EMTtech

it can be done, yes. make sure you have the proper tools - the 1992 and 1993 are the only two years that have the 3VZ-FE engine, so yes. stick with 92 and 93 cars shouldnt be too hard, theres plenty around with blown motors -Erik

its possible its just a piston ring, but the way it sounds with clanging as you described. yes. it is nessesary to replace the engine if you have a good helper whos done it before at your side with a new 1MZ-FE in hand and a proper set of tools you can get it done on the cheap.

there are 1mz supercharger kits out there made by TRD, but they are for the post 1996 VVT engines. this can be made to fit, and on stock internals, and ECU you can push about 4-6PSI, with stock internals, dont go above PSI on a 1MZ for longevity sake, but if you beef it up and get a stand alone fuel management and ECU, that supercharger can easily push 12PSI with aftermarket pullys in short, if you want a fast car, dont use an ES as a starting block

next time it rains, put a bottle of isopropylene in the tank and see if that fixes the issue. last time i had this issue I did that and it fixed the issue.

Here is the link to the backlighting DIY write-up. As far as the speedo needle reading too low is concerned - you can try pulling the needle off again and repositioning it so that it is in line with the "0" MPH mark when the car is in PARK and the engine is running. If it is still reading low, you might have to adjust the balance of the needle slightly so that it sits at the right point on the gauge. If after the needle mod is done there is a bit more weight at the tip end of the needle than there is at the base end, you can add some weight to the base end to better balance the needle. To do this, melt a very tiny bit of solder (and I mean TINY - solder is heavy) onto the metal counter-weight which is on the underside of the needle, right at the base. Then test the needle to see how it is now positioned on the gauge. If it is still not reading correctly, add a tiny bit more and retest again. Do this as many times at it takes to get the needle to rest at the right spot on the gauge. Hope this helps. when I put in my SMDs, I used one 660ohm resistor in the back part of the needle because I used heavy wire, it seems to be fairly well balanced. and if my car is a stick, should I just leave it in Neutral instead of park? as far as the speedo goes, it's only about 3MPH off according to my D3's GPS so Im not worried about that. the gas gauge I hope I can right though. Thanks for the link the the backlighting thread again, I had lost track of it somehow indeed, it helps Thank you!

has nobody else run into this problem before? I fixed all but the gas needle, but I still need to know how to get to the back lighting -Erik

You crack me up......Gee, my oil tests are better then the 5w-30 and Lexus does not use 5w-30 anymore. Oil in the manual is a JOKE. They are behind the times. Example, I need an SL rated oil...give me a break. Plus you can use ow-20 in place of a 5w-20/30 and be 100% fine. Hell, I use 5w-30 in a diesel engine that calls for 15w-40; which is too thick. Again you and others in the forum/thread THINK 3 to 5 K miles gets you something. Prove it with showing me the data? You nor anyone on this thread can since you are all guessing; that is a fact here. I know how my engine is running and oil duration etc is a benefits. Which you all are lacking.....Again fact and I have stated that many times. If you are not testing you are guessing on oil performance. Oil consumption has nothing to do with oil weight! See, you need to stop posting on oils since you are posting BS. Fact here well you dont have to be a smarty pants, oil is cheap, fun to change, and easy to deal with. The thinner stuff gets hot, and will boil if the motor heats up enough. trust me I know man. Stop tellinf me I am posting Bull*BLEEP*. I can post what I want, try stopping me. I am a member and so are you. We are aarguing over oil, its 2 buchs or less a quart, big deal. Did you make the engine, noo toyota did. Who puts 0w-30 in their motor. ONLY YOU DO. YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO USE THAT CRAP THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. that stuff would suck. do not put the bozo clowns recommended oil in your car. he wants to see you come here *BLEEP*ed off. Until I find this oil thing works, i am going to be arguing here. If it works, I will beg for some forgiveness. :D sorry if i am sounding like a moron you should listen to mburnickas, he knows more about oil, gas, additives, and the 1MZ (amongst other things) than I or you could ever hope of knowing. for the record, I run GC 0w30 Euro oil now with Lc20 (thanks to mburnickas) and so does just about everyone I know in every kind of car. if your car is boiling 20 or 30w oil and it's a toyota/lexus your engine has problems. I drive my ES harder than you could possibly imagine when I drive it, and my engine is sludge free and clean as a whistle (I also have pics to prove that) and my car has done 131K miles. I run 0W30 GC in all my cars, and swap oil every 5000-7500 miles with my mobil1 filter, once I switch to the Amsoil filter, it's going to 10K miles. please, please listen to mburnickas who is only trying to give this guy some proper advice. sorry if that was at all harsh, I'm just giving my $.02 -Erik

the needle is not the problem. speeding tickets can be avoided with common sense, attentiveness, and a Valentine ONE. the two screws that I found are only to remove the smoked plastic shield, where should I be looking for the two that allow me to remove the cluster? I have new LEDs to replace the burnt out ones but need to remove the cluster to finish the job -Erik

I am installing <RED tipped needles and my speedo is now reading about 5MPH slow. it starts 5 below 0 and it doesn't fix itself higher up in the range. they look great but thats kind of an annoyance. is there any way to fix that? also how do I remove the cluster assembly to replace the back lighting? its not apparent, and its extremely hard to get to the wires that connect the cluster to. they aren't dragging on the plastic thats one of the things I thought it might be but that makes no sense any help appreceated Thanks, -Erik

the 3MZ was an interference engine but was relatively un-changed in its whole lifespan even before it was bored out in 1MZ-FE (3.0) form. don't hold me to it, but I'm nearly positive that all the 1MZ engines were not 'interference engines'. still make sure the belt has been changed because it's not fun to be stranded with one of those. not sure though since the 3MZ is essentially a bored out 1MZ and it changes from isn't to is an interference engine. -Erik

I finally got around to changing the gasket, and wow. that was not as hard as I was anticipating :D I attached a pic of the open cover (I assume this looks A-OK) I have a link to the rest of the pics too (sorry for the random ones, they were trying to show hidden nuts) http://picasaweb.google.com/EMTtech/ES300VCGasketReplacement -Erik

are you sure you re-attached the harness to the trip buttons (i attached a pic of the harness you need to have attached, it's the one at the bottom thats hardly visible.) It's not related to the gas gauge though, you can have an accurate gas gauge and the trip buttons un-plugged. hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions -Erik

oh, I didn't realize that LC20 was made by the same company as FP60. Ive been using that for ages, awesome! next time I get a gallon of FP60, Ill get myself a jug of LC20 too, ill be putting on the new VC gasket in a day or two. Ill post up some pics of my adventure if people would like, Thanks again, -Erik

I was joking. Spend the $6 and get Amsoil Power Foam. 10000X better then water for intake cleaning. The VC seals are about $9 from OEM. gotcha about the actual price, haha where to get the amsoil filter, or the LC20 though? also are the VC seals different than the gasket? -Erik

wow, $980 :o ... I think ill stick to water! as for the $9 seals? not sure what those are referring to... also any good place to get my grubby little mitts on some LC20? or the Amsoil filters? Thanks again for your help! -Erik