ChrisStrait

I got the car running a couple of days ago I replaced the rotor cap and put a new distributor cap on as well; it started right up! The contacts on the rotor were worn down and burnt out. Plus some of the contacts in the distributor cap were corroded. Thanks to everyone on this board who took the time to opine. One more happy Lexus owner is back on the road.

Tralhed was right. I got the car running today I replaced the rotor cap and put a new distributor cap on as well; it started right up! The contacts on the rotor were worn down and burnt out. Plus some of the contacts in the distributor cap were corroded. Tralhed's suggestion was also confirmed by the son of friend who is a senior mechanic at the local Lexus dealership. Now interestingly my stepbrother who is a mechanic at the local Humvee dealership thought the timing belt was broke. I don't think he heard me when I said the spark plugs were getting spark. Thanks to everyone on this board who took the time to opine. One more happy Lexus owner is back on the road.

I appreciate all of the good suggestions on which everyone has elaborated here. To skperformance: No, I have never noticed any weird sounds coming from the left side while trying to start the engine. To skperformance & howie: I haven't checked the belt. I assume you are referring to the timing belt? I also haven't checked yet to see if the valves are opening and closing. The local Lexus shop charges $88 for a diagnostic test and estimate. My next step will probably be to take it in to see what's wrong. However that may be a while. I just started a new job and it's going to take a few weeks before my paychecks catch up enough to have the extra money. I do promise to post a resolution on what I found or didn't find as soon as possible. The car belongs to my wife, however we are going through a divorce. So as one can imagine I am not in a big hurry to get it fixed nor to spend a lot of money trying to get it fixed But the car is in good condition and I am getting tired of driving my step-father's '86 Chevy Celebrity

Thanks again for the information. What about a clogged PCV valve? Someone on another Lexus help board suggested if I had a bad PCV valve the vehicle would stall or not start at all. I can't remember if the PCV valve has ever been replaced in the four or so years since we purchased the car.

Thanks everyone for your valuable suggestions. It looks like I will probably be taking the car in to the Lexus Service Center for a diagnostic check, unless someone here would happen to know a reliable and affordable repair shop in the Columbus and Central Ohio area. I will however first check the tubing for any leaks. As for did my wife notice the Check Engine light come on, that's a good question but my wife doesn't remember it coming on. Skperformance, where would I find the crank position sensor? And is that something I could fix myself or would it take the codes being pulled from the ECU to determine that sensor as the culprit? Also I'm not sure I know what you are referring to when you mention a loose harness. Are you talking about the wiring harness? Sorry I have heard the harness term before but I'm not sure exactly what it is. Thanks again.

Thanks for the reply Zeta. The starter does turn but it doesn't make a scratching noise. I have heard the scratching noise of a bad starter on my old Jeep Cherokee but the Lexus starter does turn over and tries to start the engine. No click and just stop either. No strange sounds at all, just the engine trying to turn over but it won't.

I have a '92 Lexus ES300 that won't start. I need some advice on what to do next. The starter will turn the engine over and try to fire. I very recently replaced a defective battery with a new battery. A friend helped me to verify there is spark by pulling a spark plug with the spark plug wire attached while trying to start the engine. I believe the engine is getting fuel because I can start to smell gas after several repeated attempts to start the car. Some background information on the vehicle. The car has high mileage, over 170K miles. The car has been running quite well in spite of its mileage and hasn't had any problems starting. In January of this year the car stopped running all of a sudden while my wife was driving it on her way to work. The car stranded her on the side of the road until it could be towed home where the car has been parked, unable to start ever since then. I checked all the fuses in the main fuse boxes located under the hood near the battery and found them okay. I appreciate any input, tips, advice or troubleshooting techniques you might suggest.

I have a '92 Lexus ES300 that won't start. I need some advice on what to do next. The starter will turn the engine over and try to fire. I very recently replaced a defective battery with a new battery. A friend helped me to verify there is spark by pulling a spark plug with the spark plug wire attached while trying to start the engine. I believe the engine is getting fuel because I can start to smell gas after several repeated attempts to start the car. Some background information on the vehicle. The car has high mileage, over 170K miles. The car has been running quite well in spite of its mileage and hasn't had any problems starting. In January of this year the car stopped running all of a sudden while my wife was driving it on her way to work. The car stranded her on the side of the road until it could be towed home where the car has been parked, unable to start ever since then. I checked all the fuses in the main fuse boxes located under the hood near the battery and found them okay. I appreciate any input, tips, advice or troubleshooting techniques you might suggest.