locoryan

Before I begin I just want to say I love the forum and although this is my first post, I visit the forum frequently and have used the advice found here countless times.

Quick intro: I flip about 5 cars a year (state maximum without dealer license) and usually get the cars from a police impound. There have been numerous cars I purchased that had no key. This limits the people bidding because few people want to risk buying a car when you are unsure of its history and unsure if it runs. Up until now, I have had good luck.

I bought a 2002 Lexus GS 300 with no key from auction. Inside the car on the passenger floor was a tool bag with 7 ignition coils in it. Under the hood, the timing belt cover had been removed but everything else looked in order. I called locksmith and locksmith made a new master key and programmed it to the vehicle so the security light goes off when i enter the key into ignition.

Car cranks but does not start. Due to the amount of ignition coils in the vehicle I believe the previous owner thought the ignition coil was the culprit and went to a junk yard or something and purchased numerous replacements. I used an inline spark tester to test for spark and it does have spark.

I immediately thought it was the fuel pump after seeing it had spark so i prematurely bought a new fuel pump and installed it. Still wont start.

Used a multimeter to test the wires going into the fuel pump and it is not getting any voltage when i insert the key and turn key to ON.

Checked EFI relay under hood next to battery and it seems fine.

How can i test the Fuel Pump ECU in the trunk?

Not sure what I should try next and hoping somebody can offer some guidance.

locoryan

UPDATE: I retested the voltage at the fuel pump with a second multimeter and it is getting 10 V at the fuel pump when key is in ON position. The faulty reading was caused by me being an idiot and putting meter in wrong mode.

When I tested for spark earlier, i only tested the last plug. Should i test all of them? Might be difficult with throttle body in the way.

Would crankshaft position sensor throw a code because I have no check engine light?

If i am getting spark, and i am getting gas, i should probably check fuel pressure and compression next? Or should I buy new ignition coils since it is questionable about the history of the ones installed?

Any help would be most welcomed.

TrueGS300

Since the timing cover was off, you should line up the timing marks and verify it's still on point. My bet is that's a good indicator as to why it was abandoned. If timing is in, check compression. No sense throwing parts at an engine you aren't sure is any good. Finding low or no compression in one or more cyls would be disappointing, but more so if you throw parts at it first and waste that time and money first.

Arussto

Reading your post this comes to mind. Some cars will spark once and if timing is off, ecu will dtop the ignition. Disagreement between cam and crank psn snsors. Dont know if similar on Lex Toy

Again 3rd time in a week different posts. i suggest spraying some start fluid or insecticide into throyyle body about 10 percent open while someone cranks it. If it starts then fuel deliv issue.

locoryan

UPDATE: Checked compression and got 180-200 in all cylinders. Tried starter fluid in throttle body and didn't notice any difference when cranking. Got new spark plug wires and ignition coils. Tested for spark using inline spark tester and got orange/red spark. (weak?) checked timing and timing is correct.

igniter? crankshaft position sensor?

not sure what else it could be

Arussto

Well hell! The only thing i can think of is wrong fuel in the tank as start fluid shudda have it statt if you are getting ignition.

Was the week spark continuous. Like you seen it two or 3 times while tumbling ?

TrueGS300

I don't know if these cars do this, but some older models from several manufacturers wont let the vehicle start if there is no signal to the ECT (engine coolant temp) sensor. I don't think you'd have a bad crank sensor if you are getting spark and fuel. Does the timing belt look new? I know some people have done timing and accidentally damaged the teeth for the sensor on the crank sprocket. Won't start if it's missing teeth. Just trying to think outside the box. If you are getting spark you shouldn't have to worry about things like the igniter.

dwoods801

You can narrow down the culprit substantially by checking the fuel pressure at the rail, and then verify that the injectors are firing. If you have spark, and the starter sounds good, then u need to take a closer look at the fuel system.
You’ll need a fuel pressure tester, and a NOID Light Injector Tester. They are both available from the corner auto parts stores, and usually in their Loaner-Tool program. U just have to leave a deposit. You’ll find a Shrader Valve on the fuel rail, and the Pressure tester will connect to it. Follow the instructions and when it’s keyed up, the gauge should jump right up. You’ll have to look up the correct pressure for your car. If that is correct, then you can move onto the Injectors.
You want to make sure all 6 injectors are getting a signal to inject fuel into the incoming air stream. And the NOID light kit will confirm that the ECU has all the right signals from the various sensors and is then firing off the injectors at the appropriate time.
If you have already confirmed spark, and can confirm fuel pressure and the injector pulses, you should have a running motor.
I am assuming you’ll find a fuel problem and can work backwards til you find the issue.
If everything in the fuel system does look like it’s correct, then you have 2 other possibilities. All motors need 4 things to run, air/fuel/spark/exhaust. While it would be unusual, it’s possible the intake or exhaust system is damaged. Both these are long shots, but critical to any engine. So you might need to verify there isn’t a problem with either of those systems if you can’t find anything wrong with the fuel system.

TrueGS300

No schrader valve on the 2jz. makes fuel pressure checks difficult. There is a flare fitting below the car and where the transmission meets the engine on the drivers side that you could disconnect and make some sort of testing possible. still not easy with hard lines.

dwoods801

If you can’t check the pressure at the rail, then a little creativity is in order. I would start by listening for the fuel pump to power up with the key on, and just start eliminating and confirming what you can.
After cranking it over for a minute, I would think u could always pull a spark plug or 2, and see if they are wet, to confirm fuel is reaching its destination.

aubergine

i know this might seem stupid , have you checked wether the immobiliser light still flashes as you crank ... sorry if you have already done this .

locoryan

Thank you everybody for your assistance. In order to test fuel pressure I thought I could remove the dampner on the fuel rail and attach my gauge there but for some reason my fuel pressure gauge wasn't registering any fuel pressure. I think it is a problem with the gauge and not the car however. With the dampner removed I put key in ignition and fuel is definitley being pumped because it flowed out of the fuel line and I can hear the pump being turned on as well.

I went to a local junk yard and got an ignitor, an ECU out of another 2002 GS300 with same part number, and some relays and fuses. I picked up the ECU so I could try it and see if there was any difference. But this is where I am a little confused because everywhere I look online about swapping an ECU it says a master key HAS to be accompanied with the ECU in order for it to work in new vehicle. If not, the ECU has to be flashed, or reprogrammed, to work in new vehicle. I have Techstream and there is an option that requires a passcode and seed (which can be obtained online) called "Key Code Reset." In Techstream the description says to use it if all keys are lost and it will reset the key codes in ECU and the key in the ignition will be your new master. I plugged in the junk yard ECU and selected "Key Code Reset" and after a 16 minute wait my key was now recognized by the car and the security light turns off when key is put into ignition. When I select "Data list" in Techstream it shows the "Key discrimination" as Master and no error codes are present. I am assuming the key turned off the immobilizer and the car should be able to start but I never virginized the ECU or virginized the key (both of which are apparently REQUIRED in order to use a used ECU according to my research) I also found various guides saying to short pins 4 and 13 of OBD2 and wait 30 minutes to reprogram ECU but this only works if you have a newer model which uses a separate transponder ECU.

So I am wondering if all the information available online is just flat out WRONG and Techstream can be used to perform "Key Code Reset" on used ECU with no keys and Techstream will register a new master key, or is this the reason why the car won't start? I have tried several different code readers and scanners I have and none of them show any indication that the ECU is not compatible with the vehicle, If the ECU has to be flashed by the dealer I would assume it would give some sort of indication that the ECU is not compatible but I have not seen any indication of that. Has anybody ever heard of a situation where the security light goes off when key is put into ignition, but immobilizer is not off?

Also when I first purchased the vehicle, it came with no keys at all so i went to Lexus dealership and had them cut a new master key from the VIN. When I returned to vehicle with new key from Lexus, I used Techstream to "Key Code Reset" so my new master key would be registered into ECU. When i inserted kjey, security light went off when key is inserted and I assumed everything was good. Now I am becoming to think that has something to do with my problem because i get same result with the junk yard ECU. Car cranks but does not start.

If anybody has any experience with Techstream and ECU swapping, please explain.

I am getting another fuel pressure gauge today to try and test for fuel pressure just so I can cross it off the list of possible reasons the car wont start and will report back here with any new info. Thanks

dwoods801

I think your getting a little a head of yourself on a few things. One of your original posts said that the security light was off when your turned the key to the on position? If it’s flashing, that’s an issue, if it’s flashing until u turn the key, your good.
And your inline spark plug test showed you were getting power to the coil, so the ignitor is probably ok. Also, even though the coil packs had been removed, that could be for many reasons. I would assume that no more than 2 could possibly be bad, if any. And even if 2 were bad, it should still fire up.
You need to focus on the basic and narrow down the problem to fuel or spark. And then figure out why. The ecu would be one of the last things I replaced in this situation. If it’s cranking and you can hear the fuel pump, I would bet your key needs to be programmed again, the light to the left of the steering wheel is the first thing you want to cross off your list, I believe it cuts power to the fuel pump when you start cranking it over, If the ecu doesn’t recognize the key.

locoryan

The reason i tried switching out the ECU was because i have verified the car has spark, fuel pump is engaging, compression looks good, timing is good, and the security light turns off when key is inserted into ignition. You said in your reply that the ECU would be one of the last things you would replace. I feel the same way and it is one of the last things i had to replace. I already replaced spark plugs, coils, spark plug wires, fuel pump, battery, ignitor, and now ECU.

dwoods801

My mistake, the way this thread read it sounded like u were getting ahead of yourself. I just reread everything and still think it’s more likely a fuel issue. Even if multiple sensors weren’t connected, I can see it still starting up, but running poorly in open loop. Have you had any luck confirming that fuel is reaching the cylinders? The new fuel pump? Was it GS300 specific? A few people in the past purchased generic pumps cause they look pretty much identical, except for the output on the pump is a different style. So it turns on but doesn’t built any pressure in the fuel system. And can be difficult to diagnose.
My car has left me scratching my head a few times and I have become pretty good using the Advanced Search feature to dig through all the old threads. After 23 years, it would seem any possible problem has already come up, and been solved. And I love it when I find the solution to my problem without having to throw parts at my car to no avail. So even though it can bale time consuming and tedious, all the old threads can be a very valuable tool to have available. Good luck, and once you get it figured out, let us know what was the culprit and solution.