ES - 1st to 4th Gen (1990-2006) Forum for all 1990 - 2006 ES300 and ES330 models. ES250 topics go here as well.

es300 running awful.....any ideas????

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Old 07-24-12, 07:25 PM
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layitlow04
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Default es300 running awful.....any ideas????

I have a 1993 es300, on my way home from work the car started skipping and had poor acceleration, i barely made it home. I been needing to change my rear valve cover gasket so i thought this would be the perfect time that way i could change my plugs and wires also. I removed the intake and changed my valve cover gaskets, cap, rotor button, plugs and wires. The spark plugs looked like the engine has been running rich or flooding. I been smelling a strong fuel odor and the exhaust smells rich. After putting everything back together the car started fine but has a rough lopey idle and runs terrible. I smell a fuel odor real strong. I know the firing order is correct. The Cat. Converter has been gutted from a previous issue. Can someone please help lead me in the right direction?
Old 07-24-12, 07:34 PM
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mdbrown
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Have you checked for codes? It sounds like it's running rich.... now is it because it's getting too much fuel or too little air.... check for codes first.
Old 07-24-12, 07:38 PM
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layitlow04
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there is not any codes. i used a snap on scanner with the toyota adapter. for some odd reason there are no codes. then i jumped the terminals in the diagnostic port under the hood...same thing...no codes. just a fast steady blink of the check engine light.
Old 07-24-12, 07:42 PM
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layitlow04
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on the side of the intake there is a fuel line and a sensor plug. is this a cold start injector? could it be stuck open? causing it to run rich. i unplugged it and nothing changed.
Old 07-24-12, 07:46 PM
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Bdub215
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Open the oil cap and take a picture of what you see.
Old 07-24-12, 08:05 PM
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layitlow04
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looking inside the oil cap was normal. nothing out of the ordinary....oil looks good.....no water or milky oil. What were you expecting me to see? maybe im thinking in the wrong direction???
Old 07-24-12, 08:19 PM
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LeX2K
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The only thing I can think of is you have weak spark, or your airflow meter is not working correctly. Or in some rare cases the ECU is bad. You may also have a vacuum leak.

Do you have fuel leak, or just the smell of a very rich mixture?
Old 07-24-12, 08:45 PM
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GS4_Fiend
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If you havent done a tune up, it's probably time. Dont forget to change the Fuel Filter too.
Old 07-24-12, 08:53 PM
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layitlow04
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just the smell of a very rich mixture, as far of the tune up i have done everything except the fuel filter. now i went ouside to start the car it started and then died. went to restart the car and the battery was dead. my battery has never failed me. is it possible my car started running the way it was because my altenator stopped charging or something of that nature?
Old 07-24-12, 08:59 PM
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LeX2K
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Charge up the battery or jump the car, and check your voltage with the engine running. It should be at least 13.2 volts at idle, ~14 volts when you rev the engine.
Old 07-24-12, 09:11 PM
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i will do that as soon as i get time to work on it again. i have a full 50hr. work week at the shop. ill mess with it after work or this weekend i guess. anymore helpful ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Old 07-24-12, 10:11 PM
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dewso1
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Mine was doing almost the same thing and it was a vacuum leak.

Check the unlikely spots under the tightening straps and clips, as you can see here -->mechanical-problem-car-stalls-ideas?

It was fairly well hidden. I went over all my hoses a couple of times, and didn't notice this till i went to clean the throttle body. I imagine it could happen to any of the hoses underneath the clips/straps.
Old 07-28-12, 09:17 AM
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i found a very small vacuum leak but also think that the lt isnt charging. i started the car and let it idle for a smal amount of time....i stepped inside to grab a drink went back outside the car had stalled and the battery was completly dead.
Old 07-28-12, 05:59 PM
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UPDATE: the car is running a lot better, the alternator is charging. it only started running better when i jumped the Te1 and E1 terminals in the diagnostic port. I know the check engine light supposed to produce a code but i would not even blink at all. the light just remained light but the car ran so much better with the terminals jumped. i think my computer is bad. this also probably links to my transmission not shifting like its supposed to. any thoughts would be helpful thanks.
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