Well, after Lexus replaced my fuel pump, filter, plugs, battery, etc., my car ran like a champ for a month. Yesterday, it took my car about seven seconds to turn over and get going. I go around the block and come back to the house, turn the car off and try starting it again. It turns over immediately. Also, the car is running great.
This morning, the car refuses to start but I have plenty of battery juice. Obviously I will have Lexus come get my car tomorrow morning and get a loaner but do any of you have an idea of what my problem might be?

 

I'm assuming they are doing this under warranty. I would remove the SRT aftermarket intake and its associated ECU piggyback chip. If they suspect the computer has been tampered with, they may start to give you problems.
My 2 cents.

 

Actually, they are aware of the intake/ecu. I told them all it did was remap the fuel spark curve. They were fine with this as they wanted to know what it was before they ran diagnostics.
I honestly don't think this has anything to do with my problem as I have run this setup for more than two years with no problems. But hey, maybe this is my problem, who knows?
It would seem to me that if my SRT piggyback was the culprit then I wouldn't be getting any computer connection at all. I'm frustrated.

 

SRT only cut 1 wire for the chip, all you need to do it to unplug the connector and reconnect 1 wire, by pass the SRT chip, to make sure that it is not the cause if you are not sure.

 

AND remove the intake of course...

 

Removing the aftermarket engine mods isn't a bad idea just to see if that makes a difference. When you say the car refuses to start but has plenty of juice, what exactly do you mean? If the engine is cranking like normal, and their is fuel flow, then it sounds like it is ignition. If there is a problem cranking or if the lights dim noticeably when cranking, it sounds like not all that juice in the battery is making it to the ignition. If they replaced the battery, did they replace the cables? Amazing how much problems they can cause. Even with all the modern systems, getting the engine to light to us old farts is still a question of air, fuel, and spark; assuming it is cranking. Good luck.

 

It's the former, probably an ignition issue. Strange that they replaced the fuel pump, plugs and battery and the car worked like magic for thirty days. My power in the car at all ranges was the strongest it's ever been. Case in point, turn VSC off and floor it the car will not only fry the tires but the back end will turn out a bit before you start heading straight.
Anyways, Lexus came by this morning and towed the car so I'll keep you guys posted. It seems there are some cranking problems looming on this board in recent history.

 

I have a 1999 GS400 and the car ran great with the BLITZ exhaust until I put that SRT chip and intake on....within 6 months, I had the exact same problem as you!

At first it would stutter sometime, but the problem got worse and eventually the car would stall at idle in traffic all the time. I ended up fighting the dealer and paid almost $4000 in repair bills. I tried contact SRT but the guy just blew me off saying it was my fault. E-mail me directly if you want to discuss.

From my experience, once the damage is done, it's already too late to fix it and now my car has everything removed and thrown in the trash.

late,
rick

 

s4play - That is very interesting. I hope you keep up with this new section that Ethan is starting up where people will review various mods. I wonder how many other people have pulled off aftermarket intakes after experiencing problems? If it solved the problem, I would probably trash can it as well. Once again, thanks for the info on the problem and what solved it.