EEngineer

change the motor, replacing the headgasket and head will cost you more than an used motor

Ichigo1287

i would replace the fuel filter cause it is probably stopped up changing the plugs wouldnt hurt either and the air filter to help it breath is a good place to start. i know that my 96 es300 takes iridium spark plugs so make sure that you use the right plugs or itll just be wasted time on that part

lexus4all

I opted for replacing the head gasket. Who knows if the new motor I get will have a blown head gasket soon? Besides a new motor would still have the crappy head gasket, instead of a MLS one, like the one I'm getting replaced =).

The way it was determined was by using a block test. It's this blue chemical put in a cylinder and its placed over the radiator. If the blue liquid turns green or yellow, it's a blown head gasket. Check out youtube for what I mean.

I was also fairly confident that it was one due to white smoke from the exhaust and my temperature gauge going up occasionally.

lexus4all

Got the front heads off,

Head Gasket completely blown, pretty much only one side was remaining.

The head is straight and no crack =). Also, no sludge, looks like it was well taken care of!

I guess they'll take the rear one off tomorrow.

EEngineer

i'm curious what brand of head gasket they are gonna use.
there are no MLS headgaskets available for 3vz on the market, it's been a problem for 3vz-fe owners for the longest time. so don't be fooled by that...

only headgasket available right now is oem graphite type headgasket.
make sure they don't use the 3vz-e mls headgasket. it's not the same.

lexus4all

I was curious too!

They said it was by WorldPac, or something pac. Atleast they're not using felpros. I've heard so many horror stories about them. I was about to buy one from Autozone (Victor Nitroseals).

Anyway, the guys are nice. I had a radiator sitting in my trunk, which they installed for free, and said they'd give me free spark plugs as my current ones have coolant all over them LOL.

lexus4all

Finally got the car back!!

Yep, definitely the cause for slow acceleration. I no longer need to floor the pedal to stay on 60 mph.

List of things done.

1. New Radiator
2. Platinum Spark Plugs (Unsure what brand)
3. Head Gasket
4. Timing Belt

Unfortunately the car is still not as peppy as I hoped it would be. But definitely a whole lot better. Perhaps I will look into that y pipe that EEngineer told me about.

Any other suggestions?

canucklehe

find someone with a similar car you can compare it too. ever make it as far north as Sumas or Bellingham? you could try mine.

lexus4all

I was just in Bellingham a month ago! Hmm this sounds like a good reason to go again haha.

I know one of my neighbors has one too, maybe I can make friends this weekend.

canucklehe

i just posted similar topic about power lacking/poor acceleration. I want to start simple and easy. where is fuel filter located, and how hard is it to change?

how hard is throttle body to clean, and is there a noticeable difference? I know rough idle issues are definitely improved with throttle body cleaned, just not sure on acceleration issues.

DGIKULJOT

I know this thread is old but hopefully it is still being followed.

Tighten your throttle and accelerator cables. They usually have slack in them from loosening up over the years. Once you tighten them sometimes it will feel like you put a new engine into the car When they are loose even if you push pedal all the way to the floor the throttle plate wont open up all the way.

EEngineer

try some seafoam

canucklehe

do these cables have anywhere to adjust/tighten?

suppose a can of seafoam wouldn't hurt either.

DGIKULJOT

Seafoam wont do anything if the lack of performance is due to the throttle plate not opening all the way if the cable is loose.

This quick video should help you out on how to adjust it. Good luck.

lexus4all

Alright, another update to this thread.

Cruising around the city was fine, but I noticed once on the freeway when I try to go past 60, flooring the gas doesn't do much, but slowly pushing down on it does. Weeird!

I always felt that the fuel filter was clogged, but Toyota/Lexus kept insisting that they were lifetime parts.

Went in for a fuel filter check. Turns out my fuel pressures were all within spec, but my flow value was at less than half the minimum spec. I don't remember the unit of measurement, but the spec said 40, I was at 18

Swapped out the fuel filter at 178,000 miles and now the car is a whole lot zippier.

Car revs so much nicer now, city driving has more oomph and pull, and so does the freeway.

However I still have that no response when I floor it. It's better but still not quite there.

Should I have the catalytic converter checked for blockage next?