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The OP's complaint about both loss of engine power and erratic transmission shifting sounds to me like the problem is associated with the VVT-i system...and more specifically the oil control valve (OCV) strainer/filter screen. This filter/strainer screen is very fine and can easily become partially blocked or clogged, which can cause the exact issues the OP describes without always throwing a CEL code. Also, the OCV strainer/filter screen can become air-locked (much like can happen in a water jacket in an engine block), which is an air bubble that deprives the OCV of the oil (and oil pressure) it needs to properly operate the variable valve timing mechanism of the camshaft it controls. Without proper operation of one of the OCVs the camshaft timing does not advance as it should when throttle is applied, which in-turn confuses the ECU for engine management as well as transmission shift parameters.
The problem may not have been caused directly by the engine oil that was installed at the last engine oil and oil filter change, but just performing an oil change could trigger such an event.
The OP's complaint about both loss of engine power and erratic transmission shifting sounds to me like the problem is associated with the VVT-i system...and more specifically the oil control valve (OCV) strainer/filter screen. This filter/strainer screen is very fine and can easily become partially blocked or clogged, which can cause the exact issues the OP describes without always throwing a CEL code. Also, the OCV strainer/filter screen can become air-locked (much like can happen in a water jacket in an engine block), which is an air bubble that deprives the OCV of the oil (and oil pressure) it needs to properly operate the variable valve timing mechanism of the camshaft it controls. Without proper operation of one of the OCVs the camshaft timing does not advance as it should when throttle is applied, which in-turn confuses the ECU for engine management as well as transmission shift parameters.
The problem may not have been caused directly by the engine oil that was installed at the last engine oil and oil filter change, but just performing an oil change could trigger such an event.
Thank you for the diagnostic, So what is right step to resolve the issue since the code reader may not detect it?
1. Flush oil and fill up w/ new oil ?
2. Is it possible to remove "the oil control valve (OCV) strainer/filter screen" and clean it ?
I hate that my car drives like Prius instead of GS sport sedan after I change my oil with Penzoil Platinum at 15K servcies even though the oil level is perfect.
1. Do I need to reset ECU after oil change ?
2. Does Toyota oil provide better performance f since the engine was filled with oil made by Idemitsu from factory in Japan then oil made by Mobil at 10K services at Lexus dealer ?
3. Penzoil Platinum additives are not good for Toyota engine ?
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Very intuitive of you to notice that. Lexus has electronic sensors in your engine that senses the brand of oil in your engine. When it senses any brand other than the recommend Lexus oil (see sticker on front of engine compartment) it automatically cuts back performance parameters by 10% to protect your engine. Resetting the ECU will have no effect on it. Sometimes changing the blinker fluid will recover some of the lost performance.
Thank you for the diagnostic, So what is right step to resolve the issue since the code reader may not detect it?
1. Flush oil and fill up w/ new oil ?
2. Is it possible to remove "the oil control valve (OCV) strainer/filter screen" and clean it ?
There is no need to do #1 (drain and re-fill with new engine oil). The engine oil is not the problem... However, as I said in my previous post - the act of changing the oil could have trigger the problem you are experiencing.
Concerning #2 (remove and clean OCV strainer/filter screen) - it is my opinion that one of the OCVs may be causing your problem. Therefore, you may want to have Lexus check the two OCV filters and clean them as necessary. Doing this is actually the first step in doing a complete diagnostic procedure for checking the VVT-i system. Lexus may want to go ahead and perform the complete diagnostic procedure to check the VVT-i system to determine if there might be another reason (pertaining to the VVT-i system) that your car has a loss of power and the erratic transmission shifting.
Beyond this suggestion I am at a loss to suggest what else might be the problem. That said, your engine's power loss and erratic transmission shifting reaction sure sounds like the results of a VVT-i problem to me...especially considering that an engine oil/filter change triggered the event.
I hope this helps. Please report back your findings...
I have been so busy to resolve Prius shifting in my car until my wife complained that my car is not driving like it was used to be - like a sport car. I normally reset ECU in my wife MDX after each oil change so I decided to reset ECU in my car too. Unexpectedly ECU RESET has solved Prius shifting issue and now my car is responding quickly like the day I picked up my car at the dealer. My friend mechanic has told me that the new transmission will learn your habit and adapt it with fuel saving as a result the car with modern transmission software will shift like Buick in my MDX or Prius in my GS. I guesss my solution now is ECU reset whenever the transmission start to shift like Prius.
Very intuitive of you to notice that. Lexus has electronic sensors in your engine that senses the brand of oil in your engine. When it senses any brand other than the recommend Lexus oil (see sticker on front of engine compartment) it automatically cuts back performance parameters by 10% to protect your engine. Resetting the ECU will have no effect on it. Sometimes changing the blinker fluid will recover some of the lost performance.
You are a very bad man...but also quite funny. I'm not sure anyone else even got your warped sense of humor. BTW, do you know the torque value for the muffler bearing on the GS?
LOL my friend who is a mechanic that change oil for me said the same thing. I have observed that the RPM was between 2 - 3 when I neeed to pass another car on local street, now the RPM is between 3 - 4 to pass another car on local street. Basically I feel the power and torque is no longer between 2 - 3 RPM.
Then something else is wrong with your vehicle. PP is excellent oil, and won't cause the car to run sluggish if the change was done correctly and nothing else was altered, moved, or broken.
I have been so busy to resolve Prius shifting in my car until my wife complained that my car is not driving like it was used to be - like a sport car. Unexpectedly ECU RESET has solved Prius shifting issue and now my car is responding quickly like the day I picked up my car at the dealer. I guesss my solution now is ECU reset whenever the transmission start to shift like Prius.
My Prius doesn't have gears, unless you include the ones that move the power windows up and down.
I have been so busy to resolve Prius shifting in my car until my wife complained that my car is not driving like it was used to be - like a sport car. I normally reset ECU in my wife MDX after each oil change so I decided to reset ECU in my car too. Unexpectedly ECU RESET has solved Prius shifting issue and now my car is responding quickly like the day I picked up my car at the dealer. My friend mechanic has told me that the new transmission will learn your habit and adapt it with fuel saving as a result the car with modern transmission software will shift like Buick in my MDX or Prius in my GS. I guesss my solution now is ECU reset whenever the transmission start to shift like Prius.
Do you just remove the battery for 15 minutes to reset the ECU or is there a different method? I'd like to do a transmission reset, on my BMW I could hold down the accelerator in acc mode for 25 seconds and it would relearn my driving. I just got the car so the previous owner may have been some granny driving it.
Do you just remove the battery for 15 minutes to reset the ECU or is there a different method? I'd like to do a transmission reset, on my BMW I could hold down the accelerator in acc mode for 25 seconds and it would relearn my driving. I just got the car so the previous owner may have been some granny driving it.
There are 3 ways to reset ECU based on the below link for Lexus and I use method #2. Unfortunately, we can not reset ECU in Lexus like BMW or ACURA by pressing gas pedal for 1 minute. https://www.clublexus.com/how-tos/a/...our-ecu-363500
My GS 15 drives like Buick again with Penzoil Ultra Platinum 0w-20
Few months ago, I did oil change with Penzoil Platinum and my car throttle response was like Buick/Prius until I reset main/secondary EFI fuses. Few days ago, I changed oil with Penzoil Ultra Platinum and my car throttle response was like Buick/Prius again even after I reset EFI fuses. Bot of my mechanic friends thought that I may have overfill the oil but it was not at all. I hate my car so much since I could not even pass 4 cylinder Camry when I were driving at 40 MPH and I were not sure what is wrong since I used correct oil grade of 0w-20. The only difference is Penzoil Ultra Platinum oil should last longer then Penzoil Platinum. I decided to replaced new oil w/ Mobil 1 ( not Extended version) and my car throttle response was came back to LIVE as same as the first day I pick up my car from Lexus dealer. BTW, I have been using Mobil 1 oil since 2005 and just changed to Penzoil in 2015 since Penzoil introduced oil from gas. I guess the GS has part to detect different viscosity of oil since Penzoil Ultra Platinum was different. I will go back to Mobil 1 now and I do not intend to promote Mobil 1 over Penzoil and I just share my own experience.
Few months ago, I did oil change with Penzoil Platinum and my car throttle response was like Buick/Prius until I reset main/secondary EFI fuses. Few days ago, I changed oil with Penzoil Ultra Platinum and my car throttle response was like Buick/Prius again even after I reset EFI fuses. Bot of my mechanic friends thought that I may have overfill the oil but it was not at all. I hate my car so much since I could not even pass 4 cylinder Camry when I were driving at 40 MPH and I were not sure what is wrong since I used correct oil grade of 0w-20. The only difference is Penzoil Ultra Platinum oil should last longer then Penzoil Platinum. I decided to replaced new oil w/ Mobil 1 ( not Extended version) and my car throttle response was came back to LIVE as same as the first day I pick up my car from Lexus dealer. BTW, I have been using Mobil 1 oil since 2005 and just changed to Penzoil in 2015 since Penzoil introduced oil from gas. I guess the GS has part to detect different viscosity of oil since Penzoil Ultra Platinum was different. I will go back to Mobil 1 now and I do not intend to promote Mobil 1 over Penzoil and I just share my own experience.
The SAE standards exist to ensure that lubricants are mostly interchangeable, at least where viscosity is concerned.
How can different oils of the same SAE spec have such substantially difference outcomes?
The SAE standards exist to ensure that lubricants are mostly interchangeable, at least where viscosity is concerned.
How can different oils of the same SAE spec have such substantially difference outcomes?
There is only one way to find out if you have that question by putting Penzoil Ultra Platinum 0w-20 in Silver bottle by yourself. Please share your experience with it.
01-18-17 | 07:56 PM
