amf1932

I was driving into NYC from Stonybrook, Long Island, and the closer I came to the big city, the worse the traffic became. I'd like to pose a question about the electronic throttle. If the engine is idling in neutral and you quickly mash down the gas pedal, the throttle response is immediate and the RPM rises very quickly, so why should it make a difference when it's in gear? I would expect a hesitation in neutral as well as when it's in gear. See what I'm getting at?

UPDATE This is the situation, and my feelings after driving my '03ES for about 2000 miles after the latest ECM flash. I'm really not as happy as I was when it was first done. It all comes down to a trade-off that the Lexus technician's did to try to improve the shifting quality. Today, I was driving on a parkway for hours in stop & go traffic, and instead of the hesitation and lurching happening at about 5mph, it now happens at about 20mph......plus there is a slight clunking when decelerating(downshifting) that I never felt before this ECM flash. Also, I don't like the shift points when accelerating normally.....they're much too high, and I think the fuel economy has to suffer because of this higher engine RPM. I feel that the car will no longer achieve 'ULEV' status! I don't think that Lexus can undo this last flash, and I reached a point where I'm ready to get rid of this car, even though I'm happy about everything else. This is my 3rd. ES and I was 100% pleased with my '91 and '94 models. The BIG problem I'm having is to find another car that is as good as a Lexus. I know I have to calm down after this horrific traffic today, but the thought of having to live with this type of crappy performance in the future is driving me crazy! Any suggestions without anybody telling me it's because of the electronic throttle, I'll be all ears. :cries:

No, it was the mafunction indicator light and it went off yesterday so I canceled the appointment. Had oil changed at 5,000 miles. ← I made this post awhile back. It refers to a malfunctioning indicator light that happened to my car ONCE, and never again, so it was probably a fluke like you experienced. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...wtopic=7583&hl=

Good luck with your new springs. How has this affected the ride quality? Any bottoming out or tires rubbing when you make fast turns?

Why bother trying to trouble shoot this problem yourself.......bring it over to your friendly Lexus dealer and let them worry about it......it's a free warranty repair. :)

Don't hold your breath. LOL :D

2001 LS430 ;) ← That's what I like......alert members! LOL :D Although 2001 LS400's were sold in different parts of the world.....maybe not in the USA.

I did a lot of thinking about this, so here is my deduction Watson. You mentioned that you had 5 people in your car the other day, so while you weren't looking, one of the passengers opened the door with enough force to spring the rear door hinge, or make this hinge shift position slightly. This would now make a slight misalignment on the striker plate, just enough to hear that metallic sound when closing the door. It was now so slight that visually you couldn't see this misalignment. Possibly, in your cars assembly at the factory this hinge wasn't tightened up to the proper torque causing it to shift position fairly easy. What do you think?

The chunkiness was apparent on mine at first too but its gotten much better. I agree its still not "perfect" but its much better now and no longer unsafe. ← I have the same feelings as SWO3ES. It's a helluva lot better then it ever was, so at this point I guess I'm as happy as I'll ever expect to be. :)

Hmm.......I guess that I'm the only one that is happy with my Bridgestone's on my '03ES. :( So far I have about 14K miles on these tires, and the tread looks excellent, and they're really very quiet and smooth rolling. The wet & dry traction is also very good. Believe it or not, my '94ES came equipped with Michelin tires, and I wasn't that impressed with the tread life, noise, and traction. In fact at 30K miles I changed them to Pirelli P6000 tires which in my opinion were better all around.

The ECM is programmed to delay the shifting until the engine & transmission is up to the proper operating temperature, so I suggest trying to let it warm up enough so the temperature gauge reads above the cold mark(not necessarily up to the full temp reading), and then retry this test when coming out of your driveway. You should find that it will now upshift to the next higher gear more quickly. This new reflash gives you better control of this upshifting. If while accelerating from a slow speed, you take your foot off the accelerator pedal slightly it will give you this upshift immediately. Before this new ECM update the transmission did not give you the desired response. Please keep us informed. :)

It's a known fact that when you trade in a car you never get as much $ as when selling it privately. The downside of selling it privately is the hassle of cleaning up the car, advertising it, and waiting for potential customers.....in general a lot of time you spend doing all this. Try Edmunds to get an approximate value of your car> www.edmunds.com

You guys are mixing up the Research Octane Number with the Octane rating. They're two different numbers! When you go to a gas station the only thing displayed on the pump is the "Octane Rating", NOT the "Research Octane Number". This is taken right out of my 2003 ES Lexus Handbook:

Some types of reprogramming has to be done by your Lexus dealer. They have the complete list of what can be changed from the default settings as they were when the car came from the factory.

The Lexus dealer should have a history of all the work done on your CPO ES. Ask the dealer to look it up on their computer, In fact it doesn't matter what Lexus dealer you go to.......they all have this information.

The main question is, did Lexus charge you anything for the repair?

SW03ES will like this. http://1010wins.com/topstories/local_story_160132815.html

I'm probably the oldest guy on this board......73 !!! I've owned about 48 automobiles and motorcycles starting with a "1929 Ford Model A Roadster". In my younger working years I worked as an auto and truck mechanic for Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, plus did heavy engine rebuilding for private contractors. I was a charter member of the Long Island Timing Association that set up, drag racing strips(legal- with the blessing of the local Police Departments), customizing, auto shows & meets, etc. Retired now. I was a color photographer and scanner operator. I did beta testing for Eastman Kodak, Dupont, Fuji and other various manufacturers for their photofilm products. Worked also as a consultant for graphic arts companies using new techniques in photo reproduction. I'm now still involved with, helping my son restore his "1967 Cadillac Deville Convertible", keeping up with the newest electronic technologies(HDTV - Home Theater - Computers - whatever). Finally, enjoying my ES300, travelling around the US and Canada, plus flying all over the world. It's nice to be retired. :D

I disagree with this statement! The following text is taken from a British Company that does re-manufacturing of brake rotors:

No......the ignition switch is a different part. I guess I was wrong. Anyway, I'm glad it was repaired. :)

....and don't forget, DON'T paint the surface of the rotor that the pads contact. :P <_< :P <_<

I use Bon Ami Cleanser first, and then give the windshield a coating of RainX. This lasts for many months and like SK said.....it's great, and I very rarely need the wipers......the rain just flows right off. :D

One other test that I thought of: Turn on the dome light, then turn on the ignition switch and then turn the key further, as if you want to start the engine. If the dome light dims then you know current is flowing through the ignition switch. If the dome light doesn't dim then the circuit is not being completed and once again the problem points to the ignition switch.

If you didn't have to add water before the flush, then you possibly had a lot of air trapped inside the engine block after the coolant change. Actually, Toyota has a procedure to minimize these air pockets from forming by also turning up the heater controls to maximum and add a 50-50 mixture of water and antifreeze to the radiator until it's full. Then add coolant to the lower mark on the overflow bottle. Leave off the radiator cap and run the engine until the thermostat opens(upper radiator hose becomes hot). Turn off the engine and let it cool. Add more coolant mixture to bring the level back up to the lip on the radiator filler neck. Squeeze the upper hose to expel air, then add more coolant mixture if necessary. Replace the radiator cap. Make sure the level in the overflow bottle is above the low mark. Check for leaks.

After reading your description, I suspect that the ignition switch could be causing your problem. The internal contacts could be intermittent. Was this ever checked out?