mvarriale

Hi All,

I have my dads 1998 lexus. He passed away back in 2002 after putting 29k mikes on his new Lexus. After he passed my mother kept the car in the garage and only drove it once a year to the lexus dealer for a service ( i.e. oil change ). In July of 2012 Lexus told her it was 10 years old and needed a $3,000 service. She did it. ( all this because it was my dads car ) When she passed in 8/2012 I drove their Lexus to her funeral, it still had the new car smell. After the funeral the car was put back in the garage, under the cover, connected to the battery tender.

10/2012 hurricane Sandy hit and the garage got about 18 inch of sea water. Water got in the car. I don't believe it got high up. I suspect it didn't make it over the hump in the car.

I was not allowed to touch the car. Around 12/2012 the car was 'dried out' but was forced to stay in the garage till 12/2014. In 12/2014 it was moved from the garage in NY to SC. I finally have the freedom and money to fix the car but I am afraid it may be to far gone. I towed it to a local shop and he said 'junk it, shifter cable is rusted, Seat rails are rusted and carpet needs to be replaced, old gas in tank, windows won't work , you don't know what else is wrong with it.'

Any suggestions? Exterior is in excellent condition. Engine looks good. .

How much electronics is low in the car? Where are the computers?

Is it worth fixing? Should I part it out? I feel not fixing it would be disrespectful to my parents. What do I look for?

It won't start because the shifter cable is rusted in reverse. Car needs to be in park or neutral to start right?. She lights up if I connect a battery.











OK... So its been years..... Finally ready to give it a go..... Should have done this years ago but life gets in the way.

Rear brakes are locked. Not a big deal I can work on it. Seat rails are shot... Not a big deal I can get new ones.

Removed the shifter cable from the trans and it TURNS OVER. AFTER ALL THIS TIME. 23K miles.

So.... First task is to get it fired up...... If it runs I will work on everything else.

Fuel pump is under rear seat. I can get to it. But where does the fuel line connect to the engine?

Any help would be appreciated.

Once I get the fuel out I plan on flooding the engine with oil. Let it sit a day or two then drain it. I thought is if I flood it I would have to worry about dry starting....( thoughts )

Then with FRESH fuel and proper oil levels.... Try and start it.... if it starts. Rest should be down hill.


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808mcv20l

Normally common sense would say junk it, it's worth what 3k if it was in working condition? But because it has sentimental value to you I'd say it's definitely fixable, but it depends on how much of the work you can do yourself to make it worth it.

Depends on how high the water got, all the electronics are located around the middle of the dash. but some of the electronics/wiring may have gotten damaged/shorted in the lower foot/kick panel on the left.

How is the shifter cable rusted in reverse? was it left in reverse when it was last parked? seems strange...

I would say best thing to do is probably remove some of the interior and look under the panels/carpets to survey for damage/rest/corrosion.

You might end up replacing most of the electronics, there's a lot of donor cars out there so parts shouldn't be too hard to locate.

What do you plan to do with the car once it's fixed up?

My 2000 ES300 Platinum I purchased from the son of the original owner last year, he mentioned his father owned and kept the car but passed recently. They have a newer ES300 and didn't need another. My ES is pretty immaculate and only had 46k miles on it when I bought it last year, always garaged, and driven by a retiree.

I have no plans to sell mine anytime soon but I can understand your situation. If I were you I'd fix it too.

Good luck!

speedkar9

I say rebuild it with another ES or part it out.

Find a doner ES in need of an engine, interior and/or exterior and swap it over. Don't spend too much money going all out on a build, since these cars aren't worth that much.

There is a lot of electronics running on the floor pan, airbag computer to name one. The ECU is a bit higher up under the glove box, along with the radio, HVAC and amplifier.

Rust a big factor here that you don't want to deal with. The car could be structurally not sound or safe.

mvarriale

Thought I might try an upload some pictures before I start

Rusty stuff is under the seats

If we look at the picture with the pedals we can see the water line

chadlex

This car looks mostly spectacular. Too bad all the rust under the seats, but that could be solved by getting some new seat frames off of donor cars and putting your padding & leather to them. What does the under side of the car look like? I would be concerned with electrical connections & contacts, axle, bearings, and brake components that were located under the water line. I'm very interested in hearing what you are going to do with this car. This car is an exact match to mine in color inside & out so no matter whether you keep and fix it or let it go please let me know because if it's too far gone & you part it out I would be interested in several things. I have a 97 that is in near perfect condition and these cars are built like tanks and made to last.

lexpilot

My advice would be to disconnect the shift cable at the trans, disconnect the fuel line at the engine, siphon out as much gas as you can. Put some fresh fuel in the tank and crank it with the line into a can to purge the lines and pump. If the pump runs and when fresh fuel comes out, hook it back up and see if it runs.
If so get a new cable and drive it. It looks great, you may need to loosen up a few things like the seat rails and some suspension bushings but this nice with low miles, I wouldn't be afraid of it.
FYI, I have two 1997s one has 270K miles and my daily driver has 353K miles and only one timing belt at 100k.
If you decide to sell it, let me know, I'll be right over!

jaredmac11

Not wholly a bad idea but I would advise against doing this. There is likely sludge at the bottom. If it hasnt been started, pump out as much as you can, drop the tanks and either clean em yourself or hire someone to do it. Diesel should work.


If you want a project, I'd say make this your project. Its a shame you werent allowed to properly care for the car after the flood.

mvarriale

After everyones comments ( THANK YOU ALL ) I think I am going to try and restore my fathers car (Note: I've never done a project this size. Small jobs only )
I am going to buy some books:

• HAYNES 92007 Toyota Camry, Avalon, Solara, Lexus ES 300, '97-'01
• CHILTON 68201 Total Car Care Manual - Toyota Camry, 1997-2001

Jared, are there multiple tanks on this car?

I think I am going to put the car up on jacks and crawl under it to see whats up. Also think I might try and remove the carpet to see what it looks like.

Quick question....

I hooked up a battery this weekend. Dash lights up but window an sunroof didn't work. I thought these should be able to work without computers. Am I right?

mmatheny

I believe the window motor is low in the door - maybe got salt water in it.

fortitude

I recommend you determine a budget (dollar figure) on what you are willing to spend for the project. Then list out the parts that where affected by the water along with costs. Add 40% on top of that for contingencies. Do this before you start spending money.

This could become a very large financial commitment....

speedkar9

I'd still have second thoughts on this car, if the windows aren't working so far, what else is affected? BTW the windows are controlled by the circuit board in the driver's door under the switches. Its power is controlled by the body ECU which is under the dash near the fusebox. The memory seat system is controlled by its own computer under the seat.
Read the wiring diagram to determine locations of critical components.

The airbag computer is literally right where the water line is near the pedals. So is the blower motor and HVAC unit. You will need a lot of parts to get this car back up and running.

I say get a beat up working ES and transfer all your interior, body and engine parts over.

jaredmac11

Absolutely agree with this. I would set the scope of the project first. If the car is rusted out and component after component are rotted away, this could cost a ton. You could always find a donor car and transfer some items in to keep the spirit of your father's car. Something like that.

As for the tanks. Unfortunately I know from experience, but not with this car. When you jack up the car you will find out soon enough. Be careful, use 4 stands and a fail-safe as well.

Good luck.

static1646

Based on what I've read so far, I completely agree with you and you should at least attempt to fix first. Get a donor car, but don't spend too much money on one. Get one that doesn't entirely work and with a lot of miles. Then you could bargain for a better price. I've seen a few donor-worthy cars on Ebay for $1500 or less. You could also try craigslist. I'm not an expert on cleaning the gas tank, but try buying some fuel cleaner or seafoam. Some of those products out there work, and some don't. Make sure you do your research. I would also recommend watching speedkar's videos. He does good work and I've used those videos to work on my ES300. If the car can't be fixed, part it out. Hopefully it won't come to that. Good Luck

mvarriale

OK... So its been years..... Finally ready to give it a go..... Should have done this years ago but life gets in the way.

Rear brakes are locked. Not a big deal I can work on it. Seat rails are shot... Not a big deal I can get new ones.

Removed the shifter cable from the trans and it TURNS OVER. AFTER ALL THIS TIME. 23K miles.

So.... First task is to get it fired up...... If it runs I will work on everything else.

Fuel pump is under rear seat. I can get to it. But where does the fuel line connect to the engine?

Any help would be appreciated.

Once I get the fuel out I plan on flooding the engine with oil. Let it sit a day or two then drain it. I thought is if I flood it I would have to worry about dry starting....( thoughts )

Then with FRESH fuel and proper oil levels.... Try and start it.... if it starts. Rest should be down hill.

wmj259

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