Seems Like Engine Miss At 40-50 Mph

[2bhumbl]

Hello All,

I have a 1997 ES300 with 150K miles on it. Great car and runs good. Recently, a strange symptom has begun. In the 40-50 MPH range the car seems to have a miss. You can feel the hesitation or "studder". Had the plugs and wires changed 20K miles ago. Had the plugs re-checked and all is OK. No CEL or error codes are being thrown. Other thoughts I had on this problem was the possibility of the transmission slipping at the speed(s) I indicated or even something with the ABS system. Sometimes I'll swear the brakes are being lightly applied. Again no ABS lights or codes either. Had the brakes done (all 4) withing the last 7K miles.

I am just baffled. The car idles fine. Accelerates fine. Just this wierd "engine miss" feeling at 40-50 MPH. Above 50 MPH I may feel this "miss" sometimes but now I think it is in my head.

Anyone else have or had this strange symptom? I appreciate your feedback!

Barry

[jragosta]

Hello All,

I have a 1997 ES300 with 150K miles on it. Great car and runs good. Recently, a strange symptom has begun. In the 40-50 MPH range the car seems to have a miss. You can feel the hesitation or "studder". Had the plugs and wires changed 20K miles ago. Had the plugs re-checked and all is OK. No CEL or error codes are being thrown. Other thoughts I had on this problem was the possibility of the transmission slipping at the speed(s) I indicated or even something with the ABS system. Sometimes I'll swear the brakes are being lightly applied. Again no ABS lights or codes either. Had the brakes done (all 4) withing the last 7K miles.

I am just baffled. The car idles fine. Accelerates fine. Just this wierd "engine miss" feeling at 40-50 MPH. Above 50 MPH I may feel this "miss" sometimes but now I think it is in my head.

Anyone else have or had this strange symptom? I appreciate your feedback!

Barry

I'm not much of an expert, but is it fuel-starved? Would a plugged fuel filter or a pump putting out too little pressure cause that kind of stutter?

Personally, I'd expect it to be worse at higher speeds, but you never know.

Oh, you might also check the fuel injectors.

One last possibility - did you replace the distributor cap when you replaced the plug wires?

As you can tell, I don't have any idea, but those are things I'd check out if it were mine.

[SKperformance]

No distributer cap or wires on the front of a 97

Does it miss at that speed even if you press the gas pedal a little more?

[2bhumbl]

Thanks for your replies.....jragosta - I had the injectors cleaned at the same time the plugs and wires were replaced. I have thought about maybe it being a pump issue as well. I don't think the 97 has a distributor cap but a coil pack.

skperformance - This is what is strange. If I press the gas at that speed when it happens there is NO miss.

When this first started I thought it was some bad gas. The shop I go to thinks this. They put some additive in the tank. It seemed to get better but it still happens. I am on my second tank of gas since this began. I guess I'll just have to be patient and see what happens. One would think that CEL lights or codes would be thrown on an engine miss.

[jragosta]

Thanks for your replies.....jragosta - I had the injectors cleaned at the same time the plugs and wires were replaced. I have thought about maybe it being a pump issue as well. I don't think the 97 has a distributor cap but a coil pack.

skperformance - This is what is strange. If I press the gas at that speed when it happens there is NO miss.

When this first started I thought it was some bad gas. The shop I go to thinks this. They put some additive in the tank. It seemed to get better but it still happens. I am on my second tank of gas since this began. I guess I'll just have to be patient and see what happens. One would think that CEL lights or codes would be thrown on an engine miss.

If an additive helped, they may be right about the gas.

If you have a significant amount of water in the tank, it could easily take several tankfuls to clear it out - even with additive.

I'd keep adding gas additive for a couple of tanks to see if that continues to improve things. It's certainly the least expensive thing you can do (other than ignoring it).

[Laberty]

i had noticed the same thing in my 2000 es but it comes and goes, i think this guy had the same problem too and this is what fixed it for him. I think this is the same thing that you are experiencing too.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...howtopic=13363&

[2bhumbl]

Hey Laberty......................thanks for this link. This sounds exactly like my problem. I'll follow-up on this. Thanks again!!!!!

[Laberty]

No problem, that's what this internet thing is good for i guess. Please let me know if it was the same thing that had to be fixed for you. Because if it is, then i might have to do the same and maybe lexus should know about this, if they don't already but aren't saying anything... anyways.. let me know...

[SKperformance]

ok , by golly ,i think i got it.

If the problem is pretty consistant at a certain speed it is more than likely a cruising speed,correct?

I would think the gas is fine or it would be consistant across the board for issues.

Since the 97 and up is common to be found with egr iacv carbon build up , i would suggest cleaning the egr as it is built up with carbon and is sticking causing the hesistation stalling sensation as it unsticks again.

try it and let me know, you can replace it but it is usually easy enough to clean.

btw do you have any hot restart issues?

[2bhumbl]

I am currently looking at replacing the EGR Valve. Have not done it yet! If I can clean it.....how is this done? The EGR Valve looks like a small bowl with a cover on it......right? Any pics and description of the cleaning method?? Looks like the valve can cost up to $150.

I used to have hot restart issues. But the throttle body was cleaned and that really helped. Sounds like you are suggesting the EGR Valve could be responsible for hot restart issues as well?

Thanks guys for your help!

Barry

[SKperformance]

Not saying it has anything to do with the restart issue but it is beside the throttle plate and iacv ,so if they are pluggged with carbon then so is your egr.

[bobsobi]

When I first got my 1999 ES (after having a 1995 Camry SE) I noticed a faint wobble or hesitation at around 45mph once the transmission OD locked up. It was like I was on uneven pavement, but it was on roads I knew to be smooth. At highway speeds around 70 mph, I also noticed a very slight vibration in the wheel. I was a bit annoyed as the Camry had always been absolutely glass-smooth under the same conditions.

I first thought it was possibly an out-of-round tire. But after having a mechanic friend verify the tires were all perfect, I returned to the dealer. After driving two other ESs with roughly the same mileage as mine (~1200 mi), it became evident that the ES transmission was not the same as the Camry's - here's one case where I wish it was just a gussied-up Camry!

The upshot: the Service Manager apologized and said that it was an "operating characteristic" of the transmission. I have since gotten used to it, as there are so many other things about the car that I love!

[2bhumbl]

Our 97 Es300 has never had this symptom until just recently. So, that is why it is so noticable. Last week I ordered a new EGR Valve. It should be here any day now. As soon as I install it (or have it installed) I'll update this thread to let everybody know how it worked out. BTW, it is still doing this 'miss' between 40-50mph. Some days are better than others. Can't wait to get the part.

[Thienn]

The previous owner of my car (1996 SC400) had the same problem and it turned out to be the injectors! It cost him a bundle to replace them; they found one initially but then all 8 had to be replaced shortly after. I think you should have the dealer (or reliable mechanic) check this out! Sorry for the bad news:-(

[SKperformance]

different enginewhile the 1mz is a common problem for throttle carbon build up causing all sorts of problems

[2bhumbl]

Finally had the new EGR Valve put on yesterday (10/18) and all is fine and much better now. No more miss, hesitation, or surging. The car is back to normal now.

Thanks to everyone for your input on this!

[steviej]

without trying to seem like I am prying into personal finances,

I am curious to what the dealer charged for parts and labor to change out an EGR.

steviej

[2bhumbl]

steviej,

Bought the EGR Valve on the internet for $130. Had it installed at a place we get our cars serviced for $44.

Dealers want approx $400. to do this job including the part. Way too much.

[steviej]

ty!!!!

[alhale]

ty!!!!

←

Has anyone had any luck "Cleaning" their EGR valve? If so..any hints or tips?

I also have the surging problem on my 97.

[TyofWa]

I had this similar thing happen on my 1995 lexus ES. We were able to get it remedied by replacing the crankcase position sensor. It turns out that a leaky water pump was dripping water on that sensor, and creating a voltage anomoly which only surfaced when we would rev the engine past 4K.

Hope that helps!

/Ty