midnightz

Yes, I do, but it's alot of work for most people. You'll need to start with connecting a volt/ampere tester to the battery terminals. Makes sure all lights and accessories are Off and transmission in Park.

Turn and hold ignition switch in Start position. then Read your tester.

If the voltage reads 12.4 volts or greater and amperage reads 0-10 amps, then you'll need to do a starter control test.

Connect positive voltmeter lead to starter motor housing and negative lead to battery negative terminal. Now turn and hold the ignition switch in Start position. If voltage reads above .2 volt, correct poor starter to engine ground.

Connect positive voltmeter lead to positive battery terminal and negative lead to battery cable terminal on starter solenoid. Rotate and hold ignition switch in Start position. If voltage reads above .2 volt, correct poor contact at battery cable to solenoid connection. If reading is still above .2 volt, replace positive battery cable.

If resistance tests detect no feed circuit failures, replace starter motor.

Starter Solenoid Test

Connect heavy jumper wire on starter relay between battery and solenoid terminals. If engine cranks, perform starter relay test.

If engine does not crank or solenoid chatters, check wiring and connectors from relay to starter for loose or corroded connections.

Repeat test and, if engine still does not crank properly, repair or replace starter as necessary.

Starter Relay Test

Place transmission in Park.

Apply parking brake.

Check for battery voltage between starter relay battery terminal and ground.

Connect jumper wire on starter relay between battery and ignition terminals.

If engine does not crank, connect a second jumper wire to starter relay between ground terminal and good ground and repeat test.

If engine cranks in step 3, transmission linkage is misadjusted or neutral safety switch is defective.

If engine does not crank in step 3, starter relay is defective.

Wow - Smooth1 - that was what I was looking for - Thank You Sir!

I didn't realize that I had to perform numerous steps but it's all understandable.

Now if I can just make sure that my Kaiser Health Insurance Card is nearby in case something happens to me when performing these tests..... :)

Oh yeah...If they come back on I will go down to Auto Zone and get the code for you guys.

I appreciate your help...We really love this vehicle!

Hal

Well - That's both good and bad.

Good - because you think you got rid of your problem.

Bad - because now you would not know what the true reason was why your Check Engine Light came on in the 1st place.

If there is a definite prob. your Check Engine Light will come back on in about 10 miles.

Pulling fuse will reset the Check Light but will not fix the problem - if there is one.

When your ECU detects a lean/rich condition it will disable your TRAC/VSC/Check Engine Light again.

Now more than ever is when you would need to put more quality fuel into your RX since your problem/s may possibly be caused by poor engine injection/combustion. You may now need to buy fuel injector treatments to flush out those gum and varnish that have accumulated and clogging up your injection system producing lower gas mileage and poor performance.

FYI - it's possible that if and when the CEL comes back on it may disable your Over-Drive and put your RX into limp/safe mode. That means that if you get caught far away from home - you may have to "limp" home - or tow.

Be Safe and Drive Safely.

Bump!

Sorry for the bump :( but I needed to know how I can test if the Starter and/or Solenoid is working on my 2002 RX-300?

Does anybody here know how to test if the part/s are dying?

Any Symptoms?

Experiences??

Thanks in advance.

Today the Trac Off/VSC/Check Engine lite came on on my 2003 Rx 300. I saw a previous thread about oxygen sensors. Can anyone give me some advice here (what it is, how to fix, etc.)?

Thanks, Hal

Nashville

Hal,

AutoZone also scans for free. What is the code? P0171 /01 /02 ?

Let us know.

We have a simular problem, we own for many years a RX300 ( year 2000 ), 2WD. Last month the check engine light came on, we own a universal garage so I connected a OBDII scan tool and found code 0171 ( bank 1 lean ) My first thought was : probably a bad oxygen sensor, but I connected a Elmscan interface to my laptop and all voltage readings seemed to be correct. I did reset the OBDII code 0171 and test drove again the car with scantool connected, at that moment the overdrive was working, after a mile the check engine light came on and after 10 seconds the overdrive was gone. I did read the OBDII scantool and again the same 0171. I decided to reset this code again, continued my testdriving and yes at that moment the overdrive was working, but after one or two miles check engine light came on and overdrive not working anymore. I have been reading on several forums and know I'm not the only one with overdrive problems. I think the problem is not inside the transmission, we did oil changes / oil filter every 30k miles. Could this problem be related to the knock sensors ? Can anyone give me a logical explanation for this ? Andy / Dutch Caribbean.

Hello - I think I know what the prob. is - and the good side is that it'll only cost you less than $5 to fix. The bad side - you're going to have to go in there and do it yourself - but it's very rewarding.

P0171 means your ECU detects engine is running lean - so it compensates by injecting more/less air/fuel mixture and you will notice that your fuel consumption will rise and you may be loosing power right now.

Ofcourse your O/D will not work/engage because your car will be in limp/safe mode to protect itself until prob. detected is fixed and check engine light is out.

Now before you replace sensors and spend $$$ unnecessarily - do this.

Take out/remove your Mass Airflow Sensor that sits in the beginning of your air intake just behind your air filter box.

There are only 2 screws (star) and remove it carefully make sure no dust/debris goes in there.

It is a small cylindrical plastic housing that's black in color and when you look inside there is/are resistors in there that will look grimey/dirty.

Be careful when unplugging the wiring harness and connector that is plugged into it before removal.

Now you would need this $5 part - actually less at Wal-Mart - it is a spray cleaner called Electronic Cleaner in a can. You will find this in the oil/gas additives section of Wal-Mart. Don't get the carb cleaner as this does not dry as fast as the electronic cleaner.

You will use this Electronic cleaner to spray onto those resistors to absorb and clean all that dirt and grime that is covering the resistors.

Let it dry 5-10 minutes then install back.

Now clear your Check Engine error codes with your Scan Tool.

NOw drive it and tell me how it behaves now - you will notice an increase in power.

This MAF normally gets dirty easy and needs to be cleaned a few times a year.

If you take this to the Stealership - they will replace it instead. They won't clean it - why? If they can sell you a part...?..

They are not cheap - maybe $250~$350 plus install ~$150 - but it'll only take you a few minutes to perform.

This will fix your problem unless there's another problem down-stream - if the Check Engine light goes back on again - but I doubt it - because your error code only says P0171 and nothing else - correct?

Also replace your air filter anyway - cheap guarantee - and vacuum the dirt inside your air filter box.

Let us know...

Hello Grumpa72/Gary - Thank you for the reply Sir.

Will the pump cause the car to vibrate? Or is it more of a "surging" feeling when pressurizing the pump?

However the feeling is like as if a small motor is running or spinning and not surging.

It vibrates and will not stop even when left on the 2nd click for a long time. I tried to leave it for about 5 minutes and it continues to spin. I had to shut off for fear of discharging battery.

However at times it will not do it at all. I would turn key on 2nd click and no vibration - nothing - no noise whatsoever - but at times it will vibrate. I do not know how to make it not do it.

Thank you for the reply Sir - I am lost.

I doubt that a fuel pump pressurizing the fuel system would cause anything to vibrate. The fuel pumps I have seen are very small and I just can't imagine that they have the power necessary to do anything like you suggested. Based on your additional information, I think my initial guess must have been wrong. The fuel pumps that I have seen typically run for 2-5 seconds to pressurize the system and will stop until the engine is actually started.

Gary

Gary - thanks for letting me "bounce" my thoughts off you. I appreciate the suggestions.

However - do you happen to know how I can test if my Starter or Solenoid is/is not working?

IS there an easy way to verify - Thank you Sir.

Sounds like it could be a radiator cooling fan. That could give you a vibration.

Karl K - I will look into this tomorrow. Thanks.

I am going to guess that this is your fuel pump, which operates at a much higher pressure than in days of old, pressurizing the fuel rail. The fuel rail is fairly close to the firewall and I know I have heard it on other cars. When I was working on a fuel problem on my Acura, I found out that the fuel pump would pressurize the lines and run for about 2-3 seconds. If the key wasn't turned to "start" then the pump shut down until needed or the key was recycled off and then back to run.

Gary

Hello Grumpa72/Gary - Thank you for the reply Sir.

Will the pump cause the car to vibrate? Or is it more of a "surging" feeling when pressurizing the pump?

However the feeling is like as if a small motor is running or spinning and not surging.

It vibrates and will not stop even when left on the 2nd click for a long time. I tried to leave it for about 5 minutes and it continues to spin. I had to shut off for fear of discharging battery.

However at times it will not do it at all. I would turn key on 2nd click and no vibration - nothing - no noise whatsoever - but at times it will vibrate. I do not know how to make it not do it.

Thank you for the reply Sir - I am lost.

Years ago when my LS400 did "this" I fixed it by having the dealer drain/refill/bleed the brake system.

You can test to see if it is the ABS pumpmotor by pulling the fuse.

Wwest - Thanks for pointing me to a direction that I never looked into - I will do it tomorrow ASAP.

Thanks again for the suggestion!!

I will keep you posted.

Hello All - newbie here so be gentle please. :)

We have a 2002 RX-300 with 91k miles. We have noticed that when inserting the key to start the car we hear a small motor running (not the engine) and can feel vibrations as it spins. This only happens when the key is turned to the 2nd click which is the click right before it actually starts the car which is the 3rd click. Hoping I am making sense.

In going thru the motions of starting the RX - I insert the key in the ignition, then turn to the 1st click which powers radio and ACC, then turned to the 2nd click which lights up the dash and instruments - now in this key position we hear and feel a small motor running/spinning under the hood - even before the engine is started. Then the 3rd click actually starts the car.

The weird part is that it does not happen all the time.

However when it happens it can be duplicated because when it does happen it keeps happening several times before it stops.

I will just turn the key to the 2nd click and feel something running under the hood then turn key back to shut off.

Then turn key again to start and it's still there. I will do this several times until finally I'll drive off.

Then after when I start it again - it's gone.

I turn the key to the 2nd click and now nothing - no noise or anything until key is turned to the 3rd click which actually starts the car.

What do you think is going wrong?

Did not want to post redundant issues but I've searched the Forums and could not find similar problem/s or maybe I just do not know how to call this problem to search.

Do I have a part that is dying or about to die?

Starter? Solenoid?

This Forum is a great resource to all - Thank You in advance!

My best guess would be that you have a failed or failing, intermittently failing, check valve or solenoid valve somewherein the ABS pumpmotor system. It is my understanding that each and every time you first, initially, switch the key into the engine run position the pumpmotor goes into a self-check mode. Once the brake fluid is pumped up to a specified pressure the pumpmotor stops, usually with 2-3 seconds. If you switch the key off and then back on fairly soon the motor should not restart unless the initial fluid pressure has/is bled off.

Hello Wwest - Thank you for replying - nice Porsche!

HOwever the vibration does not stop. I left it for 5 minutes and it continues to spin.

I switch the key off then back on again in about 2 seconds and it will spin/vibrate again and continue to do so until I start the car or just pull the key out.

I really wish it was normal and just some pump motor priming but pumps will not cause the car to vibrate right? - or would it?

Thank you for your help Sir.

I am going to guess that this is your fuel pump, which operates at a much higher pressure than in days of old, pressurizing the fuel rail. The fuel rail is fairly close to the firewall and I know I have heard it on other cars. When I was working on a fuel problem on my Acura, I found out that the fuel pump would pressurize the lines and run for about 2-3 seconds. If the key wasn't turned to "start" then the pump shut down until needed or the key was recycled off and then back to run.

Gary

Hello Grumpa72/Gary - Thank you for the reply Sir.

Will the pump cause the car to vibrate? Or is it more of a "surging" feeling when pressurizing the pump?

However the feeling is like as if a small motor is running or spinning and not surging.

It vibrates and will not stop even when left on the 2nd click for a long time. I tried to leave it for about 5 minutes and it continues to spin. I had to shut off for fear of discharging battery.

However at times it will not do it at all. I would turn key on 2nd click and no vibration - nothing - no noise whatsoever - but at times it will vibrate. I do not know how to make it not do it.

Thank you for the reply Sir - I am lost.

Hello All - newbie here so be gentle please. :)

We have a 2002 RX-300 with 91k miles. We have noticed that when inserting the key to start the car we hear a small motor running (not the engine) and can feel vibrations as it spins. This only happens when the key is turned to the 2nd click which is the click right before it actually starts the car which is the 3rd click. Hoping I am making sense.

In going thru the motions of starting the RX - I insert the key in the ignition, then turn to the 1st click which powers radio and ACC, then turned to the 2nd click which lights up the dash and instruments - now in this key position we hear and feel a small motor running/spinning under the hood - even before the engine is started. Then the 3rd click actually starts the car.

The weird part is that it does not happen all the time.

However when it happens it can be duplicated because when it does happen it keeps happening several times before it stops.

I will just turn the key to the 2nd click and feel something running under the hood then turn key back to shut off.

Then turn key again to start and it's still there. I will do this several times until finally I'll drive off.

Then after when I start it again - it's gone.

I turn the key to the 2nd click and now nothing - no noise or anything until key is turned to the 3rd click which actually starts the car.

What do you think is going wrong?

Did not want to post redundant issues but I've searched the Forums and could not find similar problem/s or maybe I just do not know how to call this problem to search.

Do I have a part that is dying or about to die?

Starter? Solenoid?

This Forum is a great resource to all - Thank You in advance!