21st Apr 2011, 11:41
I worked on my niece's 1992 Lexus with the same type of oil leak. Replaced the valve cover gaskets, but while at it be sure and replace the spark plugs and wiring since you will have to remove the intake.
26th Jun 2011, 20:44
As far as your overheating problem, have all your sensors checked. I have a 92 Lexus ES 300. I had replaced my radiator and thermostat three times before it caused my motor to lock up and the sensor under the power steering pump was left unplugged.
20th Sep 2015, 06:03
I have a 92 Lexus that I bought a week ago, and now I have an oil pump leak, which I was told would cost $850.00 dollars to fix. I just don't have the money to fix it at this time...
20th Sep 2015, 17:35
I have a couple of older Lexus cars and they are fun to work on. And you will have to work on them. I am a non-mechanic, so parts on eBay and YouTube mechanic instructions have been a game changer for me. If you are not going to work on them, research problems with them on how to fix them. I would avoid them and get something newer. Recently bought a 2001 GS430 real cheap. Original cost of the car new was about $60,000; now it's in peanut vendor territory. And the usual suspect problems are there. Rattling speakers, front suspension noises and a badly needed tune up.
Tune up was easy with eBay parts and will start changing the stock overkill expensive speakers out for some simple Best Buy Pioneer speakers. YouTube videos really come in handy to take apart the car components, because Lexus has an overkill issue with all the stuff they put on their cars. 10 screws are used when only 5 are needed. But that is just the way they roll, so taking apart the layers of components in the way is a long process with having to take it apart correctly and putting it back correctly. So if you are not a patient person, working on a Lexus is not for you. Because forcing things off on these cars will not work; you just end up with damaged pieces.
1st Oct 2015, 18:47
I have the same 1992 ES300 with a manual 5-speed transmission. I bought it used at 100K miles. It has 211K miles now and the clutch has started to slip a little.
I have replaced the radiator twice and the clutch relay once. The head gasket was also replaced.
Other than that, everything is original and the A/C still blows ice cold. The cassette player does not work too good, but the CD changer and FM/AM radio work well with a great sound.
The KBB value is around $1000 on the optimistic side. So I am wondering if I should buy a new car (I cannot afford a Lexus) or spend at least $1200 on replacing the clutch and some small oil leaks? My mechanic says the engine is good for at least 250K miles.
2nd Oct 2015, 02:01
Nothing wrong with going out and getting a new car, or a better value, one owner with maintenance records used car, that has been inspected by a mechanic of your choice. But don't sell that older used car you have. They are great to take to the grocery store... the mall... small parking space Walmart runs. I have several older cars that I use for this purpose. No one usually bothers them. When I do take my nicer cars to the same spots, I have come out of the store to see that someone has rolled a shopping cart into them. Which means I have to get out the buffer and my paint cleaner wax and clean up the scratch on it. I live in LA and people love to damage nice things. It's just the way of life here.
2nd Oct 2015, 14:46
I take my nice new cars sometimes to shopping centers for quick important stops such as a liquor store. Only I park far out under a light and try to find an end spot. To date no damage. If they do attempt to steal one, I have an alarm and automatic fuel shutoff. Parking lot dings are avoidable; the little extra walking distance solves it.
4th May 2009, 06:11
Well, I bought a used Lexus ES 300, and you know the crazy thing is when I went to pick out a car that I NEEDED for a week long trip, I had my kids with me who are young, so I did NOT even take it for a test drive. I only started it, listened and fell in love with it right away. Of course the guy looked at me really strange, and I said... Oh well, if it breaks down I will come back and get my money back, which he signed in agreement.
I drove my big ol' farm truck to the car lot, so had to drive the truck home, but they delivered the car for me the next day, and since we live in the country I wanted to USE this car and and see if it could survive living on a farm :-)
So first things first: I took it out to the smoothest country road on a long stretch and just hammered down and it has some go.. I say some because my truck has a 460 V-8...so I am guessing its about 180 hp in this car for how fast it took off. The tranny shifted smooth (it's an automatic), and never lugged down. It got to the red light on RPM and slammed on the brakes to make sure they worked good -- and figured if they didn't I would be the only person around here that would be taking a Lexus wheelin'.. so they worked great, and I stopped a lot faster than my reining horse stops :-)
I tried all this again in Low and second, and worked great too. Everything inside the car works great, and is very clean inside and out!!
It is a great grocery getter as well as a long driver... sit back and relax kinda rig. Not super classy or sporty, and sure as heck ain't no farm truck, but I bet it's cheaper on gas than a 460 is, and I can even fit 6 bags of grain in the truck... but I have no plans on hauling any livestock in it :-)
About the only thing I needed to replace was the head gasket seals, but that was an easy fix, if you have small hands (helps to be female). This car had 185,000 miles on it when I got it, but so far has been great and handles like a dream. Tight steering for sure!!
Overall awesome car, and super comfy for those with back injuries from riding rank horses!