Hello all
I need some grass roots help please.
I’ve been helping my mother fix up a 2002 Lexus ES300 she purchased for 2k. The car has been great so for especially for a $2000 car. All I had to do was a rear break job and some other maintenance items. However the car has developed a bit of hesitation at low speeds or when you start off from a light. From what I’ve gathered a good place to start might be cleaning the throttle body or the throttle position sensor is bad. I’ve already cleaned the mass air flow sensor and inspected all the wires going to the MAF sensor for damage.
There are a few good Mazda related web sites that I go to that offer some really good info when I have issues with my car. I was wondering if anyone knows of some good Lexus related sites or has any ideas on the possible cause of the problem it would be great to hear from you.
Thanks
Pat
+1
The ES300 is a V6 Camry with more leather and fancy bits.
Look at every single vacuum hose, especially the larger ones like the power brake booster. A vacuum leak often has the same symptoms.
Simple stuff first.
Oh I forgot this little tid bit. She tells me the dash lights flicker when it hesitates!
Out side of a visual inspection of the vacuum lines, is there any other test that might ID a vacuum issue?
Spray WD40 or other penetrant onto the vacuum lines. If bubbles appear, then you'll need to replace that line.
Spraying the vacuum line sounds like a good idea but can I ask why to the WD40? Would soapy water do the same thing and be less flammable?
Racedreamer wrote:
Oh I forgot this little tid bit. She tells me the dash lights flicker when it hesitates!
This tells me that somehow something is losing a connection when the engine moves on its mountings. Or it's shorting to ground under the same conditions.
Check any and all power wires which go to the engine. Look for a loose or corroded connector at the starter or alternator. There are ground straps from the engine to the body, if they are missing or just dangling free that could be your problem as well.
Also, if somewhere along the line someone has installed the wrong battery and 'stretched' the cables to make it fit, this can cause problems as well. I've seen battery terminals still attached to the case which were broken off of the internal grid, usually this means if you try to wiggle the battery terminal you see the post move inside the case.
Battery terminals, grounds and vacumn leaks are the most common problem areas.
Bubbles appear when pressure is involved, not on vacumn leaks. Carb cleaner or unlit propane torch are good ways to check. If there is a leak, a change in idle speed will occur.
Check for vacuum leaks around the intake manifold as well.
