steviej

If a LOC meet was planned for Eastern New York/New England in the spring, would there be enough members and friends interested to attend? If opinions are favorable I wouldn't mind planning such an event. I was thinking of central MA, CT or Long Island as target sites for the meet. Please post with your thoughts. steviej

I agree on the oil, 5W-30, unless your ES has over 75,000 miles then move over to the 10W-30. As always I suggest the use of synthetic oils. The 10W-30 weight oils are usually directed to higher mileage cars. Most have something in the mix to help rejuvenate and soften hardening internal seals. Inadditon to the oil, use a good quality oil filter (Toyota OEM, Mobil 1, K&N Gold in that order). I would say the others have covered your remaining questions very well. Welcome to the club. ;) steviej

another option to think about, it how often would you use a NAV system outside of you car? I ask this with the several PDA based NAV systems that are on the market now. Garmin markets one that is a full PDA in additon to a complete NAV system. Bluetooth has just released software and a card for implemenation into current PDAs. There are several "holders" on the market to hold the PDA in a comfortable viewing spot, as well has adapters to supply power to the PDA. I bring up the PDA, because it is easily removable and installable in multiple vehicles. steviej

maybe in 05 we get audio controls on the steering wheel???.....that would be nice...finally. steviej

the only time I have heard this was in the recent thread of a similar topic. The post was by memeber Wysp. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...t=0entry31331 The weather here in New England is going into the low teens by mid/end of week. My vibration may return due to the cold and if so, I will also note if the sound is eminating from the between door panels. steviej

Welcome to LOC Mr. Bell. It has been 35,000 miles and the start of a new winter. I have yet to have the TSB performed for the rear door rattle. My ES's insulation seemed to settle into it's final resting place. Very cold winter last year and over time the sound went away.......or I just blocked it out. This week temps are supposed to drop to the lowest it has been in NE. I will keep an ear to see if my rattle is really gone. steviej

thought you might get more viewing if this were in the SC forum. steviej

I would assume that all regular maint. has been done. start with the easy DIY things: 1. Is the high idle when the engine is warm or cold? 2. Is the air filter dirty or is the air box or air inlet clogged? 3. Check for any vacumm hoses that may have popped off. 4. Visually check all the air tube that goes from the air box to the trottle body. Is is dried, cracked or have any tiny holes> Is is securely attached to the air box and throttle body. (This is the black acordian like hose about 3-4 inches in diameter). 5. How many miles on the car? (If the car has over 60k miles, have the plugs been changed?) More involved items include: 1. a dirty throttle body 2. a faulty idle air control valve or assembly 3. dirty fuel injectors 4. coolant temp sensor 1 and 3 can be somewhat taken care of by yourself in the driveway or on the next couple of fill ups at the pump. Check out the top stuff and get back to us. steviej

There are actually two black plastic splash guards. There are about 5-7 10mm machine screws that hold the leading edge to the underside of the bumper. The outer two most bolts hold the two side edges. Behind the trailing edge are many holes in the plastic. Some of these holes line up with holes in the frame and other parts underneath the car. There were black push pins originally installed at the factory. There is a trick to getting them out so that they can be used again. Sorry, I know not this trick. However, these pins are available at the dealership. A cheap alternative to these pins are inside upholstery/panel push pins obtainable at any auto parts. They look like christmas trees with many branches that are angled in one direction. They work in a pinch, but the 10 mm bolts have to be there on the leading edge. Go to a dealership and peak under a new car to see what I am talking about. These panels have to be removed to get at the back side of the foglights and anything up under the very front of the car. Has the car been serviced recently that these bolts should have been removed? If you need, I can snap some pics of the underside of my car to illustrate what I tried to describe. steviej

you might want to get in the habit of checking you tire pressure at least monthly (especially in the winter months if you are in cold climates). Tires will normally lose 1 psi per month and 1 psi for every 10° drop in temperature. steviej

I believe the warranty is transferrable. Call a local lexus dealer and ask them. There should be no reason why it wouldn't be. register yourself as the owner on www.lexus.com and you will get a free owner's manual if you didn't get one. You can find out warranty information there, too. steviej

the belt that goes from the main pulley to the power steering pump has stretched or is loose and slipping. This happens as the belt ages, it is only rubber. jack up the car and put it on jack stands, crawl under and inspect that belt. If the inside is cracked or looks brittle and dry---replace it. If the belt looks good, plyable, etc, then it may only need a tension put into it. This can be done by yourself or have a mechanic do it. If you do it yourself, be careful not to over tension the belt. This will put undue tension on the PS pump and cause premature wear on that bearing. There are tension guages to measure belt tension, but every Lexus service manager I have talked to (3) and every mechanic I know go by feel. New belts go for about $40. I just had it done under warranty cause that belt was making noise on me at 34k miles. The noise in my case was also more pronounced in the rain or drizzle. good luck. steviej

The bulb is a 55w H3 bulb. There are several aftermarket bulbs that come in colors for this set up. Recently, on ebay, I have seen purple and green as the hot movers. I have to wonder if they are strictly for show as I do not see any functionality for these colors. I switched out my stock fog bulbs for the PIAA Ion Crystals. These give off a yellow color which can be helpful in fog and recently as I found out, snow. These were about $30/bulb. The GS actually has a yellow glass in the housing to give it the intense yellow color. The PIAA ion crystal is yellow but does not compare to the GS' yellow color. I don't know the IS housing stucture but I would assume that it is similar to the GS in that the yellow comes from the glass and not the bulb.

TRAC OFF and the CEL (check engine light) mean the car has gone into a "safety mode" I believe. P1133 is "Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor Circuit Responce Malfuntion (Bank 1/Sensor 1)" P1135 is " Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor Heater Circuit Malfuntion (Bank 1/Sensor 1)" my guess.....you got an oxygen (O2) sensor that has crapped out. Do a search, these are very expensive through the dealer. They can be had online for about $100 and can be installed by a knowledgable DIYer with the right socket. steviej

been there, done that in the rain.....not going back. Steve, welcome to the locked out club. It is always in the wallet. Got the one with the chip so I can start it too. funny how we learn from our experiences. steviej

I have used Mequiars Mirror Glaze cleaner and polish on my palstic boat windows for years. Never thought to use it on the headlights or fog lights. Recently I scuffed the outside of one headlight while scraping off ice and snow (hazard of New England winters). I also noticed the plastic was getting hazy and cloudy. I figured what the heck, they are plastic, so why not give it a try. I am simply amazed at the outcome. The headlights are clear as day, the scuffs are gone as is the haze and clouds. The headlights and foglights look like they are brand new replacements. give it a try. B) steviej

Alan, refer to the title of the thread, it's a 97 ES 300. Rben, if you accidentally spin the tires too much from stand still, sometimes this will cancel out the TRAC and the off light illuminates. Turning the car on and off will reset the TRAC once the sensors cool down. However, if you accidentally hit the switch, then you need to hit the switch again. Refer to your manual. If you do not have one, register you new car with Lexus.com and they will send you one for free upon request. On my 02 ES I do not need to be at a stand still to toggle from TRAC ON to TRAC OFF. Oddly enough, my previous car needed to be at a stand still to switch back and forth. I know not what required of the 97 ES. steviej

depends on how much you want to spend. Lex and Toyo will charge you a diagnostic fee. You can negotiate this with the service manager. Tell them you will have the work done there if they deduct the cost of the diagnostic from the cost of the work to be done. Lexus will be the most $$$$ per hour, then Toyo. If you use an independent, stick with one that knows/deals with Lexus vehicles regularly. steviej

right. however, I have never seen an OHC engine from Japan not hit something when the timing belt breaks, interference or not. steviej

does the dolphin noise only occur when the steering wheel is maxed all the way over to the right or left or does it happen at any point when the steering wheel is moved. It is a common sound on many cars but only when the steering wheel is turned all the way left or right to the stop position. The easy solution is to not crank the wheel all the way over. Check the power steering belt for slip, tension, cracks and that sort. steviej

Jake, the 97 ES has a "non-interference" engine. They became "interference" in 99 with the advent of VVT-i. Lexus will tell you to change the tranny fluid every 15k. This has been the topic of heated discussion. The owner's manual(s) for the ES and other lines are not specific as to when to change or even inspect the fluid. The lexus service shops will try to persuade you to do it every 15k miles and they will offer you the power flush. At least once every two years or 30k miles seems to be the widely accepted industry recommended standard. The decision is always that of the owner not the service shop. steviej

the filter for the 2002 ES had charcol (is this the updated carbon you speak of)? The filter started to smell at about 20k miles last June. I am approaching 33k miles now and will change it out this spring again. The replacement fitler put in in June shows no signs of odor....YET. It was the same as the filter that came out, the same filter as the one that grew very very stank. The filter was $57 from dealer but can be had from internet Lexus parts distuributors (ie, irontoad.com) for less than $40. steviej

they definately filter out some pollen and dust, but that crap gets in your car everytime you open a window, door or sunroof, not to mention coming in on the clothing of anyone that gets in you car. As for keeping out bad smells, those two will eventually find their way into the cabin (ie dead skunk smell always gets in the car). I must note that when the dirty filter gets moist, it becomes a breeding ground for mildew and mold. Now that's a horrific odor, kinda a cross between sweaty stank feet and potato chips. :o steviej

go to CVS, Walgreens, any autoparts store. Just look up your battery number on the chart that is usually hanging with the new batterys and see what alternative manufacturer numbers are. Shouldn't be more than a couple of bucks. steviej

have the mechanic recheck the sensor and wire connectors for the ABS on the wheel that had the CV axle halfshaft worked on. My guess is a sensor or wire was disconnected or broken during the axle replacement. A toyota dealership should be able to read and interpret the codes. steviej