mburnickas

I will just say this. I do not care if someone has tested 1 tire or 1,000’s of tires. Just because some says they are the best, does not mean they are. You can tell me Lexus is the best out there period, but that means nothing. Other cars will sell since it is not a “cut and dry” answer. Same with tires. Some people love Dunlap’s on motorcycles and some people have had them and suck. Plus I do not put much faith in companies since it always came back to $$$$$$ when sales are involved. Everything has plus and minus but most businesses never tell you the negative or down side. I got my tires from in-laws garage and the markup on tires is a joke! I do not mind places making a profit but give me a break. I paid $75 per tire (with free mount, bal etc) when they are over $129 EACH (plus $12 for mount, bal, old tire removal, tax). I also asked my father-in-law about what his distributor paid for my Toyo Proxes TPT 215/60-15 and their price is around $31 to $38. Not a bad mark up…. 3.6X from full retail!!!! Can you say JOKE

First off, not pics! You are a bad man!! :chairshot: ..come back 1-year! :) I have had HIDS in my 98 for alosmt 3 years and love them. I was going to buy some hids for my GSXR1100 but I think I am going to sell it. Gotta love HIDS....

The tires just make more noise then my Dunlap 4000 sports. Is it bad, no but even the wife said it is loader in the car. For the price I paid, I can deal with the little road noise.

Thanks I will try that. I like the tires but hate the "tire on road noise". First time I heard it, I thought I had mudders on the ES..so to speak!

you just need an open wrench or O2 socket if you have one, and remove old and install new one with anti-seize compound on threads.

It should be the same as my 98. If you are looking at the engine from the front, it is lon the left side near the belt area.

Psi in my Toyo's are at 29.2 +/- 0.05 PSI. What PSI are they aired to? ←

I bought the Toyo Proxes TPT since I got them at a good price. So far after a little over 2K miles they are louder them my dunlaps. Then handle great and treadwear is still too eary, but so far the tire noise is still there. I still like them big time and maybe it will go away in some miles 1,000 or less

Stevej----How or where do you find all the things that could be wrong per each code? example is code p0171 and you listed some areas to look at....

P0171 = System Too Lean (Fuel Trim)

I used Amsoil ATF in my 98 ES for almost 40K miles. No problems at all. smooths shifts.

steviej- You are right. You can get to it from underneath the car or on the side of the car also. (Bank 1 Sensor 1 is right where you posted).

my 98 had 6 wires or 2 sets with 3 wires.

I got OEM wires and had zero problems. Also got Denso plugs without any problems. I got my items from http://www.allimportedparts.com/...they have it for $43 for a OEM SET!

From what I have read it is a catch 22. If the sludge or junk inside is not bad, you are fine and it will clean. If it is bad, then the cleaner might do its job but also block passages with the junk it is cleaning... I would just use a synthetic with a good detergent package and let the oil do the cleaning. Just need to drain the oil a little sooner and maybe do an extra filter change.

I "think" what he is saying is that "is there a way to slow down or stop the smoking on his lexus; since the dealer said it was not sludge. This post is the final outsome of the "blue smoke at tailpipe" post.. So from me, I have no clue outisde doing a valve job, but then it could come back in 20K miles. You need to weight the price vs how bad it is.

Bases on what I have read yes it has sludge but I do not know the cause. Could it be the oil sure, but without the original owner on this board, no one knows 100%. That is why I think they (your dealer) will cover it, no one to blame since they were the last owner (on paper). Next, neglect? Again I can’t say yes or no without seeing what some variables are. Based on what Lexus states,” All we ask is that you show a reasonable effort to regularly maintain your vehicle”. Everyone loves to jump onto the 3K or 5K-mile drains when even Lexus does not state that soon of an interval. Lexus states 5K for severe and 7.5K for normal. So that is 40% & 33.33% respectfully. Again these "intervals" are on the conservative side since ALL designs have this built into them. I go longer on drains using another synthetic oil and my oil tests fine when compared to my un-used sample. Been doing this since 1995 on all my engines and I have almost 40K miles on this method on my ES. Is it for everyone nope, but it works. And in most times, it works better, IF, your oil is up-to-speed in the proper areas. So far I have seen no other oil test posted on this forum with their Lexus to date. And if you did, don’t assume (you know what that means) if you have some delta in miles compared to my oil analysis that you will have that same delta in wear, metal etc. Does not work that way. Also look at the oil you are using. That makes a HUGE difference. So I would not go blaming some interval here. Most people who buy these cars (these are low entry models) do not care about the up-keep, let alone what it would cost to repair. It is like changing a flat tire I look at it as “seeing how fast I can do it this time. Some people don’t know or care and will call a tow truck for $50. Either was is not wrong. If you have the $$$$$, not doing anything is even better.

I know using my snap-on scanner I can view the coolant temp at any time. Are you going by the dashboard "moron gage"? It could be a faulty sending unit (sensor). I can monitor the coolant tomorrow and tell you what I get..

I had major problems with aftermarket rotors (brembo). Went through one pair in 1800 miles and another in less then 5K miles. So I switch to OEM and have had ZERO problems. Also could be a sticking caliper. I was going to go with OEM on my new brake job but was also thinkg about sloted and drilled. kind of a catch 22

I will make this short and sweet. The 180-point inspection is a total joke. When they open the door and windows that is like 12 points down! It is unreal on what they think is a “point” here. When I got my car there were 2 cars, 98% the same except for heated seats and miles. I asked the sales guy why is one CPO and one not. He said due to the high miles. Monarch is correct but it is a lesser number then stated. It is more like 3.3% out of the 3.3 million-cars. Also ALL info I have found says nothing on “oil changes beyond 6 months or 5000 miles”. That part is untrue. All you need to do is “All we ask is that you show a reasonable effort to regularly maintain your vehicle.” That is per Lexus in black and white. If you want examine the records but that is not going to tell the complete condition of the engine. It is ok at best. If you think something is up, as I have said 100 times in the past, do an oil analysis. You can have records of this and that but it does not prove it was done, installed or even done to proper specs. Oil tests will give you the best “real time” data you can get. So, most Lexus dealers have a 3K mile or 30 day period after buying. If you are unhappy bring the sucker back and say fix it within xx days.

I agree- So I guess Lexus use shims for the valves and are not hyd? Also what weight oil are you using? Maybe try a thicker oil. Example, if you are useing 5w-30 try a 10-30.

I would jump right onto the sludge issue. It sound like valve seals but could be leaking head gasket, Idle control valve, etc.

Not being a smart a$$, but why not hook it up to an OBDII scanner??? Take the "guessing" right out of this????

The 34R is a great battery. I paid 122.95 shipped to the house. The Lexus never started so good! Lastly, sometimes the 34R is called the 800R. They have a smaller I think 35R but is is less CCA and capacity.

Avatar ---Put it this way. I just installed a new Optima Red Top since my ORIGINAL Lexus battery was getting low (not died). I have a 98 ES with 78K miles. Not to bad for a battery. I ran it down a lot when charging my R/c Batteries for my heli. I was drawing 7 amps for alomst 2 hours... To close, the little bubble means jack Sh&t since mine was blue and the car would not start. Got the Optima 34R and it cracks the enigne like it is a 2 cyl!