opinion needed on engine.
 

I have found a 96 Lexus ES300 with a bad motor. It runs strong, and fast, but smokes when you start it and for a little while afterward. I have had a mechanic look at it and i asked about valve stem seals. He said it would be a start but a gamble. If I need a motor or a rebuild, where is the best place for parts or whole motors? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks, Steve

Re: opinion needed on engine.
 

Sounds like valve stem seals or even worse...sludge. How many miles do you have on your ES and how often did you do your oil changes? If you're consuming oil, you have a sludge problem.

I have just bought the car and it has 120000 miles, and it does look like it has some sludge in it. I have had good luck doing some service work and additives to help on other cars in the past. But probably not on this one. I do not know how it was serviced because I work at a used car dealership, and it was a trade in. I does not look like it was taken care of for the past year or so at least. It runs too good to be worse, but I am not a mechanic.