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Hi, I read your post and it sounds similar to the problem I am having. I have a 97 ES300 with about 100,000 miles, and my speedometer, odometer and cruise control are not working for about four months. The Speedometer (analog) shows zero, the Odometer (digital) is not lit and does not show anything, and I have error code P0500. I replaced the speed sensor on the transmission with another one from a junk yard and did not fix the issues, although it could have been a bad sensor... My original speed sensor did not have stripped gear and it seemed ok. A few months back I bought GPS and I was happy that I can read the speed from the GPS so I did not bother to fix the speedometer/odometer/cruise control. Everything else seemed to work properly, and the dashboard seem to have light and work (with the exception of the problems above). Lately, I noticed that when it is colder outside (less than 60 Fahrenheit) and I start the car, it hesitates about 2-5 seconds before going into the first speed or reverse, and does not shift to second until it goes to about 4000 rpm. This shifting problem does not seems to happen when it is warmer outside, or when the engine is warm, or after driving about a minute. I also noticed that if I start the car and wait about 30 seconds before putting in gear the problem does not seem to happen even in the colder weather. I am not sure if the shifting problems are related to the speedometer/odometer/cruise control problems. Are this the same symptoms you had ? Was your speedometer digital and not lit? Kind Regards, Florin

Hi, I read your post and it sounds similar to the problem I am having. I have a 97 ES300 with about 100,000 miles, and my speedometer, odometer and cruise control are not working for about four months. The Speedometer (analog) shows zero, the Odometer (digital) is not lit and does not show anything, and I have error code P0500. I replaced the speed sensor on the transmission with another one from a junk yard and did not fix the issues, although it could have been a bad sensor... A few months back I bought GPS and I was happy that I can read the speed from the GPS so I did not bother to fix the speedometer/odometer/cruise control. Everything else seemed to work properly, and the dashboard seem to have light and work (with the exception of the problems above). Lately, I noticed that when it is colder outside (less than 60 Fahrenheit) and I start the car, it hesitates about 2-5 seconds before going into the first speed or reverse, and does not shift to second until it goes to about 4000 rpm. This shifting problem does not seems to happen when it is warmer outside, or when the engine is warm, or after driving about a minute. I also noticed that if I start the car and wait about 30 seconds before putting in gear the problem does not seem to happen even in the colder weather. I am not sure if the shifting problems are related to the speedometer/odometer/cruise control problems. Are this the same symptoms you had ? Was your speedometer digital and not lit? Kind Regards, Florin

I finally cleaned it myself, and there is no way to clean it without removing it and also removing the throttle body, air filter hose, and couple of other hoses underneath. Since you were charged only $40, it is possible that they only sprayed some throtle body cleaner inside the throttle body. A good clean would take at least two hours... My Lexus dealer charged me $100 just to check and tell me I have a bad O2 sensor, so for cleaning the iac I assume they would charge about $200. I don't think that you need to replace the iac, as this seem to be a solid part with little to break.

Very good wrte up. Did you have any problems after you cleaned the iac and TB ? It seems that cleaning is good enough and there is no need to buy a new iac.

Thanks. The link you attached is very good and clear.

Congratulation... I wish I can say the same in a week... Anyway I have a few questions you might be able to answer: How did you take the IACV connector out ? Did you have to remove the throttle body or you could clean it without removing it ? Did you have to buy any gaskets for the throttle and IACV ? Did you have to remove the solenoid from the IACV ? Thanks

It is not clear to me from the pdf file if the SST 09843-18020 is just a shorting wire or if it has a specific resistance ? This tool is mentioned in other test I need to perform, but do not have the tool...

Do you remember how you cleaned the IACV ? Did you have to take it apart ?

Did you have any luck cleaning the IACV and Throtle body ? I could not even take the IAC connector out and was wondering if there is any trick to it... before I attempt it and brake it... I have a 98 ES 300 with which can not keep idle when starting up and dies immediately unless I press the gas. This happens about once every month or two.

Hi, I was looking for information on how to clean the idle control valve, and found your post. I can see two screws on the side of the icv, but it seems that there are four more screws under it... Can you please help me with a few hints ? If you want you can also email me at ftmail@yahoo.com or call me at 561-212-2739 since I need to do some work on my ES300 and maybe we can learn from each other's mistakes... I have replaced the O2 sensor a few months ago, and everything was ok except that about once a month, the engine starts but it can not keep idle and immediattly dies unless I keep my right foot on the gas pedal.