Bigrick

For a while, my '97 ES300 will, after fully warmed up, start to run very roughly. If I shut it off and let it sit for awhile, it will start sluggishly and then run perfectly for several days. At first this happened about every 3 months. But now, it does it every 5-10 days. It does not seem to be affected by the weather. The dealer service advisor says that I should bring it in when it happens again, but this is easier said than done. The car has 102K on it and has had all maintenance performed by the dealer. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

92ES5sp

1. Check for vacuum leaks
2. Clean IAC valve (its clogged w/ 102K)
3. Check for clogged EGR valve.

92ES5sp

Oh I dont know if a 97 has a cold start injector but if it does, check that too. Are there any trouble codes?

Bigrick

Thanks for the reply. I was able to get to the dealer while it was happening. They diagnosed it as a bad EGR valve. They are replacing it. Is this something that could have just been cleaned?

92ES5sp

No because it probably wasnt switching open and closed.

Bigrick

I thought it was interesting how the tech diagnosed the problem. He just tapped the EGR valve and the engine ran smoothly. So, if anyone else is having an intermittent problem like this, this test can rule out or confirm a bad EGR valve. Total cost: $213 (ugh!) for the part, $45 labor. Thanks for your help.