Ok guys...cleaned and lubricated the gas pedal pivot points...were coated with grease, and now a little better..but after driving MANY other SC's ( Carolyn's quest) still acceleration "off the line" seems a bit sluggish...air filter is clean, and now all linkage is clean. Could this be a "bad" potentiometer? When I "punch" it...goes GREAT...but does not feel correct after driving the other cars...any ideas before I take the "Lexus" store plunge? Bob

 

Bob-have you tried unplugging the battery for thirty minutes to reset the ECU? I noticed on my 05 PB when I got it (A Golden Girl owned it before me with a feather foot LOL) and when I refastened the terminal cables and test drove it after a few miles I could tell a difference. Also changed to Power ECT too. My 02 was quicker than my 05.

The first few miles and stop lights I shifted in manual c-gate mode to get the RPM's up there too, to like 4500-5000 to let the ECU know that I meant business.

Just a small tip. Let's hope it's not something serious.

Lexus always says to look at this, especially when you are comparing cars.

Some other thoughts---spark plug replacement (yours is 2002, right)?, gas?, fuel injector cleaner?

I would start with some simple DIY'ers before you take the plunge. Might be gas or fuel injector cleaner or ECU reset that does the trick. I'd say go if these don't work. Leave it to the pros!

In comparo, though, the dealer always tells you that their Rx330 seems faster than your wife's soccer mom mobile because mom doesn't punch it like you do! Every time I brought my wifes ES or RX in and drove the hell out of those loaners they seemed so much faster. I reset the ECU on her last Rx and it worked. I did it on both SC's and it worked. Just curious.

 

Sounds good.. Bob is going to do that...

( He is cooking right now..)

 

Yes, that is a common complaint about the engine unfortunately. The ECU "learns" how you drive and "adapts" the performance to match by some strange algorithm. (The programmer must have have been a 90 year old grandmother, if you ask me.) It is real annoying.

It winds up creating sluggish performance and adds delays to the accelerator pedal reaction. (To me, the added delays border on being dangerous since in urgent situations I depend on the car responding rather than sitting around thinking about it for a couple of seconds.)

There are a couple of ways to clear it up. One is to do the power cycle like scdroptop recommended. That is the quickest method and the one that I'd also recommend that you follow because you need an answer fairly quickly since you are attempting to debug an issue with the car.

The second method is to turn on the PWR mode and drive the car for a couple of tankfulls. That will retrain it also. I actually get better mileage in the PWR mode but find the extra light on the dash annoying, so I turn it off afterwards.

The way to prevent it is to drive aggressive more consistently. Short of that, you will probably need to occassionaly utilize one of these methods.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

 

A bad potentiometer usually has dead spots somewhere within it travel. The dead spots result in the engine trying to go back to idle when you're still pressing the gas peddle. This doesn't sound like your problem at all.

I'm with the other guys at this point; retraining the ECU might work.

 

I agree with Bon and the other guys.
One more thing, once my SC wheels in the rear were almost without any lines and it was slipping all the time. So once I press hard on the accelerator from a stop point, the wheels will slip causing the anti-slip system to activate and cut the fuel from the engine!! This could be a problem also.

 

"off the line" sluggishness is built into the Lexus electronic potentionmeter.
driving in the PWR mode is the easy, no modification answer.
no drop in MPG and noticeable 'off the line' improvement.
enjoy.

 

Thanks guys, I will try ALL of your recommendations...they always work!! Bob

 

Once again, I listened to the gurus...just switched on the "power ECT" and the hesitation on acceleration is GONE. Jumps off the line, and is a JOY to drive. Will drive it for a few days with hard aceleration, and then will switch back to normal and see what happens...will disconnect the battery ...etc...but cannot believe the difference...and the gas mileage does not appear to have changed either...Bob...have never had a car with this much electronic control before, and and will need to continue to be "educated".

 

be ready to reset your seat preset.
once you disconnect the battery, all the preset functions and sets are gone.
you'll need to reestablish the preset once you've reconnected the battery:

1 seat slid all the way forward until stop
2 seat back all the way forward until stop and you hear the beep.
3 then readjust the seat to your liking and set the seat position (L1, L2).

 

(Note: the reset actions are only if you do a power cycle,. which may not be necessary if you drive it long enough in the PWR mode, being a couple of tankfuls.)

Along with your seat preset, you will also need to reset the steering wheel location and the power mirror angles (& probably the radio settings) also.

Enjoy your rejuvenated car.

 

Man you guys are good! Great reminders. I think the seat reprogram along with the light adjustments, a/c micro filter replacement, etc. should be stickys, don't you???

Maybe we need a routine maintenance FAQ or DIY FAQ now that our cars are getting old and we are getting cheaper?

 

a simple and sort of crude way is to disconnect the Car battery for 30mins.
the acceleration was a lot more responsive afterwards. it worked for only a couple weeks then lagged again (what you said up above).

plus it got annoying after I reconnected the battery b/c my radio presets were gone and my seat memory were default setting. only minor nuisance though.

try it, let me know

 

If you want to reset the ECU without losing your seat and stereo settings, perform the following procedure:


1. Get in your car and insert key. (It doesn't matter if you close the door or not.)

2. Turn the key to the on (not start) position.

3. Press the gas pedal to the floor.

4. Hold the pedal to the floor for five seconds, then turn the key back to the "off" position (don't remove the key), then release the gas pedal.

5. Wait 2 minutes.

6. Remove key.

7. Done

Yes it works. Done it many times. Works on all years, 2002-2009.

 

I have nothing to add but AWWOME POST! I thought that there must be a better way and you have shown it, thanks for all of us!