es300ed

Thanks guys. Just did my 96 es300. Wouldn't have the courage to do it without your detailed instructions. Local garage said it was a $200 job. Ed

I am experiencing the same pulsating ABS feeling at low speed brakeing on dry pavement with my 1996 ES300 with 167,000 miles. Anybody have any idea what needs to be done to correct this? Thanks. Ed

Problem solved. All 3 motor mounts were bad and had to be replaced. No more "clunk". Ed

My 1996 es300 has 151,000 miles and drives like a dream. I have one small problem which I hope isn't a sign of a large future problem. If I'm on the gas and hit about 42 or 43 miles per hour and suddenly come off the gas, I hear a slight "clunk". It sounds and feels like it's the transmission. Has anybody experienced this and, if so, is it a sign of a big problem down the road? Thanks in advance for any comments. Ed

cduluk - thanks, it's good to know that it's not a dashboard replacement. Here's what I found elsewhere about how to access the bulbs: unhook neg batt. cable. remove two screws in top of plastic bezel. remove bezel. remove 4 screws holding cluster in place. lower steering wheel. slightly move cluster forward. undue 5 male connections on back. remove cluster. remove screws on plastic cover on back of cluster-put aside. remove 16 screws on circut board. lift up and out of the way slightly. unscrew 8 green-based bulbs. wiggle each bulb out of base and replace with eiko part # 74. reasmble. done- good job. take your time- everything went in before you bought the car so everything will come out. now, you got it out so it will go back in. if you find yourself pulling or twisting something or going to get a bigger tool STOP, have a cig and a beer and start again. oh and don't start the car while the dash is out or you will have an airbag light issue ( thus the unhooking the neg battery cable). you can also remove that pasky "check engine" and "abs" light during this proceedure- just id which bulbs they are and remove them (but i didn't tell you to do that) Hope this helps somebody else too. Ed

About half are out. I guess 14 years is a long time for any bulb. Are they easy to replace? Any info or suggestions are welcome. Ed

THANKS. I was able to do it from the engine compartment even though it was a VERY tight fit. I used a flat screwdriver to depress the tab on the harness and pulled the harness free. Then I used (don't laugh) a vice grip plier to begin the counterclockwise rotation of the bulb assembly. Once begun I could finish the 1/2 inch rotation to align the tabs and remove the buld. Replacing the bulb was easy. I just lined uo the tabs on the bulb assembly and pushed the bulb into place; rotated the assemble about 1/2 inch clockwise and reattached the wiring harness. I'm proud of myself that I didn't have to go to a mechanic for so easy a job. Ed

I have searched the forum but can't find what are the steps in changing the headlight low beam bulb on the passanger side of a '96 ES300. Do I just pull on the housing to disconnect it from the bulb or is there a tab that has to be pushed or pulled before I can do that. All other steps involved are appreciated. It's a very small working area and I don't want to break anything. Thanks. Ed

96 es300: 1. The location of the oil filter. Even when the Lexus dealer changes the oil, I find that oil drips on my garage floor. First time that happened I thought there was something seriously wrong and brought the car back for inspection. 2. Wind noise around the door windows. 3. Dealer's service area trying to sell me all sorts of expensive maintenance.

I meant "Lysol".

Try spraying Lyson into the air intakes wile the fan is on High. That should alleviate some of the problem at least for a while.

Be sure to look at the date the tires were manufactured. There's a 4 digit code on the tire. First 2 digits are the week and last 2 (98; 99; 00; 01; etc.) are the year when the tires were made. Don't buy old tires being sold as new. Ed

I have the same problem with my 96ES300. I don't smoke but often do want to plug something into my lighter (like an air compressor). Hoping that someone has an answer. Ed

Please replace as soon as possible - it's a safety issue in my mind. A number of years ago a truck splashed snowy, slushy, mud on my windshield and if not for good wipers and lots of washer fluid, I would have driven blind for more seconds than I care to think about. Ed

I have only done this once but I don't recall having to do anything but pull the plastic cover forward to get to the bulb. The cover is on tight so I used a small flat screwdriver (with tape on it to prevent window damage) and slowly wedged the plastic cover forward. Good luck. Ed

AMF1932, Thanks. You were correct. There was oil leaking from both the front and the rear. Gaskets were replaced and the odor went away. Nice call. Ed

I really could use some help with this one. I have a 96 es300 with 105,000 miles. A couple of months ago I had an oil change and had the brake system bled. Afterwards I began noticing on odor that smells like exhaust fumes when stopped or driving slowly. The odor doesn't enter the cabin of the car while driving at higher speeds or when I use the air recirculation button. I had originally thought that oil may have been spilled on the engine during the oil change and would eventually burn off and the odor would go away but that hasn't happened. I don't think it's an exhaust problem because the odor only enters the cabin when the engine is hot. Any and all thoughts about what might be causing the problem are greatly appreciated. Ed

I admit that I don't check oil and tire pressure on a regular basis. That said, My 96 with 105,000 miles has never lost a drop of oil or a pound of tire pressure. I have the oil changed every 4,000 miles or so. I may be wrong but I attribute the tire pressure to the metal valve stems which are screwed on the tire rims. Ed

Thanks all. The dealer admitted that the wrong part was installed and will correct it at my convenience. We talked about where in the process it should have been noticed. The dealer said that the person installing the part should have known it wasn't right. I added that the 2 different service managers (the one ordering the part and the one who told me my broken part was aftermarket) should also have known. Alls well that ends well. Ed

SK - Thta's what the dealer said when they replaced ($200) the part. Told me the plastic wood trim was aftermarket. Because of all the plastic wood trim I wonder if it originally came as standard on my 96 Coach Edition. I'm glad I didn't try to pry it off. I would have broken it. Thanks. Ed

SK - I found the following when I did a search. If it requires door panel removal I better have it done by a pro. Would a trusted repair shop be able to fix this or should I bring it to Lexus? Thanks for helping me avoid breaking the trim (I usually break things trying to fix other things). Ed Found on following post: Eric Cheung Mar 30 2005, 10:49 AM Post #11 I did it! Thanks very much for all your directions. I'd like to share with you what I did. 1. Prying out the woodtrim panel of the switch assembly There is a little trick in prying out the woodtrim panel of the switch assembly. It is better to pry from the long side first, then from the short side closer to the door hinge. The spring clip is at this short side. Never pry from the other short side (closer to the door latch) because there is a plastic tab there. Prying from this side will break the plastic tab. (I broke it, but managed to glue it back with instant glue.) BTW, I managed to fix the broken switch for the driver's window. Actually it was the button that was broken and not the switch. The button broken at the hinge. I glued it back and how it is working great.

My switch (the one with the 4 windows and the door lock) broke off of the trim. I did a search and learned that I need to pry off the plastic trim with a taped, flat screw driver. My question is - once I pry off the trim and have the switch and trim in hand, how does the switch get re-attached to the trim? Thanks in advance. Ed

"Went to my GP today... have extensive soft tssue damage in my neck & back. Also a nice big diagonal bruise on my chest from the shoulder belt. Advil is my friend." I was rear ended about 10 years ago and neck pain appeared the next day. A back doctor had me see a physical therapist who gave me a couple of exercises to do and the pain went away in about a week - never to return. You may want to see a specialist. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Ed

96 es300 - me (reliabliity) 93 celica conv. - wife (looks great) 95 volvo 850 - son (a tank) all with milage in the 80's and in great shape. Ed

I had the same problem on my 96 es300. I didn't replace the bulb but used a file on the contacts on the bulb and "lifted up" the prongs on the socket so they made better contact with the bulb. It's a pain to get to the bulb but it worked and saved me $$$. From other posts this appears to be a common problem. Good luck. Ed