. The trunk release is, in particular, very slow to respond. It could also be dirty/oxidized contacts within the keyfob itself leading to erratic behavior so you might want to take the fob apart and clean. Also, clean the battery contacts. The lint and dirt in our pockets tends to get into these fobs over many years of use. The fact that the remote unlock does work occasionally is good news. I doubt that you need a new "remote brain" for the car.

I have not personally removed the valve cover on my LS430 but I have removed valve covers on many other cars. I saw the post on Club Lexus showing the valve covers removed and no mention of difficulty in removal. You have checked very carefully for some sort of harness or bracket being tethered to the cover? Usually you can tell where something is being held down by prying up on one side or another and noting the point of most resistance.

The first thing I would do is to measure the actual charging voltage. All you need is a simple voltmeter. The reading should be somewhere in the 13.5v to 14.5vdc range. Also measure in the AC range. That should be almost zero. As concerns the trunk wiring, you might want to move the wires around or open/close the trunk while observing the dash lights to see if anything changes. I would push/pull on the individual wires(firmly but gently) while having someone watch the dash lights.

I like Napa and they can carry some very high quality parts. However, with all the labor that is involved in a water pump/timing belt change, I would stay with Toyota OEM. There are some kits available online that are very reasonable. I believe the OEM is Aisin and you can buy a kit at Rock Auto for $182 (not endorsing them, just info). Like so -> http://www.rockauto.....php?pk=1798470 Here is the main website for kit TKT010 -> http://www.rockauto....h%2Bfor%2BAISIN