Dear Scotty, I am having an emergency with my automatic es300 with 155k miles. Today I started her up and went to the grocery store, on the way back I got gas at chevron. Now last time I had gotten regular fuel (87) because it said my car wouldn't be hurt by running on it. Today I decided to try the higher grade of (89) fuel to see if it would affect my mpg. After getting gas I drove to another nearby store, and then went home. All was fine at the time. Got home put everything away and did some work for about an hour. I then had to go somewhere else so I got in the car and to my dismay she would only crank but wouldn't start. I was confused and kept trying to start her but got nothing. I unplugged the negative and then replugged it and tried again while applying the gas pedal. One of these times she started super roughly and misfired and the check engine light started blinking so I shut her off. I tried to start her again and she was only cranking over again, until she began to slowly start for a few seconds at a time (with no check engine light flashing or on anymore). Didn't know what to make of it. Now (a few starts later) she's idling roughly and thankfully not sputtering out, but at the same time also making a knocking/tapping sound that gets faster when gas is applied. What could it be? I'm so confused and angry at this point. I paid $3000 for her from a guy on craigslist about 2 weeks ago and she had been running fine. Even replaced the starter with a DENSO about 10 days ago. I don't know what to make of this Scotty. The car had all the service records too 🙁 Please help
do a diagnostic scan on the vehicle to find the source of the check engine light
The check engine light isn't illuminating anymore. It was only there while flashing (meaning misfire) and then never came back on. As of now she starts up, no check engline lights appear, and she's got a knocking sound.
even if the light isn't currently on, there can be codes stored in the vehicle computer which might help you with your diagnosis. Also, a mechanic can use the live data to pinpoint the issue.
I would inspect the spark plugs. This can also provide clues.
Make sure the engine has enough oil. Knock can also be caused by a lean mixture.
Car has enough oil. Took out spark plug, looks like it may be running a bit lean. One side has carbon and the other is clean. What does that mean? Would love to be able to send a picture but not sure how
Just upload your photo to any sharing platform (or image host like postimages.org) and paste the link here.
Also has white powdery residue on them which I’m guessing is definitely running lean. In that case what should I do next? What is broken that’s causing the knock?
https://postimg.cc/nMTDqJhZ
https://postimg.cc/JGbSpPS1
There’s the best example of the half half thing I mentioned
Lean means not enough fuel. So it could be dirty injectors, clogged fuel filter, weak pump (test pressure)...
Or too much air: check for vacuum leaks.
How should I go about this? Seems like I'd have to do a lot of buying and guessing to pin point it myself. Should I call a mobile mechanic to come check it out with a live data scan tool? Also would running lean really cause the kind of knocking im hearing? I'll send a video.
yes lean mixture can cause knocking
Just for the hell of it, add a bottle of Heet to your tank... you may have gotten crappy gas
Which kind of Heet just the normal one?
As long as it says water remover. I would put in a couple of bottles.
Does it start if you spray starting fluid into the intake?
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/postid/54875/
It initially sounds like bad gas but it may be the EVAP system was damaged and particularly, check your gas cap.
Obviously, there's some wear in cylinder one, but that's not fatal. I'm thinking that the timing's off, which could a number of things.
There are some simple things to do that might help at the margins. Clean the MAF, Clean the Throttle Body, check the engine air filter, do an evap leak test. (An evap leak would generate these issues/problem).
Buy a new gas cap, an OEM. If the O-ring seal on the gas cap is failing (and you can visually inspect this), it will cause an EVAP leak, which will lead to rough idling, etc.
I'd start with the cap, because it's cheap AND because these issues began right after you filled up your tank. If the O-Ring in the cap hit the JND (Just Noticeable Difference) and essentially failed to seal the tank, after the fill up, that might well be the proximate cause of your problem.
Good luck.
Well I fixed some of the other issues, replaced valve cover gasket to stop oil leak and got oil out of one of the spark plug wells that had a bad gasket. Still was misfiring. Compression tested it. Front 3 cylinders have 160. Then I tried the back left (cylinder 1) which is the easiest accessible. 120... Great. No idea what to do now.
I’ve cleaned the MAF twice, fully cleaned all the pieces to the throttle body, even the throttle plate for the intake air control valve inside of the intake manifold. I also replaced the air filter too. You may be onto something with the EVAP leak. I tried to use a cigar to find some leaks but couldn’t find any. Then again I was just blowing into some of the tubes not sure if they were evap related or just intake tubes. Funny thing about the gas cap is I dropped it on the floor accidentally during that fill up but didn’t see any damage. I’ve also inspected it multiple times since and it’s all in 1 piece including the o ring. Are you really sure an evap leak could cause a full blown misfire? The check engine light had been flashing if I accelerated and then went off, but since 2 days ago it now stays on fully and gives the cylinder 1 misfire code.
Get a new OEM gas cap, and then drive it around a bit. It's the cheapest initial intervention. Also, clear the temporary codes, and see what comes up, as you drive it around.
Got a new gas cap today. Drove around, was still misfiring and shaky when idling. Engine light still sometimes flashing when driving fast, and when it isnt flashing it's still just staying on with the misfire code.
Here's an overview of what the local shop found with the compression test and what the trouble code is still showing. https://ibb.co/GJYqBRj
use the embed codes to put the image right on the page
Try swapping one of the working ignition coils/plugs into cyl 1. Same thing with fuel injector.
mountainmanjoe: I assumed that numbers in the graphic above were from a compression test. Perhaps I'm wrong about that.
It would have been nice if the author included units, but I believe they are results from a compression test. 120 PSI isn't great, but not low enough to cause shaking.
Yes they're compression numbers. I will try swapping those out. I know the injector on cylinder 1 feels like its firing well like the other ones, and I know my cylinder 5 injector is the weak link in terms of bad injectors. I'll still try around though, as well as with the coils.
Obviously, cylinder one is not in as good a shape as the others, but it's not a fatal thing, right now, IMHO. (It would have been good to have seen these numbers in a Pre-Purchase Inspection, BTW).
Shaking at idling often is some sort of EVAP leak. Since you moved parts around, double check some of this work. That is, make sure that all hoses and related inputs are tight, clamps are fully tightened down, around the throttle body, etc.
But knocking/tapping is not good. It might be some type of piston slap, or perhaps worse. I don't know.
I'm going to refer back to mountainmanjoe's suggestion: Get some diagnostic data from a good scan tool, or have a competent diagnostic mechanic run high-level scans from the vehicle's OBD port. By diagnostic data, I'm referring to any DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) and Enhanced Data (which checks in on the working conditions of modules such as the O2 sensors and the Catalytic converter, among other things).
A better scan tool like Blue Driver or MX Plus (see their web sites for how comprehensive their tests are for your particular vehicle) will generate Live Data and Freeze Frames. You'll probably not be able to interpret these, but it's good raw data for a competent diagnostician to evaluate. A good Diagnostician will have a more expensive scan tool, like a Verus, Autel or Bosch. (Those can cost thousands, but they are bi-directional, which is really excellent for some diagnoses).
Don't go to a mechanic who will fire "the parts cannon." Go to one who will GUARANTEE that their diagnosis is correct, and their fix will do the job (or if the engine is NEFR - Not Economically Feasible for Repair).
Again, you need data, before any expensive parts. Proper diagnosis is everything.
I'm almost sure the shaking is due to the misfire, because before the misfire code it idled without any shaky vibrations. As far as the knocking, that went away weeks ago after I replaced the valve cover gasket and took all the oil that had gotten into cylinder 5's spark plug well out. I will take it to the Lexus specific service outlet nearby, those guys will definitely have that stuff.
After mulling it over for a couple of minutes, mountainmanjoe has a point. You could have a bad coil AND a low compression cylinder. (In fact, you're probably best moving them in pairs, because you could have two marginal coil packs). Swapping out the coil(s) would determine whether the majority of the shaking and idling was due to a bad coil pack or two. That would be a relatively cheap fix, all things considered.
I think that might be part of it, but with everything considered, how the car is running and sounds, and how the problems have evolved, my feeling is I probably have a burnt exhaust valve on cyl 1.
Get a boroscope on it and confirm or disconfirm. Sorry to hear you go through this.
Will do. Hopefully playing with the injectors/coils will try and fix part of the issue. I know you guys have said 120psi is fine, but if all the rest are 150+ isnt that a pretty bad sign? Like a sign that it wont work too well in the next 10k miles? I honestly hope it's just a burnt valve because in that case most of the engine is still salvageable and I can just replace the head, but then again is there any possibility that the compression is from something more simple? Seems like an overhaul is inevitable, sucks. I thought these 1mz-fe's were bulletproof, especially with mine having all the oil change records.... 🙁 Damn. I guess since it had obviously been running lean too long it messed up the valve most likely. Sucks.
How much would a head swap run me? Is it do-able on my own?
That escalated quickly..! What brought you to that conclusion? If you’re considering your options, I think you’d be better off visiting a junkyard & get an estimate for a used, partial/whole engine.
I've got it at a shop to check on the bank 1 head right now. The whole reason I came to that conclusion is really just based off the fact that that generation lexus almost never have head gasket problems, and I don't think the rings would be that worn with only 1 old guy driving my car for 155k miles with all the oil service records. When I got it I knew it was running a bit lean, and that's really the only culprit that could have caused low compression (from burning a valve). I'll know later today what the head is looking like. Hopefully its just that. I was thinking about the used engine idea, but I live in the Bay Area, CA near Oakland and the junkyards here are unlike any other. Not safe, lot of dishonest people, and grimey. Not sure how I feel about getting a whole used engine here, you never know what you'll get. Especially if its only that cylinder 1 valve causing trouble, the rest of the engine is in solid shape. if I swap the bank 1 head, I can still keep the rest of the engine that I know is in good shape with only 155k miles.
Fair enough & please keep us posted.
Well I’m in a tough spot. My car has spent the past 7 days at the local shop and they hadn’t even touched it so I decided to just take it back and take it to someone else. But what did happen was that when I picked it up I talked to the guy who was supposed to work on it who I had been communicating with about the car. He said he had been thinking about it and that with a whole pressure test being $180 and also the fact that my car has 156k miles, and replacing the bank 1 head being upwards of $800 with labor and parts, that I may as well just engine swap the car. Because his reasoning was that spending around $1000 for a head swap doesn’t guarantee there won’t be more engine problems in the future and that an under 100k mile used engine would have a better chance to get me 100k+ miles. Is he trying to just up charge me and get me to get him to do a whole swap? I don’t trust him fully yet since I don’t know how well but I’m just not sure how I feel. What do you guys think? Take it somewhere else? What should I specifically have them do? This guy was suppose to take the bank 1 head off and inspect it which he never even did, and he’s talking about engine swapping now. Idk.
Just scanned the codes with an Innova 3020B
I’ve got P0301 (cylinder 1 miss fire) which I knew I had
Heres what I’m not sure about it says I’ve got
P1300, P1305, P1310, P1315, P1325