GrayES300

My old '92 ES300 had this problem when I bought it. It turns out that the head gasket was bad and the cylinder head was warped. After I got the car back, The temp gauge kept rising intermittantly and I also heard the gurgling noise. The mechanic determined it was some stubborn air that wouldn't get out of the system. Once all the air was finally out, the problem was solved.

The good news is that most check engine lights come on because of emmissions components so you should be safe driving the car (assuming it is running right). Have you talked to the dealership manager instead of the service manager? When I have problems at a dealership, the dealership manager usually is more willing to help out. Isn't it still under warranty?

I was 24 when I bought my first Lexus. It was a used 1992 ES with 165,000 miles on it. I got it from my boss. That car served me well until a couple of months ago. At around 275,000 miles, too many repairs mounted up so I sold it and got a used 2001 ES. I'm 29 now. I love the Lexus for its comfortable ride (I have a long commute) and reliability. I don't think it is the sexiest car on the road or the coolest, but it does what I want it to. I could have gotten a used BMW or Mercedes but it would probably been in the shop every month.

Anyone have an idea why the aluminum bracket won't come off the engine? It connects to the black bracket that connects to the engine movement control arm. I loosened two bolts and removed two nuts on studs. The bracket moves around so I am pretty sure I got all the fasteners, but it won't slide off. Am I just being too gentle or could something be blocking it? If you go to http://yotarepair.com/1FZ-ME_timingbelt.html you will see the RH Engine Mounting Bracket. That is what I can't get off the engine. In the picture, there is a stud sticking out off of it. My car has an aluminum block attached to this that turns a little. Can I yank this off the bracket? I'm sure I'm not describing this all that well, but hopefully you know what I'm talking about. Any ideas? Thanks!

Thanks for the links. I wish I had a truck now because it looks like they have a lot more room to work than in my car. I'm pretty comfortable with the whole procedure since the Haynes manual explains that pretty well. What it doesn't do is explain the little differences the Lexus engine has that the Toyota does not. They Haynes manual I have covers Toyota Camry, Solara, Avalon and Lexus ES300. I wish I had the factory repair manual, but I never see them for sale on EBAY and can't afford the $100+ prices other retailers are selling them for. If I could just find out where the power steering bolts are that I have to loosen and how to get the aluminum bracket off, I think I would be OK. Maybe there is someone out there who has replaced their own power steering pump and can give me some direction? Thanks ← ← I didn't even know this existed! I will definately bookmark it. Thanks for the help!

Great link! These instructions are a lot more detailed than in the Haynes manual. Thanks!

Thanks for the help! I'm going to try and tackle this again, hopefully in the next two weeks. You guys on this forum really help out. I'll let you know if I am sucessful or have more questions. In the meantime, anyone else who has more helpful info, pics, ect. I would appreciate it. Thanks again!

Thanks for the links. I wish I had a truck now because it looks like they have a lot more room to work than in my car. I'm pretty comfortable with the whole procedure since the Haynes manual explains that pretty well. What it doesn't do is explain the little differences the Lexus engine has that the Toyota does not. They Haynes manual I have covers Toyota Camry, Solara, Avalon and Lexus ES300. I wish I had the factory repair manual, but I never see them for sale on EBAY and can't afford the $100+ prices other retailers are selling them for. If I could just find out where the power steering bolts are that I have to loosen and how to get the aluminum bracket off, I think I would be OK. Maybe there is someone out there who has replaced their own power steering pump and can give me some direction? Thanks

That's a good thought, but I think my main problem is the fact the engine is in the car and it is very difficult to see what you are doing and where all the bolts are. If the engine was out of the car, I'm pretty confident I could get the power steering pump loose to get the belt off. It was really frustrating getting so far today and having to put it all back together so I could go to work in the morning. You're right on the highway miles too. I commute from Racine, WI to Chicago, IL everyday, which is 150 miles round trip.

I got the tire off and inner fender. I can see the pump and access to the bolt on the slotted bracket is easy. I just can't see which bolt I am supposed to loosen as well to get the pump to move. Thanks

HELP!! I tried to change a timing belt for the first time today with no success. I have a 2001 ES300 with 104,000 miles. I have a Haynes manual, but it is not all that helpful. I got the alternator belt off, upper timing cover off, found TDC on #1 cylinder, but then got stuck trying to get the power steering belt off. I loosened the bolt with the slotted bracket, but I don't know which bolt(s) to loosen to get the pump to move and release the tension. It's really difficult to see. I have noticed bolts on the back of the pump and also near the pulley, but which one??? I also got the engine movement control arm off and bracket, but the aluminum bracket that is attached to the engine won't come off. I got the two bolts and two nuts on studs loosened, but it won't slip off. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I can't afford to have a mechanic replace the belt and as you can see by my mileage, I'm due for this work. The good thing is the belt looks to be in excellent condition still so I can wait a little longer before replacing.

I just sold my 1992 ES300 with 265,000 miles on it. It ran great except the power steering pump went out on it. It survived three owners, a major "bump" with a Semi Truck and still ran like a top. I did all the maintenance myself and I know the previous owner and he kept up the maintenance as well. Major problems that occurred were getting a tune up at 165,000 (when I bought it) and changing the struts. Once the power steering pump went out, I decided to part with it. I didn't want to shell out $800 to have it fixed and didn't have time to fix it on my own being the car was my only form of transportation. When I sold the car, the exhaust needed to be fixed because the car bottomed out on some railroad tracks when the front strut gave out. The guy who bought it from me fixed the power steering pump and the exhaust and it is still running great. Now I have a 2001 ES300 that just rolled over to 100,000. I expect many years of service from this car.

Hi, I'm new to the list. I have a 1992 ES300 with 270,000 miles on it. I finally decided to retire it because the power steering pump went out, the exhaust needs repair (waited too long to replace the struts and went over railroad tracks ) and other minor repairs. Now I have a 2001 ES300 and love it. I know on my old '92 the needles in the instrument cluster went out and I was wondering if anyone knows if Lexus fixed this problem. I see posts for older ES300's with this problem, but none for newer cars. Also has anyone heard of or experienced any other problems with 2001's?