vindell

I drove my 91 LS400 for about 25 miles after the low oil light came on. Please don't ask why I did that! Now the engine would not run at high speed although it would idle pretty smoothly.

I wonder what damages I may have done. The engine coolant temperature never rose even after I found the car started acting up. After I opened the hood, I saw smoke rose from back of the engine near the firewall.

I would think the engine would freeze if the cylinders were damaged. Could it be oil pump or the cams?

Any one has the experience of swapping out an engine?

dengman

vague description.. anything could have happened. Does the engine still run? Does it knock? isnt making noises it never made before?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Different model but similar issue on this recent thread with some questions you might want to address here.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...-knocking.html

What happened at the end of the 25 miles to make you stop driving?
Did you fill the oil and how much did it take?
How do you know about the temps - do you have a temp gauge or a dummy light?
What lights are on now (oil light still on? Check engine light? If yes to the CEL, have you had the codes read?)

johnnyg66

if it was the low oil light than i would think no damage. Mine came on one day or kinda flashed on and off a few times during a long rode trip. I check it as soon as i could looked like it was low a half quart. Didn't do a thing to my motor. I have a small leak around the oil pan. thats my next job to do.

If it was the oil pressure light you saw than maybe something did happen to you.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

25 miles in HI is a fair amount of driving. Anyway, add the oil and take the car in to have any codes read. Or optionally, fill the oil, disconnect the neg battery cable to clear the codes. Take it for a drive and see if the warning light comes back on. In this case you will know the car will need service. ASAP.

How much oil are you losing/noticing on the driveway or garage floor? May be a simple cam seal or...?

vindell

Thanks for all the responses. Here are some more info.

- I fill up the oil to the save level with two quarts of new oil.

- Now the car is fast idling but with a high frequency vibration (at 5 may be 10 Hz if that make sense to you). You can feel the vibration pretty well sitting at the driver seat. Came outside, and I can feel the vibration with my hand on the rear of the car.

- A very strong gas smell from the exhaust. I am suspecting some cylinder not firing.

- Checking engine light has been on and off during the past month (that is how long I have owned the car) with normal driving. Is there a easy way to read error code without going to the dealer?


Thanks again!


Vindell

sam12345

iTrader: (1)

2 quart slow with 25 miles driving should not have done this kind of damage if any. I think you already had an issue and the extra stress from the low oil brought it out. The vibration is not a good sign. Better find someone who knows or a mechanic you can trust.

YoshiMan

Considering the engine holds about 6 quarts, being about two quarts low isn;t enough to cause damage in my opinion either.

My brother use to take absolutely horrid care of his cars, and there are times where i saw him run his 91' V6 Camry so low on oil, that after adding a quart and a half, still nothing showed on the dipstick. That engine never quit though, or showed any hiccups whatsoever

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Take the car in to a Toyota/Lexus dealer and have it plugged in. To many areas to take a guess at. Month of this...

vindell

Hi! Group, This is my second post. After all the discussions from my first post "I may have damaged the engine" and more testing, now I believe the engine probably is not damaged due to low oil level. But I am still trouble shooting what is wrong with the car. The symptoms are listed below,

- Car idle fast with a light vibration from the engine

- The engine will accelerate to higher speed at P or N gear, but there is a belt squeeking sound coming from the front of the engine.

- Put into R or D gear, the engine runs rough immediately and dies

- Strong gas smell from the exhaust

- I noted the timing belt is in very bad shape with many visible small cracks perpendicular to the belt long length. It, however, seem to run normally.

Yamae

What is the code?

vindell

Needed to learn how to read the code. Here they are:

13
28
41

Good days!

Yamae

Those 3 codes are related to below sensors each. Check these or the wiring to these.

13-Cam position sensor,
28-O2 sensor,
41-Throttle position sensor.

Sometimes a jumped timing belt relates to these codes too.

YoshiMan

The throttle position sensor being on the fritz will make the car run TERRIBLE and cause the symptoms you speak of. When they get old, they stick open slightly and essentially tell the car that you are pressing the gas open even when the throttle is shut... this results in the engine running VERY rich which explains the stalling and the gas smell.

If you are serious on fixing the car yourself, arm yourself with the repair manuals, either by buying them or paying the $15 to look up the info on the Toyota website.... i don't know the address, but LSCowboyLS can furnish it, or you could search for it..

I had a bad TPS on my 4Runner once, and it made the car totally undriveable

vindell

Thank you YoshiMan! I am new to deal with LS400 but I have some car repair experience with a VOLVO. I do plan to fix and maintain my 91 LS400. The TPS make sense. I had a quick check on it. It looks solid and the wires and connector are in good shape. As the first step, what do you think if I take down the sensor and clean, lubricate and re-install.

Yamae's statement is most interesting because I've been thinking in that direction of jumped timing belt too. The timing belt is in very bad shape and is the next planned item to be replaced. Anyone else had the experience of jumped timing belt?