Need Some Suggestions

[Xhadow]

I just purchased a 92 ES 300 with over 200k for $1000 and I was wondering how much it would cost to bring this cars engine back to life. Right now it runs but it hesitates on occasion whenever it does if I shut the car off for 30 seconds and then it runs fine again until the next time. At first I thought it was the tranny but there are no shavings in the transmission pan. then I figured it was the plugs but I changed them and it still hesitates so finally I changed the fuel filter and still no change.

If anyone can help me fix this it would be greatly appreciated. I am willing to take it to a shop (even the dealer) if necessary but I want to try to do it on my own first.

[blk_on_blk]

Man, those are the hardest problems to diagnose: sporadic inconsistent problems that seem to disappear upon restart. It could be so many things... your MAF, a crack/leak in your intake ducting somewhere, your ICV acting up (which just needs cleaning), your CAT saying it's clogged. It's so hard to tell from just knowing that it 'hesitates at times'.

It sounds like your car runs fairly well other than this glitchy problem. For preventative maintenance, I'd clean the ICV (idle control valve... you can find some tutorials here if you search this site) first and see what that does. While you're under the hood, check all your ducting on your intake, make sure everything fits up correctly and there are no crack hose lines. If it's still doing it, you may need a mechanic... a really good insightful mechanic... to help you diagnose the root cause.

Good luck... sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[GDixon]

I had this problem on a Porsche. It turned out to be the fuel pump combined with a dirty fuel filter problem. After the filter was replaced it ran fine for about a week and then the problem reoccurred. Apparently, shutting the car off would allow what pressure there was to send enough fuel to the injectors so the next start would be just fine and it would run for awhile and then start stumbling. The pump could not keep up with the demand.

It could be compared to a water well pump with a holding tank that puts out 3 gpm while the lawn sprinklers demand is 4 gpm. Eventually, it gets to the point where the sprinklers function poorly after seeming to do fine for a time.

Since you have a new fuel filter, check the fuel pump. It will work OK for a while but when it is called on to increase fuel output it can't make enough pressure or deliver enough fuel to keep the car running smoothly. You may have to take it to a shop to have them measure the fuel pump output and pressure.

Nowadays it is impossible to find a cheap fuel pump. A generic one for a 1984 Porsche 944 was $300 so a Lexus pump will probably be as much or more. With the great price on the car it is a fix that is a third the price of the whole package but $1300 is still reasonable. At 200K miles repairs like this have to be expected.

[Xhadow]

Thanks for your suggestions I am going to try the fuel pump because after I bought it the original fuel pump stopped working and the guy I bought it from replaced it for $100 but I am guessing that he put a used fuel pump in and it may be the ultimate cause of my problems. I didn't even think of that until your post!!!

[mypursuit]

I just purchased a 92 ES 300 with over 200k for $1000 and I was wondering how much it would cost to bring this cars engine back to life. Right now it runs but it hesitates on occasion whenever it does if I shut the car off for 30 seconds and then it runs fine again until the next time. At first I thought it was the tranny but there are no shavings in the transmission pan. then I figured it was the plugs but I changed them and it still hesitates so finally I changed the fuel filter and still no change.

If anyone can help me fix this it would be greatly appreciated. I am willing to take it to a shop (even the dealer) if necessary but I want to try to do it on my own first.

\

I had a 92 a few years ago. Very good car. I changed a motor mount and had a problem with hessitation, I called the dealership and they told me to check the air flow pipe that goes from the air filter to the center of engine. It may have small cracks allowing eccess air flow to the engine, it seemed small but sure enough it had a few. I tied a plastic bag from like a department store around it making sure none was hanging to burn or get caught up and that showed me the problem right there. I called lexus and got the part number and guess what the same part from toyota cost considerably less. I hope this helps and a small note: Cross check any parts (by numbers) that you need from lexus with a good toyota dealership and you can keep cost down considerably.