Lex3Hun

My 96 ES300 is leaking, its not leaking a lot though. its a few drops when its parked. i had one person look at it and it was said maybe the rear mainseal. then had someone eles look at it who knows more said it prob is the valve covers. anyone have the same prob or know of anything to help me out. be great thanks

flipside909

If you're leaking oil at the seals, it's definitely your valve cover gaskets. If you're gonna replace them, do both banks at the same time.The longer you wait, the more leakage you will have. This is a very common 1MZ-FE problem stemming from Camry, Solara, Avalon, RX and etc.

Lex3Hun

Is that gonna cost a lot? or can i do it myself? flip

flipside909

It will cost alot from a mechanic because of labor hours. If you are mechanically inclined, you should be able to knock this out in 3 hours or less. If you have no idea, I suggest bringing it to a qualified mechanic.

Lex3Hun

well i have never done it before... is it somthin i can reseach on and fig it out or no?

flipside909

You can buy a Chilton/Haynes or even a Toyota/Lexus factory manual and do it yourself. But if you haven't done an oil change on your car before, this is something you should have help with or even sent out to a mechanic. Difficulty level on a scale of 1-5...5 being the hardest...I give it a 3.5.

Lex3Hun

Ok thank you 4 your advise ill most likely take it in then and get it fixed.

JPI Racing

It will run around $225 for this job. Don't bring it to the Lexus dealership. Find a toyota dealership or Lexus independent shop.
JPI