FredParoutaud

Yeah, well, good point. I'm not sure of anything. Can the brakes do something like that? I've never heard that before. It's a low "crunch" sound, that sounds like maybe a support pulling away from the frame or something awful like that. But...it only makes it at the tippy-end of a hard brake...like when the body settles back into position, or just before that. There's a threshold where it happens. If you brake relatively gently and normally, no problem, no sound. If you brake harder, it happens. And it's not ABS or anything like that, not nearly that hard. Fred

Hi Folks, Just got back from Thanksgiving -- hope you had a nice one too! Have a new problem with our 1996 es300. When braking, just before coming to a complete stop, I hear a deep "crunch" coming from what I believe is the left front of the car. I checked the brakes and they are fine, lots of pad, no grooves. (Obviously this wouldn't be the problem anyway, but its something to look at.) I'm wondering if it has something to do with the wheel bearings or 1/2 shaft, since that's all I can think of that would be in that area. Does this ring a bell?? The vast majority of the time there is no sound/problem. We drove the last 500 miles with no problem. It's only when making a fairly hard stop, and only right about at the stop sign. If you brake more gradually there is no sound, no problem. Thanks, Fred

The cd manual I have, which seems to be derived from the factory manual, does not come out and say when to change the timing belt. But it does say that if you're driving the car like a cabbie -- ie: heavy duty -- change it at 60,000. But then after that, for normal driving it just says to check it every 30k or so, never says replace it. I just changed mine (96 es300 with 90k miles) and frankly, the timing belt looked in very good condition. I'm sure it could have gone another 30k no problem, probably more. You can usually tell if it has been changed because they will put a sticker on the timing belt cover (there's even a place for it) with the mileage when changed. Ours didn't have a sticker, so I called the dealer that serviced the car before and he confirmed that as far as he knew it hadn't been changed. The main reason I changed ours is because I don't know anything about who owned the car before. They kept it pretty clean cosmetically, but didn't do things like change tranny fluid, so I really wanted to get everything mechanically "serviced." Good luck, Fred

Hi All, Finished replacing the timing belt and ps pump on our 96 es300 this weekend. Did NOT do the water pump, which may seem stupid (it does to me) but I simply ran out of time as the ps pump was trickier than I thought. You need monkey hands for that puppy! Car runs great, and even better, the ps pump leak is gone, which is nice to know because I wasn't sure that's where the leak was coming from -- but pretty sure. Couple of questions: - the timing belt tensioner rod sticks out .460" not ~.400" as in the specs. Is this a concern? The car only has 90k miles. Also, I'm wondering if they meant to measure with the rubber boot on. With rubber boot on it measures .400". Comments? - Haynes manual says to take spark plugs out to do the timing belt. I didn't, as it seemed llike it would go a lot faster to just mess with the existing compression. It wasn't that bad and I got everything to line up, passed the final "line up" visual test, and the car runs perfect. Do others take the plugs out to do the timing belt? And while we are at it, how on earth do you get to the rear plugs? Seems "impossible," but I'm sure there are tricks. - I can't believe the stupidity of having to remove timing belt backing cover #3 to do the water pump. Seems like they could have spent another 30 seconds on the problem and designed the cover so that it clears the water pump. Am I missing something here? Is there some good reason why it is not designed that way? - The CD manual (which seems derived from the factory manual) says to remove the right tierod to remove the ps pump. But it came out easily through the engine cover hole (ie: harmonic balancer hole). Am I missing something there? Removing the tierod end seems a lot of extra work and possible damage to the boot. - The engine "torque brace" (I don't know what it's called, on the top, passenger side of the motor, a strut with 2 rubber bushing ends) has the forward rubber bushing cracked (excuse my poor grammar). Should I be concerned? Seems like it probably happens on all es300s just by the design of it. Like it's not supposed to restrain too much. Should I replace it? - I used a screwdriver in the flywheel teeth to lock the crank so I could unscrew the harmonic balancer screw. Is there a better way? I'm sure I put a tiny nick in the tooth, but I didn't have the special tool to hold the balancer, and couldn't figure out how to lock the flywheel with the flywheel screws and a prybar. - I ended up disposing of the ps pump factory "pinch" hoseclamps and using the aftermarket screw type. Am I too much of a wimp? :whistles: Is there some secret to getting these puppies back in place when you can't see what the heck you're doing? I used needlenose to get them off, but that just didin't work to get them back on. That's about it. All in all it wasn't too bad, and frankly the timing belt looked in good condition. I'm sure it wasn't replaced at 60k, so at 90k I bet it would have been fine up to 120-150k. But didn't want to take the chance, even with a non-interference motor. PS pump was a slam dunk -- it was completely filthy and the shop where we had the car checked out said it should be replaced. They were right apparently. I'll download photos and write something up for the self-help section. Thanks to everybody for your helpful comments -- made the job more bearable! Fred

If you drive pretty easy miles, say highway/freeway, then 60k miles is nothing for a timing belt. They can easily go 100k miles -- BUT, you don't want to tempt fate either. 90k is about right for careful driving. If you use your es300 as a taxi cab in NYC, then you'll want to change it out at 60k. I'm not surprised by the prices you were quoted, that's about what I was quoted. Which is why I'm doing the work myself. Timing belt, ps pump and water pump, total cost should be under $500 for all the parts. Dealer wanted around the $1500 area as you noted. BTW, valve cover gaskets and ps pump are typical "flaws" for es-300. My ps pump is making noise and leaking oil, so it's a slam dunk. Fred

Mike, it very well may be, but atf is red and the ps fluid in our es300 looks more like clean oil. To be safe, I bought ps fluid from the Lexus dealer today, along with some antifreeze and silicon spray for the door/moonroof rubber. Hey, they did NOT have the timing belt cover gaskets in stock -- "special order." hahahahahaha! Well forget it, I'll catch them next time. Cheers, Fred

Thanks Mikey! Will do. Appreciate all the help from everybody. When they wifey pulls the car in tomorrow evening I'm going to get going on it: new timing belt, water pump and power steering. Rock on! Fred

Thanks Alan, it sounds like something I can actually do without killing myself. :) Fred

Hi Folks, I'm going to change out the power steering pump this weekend. The manual says after installing to "bleed system." How do I do that? And how much PS fluid will I need? Can I use any ps fluid? I'll read through the manual, but yous guys always have a bit more to add and I'd like to hear it. Thanks! :D Fred

Alan, thanks! (Timing chain -- sheesh! Old habits...) Fred

Thanks for all the info! Totally appreciated, I'm doing the job this weekend. More Questions/Comments: - Is the thermostat something I can do some other time? Or does the timing belt have to come off for that too? - I was quoted a ton to do this work, which is why I'm doing it myself. I'll probably save about $1000. (I'm in an expensive part of the world, SF, we have the highest prices next to downtown NYC) Ok, so I'm doing timing belt, power steering pump and water pump. Have all the parts (including belts), all ready to go. Now, some more questions: - manual says to replace timing chain cover gaskets -- is that really necessary? - What sealer do I use on the waterpump gasket (metal with rubber bead) -- anything? or nothing? - I'm going to assume I'm ok undoing the battery for 6 hours unless I hear otherwise. - Anything else I'm missing? Thanks! Fred

Hi Folks, When I pull the battery cable off, how long until the airbag light will come on? The manuals are very vague, and I searched here and didn't find the answer. Thanks! Fred

Thanks! Will do. BTW, instructions say "the airbag system will be disabled if the battery is disconnected for more than a brief period" How long a period would that be? Fred

Hi All, I'm getting ready to do the timing belt on our 1996 es-300. I bought the Haynes Toyota Camry 1992-1996 repair manual. Are these the right instructions? http://www.400gt.com/photos/misc/lexus/timing_belt.htm Thanks! Fred

Thanks! Just what I needed to know. Best, Fred

Do you check the AT level with the car running? Or not? Owners manual doesn't say, that I could find. Thanks, Fred

Maybe I should start out with the beer. I'd love to keep notes and post in the workshop tutorial section. Where is that? I took a quick look and couldn't find it. Thanks! Fred

Hi Folks, Getting ready to order parts to do a timing belt replacement on our 96 es300. Also, the power steering pump is leaking, so I guess I should replace that too. And everybody says to replace the water pump at the same time...and I guess it's time for a new fuel filter too. We're at about 90,000 miles. So, how does this list look, from www.autopartsauthority.com: 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 Multi Rib Belt Alternator & AC Bando $14.82 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 Multi Rib Belt Power steering Bando $11.08 A5000-131028 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 Timing Belt $50.83 G3000-54487 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 Water Pump W/o Housing ASCO/Aisin $91.26 G3040-66544 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 Water Pump Gasket $8.34 E1000-38497 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 Fuel Filter Kyosan Nippon $32.00 M2010-61479 1996 Lexus ES 300 V6 P/S Pump Maval $194.20 ($40.00 core) Do these prices look ok? (I picked the more expensive parts when there was a choice of vendors.) What else do you think I'll need? Thanks so much! Fred

Excellent, thanks for the info. I think I'm going to put it on a 90,000 mile schedule. Couldn't hurt, and that way I don't have to worry about it. Yes, it's a '96, and I have a feeling that what they mean is to check it at 60,000 miles, then every 7,500 miles until it looks like it needs replacement. (that seems to be what they say about the "drive belts.") But that's unpractical, considering what needs to be done to inspect it. I wish they'd come out and say to replace it after X miles! Not sure why they don't, maybe they don't know themselves. Or maybe the legal department wrote that part of the manual. Thanks again, Fred

Hi Folks, I've read every maintenance schedule I can get my hands on for the 1996 es300, and I still don't see when the cam timing belt should be replaced. Here's what I've found: >> CAMSHAFT TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT INFORMATION CAUTION: Failure to replace a faulty camshaft timing belt may result in serious engine damage. The condition of camshaft drive belts should always be checked on vehicles which have more than 50,000 miles. Although some manufacturers do not recommend belt replacement at a specified mileage, others require it at 60,000-100,000 miles. A camshaft drive belt failure may cause extensive damage to internal engine components on most engines, although some designs do not allow piston-to-valve contact. These designs are often called "Free Wheeling". Many manufacturers changed their maintenance and warranty schedules in the mid-1980’s to reflect timing belt inspection and/or replacement at 50,000-60,000 miles. Most service interval schedules in this manual reflect these changes. Belts or components should be inspected and replaced if any of the following conditions exist: * Cracks Or Tears In Belt Surface * Missing, Damaged, Cracked Or Rounded Teeth * Oil Contamination * Damaged Or Faulty Tensioners * Incorrect Tension Adjustment Replace camshaft timing belt every 60,000 miles under Severe Service. << Same for the actual warrantee schedule. Says to replace under severe use at 60,000 miles, but doesn't say anything about normal use. I called the dealer and they said 90,000 miles. But I still haven't seen that figure written anywhere. Can anybody either verify the 90k figure, or point me to an actual written factory figure? Thanks! Fred

Hi Folks, Just got my CD Rom manual, and I think it's the factory manual. Sez copyright 2001 Lexus, and it's just packed full of info. Just did a quick scan of one of the sections, but it's quite detailed. You can get it here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=3685041470 Again, I just spent a couple of seconds looking at it, but it appears to be the factory manual, not Mitchell. (I didn't a Find for Mitchell and returned nothing) Cheers, Fred

Also...where are the other 2 screen filters? I can see one at the bottom of the transmission, a wire mesh jobby. But where are the others? Thanks, Fred

and drain plug. (Did a quick search here and didn't find them -- sorry if I missed 'em!) Thanks, Fred

I ordered it on ebay the other day. I thought it was the factory manual? Sounds like maybe it's not... Fred

I'm goign to jack the car up this weekend and to a tranny service, that'll give me a chance to clean up around the filter and ps pump and see what's going on down there. I have to say, I'm not terribly concerned about a ps pump leak. I can just keep adding fluid for now, and deal with that later. But I would like to know what's going on. Thanks, Fred