byf43

Welcome to the '93 es300 needs head gaskets club!!! I've got a '93 es300, and it showed the exact same symptoms. Exact! You have two options, here. 1. Trade the car. 2. Have the car fixed, or do it yourself. Me?? I paid my local shop to repair my es300. (I've got a bad back and can't do the work, anymore.) Total bill was a over $3,300.00!!!! If memory serves me, I had about 105,000 miles on the car, when the head gaskets went bad. Head gaskets, water pump, thermostat, timing belt, spark plugs, oil, filter, radiator caps (x2). Before the head gaskets were replaced, I replaced both upper and lower O2 (oxygen) sensors. (The service engine soon light came on.) Water kills O2 sensors. I didn't realize this until after all 4 had been replaced, for $125.00 each!!! The repair shop did send me some photos of the old head gaskets and engine. The gaskets were TOAST. I now have over 135,000 miles on this car, and it drives/handles/runs like a new one!!

Sure sounds like a blown headgasket. Look for water in the oil. The oil will look like 'coffee with cream'. IF you have a blown headgasket, don't drive it! You'll surely ruin the bottom end of the engine. The '92-'94 es300s have a bad reputation for overheating problems. I had my '93 es300 headgaskets go bad. The car had about 105,000 miles on it. All 4 oxygen sensors replaced (water kills 'em!) and then replaced the head gaskets, plugs, water pump, thermostat, timing belt, just about everything that would soon go bad. I've driven this car without any problems since. (It's got 125,000+ miles on it, now.) Best $3,000+ ever spent. GREAT car!

If YOU are comfortable with the car. . . buy it. I basically 'stole' a '93 es300 when my sister refused to get it fixed. It had a cracked/split radiator because she didn't maintain the car. I got it for $800.00 (The cost of the repairs)! She made the offer. . . not me. I already had 3 vehicles in the driveway! I've since had to replace one of the O2 sensors, and then the head gaskets (underlying original problem). I've got almost $4G into this car now. (I had other stuff replaced as 'preventive maintanence' along with the head gaskets.) It had 108,000 miles on it when I got it. It now has 112,000 miles on it and it runs like a new one! It is that U-G-L-Y "Plum" color, but, WTH. . . . It has one small spot on the rear seat where a stitched seam is pulling apart, at the rear deck, where the seat meets the rear deck. This Lexus is one fine car, but, only you can make the decision to buy, or not. (You know you want it. . . . . )

Great post, above!!!!!!!!!!! I had an '89 Blazer that the paint was flaking on. GM wouldn't do anything about it. I found a guy locally, that worked out of his home. (Partially disabled.) Now, this Blazer had NO dings, NO scratches. The body was PERFECT! The paint was peeling off in sheets. This guy stripped the truck down to bare metal, scuff sanded, epoxy primered it, poly primed it, shot it with 6 coats of color, wet sanded it up to 1500 grit, then clear-coated it with 8 coats, then wet sanded to 1500 grit, again. Paint guarantee for life. Price. . . . . $2100.00

From what I'm reading. . . .it sounds exactly like one (or both) headgasket(s) have gone bad. "Classic" symptoms. I needed to have the headgaskets replaced on my '93 es. (I physically can't do the work anymore. Arthritis and bad back, neck and knees.)

Unless you have the proper dismounting/mounting/balancing equipment, you will need to go to a shop/store that can do this. I've bought tires from Sears, BJ's Wholesale Club, Goodyear Stores. . . . you name it. Here's a run-down of MY preferences. B.F. Goodrich. I LIKE their tires. They are owned by Michelin. So are Uniroyal. I wouldn't give 15¢ for 4 Uniroyal tires, but, BF Goodrich are good. Michelin are really good, too. The ranking is Michelin, BFG, Uniroyal. I've owned 1 set of Uniroyal and they were noisy, noisy tires. I have a set of BFG "Traction T/A" tires on a Scion right now. They stick like glue to the road. I've had BFG on just about all of my cars and trucks at one time, or another, for the last 35 years. Goodyear. I like their tires, too. The "Eagle GT" and "Eagle LS" (I think that's the right name) are really good. I put a set of Eagle GT on my son's Celica GT. He has 65,000 miles on them. Eagle LS were on my Dodge Dakota from the factory, and my Scion xB. Over 30,000 miles on the Dak. I put 45,000+ on the Scion before changing them to the BFG. Firestone. I wouldn't own a set of them, if you gave them to me. :chairshot:

Exactly. How much are you looking to spend? Are they 'standard' size tires, or, are they for oversize rims? There are soooooooo many different places to buy tires in/around Maryland. You will have to decide what the best tire and price is. One hint, though. When I acquired my '93 es300, it had (and still does) "Mastercraft" tires on it. It is my understanding that they are made by "Cooper Tires". They are good tires, once they get warm. When cold. . . . they develop "Flat" spots, especially when the car sits for a few days.

Changing the headlight (bulbs) on the '93 es300 is easier than easy. First, you need the bulbs. #9006 for the low beam(s). #9005 for the high beam(s). I just changed the low beam(s) on mine. I did find it easier on the passenger side to remove the windshield washer 'bottle' - first. (A couple of bolts w/10 mm heads). Less than 5 minutes. To remove the bulb(s), unlatch the wiring harness and turn the headlamp bulb. Remove bulb. To re-install. . . reverse procedure. HINT: Do NOT touch the bulbs with your bare hands. The oils from your hands will cause premature bulb death. Total time to swap out the bulbs. . . . 10 minutes, tops.

Water leaving the engine is from/through the upper radiator hose, not the bottom. IF the upper radiator hose is really tight, you MAY NOT be getting circulation. The engine/hoses are pressurizing, but, the coolant might not be flowing back to the radiator, to dispurse the heat via air flow/convection. Here's another test that has worked for many, many years. Start the car and let it warm up. (Note temperature gauge. When the temp rises, proceed, but, do NOT let the engine overheat!) Raise the hood. With the engine running, remove the radiator cap. You should be able to see the coolant flowing. If it is. . . the thermostat is working and allowing circulation. If not. . . the thermostat is most likely stuck or is failing and should be replaced. Please note: Do NOT turn the engine off while the radiator cap is removed, and do NOT take the radiator cap off with the engine hot and the engine is off. Mental photograph - Picture "Old Faithful" when she is erupting!

A oily residue would indicate a freon leak in your evaporator. How well is your ac cooling down? OR a leak in your heater coil. Is the floor on either side of the console damp? Is there a 'sweet' odor (other than air freshener, if used)? A leaky heater coil will leave a residue on the windshield. . . . that when you clean the glass, within a day or two, the residue returns. (And it's 'oily' too!)

If memory serves me, it is on the compressor for the A/C unit. There is a test to check the switch, if you have the manual. I do know that the technician had to 'vacuumize' the a/c system to remove and install the switch. (Total including the part was a little over $300.)

My '93 es300 has FOUR (4) O2 sensors. Left main and secondary; Right main and secondary. It could be that you need to replace all four. Lastly, the technician where I got my '93 O2 sensors replaced, said that they have had problems with some aftermarket sensors. IHTH.

Check the "A/C cycling switch". In lay-man's terms. . . This switch opens the solenoid to the pressure lines for the radiator cooling fan motor, and allows the radiator fan to spin at maximum speed, when the a/c is on.

Check the A/C 'cycling' switch. This switch is supposed to cause the solenoid to open and allow full pressure from the PS pump to the radiator fan motor, to create maximum fan rpm. There is a test in the manual that can be performed to check the condition (working or not) of the 'cycling' switch.

I thought that it was going to be more, too. I had taken the car to that shop a couple of times for overheating and had spent a few $$$. The CEL came on and that's when we found out the O2 sensor (left bank - main sensor) was bad. When the tech took the car for a test drive, it started overheating on him, so, the test for CO. As for lasting another 100K. . . . I'd like for it to. I do need to find two new seat heater switches and there's a place about 1" long on the back seat, where the stitching is loose. That old car is comfortable and still gets some 'looks'. I drove it into Washington, DC, to work a couple of days ago, and a couple of people gave it a double-take and smiled and gave a thumbs up. (Musta been the plum color. Hey, I didn't pick it!) B)