monarch

I agree the LS likely saved your fiance's life. I saw a similar broadside accident right down the street where I live - a Chevy truck rammed into the drivers side door of a Toyota Corolla. The lady in the Corolla was knocked unconscious and suffered internal injuries that killed her a day later. The lady was not bleeding much so we were shocked to later learn her internal injuries were severe enough to kill her. Now if she she been driving an LS I'm sure she would still be alive today.

No I havn't tried yet. Kroil is definately better than PB Blaster, but an even better product for rusted bolts is Toyota High Performance Penetrating Lubricant available from Toyota dealer parts depts. in an aerosol can for about $10. Unlike Kroil, the Toyota product is a lubricant in addition to being a penetrant. So rusted threads and bolts come off easier with less risk of stripping the threads. Sometimes I use both the Kroil and Toyota product.

It might be tough to find a used 10+ year old SC still in real good mechanical condition because SC owners tend to drive their cars hard. Even when their motors are still cold: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...topic=26182&hl=

Yes the alternators on the first generation LS400 are fairly short lived, but only because power steering fluid drips into them from leaky power steering pumps. As others have pointed out, periodically changing the PS fluid and cleaning the steering rack solenoid filter screen prevents high fluid pressures from ever developing which in turns helps prevent leaks.

The picture shows the factory original radiator cap and yes it still looks brand new after 16 years because the Toyota coolant / distilled water has prevented any corrosion or mineral deposits from forming in the cooling system. Neither the radiator or water pump has worn out after 16 years / 245,000 miles either. I simply drained the radiator every 1-2 years instead of draining both the radiator and engine block at less frequent intervals. I never flushed the cooling system or used cooling system cleaners or additives. Why? Because there's no rust, scale or sediment that needs to be flushed out. Unlike auto parts store brands of antifreeze, the Toyota Red does a pefect job of preventing corrosion and mineral deposits from forming.

Kia is a division of parent company Hyundai in the same way Lexus and Scion are divisions of parent company Toyota. The latest Kia models have the same major improvements in performance and build quality as the latest Hyundai's.

When starting the car in the morning, the dashboard temp gauge should reach it's "normal operating temperature" level after 3-4 miles of driving. If the gauge is still down near the Cold mark after 3-4 miles of driving then the thermostat is stuck open. An aftermarket thermostat or improperly installed thermostat gasket could also be a source of wierdness.

The puff of smoke at start up is common on many 1990's Toyota engines that have had an irregular oil change history. The puff is caused by motor oil that leaks past the valve stem seals into the combustion chamber when the engine is shut down. The good news is that the puff is just a nuisance and is not harmful and will not likely worsen if you simply keep up of oil changes and other preventive maintenance in the future. Sometimes the tendency to puff can be reduced and possibly eliminated by cleaning the throttle plate http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/tbclean.jpg and installing a new PCV valve as camlex suggested. Since your ES is mechanically identical to a Toyota Camry V6, you can save money by having it serviced by a Toyota dealer. Tell the dealer you want the throttle plate cleaned http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/tbclean.jpg and a new PCV valve installed. Since cleaning the throttle plate is just a simple 10 minute affair, the dealer will likely try to talk you into some other extravagant sounding cleaning process that is much more expensive. If that happens e forceful and tell the dealer "please just clean my throttle plate or I'll buy a $5.00 can of Toyota throttle plate cleaner from your parts dept and spray, scrub and wipe it clean myself."

The factory original coolant mixture of the 2003 and earlier Toyota / Lexus models contains 50% distilled water and 50% Toyota Red Long Life Antifreeze. All an owner has to do to keep their radiator sparkling clean and leakfree for almost unlimited years and miles is to use this same exact coolant mixture whenever changing the coolant. Here's real world photographic proof: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/89rad.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mast...h/89drained.jpg

Today lenore told us that the fluid capacity of the RX AWD transmission is 9.8 quarts and wwest told us that if both the transmission oil pan and differential drain plugs are removed, 5.0 quarts of fluid are needed to refill the tranny & differential. Therefore one drain and refill replaces about half the fluid.

The dry fill fluid capacity of every Toyota / Lexus automatic going back to the 1960's has been at least 6.1 quarts and more usually between 7-10 quarts.

I'm not real clear either whether this so-called "locknut" is really a locknut that needs to be loosened. I'm just going by what RFeldes said in his most recent post. Rfeldes is the first person who ever mentioned anything about a locknut - but who knows, maybe he's right. It's really hard to get a consensus about proper and proven procedures regarding this solenoid removal issue.

Corporate Toyota recommends periodically cleaning the throttle plate http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/tbclean.jpg but not the upper intake tract or the MAF sensor and does not sell any products for cleaning those items. Any type of cleaning method that causes a plume of smoke to come out of the tailpipe can be harmful to the expensive oxygen sensors and catalytic converters. My experience has been that 30,000 miles is a reasonable interval for cleaning the throttle plate

Does everyone agree on these three solenoid removal steps? http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/solenn.jpg

Why do you want to replace it? The normal life of a Toyota EGR valve is hundreds of thousands of miles. The CEL light may go out if you just replace the EGR vacuum modulator and / or VSV valve. Typically, the EGR vacuum modulator is held in place by just one bolt. Seems to me I remember reading somewhere about a possible techical service bulletin pertaining to the '97 or '98 Camry and ES300 EGR system. You might want to check for a TSB first because if there is a bulletin then maybe the dealer will replace the parts for free. mburnickas may know more about this since he has a '97 or '98.

Are you sure? This is my idea of counter clockwise and clockwise http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/sole.jpg Am I right or have I gone mad?

I was thinking the punch had to be set on the right hand side of the nut like this http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/sole.jpg in order to make it turn counter clockwise. What does everyone think?

Here is what my solenoid looks like on my '91 and the questions I have http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/sol.jpg

Mine's a 1991 model too. Kennyr, RFeldes and Gumart1 (I'm not sure about Threadcutter) all have 1990 models where the solenoid is mounted horizontally rather than vertically as on our '91's. I am concerned that besides this mounting difference, there might also be a critical difference in the way the solenoid attaches. If so, it would be a terrible thing if those of us with '91 on up models inadvertently ruin our solenoids because we weren't aware of the different removal procedures required - especially since some say the cost of a replacement solenoid = the price of a whole new steering rack! Lets hope someone that has a '91 on up model will chip in with some hands on practical advice. You might also try to private message mehullica since he is a highly experienced Lexus dealer Mastertech.

Yeah you better wait for more responses since your solenoid is not unscrewing off with just a few turns like others have described. Has a flood of PS fluid come out yet? Is yours a '90 or '91 on up model? I gather there are some considerable differences between model years and that may be one reason everyone's description of the removal process varies so much. Did you use Vise-Grips type locking pliers? Standard Vise Grips or the the design that helps grab round things like the solenoid? With regard to the electrical connection you said "semicircular/roundish piece of the plastic. Turn this face towards you and gently pull on this piece while also pulling the left side of the piece and it should come free" . So are you saying the two plastic pieces will separate by just pulling them in opposite directions? Is there a plastic tab that needs to be depressed or lifted while you are pulling?

I'm in the same boat you are. I can't even get the wire connection to separate. In any case, Threadcutter & Kennyr offered the following suggestions yesturday of how to get the solenoid broken loose. When you figure everything out, then I hope you will tell us in hand holding detail what procedures worked for you. Threadcutter: Worry not.....The punch & hammer is the easiest (& probably smartest) way to get the solenoid "broken loose". Yours probably won't be that hard to break loose, unless Godzilla installed it. You know who they are, the ones that work at tire stores, re-installing lug nuts on YOUR (and my) car. Mine was not difficult. Just remember, RIGHT HAND THREAD (normal). It unscrews COUNTERCLOCKWISE when viewed from underneath it (From the floor looking up). When I used the punch & hammer, it was more like "Tap, Tap, Tap"; not "Pound, Pound & more Pound". When you have the car in the air & the wheel removed, you'll see the solenoid attached to the rack. It has two wires coming off of it & it has that big, thin nut on it. The nut is actually part of the machined nosepiece that comprises the front portion of the solenoid body. The nut does not rotate on an "inner thread" of it's own. Rather, the forward portion of the solenoid has a round, threaded projection (nipple) that is probably close to 3/4" (but obviously metric) in diameter. Check out my recent post with the links to other threads on this board. Other posters have provided pictures. I'm a "noob", so I can't attach files to my posts yet. Working from the driver's side wheel well, if you locate the punch on a "corner" of the nut (on the side of the nut closest to you) and the punch is facing the radiator (forward), you're going the correct direction for removal. You will be very surprised at how little the nut has to rotate in the counterclockwise direction to be able to rotate the entire solenoid by hand. An anology to the "Nut" statement is; would you call the hexagonal set of "flats" on an oil filter a "nut"? The answer is No. This "Nut" is part of a bigger piece, just like the flats on an oil filter are part of a bigger piece. The reason for the punch/chisel is that the nut is only about 1/8 th of an inch thick and about an inch and a half (guessing) in diameter (again, obviously metric). You would need a VERY large wrench and there just isn't room. Yes, there is an O-ring toward the end of the solenoid body (nipple), ahead of the filter/screen. Yes, you can replace it. I did not. Time will tell if I should have. The parts department at the "Evil Empire might sell you one, but they will probably have to order it in. They probably stock the whole solenoid and would rather sell you the entire solenoid. Not necessarily bad, but spendy $$$$$$. After having done mine (and the fabulous improvement it made) I'd recommend that you give it a try. Kennyr: The problem is you cant get a wrench on this solenoid. Mine was very tight and it took more than a slight tap tap to get it turning. I had to hit a big punch pretty hard to break it loose. Once loose you just finger turn it off. I didn't remove the screen, just squirted it off with brake cleaner and lightly used a pocket screwdriver to break up what was left. Note! Mechanics use break cleaner all day long and only once in a while for brakes. I also just left the old o-ring on there. I just hand tightened it and taped the punch to tighten it. Botta bing botta boom simple job. My pump return hose is petrified also. It was tough even with a heat gun, impossible without. I shoved it back on though since I was too lazy to go for a new one.

Price matching policies varies by dealer, rather than by region. Once you know the price available online call local Toyota and Lexus dealers to give them the opportunity to match it. Soon you find out which local dealers are receptive to matching and which are not. If none of the local dealer are receptive then order from the online discount dealer.

If you had an American car then you'd need to be concerned about the alternator going out at between 75,000 - 125,000 miles, but Toyota alternators are generally good for at least 150,000 miles and even at that mileage usually only the $25 brush holder assembly needs to be replaced. I'm not sure about the '99 models, but on the '90-'97 models the alternator is accessed from underneath the car after removing the air intake duct to the throttle body, the serpentine drive belt, the coolant, the radiator and disconnecting the transmission cooler hoses.

Yep normal. Re-check the fluid level again after driving 20 - 30 minutes around town or 20 - 30 minutes of mixed highway and city driving. That's what it takes to bring the transmission fluid temperature up to near 155 degrees F or slightly above. Just before pulling the dipstick, with the engine idling and the car stopped, slowly shift through all gear ranges ending in Park. It's possible the fluid level now may be considerably OVER the Hot mark. This means your transmission is actually overfilled. Many do-it-yourselfers overfill because they fail to check the fluid level when it's near scalding Hot. The fluid expands as it warms from room temperature to its usual Hot operating temperature of approximately 155 degrees F or slightly above.

Thanks Threadcutter & Kennyr. The procedure is much clearer in my mind now. Now I just need to wait for a reasonably warm day so I won't freeze in my garage while working on the car!