Nenad

I called oxygensensors.com and they say bank 1 sensor 2 is the DOWNSTREAM one. So I ordered one for $103, free shipping. Let's see what happens next... In the mean time my car sterted acting up again. It was riding fine these few days (with CEL still on), but this morning I noticed some shuddering (missfiring?) when accelerating on slight uphill.

OK, so the repair was done, CEL off... but after 20-30 miles it came back on. Other than CEL, I don't notice any problems... engine runs OK I guess. The sensor replaced was the Bank ? Sensor ?, the one in the front, easy to reach. This time OBD pulled only one code - p0136, which is Bank 1 Sensor 2 (O2 sensor). I have decided to try and replace this one myself. Where is this one located? What is the best internet OEM parts source to buy this sensor? thanks

Hi everyone, I would like to share my CEL experience here. Someone might find it useful, and also I would like to hear experts' opinion. '99 RX300, 150K miles The other day my CEL went on and I noticed the engine started running not so smooth. With further driving I noticed the engine starts trembleing, shuddering, when trying to go over 45-50mph, it shakes really bad, loosing power. Bad fumes (smell) at the exhaust and black smoke; actually not really black smoke, but it leaves the black mark on the concrete when parked in one place for a couple of minutes. AutoZone pulled the codes for me, and it was P0171, P1153 and P0136 . I read a lot of threads on this forum, and found that first and easiest thing to try is to clean the MAF sensor. I did that, using CRC spray. Unfortunately that didn't help. Since I am not very experienced with car repairs, I thought it would cost me much more to start replacing the suspicious parts one by one, not really knowing which one is faulty. Also I really don't have the means and tools (and knowledge, I have to admit) to replace those hard to reach parts. Anything beyond the MAF and that easy accessible sensor (excuse my ignorance, I don't know which bank it is, but I'm talking about the one in front of the engine, little bit to the right - is it bank2 O2 or A/F ratio sensor ?)... I couldn't do it myself, so I decided to take it to the mechanic. His diagnose is : replacing 6 plugs and one O2 sensor. I don't know which one right now, I'll ask about details when I go and pick up my car. He quoted me $590 total. The parts (original, as he claims) are $340. I would like to hear from you, for example, is it common for plugs and O2 sensor to fail at the same time? Basically, am I getting ripped off? The repair is sort of expensive, but I think that most of it goes to the price for the sensor part, and that could be because he ordered the part directly from a dealer instead of maybe trying to get it on the internet cheaper (which naturally mechanic won't bother to do). Thanks for reading and your potential input. Nenad

Hi, the rubber boot on my front caliper piston is torn, so I bought a caliper maintenance kit. It comes with only the rubber replacement parts and smal bag of grease. I was wondering is there a good DIY how to perform the replacement? Do I need to bleed the oil out? Do I need to pop the whole piston out? Seems like a too much work if I can have a caliper rebuilt (what would you recommend?). I need to replace the brake pads anyways so I was thinking I might take care of these worn-out rubber seals too... if it's easy. Btw, I need to replace the shims because they are very corroded, I'm not even going to try to clean them. Which lube should I use for new shims, the same one that came with the caliper kit? Thanks a lot!

A/C quit working on my '99 RX300. Dealer service diagnosed that clutch and condenser need to be replaced, but they ask too much for that service. After doing some research on the internet I figured out that parts and labor for that kind of work go for at least half the price, if not 3X. So I'm thinking of doing it myself, especially after finding some source on the net, where people are saying that they do that kind of work themselves, and there are freon replacement kits to buy in ordinary auto-parts store...etc... My question is how difficult is to do that on RX300? How accessible the clutch is, do I need to disassemble the whole compressor...etc? I'm particularily worried about freon evac and recharge. Should I let the professional do it, especially if there is a need to remove potential debris from the system? Is it common for example, to ask a professional to remove the freon and evac, then I do part replacement, then drive the car back to the same shop to recharge the freon? I'm aware these are all "rookie" questions, but that's what I am - I only did some basic mechanical work on a car. I hope there will be more experienced owners with a good advice. Thanks a lot.