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If you are bottoming out, then there are problems with your rear springs or struts. You need to have another shop check out the rear end. You may find that one of the struts is not fastened correctly, or that the rear sway bar is somehow involved. You could take it back to whoever did your struts the first time, but maybe a different pair of eyes is needed. Good Luck!

I agree with Paul A. You may well have a condition called preignition from low octain fuel use, improper timing, or carboned up pistons and valves. Continuing to use the car when its pinging will eventually burn holes into the tops of the pistons or worse. Read:.....very expensive to fix at that point. You need to start using premium fuel, and if that doesn't correct the problem, get the engine checked out. Good Luck!

There is nothing unique about the 97 ES300. Any competent garage can do the service work on it. You could buy the full factory service manual for a 97, unlike the ES350 today. Our first Lexus was a 97 ES. We put almost 250 000 miles on that car, I did all of my own service work with the help of the manual, and the car never let us down. It was a honey!

What you describe is perfectly normal. As the pads wear (all 8 of them) the fluid level in the MC will go down making the low brake fluid light come on. You top up the fluid and continue on driving. I'd bet that you don't have a fluid leak anywhere, but it is wise to check. What its saying is that the pads are wearing down but it doesn't mean that anything needs replacing yet. Again, its wise to check anyway. The squeal tabs on the brake pads are what tells you to start replacing parts. That and brake pulsing or the brakes grabbing in one direction. Its good practice to have the brakes taken apart twice a year and clean and relube the slide pins. Its an easy DIYer job that doesn't require any special tools or expertise. That way you know for sure where you stand. Every 4 years its wise to flush the system and refill with fresh fluid. That keeps the calipers from seizing up due to internal corrosion. I'm a backyard mechanic whose been in the backyard a while and I do the brakes on all my own vehicles. Its not rocket science, and its saves a lot of money, and gives a great deal of peace of mind. Good Luck!

You don't give us your mileage so we can't really nail down your issues. The shocks are expensive to replace if you go OEM and wish to retain the variable settings. If money is an issue, I'd run them on the comfort setting until they become a ride and safety issue, and then put on a non electronic set that would be standard issue on a V6 Camry for that same year. As far as the creaking noise from the brakes, its time to pull the wheels, check, clean and lube the slide pins and pad clips, and if the pads are worn, replace them and maybe the rotors as well. You might check out the brake pedal to see if its pivot points need lubrication. Good Luck!

Just from what you describe, it is obvious that you have little or no experience with automotive wrenching. What you are attempting to work on has the potential to explode and kill you at the least, if you don't handle it properly. To get at the gas tank, the exhaust system that's in the way will have to be removed. On a car as old as yours, there is the potential that you'll need to torch the exhaust clamps off, which I'm betting you don't have, and have not been trained for. And that torching may have to be done near the gas tank. Experience is absolutely necessary in this case. Yes, the tank straps hold the tank in place, and they will need to come off. Be prepared to have to replace them, if they are corroded to the point where using them again would not be safe. And all of this is before the gas filler tube and vent tubes have to be dealt with, as well as the fuel line and return line, and the gas gauge wiring. Your best bet is to either take the car to mechanic who can do the job for you. Please don't try this on your own without some competent guidance from someone who knows what he's doing. Good Luck!

We really need more to go on. Is it just the seat memory that doesn't work, or do the normal seat switches not work as well?

I know that these things are not cheap to buy, but I would advise against it. You are going to kick yourself if you have to tear the engine down again to replace the head gasket in another 1000 miles if it goes again. Headgaskets are a one time use item. You've already torqued it flat once. I'm not a licensed mechanic, so you may want to speak with someone who is. Maybe I'm wrong and you could save yourself some money. Good Luck!

In the photo (several posts above this one) the large screw in the lower left is the one I was referring to.

There aren't enough gear heads and wrenchers on this site for anyone to have that part number. Your best bet is to go to a Toyota or Lexus dealership, describe what you want, and let them do a computer search. They should have one or two in stock. Remember that the same year Camry should most likely use the same part. Good Luck!

I've fixed quite a few of these over the years on a lot of different cars. Its pretty common. The cheapest fix is to repair the existing wood grain applique. Go to an auto paint shop and get some double-sided sticky tape that they use for fastening emblems and body mouldings onto the side of fenders, etc. The good stuff that they use will almost never come off if the proper surface prep is done before. Sometimes after you dismantle the switch from the applique (or whatever you want to call it)you can epoxy glue the broken pieces back on to it. If possible, just be sure to scuff up the plastic bits where the glue goes (to give it a good grip)and use lots of 5 minute epoxy around the fitting to beef up its structure. Let it set overnight before reinstalling. Obviously you have to remove the door panel from the door to do this. If the clip structures are too far gone, it may be possible to epoxy glue the applique right to the door panel. (If the panel ever needs to come off for internal door repairs in the future, you'd have to pull the door panel from the door and slide it up far enough, to allow getting in behind it to disconnect the window and lock switch wiring connectors.) If you are not turned off by this suggestion, I've even seen where people have drilled a small hole through the applique and into the door panel front and rear of the applique, and fastened it down with either black or chromed automotive trim screws. Recently, I saw where one guy used some brown paint to disguise the screws further. Or you could buy a new one from the dealer or try to locate one from an auto wrecker. Good Luck!

I would be willing to bet that the same year Camry seat belt assembly will fit. Many of the same parts exist on both cars. NOTE: YOUR CAR MAY HAVE A SEAT BELT PRETENSIONING SYSTEM THAT CONTAINS THE SAME KINDS OF EXPLOSIVE PROPERTIES AS AN AIR BAG. BE CAREFUL!!! (Your owner's manual will tell you if your car came so equipped.)To disarm the system so you don't have the possibility of losing a finger or an eye in the case of an accidental firing, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND WAIT 30 MINUTES BEFORE REMOVING THE BOTTOM BELT ASSEMBLY IN THE B PILLAR. (You may want to copy down your radio presets before disconnecting the battery.) The battery has to be disconnected to prevent a firing situation, but air bags and seat belt pretensioners have a built in capacitor that stores electrical current for up to 20 minutes or so after the battery disconnect, which means that until the current drains off these capacitors they could still be triggered. As far as replacing the belt, (you don't tell us which side broke, at the door or at the centre console), you may have to remove the seat to get at the anchor point at the console. If the seat will slide far enough forward to get at it, maybe not. Its four bolts to get the seat out, if its in the way. You will need a Torx 55 socket bit to remove the belts from the anchor points. This is pretty much standard across the industry. With the seat out of the way the anchor point at the console is pretty straight forward, just be sure to disconnect the wiring harness for the seat belt reminder (under the carpet at the seat, or under the centre console.) The belt section at the B pillar has a torx fitting at the top loop and at the bottom of the door B pillar. To get to them, simply grasp the top of the B pillar finisher at the headliner and pull it straight towards the centre of the car firmly. Its spring clips will pop out of the steel door opening structure. Do the same to the lower finisher where the belt comes out towards the top loop, and down along its length at the carpet. With the finishers loose you'll figure out how the belt fits in to the two pieces. The top torx bolt at the ceiling is not a problem, but the bottom one takes care. Disconnect its wiring connector and its two torx bolts, and make the swap. Assembly is just the reverse. This is a simple job to do, with the exception of the danger of the pretensioner. If you disconnect the battery and wait 30 minutes for the current to drain from the capacitor, before attempting to change the belt, it is a job that any DIYer can accomplish. Good Luck!

Do you have a sunroof? If so, the front drain tube may be plugged, or the drain tube has come off the drain up inside the A pillar. Even though you say it hasn't rained there in quite a while, that water may have been under your floor mats for months. I'm sceptical of the AC drain being the culprit, as its located on the passenger side of the car. Water from there couldn't get over the tranny hump between the seats. And the passenger side would have to be wet as well. If neither of these pans out, you have a leak in the cowl area, or your windshield has a seal problem. Good Luck!

I'm with you on this one. While the lock actuator may be weak, its cause may be a corroded electrical connector, or a dirty or corroded lock assembly that's all gunked up. After all, it is a 14 year old car. (Our first Lexus was a 97. What a sweet ride she was!) If she were mine I'd pull the inner door panel and the thin plastic weather shield underneath, and explore all of those possibilities I mentioned above. You may even discover that something has jammed inside the door itself right at the lock rods, or a rod is slightly bent, or so worn it has too much slop to throw the lock lever firmly. If you discover that parts need replacing, try a wrecking yard, and even consider trying Camry parts, as they're twin sisters to the ES. Good Luck!

You're going to kick yourself when you find out how easy it is! Quite simple. Remove that one caliper bolt and ..... wait for it..... rotate the entire caliper upwards until it clears the rotor, and pull the entire caliper towards you. The caliper will come off with the top slide pin still attached to it. Its a strange setup to be sure, but seems to work well for Toyota. Good Luck!

Once you pull each wheel from the car, you'll find a wire that runs down the suspension to each wheel hub. That wire is for the ABS system, and the speed sensor is inside the wheel hub. If you follow those wires up from the hub you'll find a connector. Chances are that the connector is corroded and just needs cleaning, or the wire has been broken by road debris. Then again, maybe a sensor or two has gone south. I'd look for the obvious wiring break or corroded connector first, before turning the car over to a service tech. Good Luck!

I'd look at a used disc on eBay. You might even be able to pick up an updated year. Just be sure to research that it is compatible with your present version. Good Luck!

I agree with fergi. This is pretty common in many cars and trucks. The HACV system doors are either motor or vacuum operated, depending on the manufacturer of the vehicle. In your case one of the doors is not moving to redirect the cool air out the proper vent. That means the door mechanism is broken, the motor has gone south, or the vacuum system has lost vacuum due to a leaking O ring or split hose. While none of these issues is big money in parts, it may be big money in labour, depending on how much of the dash needs to be removed in order to get at the problem. Then again, it may just take a few minutes. Good Luck!

You don't say whether you checked to see if the bulbs were burnt out or not. Start there. As for the backup lights, if the bulbs are fine, check to see if the reverse light switch on the transmission has a broken or corroded connection, or that the switch needs replacing. Good Luck!

You need to get someone to check out the starting system of the car. There is a bad ground or corroded terminal somewhere. There is also the possibility that the starter has a bad section on its armature. If the starter works and then stops on a good section of the armature, it will have the battery strength to spin and start the next time. But if it stops on the bad section after a successful start, the next start attempt may need more battery strength to get the armature to spin past the bad section, and that is when you need to get a jump. A friend's car had this exact issue several years ago. GoodLuck!

Not sure that you'll be able to get one online, but you should be able to find one on eBay.

Copy down your VIN # and call a dealership parts department. They'll be able to tell you.

Absolutely, this forum is quite active. You may not have received a reply simply because no one has the answer to the question you asked. Or maybe you didn't give enough specific information of your problem for someone to know what answers to give you. I follow 9 different forums, one for each of the cars, garden tractors, etc. that I own, and this is one of the average ones for responses. That said, there doesn't seem to be many real knowledgeable gear heads here. You might try other Lexus forums, or even Camry forums, since the ES is really a gussied up Camry, with many of its pieces shared across the platforms.

I haven't had to change the one in my wife's 330 yet, but opening the hood and checking it out tells me to do the following: Right behind the battery is the rather large air box with the filter inside. Looking down on top of it you'll see two 10 mm bolts with large washers under them, on the right side of the airbox, one in front and one in back. Remove them. The large corrigated rubber air tube that attaches to the airbox and the throttle body needs to be removed. Undo its two wire clamps, again with 10 mm bolts and wiggle the tube from the airbox. To the right of that corrigated tube, on top of the airbox, is a wiring connector to the air flow sensor that MAY have to be disconnected, in order to give you enough room to open the airbox. Simply push down on the tab in the centre of the connector and wiggle the entire connecter towards the back of the car to disconnect it. Now the airbox lid simply hinges towards the passenger side of the car, and you can lift the air filter out.

There are 4 sunroof drains that if clogged will allow the water to back up in the drain channels leading to them, and then water will leak into the car. Your back seat floor area water means that the rear drain on that side of the car is the most likely culprit. The usual fix is to blow the drain tube out with compressed air using a long extension on a blower that has been tucked back into the rear channel. If that doesn't succeed, you'll have to pull the side corner of the rear bumper cover out from the body of the car, to find the other end of the drain tube and blow the air through it from there. The last alternative is to drop the headliner out of the car to get at the tubes. Most dealerships/garages have had to deal with these things for years, so they know how to go about it, if you're not so inclined. As for the coolant going down, you have a leak somewhere, and you must find it before it gets bad enough that you burn up the engine before you notice the problem has accelerated. Read ...very expensive! It may be a simple leak from a bad radiator hose or loose fitting. Check under the car for coolant puddles, in the engine compartment for obvious wet areas. If it is an external leak you should be able to smell the sweet coolant. But if its an internal engine leak, like a blown head gasket, you are looking at some dollars to fix. Regardless, track down the minor problem before you destroy the motor. Good Luck!