cyotani

Hey, noob here from Cali.

I just picked up this 02 es300 as my daily driver. I am not new to working on cars and have done alot of work on older cars in the past. But Im not going to lie, this car's engine bay looks confusing as hell. Damn new cars and all their electronic crap and covering everything to make it look pretty. Anyway, enough with that rant, Im hoping to not have any problems with this car so I can spend all my time working on my miata.


the car: (egg plant color = meh! but for the price I cant complain)




Questions:

1. I have a p0420 and p0430 CEL on which is 02 or cat problems. The car's exhaust is damn quiet so I doubt I have an exhaust leak. How many people have fixed this CEL by just replacing the 2 O2 sensors? I filled it up with some fresh 91 octane and reset the code so hopefully it was just bad gas and it stays off.

2. What the hell does this light mean??



3. What the hell is this cord for in the trunk??








And in case anyone cares this is my 91 miata track project (soon to be turbo)







Thanks in advance for the help and I hope to learn and contribute alot from this community!

hypervish

Welcome to Club Lexus!

AS far as number 1 goes, I had the P0420 on my RX300 and I replaced the oxygen sensor behind the catalytic converter. And, the code hasn't returned since (been a long time, at least 2 years). I'm not sure if the 2002 ES300 has one after the CAT, but if it does I would definitely start by replacing that. But, first wait and see if the code returns.

The light on the dashboard you are seeing, is for the rear tail lights. One of the bulbs is out. Check them all, including the 3rd brake light.

No idea what that cable is for.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

The dash light is for malfunctioning tail lights, most of the time it's a burned out bulb. The wiring looks like part of the harness.

imherenow

1) search the forum..very common code. You will find lots of info on it
2) that led means one of your tail lights (including brake light) is blown off..check too see. And that indication is also on manual .read it before you asked here..saves time
3) not sure that wire..Last owner prolly installed something
4) that is a nice colour and in nice shape..just buff your headlights ..its looks foggy

Also i noted that the wheels are Toyota..not sure if you noticed that when you purchased the car. (or maybe you installed it). Check with last owner to make he/she/dealer didnt rip you off with a Toyota rims..But i like those rims. Or you can just change the center cap into Lexus

Not sure what you mean by "engine as bay as confusing as hell"..take a pic
other than that the car looks in good shape..just do clean the car from inside..lot of dust= allergy :P

cyotani

thanks for the quick responses guys!

Good catch. I didn't notice the wheels being different but that doesn't bother me too much. Then again the tires are at the end of their life so maybe Ill look into getting oem wheels while I am at it.

I checked the brake lights but didnt see anything. but maybe its that 3rd light which i missed. ill check again.

for that engine bay comment its really nothing. Im just used to working on cars from the 90's which have much simple and spacious looking engine bays. That's all.

a full details of the car will be done shorts. The paint has swirl marks that are bugging me.

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

The harness might be a connection for a subwoofer or something stupid...? Looks like it's added, not oem.
How much was it?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

It could just be the sun playing tricks on the camera, but it looks like the front end doesn't match the passenger door and back. If that's true, it would explain the buffer trails on the fender.

KarlHungus

1. I have a p0420 and p0430 CEL on which is 02 or cat problems. The car's exhaust is damn quiet so I doubt I have an exhaust leak. How many people have fixed this CEL by just replacing the 2 O2 sensors? I filled it up with some fresh 91 octane and reset the code so hopefully it was just bad gas and it stays off.


Toyotas are known for throwing the PO420 codes and you may or may not be able to correct the problem with an O2 Sensor.

A PO420 is thrown when the computer reads that the downstream O2 Sensor is not adjusting like it should after the Catalytic converter has gotten to operating temperature (600 or so degrees). It uses data from the upstream sensor to compare to the downstream sensor. If the Cat is working properly, the downstream O2 sensor should have different readings..

This code can be thrown by:

An exhaust leak
A bad/lazy O2 sensor (downstream usually)
A Catalytic converter which is no longer doing its job of burning off excess gasses.

While you may feel that an O2 sensor will fix it, that can be a pricey guess that may not fix it.

Oh, also aftermarket cats can make this code be thrown as well, even though they are working properly and the system is really fine.

Wish I could help more, but you might even just need a new Catalytic converter.

Cheers!

imherenow

also I SEE A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD!?!?!..from north to south. You dont want to drive a Lexus and have crack in any glass or drive with rims that has Toyota brand..no no no. That is not true to Lexus tradition
And what happened to front "L" logo in front bonnet.???not there..You must be having some rowdy kids in the neighbourhood who are removing emblems and using it as body ornaments...LOL

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I have a feeling that the car had major front end damage. It explains the mismatched paint, the swirls from buffing, missing badges, and new wheels.

cyotani

Damn this forum is pretty active. thanks for the fast input guys.
BINGO on the 3rd tail light which my GF looked over on my initial light check.

Another question. When I press the navigation button it says "no external system connected" I was hoping that trunk wire harness might be for a GPS antena that is disconnected or something.


Its really bugging me. It looks like it could be oem. Definitely not some diy wiring job. Ill get some better pics later.

ya, fender has been re painted. and Im pretty sure front bumper too so its been in an accident.

Thanks for the info. I am going to have my mechanic look at it tomorrow to do a proper diagnosis. Im crossing my finger that it doesnt need new cat(s).

Ya.. The crack is there and will be fixed first thing tomorrow. and logo is gone probably from the respray on the front end.


I hope not major... But it definitely had some damage. Car fax showed an accident back in 2010 but it wasn't enough to salage the title so i thought it was a fender bender. It pulled to the left a little bit which made me nervous a bit but I got an alignment today and it put back all in spec and did not pull to the side anymore. I got a good look underneath the car when it was on the lift and saw no frame damage. Car looks completely straight. No radiator support damage.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

What did you pay for the car and how many miles on it?

hypervish

Do the wires in the trunk look similar to these? https://www.clublexus.com/forums/1013711-post12.html