Trac Off = Help I'm Lexus Noob

[hern]

Hey all, I have a 99 ES300. So it was Thursday (2 days ago) and I'm driving down the interstate to my interview thinking about how I have to go get my emissions done tonight so I can renew my tag that expires this month. Low and behlow the check engine / TRAC OFF lights come on. I'm not experienced in cars, but I know this is a problem. For a month or two there's been some hesitation/slip feeling occasionally. What can I do to get this fixed while minimizing cost? I don't have $1,000 I can drop on this due to being a broke student.

I know you guys are experts so I wanted to get you input. Thanks for the help! :)

Hern

[Lexusfreak]

Sounds like you should go to Pep Boys or Autozone (Can't remember which one is does the free scan) to scan the codes.......let us know what the code(s) are & we can better help you. B)

[wwest]

The "TRAC-OFF" is a default condition due to any engine diagnostic indication. Your base problem is the engine diagnostic indication. The engine light may have come on due to your failure to follow "proper" gas tank fill-up procedures.

To reduce evaporative fuel emissions the gas tank, fuel system, is kept under a slight vacuum. when you refuel that vacuum is lost but the ECU "sees" the fuel level rise and negates the diagnostic pending the fuel cap being reinstalled and the vacuum level again rising.

The wrong fuel cap, or removal without refueling, or refueling too little for the ECU to detect (poor student), will oftentimes result in an engine diagnostic just a few miles down the road.

[backwoods lex]

You can remove the negative battery cable in order to turn off the light (but you wont know what is wrong). Be prepared because when you get both the trac off and check engine light, the vehicle may go into a limp mode and your car will not go into overdrive. Autozone checks it out for free.

[steviej]

You can remove the negative battery cable in order to turn off the light (but you wont know what is wrong).

disconnecting the battery simply treats the symptom and not the cause.

Get the codes read and follow a diagnostic flowchart to determine the actual cause for the lights. Keep in mind the the code produced may not always be the cause either.

steviej

[wwest]

You can remove the negative battery cable in order to turn off the light (but you wont know what is wrong).

disconnecting the battery simply treats the symptom and not the cause.

Get the codes read and follow a diagnostic flowchart to determine the actual cause for the lights. Keep in mind the the code produced may not always be the cause either.

steviej

But.....

If you disconnect the battery to kill the indication and the indicator doesn't come back on you can pretty much rest assured that whatever problem there was was a transient one. Like maybe an improper gas tank fill procedure.

If it repeats, then worry.

[hern]

Well, it turns out I needed not one but two O2 Sensors and he had to align some kind of trac something that was off. Thanks for all the help gentlemen.