S8KWR

After looking through 8 pages of threads searching for just ES250 related stuff, I figured why not just have one deticated thread for anything ES250 related.

As many other ES250 owners, I have a very strange attraction to the ES250. Im not a huge fan of the ES line in general, I think its because it looks like a baby LS400. Maybe its the signature yellow foglights.

Anyways, my name is Zach, I own a 1991 Lexus Es250S with 119k on the clock. I picked the car up for $500 with a bad fuel pump and broken driver side door latch linkage....besides the dry rotted tires and messed up alingment, the car is mint. Everything works for the most part.

Not to my amazement, I enjoy driving this car more so much more than my 06 Altima 3.5 SE that I have pretty much given the keys over full time to my fiancee. IMO, my $500 19 year old entry level luxury sedan drives a million times better than my Altima.

I have only logged about 200 miles on the car so far, but I feel like I found a diamond in the rough. I found it as I was walking with my daughter down our street and I saw what appeared to be an LS400 sitting under a tree collecting dirt. I found out that the car belonged to a man that bought and sold cars at auction, So one thing led to another and I was pushing my first Lexus home with a huge smile.

So now that you have the back story, time to get to posting usefull stuff for the ES250.

S8KWR

Here are some of the things that I have fixed on my ES250 so far.

Fog Lights replacement:
I always wondered if they used yellow painted bulbs, the answer is no. there is a small tiny yellow filter/capsule inside the foglight lense that turns it yellow, so you may buy a clear glass fog light bulb. Nothing special.
I do not remember the model number of the bulb, If I find the package I will edit the post.

Step 1. Pop hood, and locate the fog light's plug. Gently pull the plug towards the rear of the vehicle. It should slide off, there is no button to push, move this out of the way.

Step 2. Locate the round rubber boot that is in the rear of the fog light lense. On the top of that rubber boot you will see the word "TOP" push down on that with your finger and you should break the seal on the boot. Now pull the boot off of the bulb and you should see the exposed fog light bulb.

Step 3. You will see a small silver rod, looks almost like a paper clip that is holding the bulb in place, carefully push this pin out of the way and remove the bulb. Take note of the notches in the bulb's base.

Step 4. Take the new bulb and make note of the notches in the bulb's base and line them up into the housing. Push the paper clip holder thing back into its original position. Now if you attempt to plug the bulb in without it being in the housing, IT WILL NOT WORK. Don't freak out thinking you just paid $10 for the wrong bulb. You must have it in the housing.

Step 5. Replace the rubber boot. Line the hole up with the two prongs sticking out and firmly push the boot back into place.

Step 6. Reconnect the fog light power harness and test.

Enjoy.

S8KWR

This one is a bit tricky, but also very easy.

The reason I say it is tricky is due to the fact that over time the plastic mounts on the lamps become brittle, so you may break the mounting points upon removal, its ok....move forward, super glue FTW.

Step 1. Pop the hood and find the phillips head screw located on the far side of the headlamp housing. That is your top mount. Unscrew that, set the screw aside.

Step 2. This is the tricky part. On the inside of the lense near the bottom there is a metal stud that locks into a plastic female plug. In order to remove this lense you need to pull it out, but don't pull. Rather, place your palm on the lense, and pull back with your palm flat against the lense. This make take a few times, and a few jiggles, but it will come loose. Don't lose your head.
On my Es250, I broke both mounts...no problem. JB Weld, Super Glue, Hubba Bubba..its all the same. Glue them back on, give it time to cure.

Step 3. Now when choosing your bulbs, I went with all 194 series bulbs. The stock parking lamps are short, but 194 series will work just fine. Now to prevent taking the lamps off a second time I advise you to test fit and test all the bulbs prior to reinstalling the lenses. If something doesn't work just right try to mess with the connectors on the bulbs.

Step 4. Now that everything has tested out and working, its time to put it back together. Now, I found it best to try to slide the upper mount between the fender and headlight assy. then line up the bottom pin mount. Once everything is lined up gentley push the lense in and back at the same time with your palm careful not to break that pin mount or top mount.

Step 5. Replace all screws and enjoy.

FYI, you can also use 194 Series LED lights to add something extra to your car. Just no red or blue....get you in trouble.

03 ES

congrats on the ES250
I've always liked the ES250 and i think there arent enough of them around...i get oddly excited every time i see one

i want to pick one up as an alternate for my 4ES.

I'm just an odd one...i have a strange fascination with the ES series.

S8KWR

Getting this ES makes me regret not buying an LS400 a few years back. Now I really want an LS

03 ES

the LS is a fantastic car, but it also requires a fantastic amount of maintenance when they get older

the ES is very inexpensive to keep maintained

S8KWR

All in all, its still a Camry

Tommorrow I will be changing the oil as well as the transmission fluid and filter, I will post a detailed DIY tommorrow night.

03 ES

well...sort of lol
my engine is the same as a camry....the chassis is the same as well

but....
my brakes, transmission, suspension, interior and exterior are all much different from a camry.

S8KWR

Update.

Oil change and Transmission fluid/filter change.

Oil Change

What is needed
Approx 1 Gal. of oil.
New Filter
14MM Socket
Quarter inch drive wratchet.

Im going to assume most people have changed their own oil.

1. Raise the front of the vehicle.

2. Locate oil drain plug (left hand side if facing vehicle)
Remove drain plug and set aside in a clean area. (If you use an extension, or deep well socket this makes for a cleaner job.)

3. Allow oil to drain into approved container. Open hood, remove oil filler cap.

4. Remove oil filter. (Now with this car, it looks like it will be a clean drop. Not the case. You may want to stuff a rag under the filter if your real **** about stuff.)

5. Lubricate new gasket on new filter with old oil. Put your finger in the old oil and run it cover the new gasket with the oil. (This helps to prevent the gasket from binding and leaking) Install the new filter and tighten it HAND TIGHT. That means until you cannot tighten it anymore.

Optional step: When I change oil, I want mine to be clean. I usually dump an extra quart of oil through the engine to help remove the old stuff.

6. Replace oil drain plug.

7. Fill oil.

8. If you are going the Gallon route, put about 3/4 of the gallon into the crankcase. Check your levels. Once you know you have enough oil in the crankcase, start the car and let it run for about a minute so your new filter fills with oil. Turn the car off and re-check your oil levels. This is going to give you an accurate oil level reading due to the fact that your filter is now primed. Continue to fill your crankcase until you have a full reading.

9. Start car and allow engine to come to operating temp. Check for leaks.

10. Close hood, lower vehicle and enjoy.

Also in my experience, I have used Lucas on all my vehicles. You notice the difference. I started to use Lucas to cue my Miata's tapping lifters and I have been a user ever since.

S8KWR

Transmission Fluid/Filter

This is a job I feel that many people are afraid to tackle, but if you have changed oil, you can do this. Alot of people overlook this as regular maintenance, myself included...but when your transmission starts to slip, you tend to take notice. The benefits of this are amazing, since changing my fluid my car is 10 times smoother. It is worth it.

Expect to pay about $50 in parts and fluid.

What is needed.
6 quarts of ATF. IMO, try to use something that is suited to your vehicle. I used Castrol Import blend.

New Filter and gasket. (These items usually come as a kit, check to make sure. Then check to make sure the gasket is correct, you may have to try it a few different ways..but make sure it is right, otherwise youll be left hitching a ride back to the auto parts store covered in atf with a pissed off look on your face.)

10MM socket (deep well, or extension)
3/8's drive wrench or quarter inch. I found the smaller of the two was quicker. You really don't need much tourqe for this.
Big hex wrench. It is not needed, but if you have it..use it. Youll see the plug once you get under the car. Don't worry, it can be done without that plug removed.

Saftey glasses. Yes Children, saftey first....cuz your gunna look like a damn fool with ATF all up in your eyeball.

Steps
1. Raise your vehicle's front end. (Drive up ramps are a great investment. Buy them.)

2. If you can remove your plug, awsome. Do that.
If not, then you can do as I did. Remove all the bolts from the pan on the rear side closest to the back of the vehicle. You may or may not have fluid dripping at this point. I didn't. Continue to LOOSEN, the rest of the bolts. If you still have no fluid dripping out, you can take a flat head screw driver and gently pry the pan from the transmission case.

3. Sit back and watch the grass grow, make lunch, smoke, do something else...this is going to take a while if you took my route.

4. Once the fluid has stopped pouring out, remove the rest of the bolts around the pan, carefull not to drop the pan, there will still be fluid in it.
Drain the rest of the fluid from the pan into your container making sure you check for any loose parts, metal shavings...etc. If you find parts and metal shaving...im sorry for you man.

5. Wipe the pan clean. You will find two magnets on the bottom of the pan, this collects all the normal wear and tear metal from your transmission. It may look like a 80's punk rocker, thats fine. You may need to scrape the moutning surface of the transmission pan. Make sure you take your time and get it CLEAN. Failure to do so will result in you leaking fluid and doing the job twice. Do it right. Also wipe down the mounting surface on the transmission as well. You really don't want leaks. Also, inspect all the bolt holes to make sure there is no build up in them. This becomes a pain in the butt when trying to put the bolts back in. Just scrape the bolt holes and remove it.

6. Remove the transmission filter from the transmission. You will find that some wires cross over the filter. I advise you to work around them instead of unplugging them. With an old car, your more likley to open a can of worms than not.

7. On the bottom of the radiator, you will find two small hoses going in to the bottom tank. These are ATF lines, remove them and drain that resevor as much as you can. Yes. ATF cools in the radiator. Weird, I know. Once this has drained, replace and tighten these lines back, your done with them.

8. Install the new transmission filter. Once again, work around the wires. You may need to slide it in and fandangle it. Yes, fandangle it. Replace all 3 screws and tighten, thats done.

9 Place the new gasket around the transmission pan. I found that if you put a bolt into each corner the rubber on the new seal will hold the bolts, and the bolts will prevent the new gasket from moving. Put the pan up to the transmission case and bolt the pan loose allowing for space between the pan and the case. Begin to finger tighten the rest of the bolts in. Once you have all of the bolts in begin to tighten. I used a pattern method. I started in the rear and bolted until the pan mated with the case, then the front, left and right and then started over. You want to make sure that you do not over tighten the bolts as you WILL break your seal. I promise you, you will break the seal. If you do not feel confident that you can do this, get a tourque wrench and get the specs from toyota, or a manual. Continue to tighten until everything is snug.

10. Filling the transmission. This can be tricky, there will always be left over fluid, so keep that in mind. A safe bet would be to start out with 4 quarts, then start the engine and check your fluid and add as needed. You do not want to overfill your transmission. If you do you run the risk of blowing your seals. If you do over fill it, you can either drain some from the drain, or you can drain some from the radiator tubes.

11. Start the car and allow to hit operating temp and check for leaks.
Test drive the car, allow to get to temp, and put it through its paces.
I always like to push a car to the limit to ensure that it will continue to preform under servere circumstances.

Enjoy.

S8KWR

250bump. 10 chars.

90slexus

Great Thread! Sucks to see not many people contributing. Thanks for the helpful advice!

LeX2K

Not many ES250's were sold the price was a big factor, also the car is 25 years old so not many left on the road.

mugencivic

I've been seeing a few ES250's randomly on the road/parked. this is an interesting thread i would like to see progress

90slexus

Where are you located? I have yet to see another but ill probably break my neck when I do