Top 20 1996 Lexus ES 300 Questions & Answers

the fluid must never be over filled as most do. if was that caused foam up of the ATF and bearings are destroyed.

• hot engine
• hood up.
• in park at normal idle speed, running.
• dipstick reads L >>>x<<<<H

the x must never be above or at high. hi is for when it over heats the users guide tells what to do , do not guess. or BOOM what you are doing is 100%wrong ,full stop .(adding ATF blind) assumes adding blind, or wrongly. yes lots of things possible there are like 10 on cars tests. all good shops know what to do. not pulling means RPM cream high like neutral for Drive. or stuck a lower gear. as in not upshifting scan the TCM for errors is next. if losing quart of ATF per day the car must not be driven or wreck the box you will, or far far worse. make the core useless. rebuilt tranny needs good core. do if you feel tranny clutch packs slip do not make them slip more or they burn up. stops pulling means what, false neutral or fails to up shift a bad shift solenoid can that.

there are open or short in the engine wire,check the connection of the connector,check also the connection of vaccum hose,injector,fuel preesure,and ignition system,,good luck.

Could be the ECU has failed. Is the Check Engine Light (CEL) on? It should light up when the IGN is turned on, before you try to start. If not, the ECU is not powering up. This does not mean the ECU is dead, as there are relays and IGN switch circuits that route +12v to it. If you smelled something like rotten fish when you lost power, then its because electrolytic capacitors in the ECU have failed. ECUs also have a "limp-home" mode when the engine management circuits have a partial failure.

Quite often that is to do with your Gear Position Neutral Safety switch.

I had a 94 sunbird and when we stopped, it would start running a little rough and the speedometer on the dash would start raising up sometime to 20 mph, and the car was not moving. I finally took it to a shop and they said it was the voltage regulator which was built into the alternator. They changed the alternator and we never had the problem again. The speedometer on the car was controlled by and electric circuit not a cable. You should have the code checked it can help diagnose the problem. Most auto part places where I live will tell you the trouble code for free with their code reader.

Sounds like you need to reset your alarm kill switch, which should be located near the driverside kick panels. GL.

Have you tested the starter?

take the vehicle to an accredited steering pump specialist and have the hose replaced before it costs a pump

What does ECT stand for?

My cars relay fuel and fan were stolen by a guy was fixing my door. Right?????? So caused my car to be jumped started then hesitate and stop when trying to drive alternator fuse was all tore up cause the jerk didnt know you needed to unscrew it from the bottom. So he cracked it. I am going to pick up the pricy relays today let you know what happens

you are very welcome!!! glad i could help!!!

I thought it was my fuel pump. It's likely your ECU.The capacitors may have begun leaking.I redid mine and fixed the problem.See here:http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/656360-all-my-crazy-lexus-issues-solved-ecu-leaking-capacitor.html

Spark plug Firing order.

sounds like classic head gasket failure

check owner manual for programming reset

if you look at diagram below on top of tank it shows a line going to evap that would mean its located behind or next to fuel tank its a some what rounded canister about 8in long and 5 in wide .black plastic.

You will need a manual or a pal with car knowledge to sus it out.

It's not on the radiator but more likely to be in a plastic bottle somewhere above the top water line as an expansion bottle. Look for what could be a blue cap on a bottle, usually screw top, which has a couple of pipes going towards the radiator

It is the camshaft position sensor A bank 1 code. Here are possible causes: - Faulty Camshaft Position Sensor - Camshaft Position Sensor harness is open or shorted - Camshaft Position Sensor circuit poor electrical connection - Faulty starter motor - Starting system circuit - Dead (Weak) battery

Not sure on your vehicle, I have a latter model es. But normally it is one of four things: Most likely: Battery, Battery Wiring Cables & Wiring Harness needs to be replaced. The clicking noise is the selenoid which is inside the starter which you already replaced. A Lexus takes a ton of power to run because of all the extra accessories it has on it. Even if your lights and accesories are coming on your battery could not have enough voltage to turn the engine over. Check how old your battery is- wipe off the top with a paper towel - it should have a sticker on it which will tell you how old the battery is. If it is old- over 5 years- could be the battery. You can have that checked for free at a big box auto parts store; or if you have the fancier jumper cables with the meter on it, it will tell you if it is putting out maximum power. Most likely: If you see corrosion, a white build up on your terminals or connectors: You can buy a battery cleaner at an auto parts store for $5.00. Home remedy, use vinegar and baking soda mix together in a disposable plastic cup. Take an old hard bristle tooth hard or small steel brush is better, dip it in the vinegar & baking soda solution. Clean your posts and and connectors off until you no longer see any white build up. Be extra careful because that white stuff is corrosive acid, can eat through your clothes, burn your skin, wear gloves or wash you hand thoroughly several (many) times afterward. If you do not disconnect the post wiring you can get a pretty good spark going if they happen to accidentally touch. 1) 80% of the time - Most likely your battery harness cables have corrosion inside the wires leading to your battery which you can't see. If you look closely at the top of the sub wires (not the ones that attached to the batttery posts) and you see white powdery substance at the ends - you have to replace that battery wiring harness. You will have to cut & splice some wires together. I could jump mine with a portable electronic power supply for several days when the clicking sound occurred, but eventually that did not work. It would not turn over and I could hear the (kiss of death) clicking noise. I don't think a battery to battery jump would be strong enough but it might be. These are much less likely to have occurred: 2) You can check you starter fuses, relays and ignition fuses & relay. But Lexus does not have diagrams as to which fuses & relays correspond to which components on the back of the fuse panel, which is located inside the engine compartment. There are several relays - they are larger square looking ones. The fuses are easy to check, see & tell if the are broken inside - but the relays, I do not know how to test or tell if they are broken. Unlikely it would be your fuel pump - or electronic fuel injection relay or ignition relay. A Toyota Camry is very similar, the es is based on. The es is a jazzed up Camry. It is a lot easier to find info on the Camry than a Lexus es 300. Link to 1996 Toyota Camry fuse box: http://www.autofuseboxdiagram.com/13724-1996-toyota-camry-fuse-box-diagram-2/ Link to wiring diagram but not fuse box: http://www.commandocaralarms.com/wiring/1992-1996/lexus/es300/1253.html 3) Voltage regulator - I believe it is inside the alternator. But you should use a voltage measuring meter to test it before you fiddle with that. Buy it, check it, return it. Try to not get it to dirty. 4) Join Lexus Forums- similar owners have better answers 5) If you can find a Haynes manual on your vehicle (on-line) or at your auto parts store - you could look in the back at the troubleshooting section. They will direct you to the simplest fixes first. Because your vehicle is 19 years old it will be hard to find at an Auto Parts store. On other older cars, I just read it at the store and don't buy it. ## (I did get a suggestion off the net, which fixed another person's Lexus es that would not start, it failed to work for me. I tried to clean my fuel injectors when it would not start & the clicking noise was happening. Also, I changed my air filter which was filthy. The car ran a lot better but it did not fix the problem.)