PhilP

My ABS indicator light just came on. Has anybody had this kind of experience? If so, what may be the possible cause? I checked the fuse and it appears to be okay. I did check if the ABS would work by slamming on the brakes and causing the car to skid. It did not activate so I know it's not working. Also, I'm not sure if this is related. I must have snapped the cable for the hand brakes when I released it. When I pulled on the lever to activate it, there is no tension on it at all. And the brakes are not activated. How do I locate the ABS wheel sensor to make sure that I did not screw that one up too. ;)

Hi guys, I just came back from the Toyota dealer and have an estimate for some work on my 92 es300 for oil leak and CEL indicator on. For the CEL indicator being on, they recommend; VSV for fuelpressure regulator with o2 sensor (don't know what this means. It looks like replacing o2 sensor) - $300.00. For the oil leak; Reseal oil pump crank seal - $346.00. Reseal pan gasket - $230.00. Replace dist o ring - $86.54. Do these repairs sound legitimate? Are they reasonably priced? Please advise. B)

<_< Thanks everyone. I'll have an autopart store re-check the code. I have a suspicion that it might not be the O2 sensor that's wrong this time. Do you know which auto store would do this - Autozone, Pep Boys. I'm in the Chicagoland area. Or another thought is that the wire that connects to the O2 sensor itself is faulty. I failed to mention that before the "check" light indicator came on, I had some work done by CarX - replace cam cover gasket, cam seal, water pump and timing belt. When I got the car back, I noticed that the mechanic did not put the plastic housing of all the wirings together properly. This is the plastic cover of the fan belt that goes around to the edge of the cam cover closest to the firewall. It looks like while working on the car, he cut the wire of the O2 sensor. The wire appears to just have been tied back together. When I replace the O2 sensor, I used the same wire and spliced it together. It is possible that the wire is not the right one. I can't verify this because it is just a single wire that's sticking out of the plastic housing. I will have to open the housing to see if it is the right one. Even if I did, I would not know if it's the right one. Does anybody have any suggestions.

<_< I recently had a check light indicator diagnosed by a local Toyota dealer. They informed me that I needed a new oxygen sensor for the back bank - $88 charge. Pretty steep charge for a simple diagnosis. I replace the oxygen sensor myself - cost me $40 for the universal Bosch oxygen sensor. They were charging me $288 to replace. After replacing the sensor, the check indicator light remains lit. Initially, after the sensor replacement, the indicator went off momentarily only to come back on. Now it is on all the time. Do I need to have it reset?? Also I noticed that everytime I start the engine the first time in the morning, there seems to be a lot of moisture coming out of the exhaust. It is literally dripping with water out of the exhaust with a thick white smoke. Is this a sign that the cat converter is not burning the fuel efficiently - not the right fuel/air mixture. Could this mean that the oxygen sensor is still not working. Can someone shed some light on this. Thanks.

I've had MXV4 Energy on my Vovlo S60. They last a long time. I have 45K miles on them and they look like they could go another 20K. These tires are not very good in wet and snow. They are also quite harsh riding in the Chicago winter and noisy. Turanza's are rated highly and are supposed to be a better all around tire. They're a bit pricey. I recently bought Falken 512's for my ES300. These tires are rated higher than both of the above tires. In fact they are Consumer Reports best all season performance tire in their Nov issue. I can see why. They are very quite, comfortable ride, good handling characteristics, good in wet and snow and wears extremely well (rated 60K). I'm very pleased with it's performance. To top it off, they are abour 2/3 cheaper than the Turanza's. 215/60/15 are $44 each at Vulcantire.com. They're the cheapest. The only problem is because of their popularity, some sizes are on backorder. I recommend them highly. You will not go wrong.

As I was unlocking the driver's door with the key, the keyhole cylinder detached and fell into the door. Has anyone had this problem. It lloks like I might have to remove the door panel so I can get to the cylinder. Has anybody had any experience in removing the door panel. How difficult is it. It appears that there are a number of plastic plugs on the edge of the panels. Do these things pop off easily. Are these the only ones holding the panel to the door. Is the panel attached to the door with snaps. What are the things that I have to look out for. Once I get the panel off, how do I attache the cyliner back to its place. How do I secure it. Any help would be appreciated. :(

I believe they used genuine Lexus gaskets. The new leak does not appear to be coming from the valve covers on either banks.

:( I have a 92 ES300 with about 150K miles on it. This car has provided me with years and thousand of miles of reliable service without any major problems. About a year ago, I noticed oil leak that appears to be coming from the valve cover. I used one of those products that help stop oil leaks by treating the gaskets and expanding them. I think its called "No Leak". It helped a little bit. It progressively got worse. I took the car into a shop recently, Car X to replace the valve cover gaskets. Cost $300 to do both banks. This is when the nightmare begins. After I got the car back, I noticed the leak did not stop. I took it back to Car X and they tell me the cam seal need to be replaced. I had it done for another $300. After a few days, another leak shows up and this time pretty strong. I looked at it and it looks like it's coming from the outside part of the front bank and dripping over the oil filter. I took it in again. This time they tell me I need a head gasket replaced. This is an expensive proposition, about $1500. Other than this problem, the car is in very good shape internally and externally. Is this a sign of things to come. I'm afraid that because of the high mileage, things are going to continue breaking. Has anyone experience this kind of problem. Is Car X taking me for a ride.