Wash the engine bay like you would anything else, use various brushes/scrubbing tools. I use whatever general purpose cleaner/degreaser I have one hand. Don't use Simple Green, the green stuff it attacks aluminum! Cover the brake master cylinder reservoir don't need to cover anything else, don't get too close if you're using a pressure washer. Engine should be warm to cold not hot. Helps to run the engine for a bit after the final rinse, dries things up nicely.

 

I like using SuperClean in the purple spray bottle for a cleaner/degreaser. Cheap bottle brushes work great for reaching around and scrubbing the motor.
I start with the underside of the hood and work my was down. Try not to get water in your alternator also.

 

I’m late to this discussion but I just got a price to replace the Valve cover gasket for $373. & a complete brake job for $625. And about choked but I need it done. Wish I was a better auto mechanic, yikes!

 

Hello,

The price for a valve cover gasket is actually quite reasonable for the amount of work, while the price for the brake job seems a little excessive. Brakes are something that is really hard to mess up, they are designed to be fool-proof, so it is a good project to tackle if you are a beginner looking for more experience, let alone the money you save doing it yourself.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Thanks, I figured the brakes would of been a bigger job & id tackle the gasket on my own…typical of my backwards thinking process. I have in the past done both on vehicles I’ve owned but I was much younger & enthusiast. They said the suspension should all be replaced too & it would be $865. plus an alignment. I’m wondering now if it’s worthwhile putting that kind of money into a car that’s 25 years old. It steers a little sloppy but not horrible & maybe I could do that myself too.🤷
Then reading all the post on here about repairs to 96, 97, 98 es300’s it’s just a matter of time until another major issue arises. Timing chain, transmission, cam seal, head gasket…These kind of decisions usually come back to bite me in the butt. Thanks for your input.

 

Valve cover gasket may seem like less of a job, but it requires taking the plenum and everything around it off, so at least basic understanding of what you are doing is needed, as well as a pair of liquid hands for that matter.

Brakes are usually very simple, two bolts and the caliper is off, another two bolts and the bracket together with rotor are off, it is something you really can't mess up. The only thing is that a typical car on average has 4 wheels, so it may take some time to complete.

As for the suspension, that's up to a debate considering the lovely winters of the rust belt. Depending on the severity of the rust, some bolts will require raising a voice, and some, may end up coming out with part of a car. With that, as long as all the bolts can more or less come off and out, this process shouldn't be a huge issue to do at home either, that is if you have all the necessary tools to support the car safely.

That's just the nature of owning a classics.. 2nd-gen ES300 was a masterpiece the day it came out and it continues being one even after all those years, they don't make cars like that anymore, and as long as you treat it right, it can last you a lifetime.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

I had the valve cover gasket replaced today at the local shop…mechanic said it went well, I’ve used this place before & always happy. I paid and took the car for a drive on the highway and noticed when accelerating from a stop it jerks & the tach jumps from 2000rpm down to 1500rpm…when cruising 40-45mph & let up a bit it does the same thing…I called the guy but they were closing & he said he took for a test ride & didn’t notice anything wrong which would of been impossible. I’m going to go there first thing in the morning & would like to have an idea beforehand to suggest. Any ideas as what could be the problem. I’m thinking its something to do with the throttle maybe.
Thanks

 

It's hard to tell without actually seeing the car, if it only started happening after the repair, the simplest explanation would be that someone didn't reconnect some vacuum tubing, which causes a leak. Try going for a ride with a mechanic and a scan tool plugged in, see if you can spot anything out of ordinary there when the issue occurs.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Thanks, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

 

Ended up getting the valve cover gaskets replaced. Used the fel pro set from autozone. 30$ for the parts, 360$ for the labor. Smell is eliminated now but my car runs quieter. I kinda liked how loud the engine was before the repairs. Now I need to figure out why my mpg is so bad. 14 mpg average in city driving. Lots of hills and stop and go traffic where I live, probably expected with that all things considered but I was hoping for closer to 21 mpg city. I will check brakes as well, I suspect slightly stuck caliper on the rear side.These forums have been incredibly helpful, hope all of us get the most out of our vehicles!

 

We went for a ride with the scanner that showed P0505 … it was a tiny wire that was broken partially in the wiring connector to the ‘idle air control valve’…he found a new connector that worked and all fixed. Took three rides to convince him something wasn’t right. But the scanner did the trick. Thanks