Therese

I recently parked my 2005 RX 330 at a snowy airport parking lot for 7 days. When I returned, the car wouldn't start. I had it jumped, but the darn thing wouldn't go above 30 mph on the freeway - even after I let it charge for a while. Has anyone had similar problems? Is it the battery? If so, would it still be under warranty if the car is less than 50k miles? Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks!

triplecore

You may need to be more descriptive and does it really not go over 30 or is it just lethargic? And when its at 30 where is the RPM? Is the engine noise high or does it sound like the engine is being retarded by something like the computer cutting power for traction?Maybe its the transmission it might be in limp home mode.

Grumpa72

If the car started with a jump but won't exceed 30 mph then it isn't your battery. Once the engine is running, the alternator takes over for the battery and provides the electricity needed to charge the battery, run your electronics and fire your spark plugs. You probably have some underlying issue with injectors, transmission or some sort of a "limp home mode". Regardless, if your car is still under warranty, I would have it in the dealer's shop YESTERDAY.

As the one replier said, what is the rpm when it is running? Anu odd noises? Does it still do this when warm? When was the last time you checked/changed your transmission fluid?

Gary

xfirechief

Could be lots of things. Water in the fuel, low tranny fluid, whatever it should be at the dealer tomorrow for sure.
Keep us updated.

RX330inFL

As others have stated, could be a number of items. Without further details about noises or indicator lights on it would be hard to diagnose from a distance. Could be anything from a fouled O2 sensor, to a plugged catalytic converter, to just water in the gas. The state of your battery would not come into play for the situation you are experiencing.

Definitely need to get it into a shop where they could give you any diagnostic codes coming from your RX.

salimshah

RX can get into limp mode, to help you get to a safe location. There could be a real problem or the electronics could be in "fooled state".

With warranty, I would take it to the dealer or simply reset the ecu by disconnecting the battery for 20 min or so. The only problem with that is, that your RX will loose all the codes, which might have been useful to diagnose.

Note, failure due to exposure to cold is a genuine warranty issue, but driving over piled up snow is a user neglect. [if i back out on to snow heap and dislodge a wire or break a sensor, then warranty should not cover it].

Salim

biff44

Look on the positive side--you will never get a speeding ticket!

salimshah

Hwy's require a min speed too.

Salim

Grumpa72

Any responses from the original poster?



Anyone?



Anyone?



Buehler?

triplecore

maybe he's still on the highway trying to get home . A horse would be faster

Skitso-3

I think that some snow froze on his arms and when he hit 30 the tires started rattling like they were loose! That happened 2 me last week and found out the ice was throwing off the balance of the front! But it happened when I hit 50! So if that is what is happening then just use something to bang the ice off the arms and your good 2 go!.....just what I think he was trying 2 say?

Therese

Hi all - I was out of town again (left the car in the garage this time) so sorry for the late posting. Drove my beloved car again today and here's what happened...started okay, CSV and check engine lights came on and stayed lit. It started out at 0 mph, 1k RPM, and when I went downhill, it got up to 25 mph, 1.5k RPM, no engine noise, but it appears that the car does not shift into gear at all. Limped home again...no tickets yet. Thanks for all your feedback. Happy new year!

Lexmex

I have some hunches on a possible check engine light: engine misfire (busted ignition coil), bad knock sensor. Another possibility, though remote, is the battery itself not giving enough juice to the rest of the system (I have seen this only once with another vehicle), so I'd also get the battery's voltage measured.

The key thing here would be to take it somewhere like an Autozone where you could get the codes read out of the computer for free. Most mechanics have an OBD2 reader and would probably charge a nominal fee if any to read the codes out of the computer.

Therese

I will bring it in to the dealer on Monday as it's still under warranty. Thanks!

Lexmex

If you could, please let us know what you find out. I'd like to see if my hunches are correct.