On May 27, 2003, I started to have a problem with my 2001 Lexus RX300. I'm trying to find the likely cause of the problem.
I drive to Canada frequently and right now I have about 72000 miles on the vehicle. Then it was probably lower than 60000. I get all the proper service.
That day in May, I filled up with gas at the border of New York and drove south to Gibson PA, just south of the NY/PA line. About 300 miles. I stopped at an Exxon station and filled up, went in to the bathroom and came back out and started the vehicle. It started up and immediately died out again. I tried over and over to get it going.
I kept my left foot on the brake and my right on the gas and it would stay on as long as I kept the speed above idle. But it seemed very dangerous to drive far that way so I called Lexus Roadside Assistance. They had me towed from Gibson to a dealership in Wilkes-Barre, a distance of about 50 miles. When the tow driver took the vehicle off the truck, it started right up and stayed on. The dealership checked the computer, and there were no codes present. I drove the rest of the way home without incident.
A month later, on my way to Canada again, it happened again after only 60 miles. This time I turned around and went home (left foot brake, right gas). The next morning I took it to another dealership service and they cleaned the "Idle Control" and did a "Fuel Induction". They said the Idle Control whatever had some carbon buildup.
Since then, it has happened to me at least four times. The last time I drove away again, and everytime I had to stop for the next 150 miles, it happened. Then when I pulled into my driveway in Canada, it was fine.
One other piece of input is that about 3-4 weeks before the first incident, I was at a complete stop when I was rear-ended by an Old Town Trolley with a cow catcher on the front. It was a pretty solid impact, but none of the four people in the car were injured and the damage seems to have been only to the rear bumper. I got an appraisal for repairs and I had the service department at the dealership examine the car underneath, but they say there was no damage under there.
It's driving me nuts, so any help will be appreciated.
