Gerson

iTrader: (1)

Hi,

My name is Gerson. I'm from Kansas City, Kansas but originally born and raised in Los Angeles. I am a Lube Specialist/Accessories installer at a Local Toyota/Scion dealership. I bought an 92 Lexus ES300 for $1,700 w/ 212,xxx miles. It's a Black Onyx w/ grey on the bottom (very clean). The interior is leather Ivory seats w/ tan on some areas. The engine is a 3.0L 3VZ-FE that needs work paired with a E53 5 speed manual, needing a pressure plate.

My goal is to restore the car as it came off the showroom 17 years ago and would like to do VIP-styling w/ tasteful mods. Maybe rebuild the engine and transaxle as well.

I wonder how many of u own a 5 speed ES like I do? I feel very lucky finding one w/ the long list of options I have on the car. I also own a 94 Toyota Corolla and still own it since October 2002. Click on either cardomain links to see my rides on my sig below. Comments are welcome.

Gerson

iTrader: (1)

I know this is an old post but how many of u own a 5 speed ES and whats the common issues on the transaxle?

mmatheny

llcoolpass Has a '93 5 speed! He works on his a lot, can probably give you info!

llcoolpass

lol thanks for the props lol

other people know more about the tranny than I do, I just know that it's awesome, well designed, just has stupid final drive for sporty driving, but awesome gearing for totally laid-back cruising and for high speeds. I know that some people on the rear wheel drive variants [E153 i think it is called] put 500+ on it, but often it breaks it seems one those rediculously modified cars... it seems likely that it can handle 300 hp without problems .... the fluid level and condition is important as usual .... it had a hydraulic pump to keep everything lubed and cooled and has a little fluid cooler...

what specifically though do you want to ask people here? how to change the clutch assembly?

here's something a large pigeon dropped off on my porch:




zoom in, thanks to the pigeon doing such a bad job on the first one:

Bdub215

iTrader: (1)

My brother has one as well. got some videos if you wanna see great find btw. finding one of these cars in good shape is like finding a needle in a haystack

03 ES

those are very rare...
ive only seen a few others around since they are only 92-93.
you got a real steal on it too...paint looks ok for a 92

i have a similar job to yours (toyota expert tech level C) and i got a real good deal on my ES.

Gerson

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the comments. I know theres Clutch and flywheel parts like Exedy and Fidanza and shifter base and cable bushings from SpeedSource. What I cant find is a company who make limited slip diffs for our Camry or ES300.

So far this is what I repaired and most parts used are new Toyota/Lexus parts:

-Valve cover gaskets
-Intake manifold gaskets
-knock sensors
-knock sensor pigtail harness
-Oil filter block oring seals
-NGK plug wires
-Water temp sensor
-Dogbone mount

Other issues needing attention:
-Temp gauge faulty (swings really fast up and down but car is fine, does not overheat)
-all struts and mounting hardware
-Loud exhaust (flex pipe bad)
-front engine mount
-6 disc changer ejects automatically when I go over bumps
-bent stud from the brake deal? (above LR control arm)
-ABS light goes on (wheel speed sensor faulty)
-Needles dont light up (need to send out to restore lighting, possible LED conversion)
-Loose shift lever (base is good)
-Broken RF sway bar bracket

Some of these repairs will be done by me since I work for a local Toyota/Scion dealership.

sparks11

there's a guy in moreno valley california that for $199 will mod your cluster leaving it just like the new lexus models...nice car you have..mine is 93 got it 3 years ago exterior and interior in perfect conditions..is giving me a few problems now but is normal the car is old..my goal is to get in shape and keep it original
I have not replaced the original tape stereo and I do not think I will..hook up my ipod with a cassete adapter..mine is automatic trans no manual
good luck with your repairs and mods

Gerson

iTrader: (1)

Cool, I used to live in Moreno Valley between 2006 and 2008 when I went to UTI (I miss Cali and was born in L.A. too). I want my cluster to work really good and replace any necessary things like the needles and the faulty temp gauge along with LED's.

tjaden

Your '92 looks great! I came across this site and thread today after picking up a '92 5sp earlier in the afternoon... the odo shows 222K, although it looks like the cluster is bad so now I'm thinking I have no idea how many miles it really has - the needles don't illuminate and the speedo doesn't work... Mine is black/grey like yours, although it has black leather. I still don't know if the price was worth it - the valve cover gaskets are spewing oil onto the exhaust and it bucks almost violently in first gear when the clutch engages... it'll stall if the RPMs aren't maintained at around 4K - any thoughts? Otherwise it was a nice drive home while rowing through the gears - until it left puddles of oil and plumes of smoke at stop lights (and now my driveway) Looking forward to learning all about its quirks :-)

llcoolpass

do lots of reading on here and within short order you will all the answers for more advanced stuff contact the advanced members directly

welcome a-board

tjaden

Gerson, it sounds like we're in the same boat... er, car. llcoolpass, thanks for the guidance :-) I checked out the MotorWeek review and was suprised that some of the 'goodies' like moonroof, CD changer and leather were options in '92.

Yours sounds optioned out, and I'm just wondering what else was available besides the roof, changer and leather - so far we're on par although I suspect yours has been better maintained as it looks quite nice.

llcoolpass

well if you're talking about mine, mine has all the options [except 5 speed manual transmission], wish though i had no sunroof because of how low the roof is [they fixed this issue in the later generation]. for men 5'10'' and taller your head starts to touch the ceiling unless you recline the seat.

Gerson

iTrader: (1)

Wow, another ES300 5 speed owner how many in total we have in this forum already besides me, tjaden, llcoolpass?

The previous owners didnt maintain it too well so i'm doing the dirty work that they left behind. At least the body looks great only minor scratches and one tiny lil' rust spot forming on the driver side quarter panel. Interios is tan/ivory color scheme with duck tape on the tears. Will be doing an interior restoration later on so it can be back to its original state.

The list of options is alot. Will get the details on what I really have thru my job at Toyota and print the paperwork later next week.

Lexucan

Can't forget long time member 92ES5sp - his CL name sort of speaks for itself