VicSWFL

Greetings:

I have a very gently used 2003 ES300 and I do my best to keep up the maintenance and the cosmetics. I am, however, a bit confused by the Lexus maintenance item to periodically "retorque the drive shaft flange bolts"

Can someone please direct me to the location of these bolts and advise as to their torque specification.

Thank you,

Vic
Fort Myers, Florida
2003 ES300 Millennium Silver

Oro

This is more an issue on hard-driven cars - usually not specified for typical passenger cars and trucks. Did not know that was in there...

Anyway, the next time you are rotating tires or servicing brakes, etc., jack up the front of the car a little higher than normal and crawl under and look at the axles at the inner CV joint on either side. They will mate to the transaxle with a coupling and there are 14mm (?) bolts in a circular pattern. Apparently they want you to check them and a typical value here is 54 to 60 ft/lbs.

This is one of those "good idea to look at when you're there" things and not a needed periodic service. I'm sure it's meant to be combined as a quick-look thing along with another major service event.

LeX2K

2003 ES has no such fasteners on the axle to worry about.

Oro

That's easy to believe. Even my SUV has the inboard end splined into the "soup can" differential output and then retained with a inner retaining clip, no bolts. I've never even looked at the inner joints on our ES.

tomf

Older, pre-1997 ES300s had the bolt-on inner joints. I'm familiar with that type because the es300 shares the same type half-shaft axle with my 95 Camry. As a matter of fact, on my 95 Camry, the drivers side half shaft fell off the transmission because the bolts came loose. (I believe they are allen bolts.) When I did the repair I solved that problem by using lock-tite.