FredParoutaud

Excellent, that's all I need. Thanks folks!

Fred

Hi Folks,

Just bought new rotors and pads for the front of our 1996 ES300. A buddy of mine said "make sure you don't let the brake fluid back-up into the master cylinder, ABS doesn't like that"

So -- when I press the pistons (piston?) back in, do I just crack the bleed screw open a bit and let the fluid flow out a bleed tube to a jar? ie: is it kind of like bleeding the brakes?

(Anything else I need to know? sounds like a pretty easy job to me)

Thanks!

Fred

here are the photos...

so, shorter vain up like this:

http://www.400gt.com/misc/DSCN0005.JPG

or long vain up like this:

http://www.400gt.com/misc/DSCN0006.JPG

or......?

thanks!

Fred

Hi Folks,

I've had problems before with the Idle Control Valve....so I just tried cleaning again and this time that didn't fix it. So I took it apart and the valve (rotary) was kind of stuck...so I cleaned it until it turned freely. I think that was the problem.

However...I'm a bit at a loss as to how the rotary valve should be positioned when I reattach it (I should have marked it). I'll take some photos and post to show what I mean, but I'm not sure if the short vein (is that the right term?) is up or down -- or even sideways for that matter. there's a short one and a long one -- I'm guessing the long one is down and short is up, but not sure.

I did a search and found several posts talking about existing articles here on how to clean it, but I can't find those articles.

I'll post some photos in a bit

Thanks!

Fred

Hi Folks,

96 es300, love it! 140k miles

So turned on the radio today and the antenna and lights worked, but no sound out of anything. Totally dead. CD player had an error message.

I took out the various radio fuses (I think #8 on the dash and #23 in the engine compartment, but that's from my memory which isn't very good! :) and checked them, they were fine, but looked a tad discolored around the blades.

Checked them with a multimeter, they were fine, replaced and *presto* radio worked again.

Anybody else have this problem? I'm guessing one of the fuses wasn't quite making contact....?? We live next to the ocean, maybe some salt air or something?

It was such an easy fix that I'm 1/2 way expecting to go out to the car tomorrow and have "no radio" again.

But, so far so good.

Comments?

Thanks,

Fred

Hi Folks,

Sometimes our ES300 just simply dies when it's cold.

My mechanic friend said "clean the Aux. Air Valve which is located on the Throttle Body"

Does that sound right? Can anybody tell me what it looks like? (I have a CD manual around somewhere -- is that the right name for the part?)

Thanks!

Fred

Thanks guys, that's just what I needed to know!

I told my buddy what you said and he said "sounds like they know what they're talking about." :)

Cheers,

Fred

Hi All,

Dealer says we need new brake pads for our 96 es300. They're not bad, but getting down there.

A mechanic friend of mine just asked if the rotors need to be changed too. I don't think so, but I thought I'd ask first -- does this tend to be a problem with these cars? He says that nowdays many MB and BWM routinely replace brake pads and the rotors.

Now, he's not doing the work :) so he's just trying to be helpful.

Comments??

Thanks!

Fred

http://www.playerviolin.com/misc/DSCN0009(40).JPG

thought it looked pretty nice. And those wheels are Lexus, right? How much for a set?

Thanks,

Fred

Hi Folks,

96 es300 and we love it to death. :)

Check engine light came on today. I checked the gas cap, oil level, coolant level, windshield washer level, power steering fluid level, brake fluid level -- everything's right where it should be.

What should I do next?

Thanks!

Fred

Excellent! Will do, thanks.

Fred

Hi Folks,

96 es300 and we love it to death. :)

Check engine light came on today. I checked the gas cap, oil level, coolant level, windshield washer level, power steering fluid level, brake fluid level -- everything's right where it should be.

What should I do next?

Thanks!

Fred

FredParoutaud, The rims on the black Lexus look like the stock rims from the Lexus IS300....Yr 2000

Interesting -- they definitely had the Lexus "L" in the middle of them.

Fred

Good catch, just looked at that ebay link and that's the kit. Doesn't seem that expensive (until you add in the $200 postage!) -- wonder how good it really is.

I think the lower photo (black car) had Lexus mags on it...they had the Lexus emblem. Does anybody know how much those cost?

Thanks,

Fred

Hi Folks,

I'm thinking of buying an SC300/400 and I'd like to modify it to look somewhat like one of these two cars:

http://www.400gt.com/photos/misc/DSCN0026.jpg

Can somebody tell me exactly what these mods are? They both look lowered, and obviously the white car has a body kit on it.

And what about tires/wheels?

I'm trying to put a pricetag together of what it will cost to end up with this sort of look.

Thanks!

Fred

Hi Folks,

I've just been reading through the pinned sc300/tt supra posts and wonder if there is a special area to post on this subject. Are there more folks doing this mod? I'm specifically interested in simply taking the stock sc300 motor and doing the mods from there, instead of actually using a supra tt motor.

Thanks!

Fred

Thanks everybody!

I'll start digging tonight when the car comes home. (It almost knows the way on its own)

It's been 3 weeks since the oil change, and the amount dripped is consistant. So it sounds more like a real leak. But I'll check everything mentioned.

The fact that it started right after the oil change is an obvious clue. I'm just not sure exactly what they did.

I've emailed them -- so far no response...

Cheers,

Fred

Hi Folks,

96 es-300 -- love it!

We just took it in for an oil change, and now there is a leak. It drips down from the back of the oil pan, maybe a dozen drops after each drive.

I've checked the drain plug and the pan bolts -- they're all snug. Tonight I'll start working my way up the engine.

But...anybody have any ideas? We had the valve cover gaskets replaced 6 months ago. maybe they need to be retightened...?

Thanks,

Fred

I would say to run a search on Edmunds.com, cars.com, autotrader.com...and isolate the search criteria to cars in your area.  That will help you determine what the market price is for cars in your area.

←

Thanks Dom. I just ran Edmunds and I'm surprised that the prices are a lot higher than what I see happening on ebay; also 427 cars available within 200 miles? Man, that's a lot! Why so many?

Price Range All Prices

Lexus SC400

427 cars shown near ZIP 94044

Prices range between $11k and $30k. Isn't that too much? I see them on ebay for well under $10k with no bids.

Fred

Oops! Meant to type SC 300/400 -- that's what I'm thinking of buying.

Tips?

Thanks!

Fred

What should I look out for? I'm in California (San Francisco) and would like a really nice one. How much should I pay?

Thanks,

Fred

What year ES are you talking about?

DOH!

96 es-300

thanks,

Fred

Hi Folks!

What do I need to remove to change the ps pump? Can I just sneak in through the "timing chain" access panel, or do I need to remove alternator belt, timing chain cover, etc.

Just want to do a quick swap if I can

Thanks

Fred

Interesting, thanks. Is the valve cover or intake manifold gasket different for the es300 than for the camary?

Thanks,

Fred

Hi Folks,

We have a 96 es300 and just had the plugs and valve cover gaskets replaced. Now the car is louder on accelleration. It almost sounds llike it has headers vs cast iron exhaust -- not that dramatic, but you can hear the pistons firing whereas before I don't think you could. Both my wife an I noticed this immediately after we picked the car up.

The service place doesn't know what it could be. Thank you very much guys...

Anybody have any ideas on this one? Obviously the intake system was removed to get to the rear covers/plugs, and something they did there or in the valve covers make the intake/exhaust sound louder. Sounds more like a hot rod now, which is certainly not why we bought the car! :)

Thanks so much,

Fred

does it only happen when braking or over large bumps as well?

←

Only on braking. I haven't noticed anything over large bumps, and we did a bunch of speed bumps this weekend, some at a higher speed than I anticipated and I apologized to the passengers. :chairshot:

Again, braking is smooth as silk, and quiet all the way to the stop sign. It's only when the car actually stops at the sign (you know, when the body finally starts to physically stop moving and settle back) that the sound happens.

Thanks,

Fred