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Hello, so my car (1995 lexus es300) has developed an issue where if it's been off for a few days and I cold start it (but let it warm up for like 5 minutes) when I start driving it the car will hesitate to accelerate. So when I start to drive I'll probably hit 10-15 mph and the rpm will spike to 3k quickly drop to less than 1k and as I push the gas in the car won't go at all but the rpm slowly creeps higher and higher as if the tire is stuck in a hole or on a dyno (sometimes i feel like I’m forcing the car to go past 1k rpm literally the whole car shakes with the pedal pressed because it just doesn’t go) I don't feel comfortable driving it right now because it literally just stops accelerating when I hit the gas and I have to roll it until it decides to work and accelerate after I slowly keep tapping the gas pedal. Sometimes this has happened when I'm already driving for a few minutes the issue will pop up mid drive then go away. Then after the car is on for 10-15 minutes the issue goes away completely. I can even go on the freeway and it'll shift and accelerate perfectly fine and have no issues whatsoever. I am clueless as to what it can be, any suggestions? I also took a video of the problem last night if that will help. I also have no check engine light and no pending codes. 145k miles. When I start the car it idles at 1-1.3k, only when I put the car in drive will it drop to 650.
Update: Today I went on a drive and it was shifting poorly and giving issues the whole time until for the first time the engine just cut out and stalled on me trying to leave a stop, luckily I was able to turn the whole car off and back on and limped it home. Any idea what this could be?
When RPM spike, does it feel like the car reacted to the gas pedal or a downshift?
Does something like that happen in Neutral?
Does the idle in Neutral drop to normal level when the car is warm?
Judging by the fact that you do have moments of "enlightenment", it would probably suggest that it may be a sensor issue, or something like that at least. Just a wild guess, but could it be a Throttle Position Sensor that gives you those problems? Sometimes it may be showing incorrect data, and ECU has no way of telling it, which can potentially result in issues you described. You can check it with the chart below, though it doesn't show intermittent positions. You may also try disconnecting the sensor and see if the car will behave differently. With the sensor disconnected, the car should be able to compensate for it using MAF and O2 sensors; granted, it will not run perfect, but the behavior should change. Don't try removing the sensor though, since you will throw off its adjustment.
When RPM spike, does it feel like the car reacted to the gas pedal or a downshift?
Does something like that happen in Neutral?
Does the idle in Neutral drop to normal level when the car is warm?
Judging by the fact that you do have moments of "enlightenment", it would probably suggest that it may be a sensor issue, or something like that at least. Just a wild guess, but could it be a Throttle Position Sensor that gives you those problems? Sometimes it may be showing incorrect data, and ECU has no way of telling it, which can potentially result in issues you described. You can check it with the chart below, though it doesn't show intermittent positions. You may also try disconnecting the sensor and see if the car will behave differently. With the sensor disconnected, the car should be able to compensate for it using MAF and O2 sensors; granted, it will not run perfect, but the behavior should change. Don't try removing the sensor though, since you will throw off its adjustment.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Thanks for the reply. I do have high idle on cold start it sits around 1-1.4k, it only drops to 600-700 once I put the car in drive after warming it up for a few minutes but from what I see on here that's normal for the ES? It's been at my mechanic's for a few days but of course with my luck the problem hasn't been replicable lol. Since he can't replicate it he thinks it's the idle air control valve. I am more than happy to do the repair but only if that's most likely the IAC can cause issue both stalling + no acceleration sometimes, it just doesn't make sense because I've had acceleration problems in the middle of a drive without being idle. It would suck to have to like pay for a clutch or new throttle body on top of the IAC if that's not the problem lol. I'm going to suggest to him maybe the TPS sensor and perhaps even spark plugs? I just wish it threw up a CEL this would've been so much easier to diagnose.
Also I just replaced my battery I'm reading that can cause high idle?
Well, it is normal for ES to stay at 1500 RPM for some time, but it should gradually drop to normal as the car warms up, without having to shift into gear. As for the IAC, it is pretty easy to check without replacing it - see if it has damage, carbon buildup, something that will prevent normal operation, and then check if it is functioning properly, which you can learn more about here. That said though, I have some doubts that it is indeed an IAC, since, to my understanding, it should not be active when if the switch in TPS sensor (which can be seen on the diagram) is off, and I don't think it will prevent the car from accelerating..
As for the spark plugs, also a good idea to check, especially if those weren't replaced in a while, since bad plugs have a tendency to fry ignition coils, because that makes it harder to generate spark.
At leas that is all I can think of right now.. Hope this helps and best of luck!
Well, it is normal for ES to stay at 1500 RPM for some time, but it should gradually drop to normal as the car warms up, without having to shift into gear. As for the IAC, it is pretty easy to check without replacing it - see if it has damage, carbon buildup, something that will prevent normal operation, and then check if it is functioning properly, which you can learn more about here. That said though, I have some doubts that it is indeed an IAC, since, to my understanding, it should not be active when if the switch in TPS sensor (which can be seen on the diagram) is off, and I don't think it will prevent the car from accelerating..
As for the spark plugs, also a good idea to check, especially if those weren't replaced in a while, since bad plugs have a tendency to fry ignition coils, because that makes it harder to generate spark.
At leas that is all I can think of right now.. Hope this helps and best of luck!
Thanks for the reply. The mechanic I took it to was able to replicate the stalling but could not pinpoint the diagnosis. He is now thinking transmission but I'm taking it to another mechanic for another diagnosis. I'm going to check spark plugs etc in the morning but not looking to bright. Might just have to sell it as is and get a new car it wouldn't be worth fixing the tranny
I put like 2.5k into repairs when I first got it 2 years ago fixing everything wrong but oh well it is what is isss
10-21-20, 12:50 AM
1995 es300 poor acceleration, stalling, no codes?
