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byf43

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Everything posted by byf43

  1. 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!!
  2. 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!
  3. 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. . . . . )
  4. 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
  5. 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.)
  6. 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:
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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!
  10. 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!)
  11. 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.)
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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)
  16. 1993 es300 108,800 miles on the odometer. Driven like a normal human being should drive a nice old car. City driving: 21-23 mpg. Highway driving: 28.5 mpg max. Combined: 24.5 mpg average. When the speed goes over 80 mph, the mileage drops like a rock. I usually don't drive this old car faster than 65 mph.
  17. First, only because of luck, there was NO coolant in the oil. None. (Knock wood!) Now, this is all inclusive in the bottom line. O2 sensor (and installation) CEL came on. Initial reason for the car to go back to the shop! ($300 and change.) Timing belt Water pump Thermostat Gasket set (included head gaskets, intake manifold, exhaust manifolds, etc.) Heads sent to machine shop (pressure tested) to determine IF they were cracked/damaged. (They were perfect!) Heads planed to ensure flat/correct mounting. Block cleaned Sparkplugs and wires Oil and filter change All labor $1991.00 and change. Note cylinder on left, at 7 o'clock, center cylinder at approximately 5 o'clock, and cylinder on right at 4 o'clock! Same cylinder bank after clean-up: This car runs like a NEW one! The temp gauge has never been lower. Sitting in traffic, a/c running and hot as (ahem) the devil's house outside, the temp gauge hasn't gone above the second indicator mark. I wouldn't hesitate to drive this car anywhere. 108,800 miles on the odometer. (And it uses no oil!) Now, last item. . . I'm in the Washington, DC area. Repair shops charge more in this area. (Cost of Living, I suppose.)
  18. First of all. . . please don't use ALL CAPS. That is considered as 'Yelling' and is actually harder to read. Next. . . . I had the same issues with my '93 es300 recently. It did exactly the same thing. Exactly. Head Gaskets!!!!!!!!!!!! I had the radiator caps replaced. Still overheated. I had the A/C 'cycling' switch replaced. (That switch tells the control unit for the radiator fan motor solenoid to open fully.) That wasn't the problem. Bottom line. . . . Repair shop ran a test to see if carbon monoxide was in the coolant! BINGO!!!!!!!!!! Bad head gasket! Both banks were bad. All three cylinders on both banks. My old es300 runs sooooooooooooooo much better and cooler, now!
  19. $10; $15; or $20 at a time??? What. . . you only drive a couple of blocks at a time??? I filled up my '93 es300 last Sunday, and put $35.00 in it. Granted.. . I've only driven it 60 miles and the tank is still (waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay) above 3/4 full (actually, still on full), but. . . . daggone. . . . $10 at a time is only what. . . 2-3/4 gallons?
  20. '93 es300 w/108,500 miles. 22-24 mpg city 28-28.5 mpg hwy
  21. It could be the lower ball joint(s), but, I'd suspect the tie-rod ends, first. From what I'm seeing in the drawings, the sway bar links are like minature ball joints on each end of the link. There is a test to show how much torque should be applied to them, etc., etc. So, I would say that the links CAN go bad, because the manual is showing the routine for diagnosing and replacing the links!
  22. It's been several years since I was able to get under a car and do anything other than routine maintenance, like oil changes, etc. Sway bar bushings and links shouldn't take long to do, and you probably won't have to buy the parts online. Call Pep Boys or Autozone and ask for the parts PRICEs before buying. Call me old-fashioned, but, IF I'm going to drive a car . . . . . . it's going to be safe. I don't care if it goes fast, but, when I turn the wheel, I want the wheels to turn. Same with brakes. When I step on the brake pedal, I want the car to stop, then! The sway bars hold the car to the road, when going around curves and around corners. Just through weight distribution, in a turn, one side of the car will tend to rise and the sway bar counteracts that movement to help keep the car flat and stable. Would I get it fixed??? You darned skippy I would. :D
  23. Velcro with adhesive on the back. Use the 'hook' side and adhere it to the mats. The velcro should lock onto the vehicle's carpet. My old '93 es300's sun visor didn't want to stay up. I stuck two pieces of 'hook' velcro to itself and placed it on the visor. Press upward. . . the sun visor stays put, until I pull it down. Good luck with it.
  24. I had the same issues with my '93 es300. Radiator caps (springs) could be weak and allowing coolant to 'blow' out. . . to recovery bottle. However, head gaskets were the ultimate cause of my overheating and 'Old Faithful' issues. The pressure from the cylinders were 'over-pressurizing' the cooling system and that was causing the boiling over. (I'm also amazed that coolant wasn't drawn into the cylinders and into the 'bottom end' of the engine! I got REAL lucky!) The repair shop foreman promised to send photos of the old head gaskets and cylinder heads, but, I haven't received them, yet.
  25. If you want a 'useable' fog lamp, get some 'white' fog lamps. Yellow lamps are great for letting someone else see YOU, but, for YOU to see someone else. . . white fog lamps are best. Call me old school. . . o.k., I'm a dinosaur. . . . I want to see down the road. I can miss something that I can see. I don't trust other drivers. Especially in and around Washington, DC, where I drive!
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