steviej

Sharad, this is what it is and means. Shoulder Patch The Shape - The top of the crest is like a roof which gives shelter to all who come under it while the sides are curved conversely like the roof of a Chinese home to send back evil to where it came from. Look at the bottom of the crest and you will notice the shape of an axe. This represents an executioner, symbolising that should a member shame the Kenpo style or be influenced by evil ideas and thoughts contrary to the style's philosophy, he will be cut off - never to co-exist with members again. The Tiger - Represents the earthly strength derived through the early stages of learning. This is the stage where the individual is more impressed with his own physical prowess. The Dragon - Represents spiritual strength which comes with seasoning. This mental attitude is attained during the individual's latter years of training. It is placed above earthly strength - as seen on the patch - since the individual at this stage has learned to develop humility and self-restraint. The Circle - This is symbolic of several things. It depicts life itself; a continuous cycle with no beginning or end just like the art of Kenpo which is also a cycle of unending and perpetual movement and motion. Techniques follow a cycle just as the various movements. Physical prowess, humility and self-restraint are no more than components of a progressive learning cycle. The circle is the base from which our alphabet stems; all moves evolve from a circle whether they are defensive or offensive. The circle also represents the bond of friendship that should continuously exist among association members. The Oriental writing - This is a reminder of the originators of the art - the Chinese. It offers respect to them but doesn't denote that we serve them. The Chinese characters on the right say 'Law of the Fist and Empty hand' while the writing on the left - 'Spirit of the Dragon and the Tiger' - are a constant reminder that we should strive to attain a spiritual level and that the physical level is only a stepping Stone or vehicle to reach a higher, spiritual level. The Dividing Lines - In the circle they represent the original 18 hand movements and directions in which the hands can travel. They are the angles from which you or an opponent can attack or defend, and they also form the pattern in which the feet can travel. The 'K' -This stands for Kenpo. The Colours - The white background is significant of the many beginners who form the base of the art. The yellow or orange represents the first level of proficiency - the mechanical, dangerous stage of learning. This is a time when the student it more impressed with the physical and thinks he knows all the answers. The circle is grey symbolising the brain, the brain of the association - remember that the brain it often referred to as 'grey matter'. The other colours represent proficiency, achievement and authority. Brown - the colour of the tiger's eyes - represent the advanced students though not great in number. Also at this level the student becomes more observant. His eyes, like that of the tiger, are keen and ever so watchful and critical, always looking up to the higher levels of proficiency; striving for perfection and preparing for the day he bears the label of 'expert'. This level of expert proficiency is represented by the colour black, while red is that of professorship over and above black belt. But yet, as indicated by the colours of the dragon, there are still traces white in the eyeball; yellow or orange on his fins; brown in the iris of the eyeball and black in the pupils. These colours are there to remind even the 'professor' that he should always be humble and able to return to any level. He should also be able to perform the things that he expects others at various levels to do and always be conscious of never demanding too much of his students.

With help from SK, I got my new avatar up. Matt, how can I recover the 3 pages of pictures that i stupidly deleted with out going back to each thread to plug in each one? They gone for good, huh?! :cries: steviej

according to the service manual, the only one I have is in the fuel tank, so no I am not touching that one. steviej

Thanks Matt. Where and how do I do that? Time to go explore. steviej well that was a bust, I just managed to delete all my attached files. Matt, any hints would be greatly appreciated.

I went to upload an new avatar that meets the size, ext. and pixel requirements. The jpg and gif file are on my computer and I locate it via the BROWSE buttun in the Change My Avatar section under My Controls. When I click on Change Avatar, it changes my current avatar to the dimensions of the new avatar but the image is still my current avatar. What am I missing? steviej

Josh, very nice write up. I will move it to the tutorial section after it has been here for a while so that ES owners can peruse it. (that is editorial talk for pick it apart.) Once edited then we can move it to tutorial section. two things are missing from your write up: 1. use of "brake stop" or anit-squeal grease is not mentioned. (not required but helps) 2. you should edit the last steps to include refilling the brake fluid reservoir to the proper level since some fluid was syphoned out. steviej PS, on a side note, the mechanic in the picture needs a set of nail clippers and a write up on how to use them.

I meant to look at this on the way home when it was dark out. I forgot :whistles: I will go out now.....hold on. OK, all four switches are lit up; the words, the <> and fan symbol light up. | AUTO || < fan symbol > || < MODE > || DUAL | The AUTO and DUAL buttons have a small green light that illuminates when pressed. hope this helps. steviej

My 60K is coming up too (in 5k miles). I will cut most of the cost by doing a major portion of the stuff in my driveway. i can do the oil and filter, tranny drain & fill, rotate tires, spark plugs (still debating if this is even needed), wiper blades, cabin filter and PCV valve. The dealer gets to do the coolant, brake and power steering fluid flush and fill. I am debating on having a motorvac done at this time as it can only help and not hurt. I am guessing that will run be about 3-4 bills. steviej

GUARD

light up how? the AC and Dual buttons each have a small rectangular LED that light up green when they are pressed. or do you mean light up in that you can see what the button is. ie, the individual letters of AC and Dual are lit up so you can see what button is what in the dark? steviej

short trips (constantly turning car on and off), cold weather and winter tires will decrease your gas mileage a bit, yes. do a google search on motorvac to learn about the service and find who in your area may perform this specialized service. several easy things you can do to help improve your mileage is too 1. check you tire pressures. tires lose 1 lb or air for every 10 degree drop in temp. make sure they are all even and between 29-32 lbs depending on your preference. 2. check your air filter, it may be dirty or never replaced. 3. start planning your trips better. short choppy trips kill gas mileage. steviej

hyperdrive?!

vmaren, go to AutoZone and get the codes reread. We are assuming that the codes you have now are the same codes that you had before you cleaned the MAF sensor. On a long shot, they may be different now after your work. They may be the same, but it is just a hunch. steviej

pepper

Garmin, Lowrance and Magellan started in the marine plotting business. All very reputable names. Cobra is a mediocre novelty electronics company. You won't go wrong with either of the Garmin, Magellan or Lowrance. It will come down to easy of use, price, upgradability, easy in mounting and the ever popular esthetics. steviej

didn't your 04 ES330 come with HID's? steviej

SWIMMING

Vince, in the shop manual for the 1MZFE (at least in my 2002 but its probably the same of rthe 1999) the trouble areas are listed in an order for each code. Under code P0171 it lists in this order: Air intake (hose loose) Fuel line pressure Injector blackage open or short in A/F sensor circuit A/F sensor malfunction Intake flow meter Rather than test the two items before the AF sensors and then test the AF sensor and then test the MAF sensor as the inspection procedure illustrates, it sounds like the dealer wanted to just "test by replacement" and hope it goes away. I'm guessing on this next one but I think the MAF sensor replacement is overall less expensive so they go with the mose profitable.?. steviej

it could be the battery cables are not tight. it could be the negative is not grounded properly on the other end. it could be the contacts in the starter. it could be the contacts in the ignition. when you turn the key and it does not turn over: is it cranking? is it just clicking? is it making any sound at all? steviej

Mike, you are too too funny and right on the money. What do you suggest for mileage to change on an 2002. 60k, 75k, 90k miles, or when gas mileage takes a drop? steviej

Monday :cries:

camlex, the pictures you see are for 2002-2005 ES's. Your filters are not behind your glove compartment. pre-2002 ES's have the filters installed up under the dash to the right of the gas pedal. you have to pull the carpeting back to get at them. If you search on cabin filter, you will find a slew of threads discussing removal and/or replacement for pre-2002 models. steviej

1lola1 you need to chill out. First, I was not intending to make you out to be an idiot. Maybe a few smiley faces after the last ! would have revealed my sarcasm better. However, I must add, it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that ask questions about things that are clearly laid out in the owners manual. You say you have a graduate degree, well then I am sure you are accustomed to reading. Second, no one said you were a "dumb girl" when it comes to cars. You typed that. I have no idea that you are a woman. I draw no conclusions from screen names, nor do I go back to previous posts to research whether I am talking to a male or female. To me it matters not. Third, thank you for the "Your Highness", but I have seen that job and I don't want it. Fourth, think twice about giving up on a site that is a wealth of information you might want to resourse in the future because we had a misunderstanding. But, again, your leaving will be your decision. Lastly, I am not surprised that the several members that replied were unaware of the location. This is expected as they own 1998, 1997 and 1992 ES's respectively. On the pre-2002 model ES, the cabin filters are/were ellusive and not much was ever written to make people aware of them. The owners manuals for those models barely mentioned them and most owners don't even know where it goes. Many owners don't even have filters in there now. Regards, steviej

PM LOC/CL member lexusk8. He did this exact mod on his 01 ES last spring. He even created a thread that has pictures. (I can't remember if it is here or on CL). There are not bolts or pins on the ES and LEXUS emblems, just adhesive. you need a blow dryer/heat gun, monofilament, 3M adhesive remover, 3m ultra fine rubbing compound, a nice wax and of course some soft cloths. steviej