Vsc Problem & Check Enging Light

[PA350]

All

I drove my 06 350 with 11,800 miles on Saturday about 70 miles and stopped off for a few hours. No problem on the drive. When I went to start the car back up I noticed the rpms going up and down, up and down...between 700 & 1000. I then got a strong wiff of fuel and turned off the car. I check under the hood and car and found nothing unhooked or leaking. I restarted and the smell dissappated, but not the engine rev issue. So I started driving and the car was bucking and not responsive at times. A few miles into my trip the "Check VSC" warning and check enging light came on.

I got the car to a safe spot and parked for night. Next day I drove home (had to)...the rpm issue was gone, but not the idiot lights. Anyone have any experience like this?

I have an appt for service on Thur and in the meantime won't drive the car.

[lambobaby1218]

All

I drove my 06 350 with 11,800 miles on Saturday about 70 miles and stopped off for a few hours. No problem on the drive. When I went to start the car back up I noticed the rpms going up and down, up and down...between 700 & 1000. I then got a strong wiff of fuel and turned off the car. I check under the hood and car and found nothing unhooked or leaking. I restarted and the smell dissappated, but not the engine rev issue. So I started driving and the car was bucking and not responsive at times. A few miles into my trip the "Check VSC" warning and check enging light came on.

I got the car to a safe spot and parked for night. Next day I drove home (had to)...the rpm issue was gone, but not the idiot lights. Anyone have any experience like this?

I have an appt for service on Thur and in the meantime won't drive the car.

Did you find out what the problem was?

[PA350]

Bottom line...No

They did a bunch of diagnostic checks and ended up just resetting the lights. However "too rich mixture or flooding" is a symptom of the lights. Not sure why I had that problem, but it hasn't returned.

Also I was going to get XM put in and turns out that Lexus has stopped offering XM for the '06 (w/o shark fin)...so I'll need to pick a unit up from Sewell and install myself.

[IS250_rookie]

sounds like it could be engine knocking but I'm not an expert, just assuming.

[PA350]

sounds like it could be engine knocking but I'm not an expert, just assuming.

The engine never knocked....I just got a strong fuel smell upon starting up, then for about 30min car had erratic idle revving...lights came on, then problem went away. Who knows, but I'll keep an eye (and nose) on it.

[smooth1]

You may have had some water in your fuel tank. I would get some water remover and throw a bottle of Techron in there just as a safe and inexpensive option.

[PA350]

You may have had some water in your fuel tank. I would get some water remover and throw a bottle of Techron in there just as a safe and inexpensive option.

Great suggestion...will do first thing tomorrow!!

[vidager]

I've had a similar problem 4 times with my 2007 IS 250 AWD. Each time it has happened for me, I hear the engine missing a few times, then VSC lights pop on and the car loses power. After the first three times I took it to the dealer and they had it a couple days. They said the log just showed that one cylinder missfired, so the car shut it down. In the end they claimed it was just bad gas. Sounds like the standard excuse to me, but maybe they're right. I only use premium fueld, of course, and 95% of my fill ups for 2 years have been at Costco. The dealer blamed it on Costco and said to use Cheveron. However, I never had problems with Costco for 2 years, so unless something just went bad with their fuel, then it's not the problem.

Anyway, I just got it a fourth time today. I'm going to call the dealer and find out if it's the same cylinder that missfired the three times before. If it's the same one, they can't use the gas excuse. If it was a different cylinder then I'm going to try Cheveron for a month or two and see what happens.

[250is2109327]

I've had a similar problem 4 times with my 2007 IS 250 AWD. Each time it has happened for me, I hear the engine missing a few times, then VSC lights pop on and the car loses power. After the first three times I took it to the dealer and they had it a couple days. They said the log just showed that one cylinder missfired, so the car shut it down. In the end they claimed it was just bad gas. Sounds like the standard excuse to me, but maybe they're right. I only use premium fueld, of course, and 95% of my fill ups for 2 years have been at Costco. The dealer blamed it on Costco and said to use Cheveron. However, I never had problems with Costco for 2 years, so unless something just went bad with their fuel, then it's not the problem.

Anyway, I just got it a fourth time today. I'm going to call the dealer and find out if it's the same cylinder that missfired the three times before. If it's the same one, they can't use the gas excuse. If it was a different cylinder then I'm going to try Cheveron for a month or two and see what happens.

2007 IS250

I am in the midst of my second round of this problem. I've been informed this time (the second at about 9800 miles) that fuel is getting into the oil, causing the oil to thin and set off the engine light. The first time this happened, they changed the oil and sent me on my way with no real explanation (at around 3000 miles). I'm told that the short-term solution is changing the oil (I had my last change about 1200 miles ago). I'm also told that it is safe to drive the car and no damage will be done, which I am struggling to trust at this point. My car has been with my dealership since Friday, it is now Wednesday, and I have yet to pick it up because I've asked for a written explanation of the problem before I do. They said that Lexus is working on a permanent "fix". Obviously, I am concerned...anyone else hearing the same???