degilmer

I've read that there have been sludge problems in the ES300. Is the 2002 ES300 prone to oil sludge build up & premature engine failure? I just bought an '02 ES300 with 70K miles. I was planning on doing the Auto RX "sludge removal" program. After that, I was going to run Mobil Cleen 5000 for 3000 miles and then use Mobil 1 Synthetic with 2 oz of Auto RX (their "maintenance" schedule) and change every 4-5K miles. I've heard great, great things about Auto RX. Anyone hear with real world experience using it? Thoughts - pros/cons? Have any of you had problems with sludge build up and if so, what was the solution. Any other general "tricks of the trade" for the ES300. If there is any one or two things I could do to make my car last as long as possible with solid maintenance, what is important for this car. Thanks all

Megafast13

I have never heard of that with any vehicle. As long as you get your oil changed every 3000-5000 miles you won't have that problem. My 2002 ES runs like brand new and I change the oil every 3000 miles and use the semi-synthetic blend motor oil. I will often add oil treatments or fuel injector cleaners every once in a while too. And before you get scared about this, you may notice a slight jerk when driving as the car shifts. Go ahead and reset your battery (by disconnecting it for about 60 seconds). This will reset the computer and it will relearn YOUR driving style and habits, which will lead to a smoother ride.

Any "special" maintenance program sounds like a scam to me. Now I don't know the previous owner(s) of your ES, but if it seems neglected you may want to have the engine checked out. But 70k is relatively low for an 02 right now. There aren't any huge things to replace until you hit the 90k mile marker.

One thing I often notice about the other ES' in my area is that the headlights are very oxidized. I think this was a common theme with this model, mine however are perfect. I recommend that you buy the Meguiars Headlight Restoration Kit from any auto store or Walmart. It will dramatically improve the look of your headlights. If yours aren't too bad than a bottle of Meguirs PlastX may be enough.

It's an amazing car and you'll love it! Do you have any pics? If you have any questions about general maintenance, detailing, etc. Feel free to PM or email me anytime!

LeX2K

Don't start using Auto RX or any other engine cleaner unless you verify you actually need to, and even then your results will vary. The only way to know is to remove the valve cover and and look.

Unless you have a specific reason for suspecting a sludged or dirty engine, just use a high quality synthetic and normal change intervals.

PFB

^^^^ Excellent Advise^^^^^.

snowmaker

I lost alot of faith in Auto-rx when I read Frank, owner was paying people to post on his product. This was on BITOG forum...Skip that product.

But a 02 is NOT the sludge years even though the complete sludge issue is WAY over blown.

yeldogt

Use the correct weight oil and change at the recommended intervals -- we use 5k for regular oil and 7.5k for synthetics.

I would do an oil change -- then look at the oil at 1k and 1.5k --- if it looks dirty change it. If you look into the problem with these engines you will see that most had very infrequent oil changes.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I used Auto-RX before and it was decent. Cost a lot for what it is though. I now use Marvel Mystery Oil in my other car (93 camry) because it developed some sludge. So far so good, and the bottle cost only $4 instead of the $30 for Auto-RX.

If you don't have to use it, then don't. Even if you have sludge, I would only use cleaners in small concentration so you don't shock the engine. You don't want large debris floating around in the engine.

ikant

Just got oil change this morning while replacing tires. Another not needed for another 3750 miles (according to the receipt "per manufacturer's suggestion"... [obviously getting another at 3 -3.5k]

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

I have an 02 with 77K miles. Runs great. oil looks fine. I use Penn Platinum and change t 4K intervals. I did change the PCV valve recently as there was a bit of smoke at start up.

That cleared that right up.

longo32

I have been using Penzoil platinum as well. I have a magnetic drain plug in the oil pan and it's the quickest most dramatic practical test of motor oils I have seen. While looking for the motor oil that created the least amount of wear debris, you would be surprised at the amount of filings and black gunk that some of the most hyped and expensive motor oils create!
Penzoil Platinum must have just the right amount of very effective cleaners in it, as the magnet comes out with just a faint grey smudge. Some of the oils everyone brags about have left a big black pile of nasty crap on the end of the magnet. I think for anyone worried about Lexus/Toyota sludge would do the engine a big favor by switching over and letting it clean up the mess left behind by other oils.

ES300NZ

I have experiance cleaning a sludge 1mz-fe you can read about that here.(https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...r-service.html).

My thinking is that the 1mz-fe engine will sludge up if mineral or a mineral blend oil is used in it, AND, the oil is topped up and not changed for around 40,000km's AND, the engine is running hot, without the fans working, which can be caused by a failure to control the fans, or similar. The result is, the engine has the wrong oil (mineral) in it, which is allowed to build containment's (not changed), which are allowed to bond to the engine because of the excessive heat (fans not working).

My opinion is that unless the problems is excessive it's unlikely that damage will be done, and the situation can be rectified by a capable person working at home.

The only, and I do mean ONLY, way to determine if the engine has built up alot of sludge is to remove the front cam cover and see for your self.