Jump to content

spalkin

Regular Member
  • Posts

    75
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by spalkin

  1. Great job getting that done! These jobs aren't hard (timing belts, valve cover gaskets etc.) but there are some spots that can really hang you up if you don't know the ways and means. Wait 'til you try to pull the right axle extension from the trans to change out the seals. That's a fun one.
  2. The rear valve cover is a real common source. You can tell this by smoking soon after start up. Another real good one is the rear main seal. Mine's got the same problem; a few drips overnight. Mine is definitely the rear main. To change it out is so much absolute work that it's just not worth it. Mine has about 230K on it. I've tried stop leak, but no real improvement. Like stated above, spray down the bottom of the motor with brake cleaner and see where it's coming from that way. I'll bet you'll see; rear main, and possibly some from a few of the fronts. Switching to a synthetic oil is another way to try to combat leaky seals. WHAT?!!! Are you crazy?!!! Synthetics make leaks, they don't stop them! Wrong. Synthetics will find leaks but they will clean and condition the seals as they work on them. The leaking is a sign that the oil is getting to the dried out cracked areas of the seals. As they plump up again, the leaks diminish and in some cases stop all together.
  3. You're definitely going to want to check that one or more of your tires aren't running out of true. This is very common. On one car, they called me up to the counter while the tires were getting put on and they said, "One of your wheels is bent." What!? I went out into the garage to see and they spun it up. I pointed out that the tire was out of true. The wheel was fine. They put a different one on it. All good. If one or more of your tires isn't running true, they need to put a new one on it. That's a defective tire. It can balance perfectly but you'll never get the shimmy out of it. Get the front end on a jack and carefully and safely put it in drive and check them. The rears are tougher. If you get friend to start spinning each one by hand, you can look from the back and tell that way. Good to know before you go in there swingin'. ;)
  4. After a drive, when the engine is cool enough to touch, slip your hand behind the rear valve cover. You're looking for oil. This is a common situation for these engines. The engine is mounted in a tilted way so the front valve cover is about horizontal and the rear one is leaned way back. After years, the valve cover seals dry out and leak. The rear sees all the leaking because it's tilted so far back. The oil is running down the back of the engine and burning as it hits the exhaust. You may not see any dripping because it's burning, plus as soon as you stop the engine, this leak stops. Changing out the VC seals is easy. Getting to the rear one is a whole production. Good luck!
  5. They're called strut plates, the tops of the towers. They do take a lot of stress. They last a while but when they go, you'll hear about it. :D
  6. Post a picture. It sounds like a freeze plug, though. Also, our radiators can get a bit clogged over time. That might be the slight overheating problem you have.
  7. Too bad they don't have anything for a '95 ES.
  8. Hey Leroy; Is that the one that has the button on the side?
  9. You need to go to the dealership. The one thing you never do with a lexus is lose the keys. It's very, very expensive. I worked in Toyota/Lexus Parts and people would come to the cashier in tears when the bill for losing their keys was $1300. I don't know how to get out of paying a bundle of money to fix your problem. Sorry :cries: For my '95 ES, if I lose my key, or it huffs out, it's $475 plus a re-programing fee. I take good care of it.
  10. Flanso's got it! OK saltyreefguy; here's the deal. You're not going to get that bolt off. You can get a breaker bar 20' long if you want, it won't work. The absolute easiest, best way to do it is this and you don't need anyone to help you: 1) get the right socket, preferably a six point 1/2" drive, but a twelve is fine. 2) I believe it was 6 inch extension. 3) 1/2 inch drive breaker bar, about 18 or 20 inches long. 4) get the socket on the nut fully and make it so that the breaker bar is not hanging straight down, but is swept back and it's handle area up tight against the shallow 'V' made by the lower control arm with the frame. You want that bar to be sitting up to the 'V'. an inch or so away is still OK. 5) Double check that the socket is pressed onto the bolt. 6) When you're satisfied that it's all set up, gently sit in the driver's seat, put the key in the ignition, take three long breaths, now turn the key to on position (just before start). You're getting ready to just bump the starter. 7) You want to hit that start all the way and then come right back. Don't be a wuss. Turn that key all the way and then shut it off. Bam Bam just like that. The first time I did mine, I thought, "Did anything happen?". I walked around the car and looked down to see the breaker bar hanging straight down. I grabbed the breaker bar and found that the bolt was perfectly loosened, and it was all free and perfect, ready to continue working. That's how you do it. An air wrench won't work. A breaker bar won't work. And messing around trying to hold the crank is not a good idea. There is a tool that Toyota uses to do that and it's a very simple tool, but it's a special tool so it's kind of hard to make. It has 2 pins coming out of it and it goes into the pulley and into the 2 holes in there but has a wide enough spread to allow your socket to fit between. You hold the crank still with the tool while you torque off the bolt. The starter method is great. Once you do it you'll see. That starter simply puts a tremendous force. All you have to do is hold the bolt. Good Luck! :D
  11. I'm sorry you bought a car from someone who could actually think that you can go 10k between oil changes. I hope you got it for an appropriate price. As far as compatibility between parts and years, the best thing to do is go to a Toyota dealership (they work on a much wider variety of cars) and talk to the parts department. There are a million variables here, unless you've got exactly the right engine. Good luck! The car is definitely worth the work. (if you do it yourself) ;)
  12. Try KYB struts. They're the same manufacturer that makes the factory shocks. The ride is a bit stiffer, but I like that. You only get the intense rebound damping versions from the stealership. Not expensive at all. Check into it.
  13. Nice going! Aren't you glad you didn't just say "go ahead" to the new hydraulic motor?! Those things are in a sealed environment and never go out. Whenever you check your coolant, there's no need to open the cap. Just make sure that there's 50/50 in the reservoir. It takes when it needs and puts back when it doesn't. It's a great way to make sure you're not leaking. I recently changed out my radiator (easiest thing you've ever done) because the tab that holds the hydraulic motor had put a hair-line crack in the radiator. I ordered from Outlaw Radiator (I think they're nation wide). $130 and the owner brought it over personally the next day! Here's the link CLICKY Since the replacement, it's cooling very well. Over time, these radiators do slow down.
  14. Wow! First of all, They can get a wrench on it, and they did! I've done several of these and I use a regular, run of the mill wrench on it. That area is designed so that you can get a wrench on that to change it. If they charged you $400 to change out that sensor (part included even) they totally ripped you off. I'm really sorry that happened to you. Don't ever go there again and slam that garage to everyone you know. As tough as times are for people right now, the last thing we need are actual fellow car guys raping us in our asses. Next time you take the car into a shop and get an estimate, ask them to actually show you what needs to be done to perform the operation. Retain as much of it as possible and relay it to someone either here or that you know. We can tell you if they're being straight with you.
  15. Usually when you get this condition it's strut plate bearings. On top of your front shocks, there's a flat bearing that allows you to turn the wheels. When they wear out, you get a clicking, grumble that you can feel in the wheel and hear. Pop the hood, have someone sit in the car (with it running) and hold your hand on the top of the strut mount while they turn the wheel. You'll be able to feel it and hear it. Also, raise the front end so the wheels are off the ground and do it again. If they're smooth, you know it's them. Good Luck!
  16. I've seen this before. It's trashed but anythings possible now. Try whatever you want. I would suggest trying to get the rest of that stuff off by applying some paint brush cleaner on it. Paint brush cleaner is strong enough to remove dried, cured coatings but it's gentle enough not to damage fine nylon brush bristles. after you apply it, wait about five minutes and go after it gently with a credit card edge. I've used this method to get hard coatings that were peeling off motorcycle windscreens with no problems. It really is gentle. So, get all the coating off however you can and then lightly sand the surface with 220 grit. clean and wipe thoroughly and then apply coats of clear coat for models. Testors and Tamiya make great products for plastics I'll bet with a little skill you can make them look brand new all on your own, for less than five bucks. The reason you want to get it all off before you paint is because if you don't, that could come up and take your clear coat with it and it would look as bad as before. As soon as you clear coat it, it will look glossy and perfect again. Mine hasn't done this yet but if it does, I'll be doing this. Good luck!
  17. Here's a link to that post about the fast turn signals. CLICKY
  18. On either the 3VZ-FE or 1MZ-FE engine, as you look at the motor from the front, the cylinders in back by the firewall are numbered 1-3-5 left to right. The front bank of cylinders are numbered 2-4-6 left to right. When I first got my ES, I cleaned the engine and got water everywhere like a bonehead. Right after that I had a code saying the same thing but for cylinder #3 (center, rear) That means Coil. There are six on this car. One right on top of each plug. Go to the Toyota dealer or on line. They're about $70 to $80 I think. They're little coil packs at the top of the spark plug boot. All one piece. Very nice, but pricey. Also, pick up a plenum gasket while you're at it. I recommend changing that every time you take it off. You might want to get new plugs if you're anywhere near due for them since it's a whole production to get to those rears. Good Luck!
  19. I do a trans drain/fill at every oil change. To do it the easiest way, you need to get two identical plastic jugs, both very clean and dry. One is going to be for old fluid only and the other is for new fluid only. Drain the transmission into your catch pan, then pour it into the jug you designate will be for old fluid. Now set the empty new fluid jug next to it and fill to match with fresh fluid. Now all you have to do is pour that one into the car and you don't need to mess with filling and checking. The only thing about this way is that you only get about 3 quarts out when you just drain it. On the other hand, doing it at every oil change insures that you get a steady flow of fresh fluid into the trans. I figured it out that to fully flush the system in this way, you would have to perform this drain fill maneuver 22 times in a row. I'll settle for just knowing that I'm bringing fresh fluid in regularly. Hope it helps! :)
  20. I just had this same problem on mine. The left signal was going fast. That means there's something wrong with a bulb on that side. You can usually see the problem. Mine was that the front left turn was dim. I took the bulb out, replaced it and put it back. Nice. Then, just to see, I went back, put the old one in and hit the signal. It worked perfectly (with the 'dim' old bulb!). I'll save the new one. The problem was the contact where the fixture that holds the bulb meets the headlight housing. I cleaned up those contacts and applied some dielectric grease. Make sure all those contacts are clean. I had the same problem with climate control lights.
  21. Excellent job btracy! Don't spend a dime until you know. Check the EGR valve for clogging. It might operate but if it's clogged, it doesn't matter. Check the vacuum switch under the cover. It can be suspect sometimes. The system is very simple. And every part of it can be tested very easily. Do you have a check engine light? When you check the EGR valve, apply vacuum to it and watch it. It should hold and not move.
  22. Get that thing to a good mechanic now. A bit about power steering. Can you envision a rack and pinion unit, the way it works? Your steering wheel/shaft has a gear at the end of it that drives a straight rod with teeth in it. It's completely, positively hooked up. The power part is just a pump feeding both sides of a piston, helping you. If what you say above is true, then you need someone to look at it now. No waiting.
  23. Right now, knowing nothing, turn on your interior dome light and try to start the car. If the light dims or goes out while you're on the key, it means that the start circuit is connecting and there's a definite draw on the battery. Next, check the fuses. Also check the battery. Sometimes you buy them dead or close to it. That dome light and headlights should come on real strong without the car running and just on the battery.
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership