shickalee

I have a 2000 Lexus ES300 240k miles and the car is in limp mode. I have the following codes and other issues that mechanic pointed out.

Engine Codes:

P0171 - System Lean Bank 1
P0325 - Knock Sensor 1 B1
P0330 - Knock Sensor 2 B2
P1135 - Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor heater circuit B1S1
P1349 - Variable valve timing malfunction B1
P1351 - V V T sensor/cam sensor B2
P1354 - V V T malfunction B2

Pending Codes:

P0300, 301, 305 - cylinder misfires
P0171 System too lean
P1130 Air Fuel ratio sensor B1S1
P1135 Air Fuel ratio sensor B2S1
P1349 VVT

The mechanic advised the following repairs and parts:

- Knock Sensors qty 2, New Harness and Plenum Gasket
- VVT Solenoids qty 2
- Air Fuel ratio sensors - qty 2
- Timing Belt and Water Pump
- New spark plugs and coils

cost with labor and parts approx 3k

I paid for the inspection and picked up the Lexus and have it sitting in my drive pending deciding on what to do about repairs.

My questions:

- Do all the repairs above need to be done?
- would new plugs, coils and possibly injectors clear a lot of these codes?
- one mechanic I talked to said that he recommended replacing the Air Fuel Sensor as that is a sensor that if it reads as bad that it needs to be replaced and that the knock sensors could have dirty screens and then do the maintenance items, plugs, coils, timing belt and water pump.
- at 240k miles would it make sense to invest in a good used Lexus/Avalon engine from $800.00-$1,200.00 with 100k-150k miles instead of investing a lot of money into a 240k mile engine.

I don't have the $ to buy a new car and I don't have 3k readily available to have the shop who inspected fix. I have another mechanic that will allow me to supply parts and also follow instructions on any mods.

Any advise/assistance would be greatly appreciated.

PFB

Short of changing parts randomely, there are just too many codes to make any sense out of this.

Assuming that you have a code reader, or much preferebly a scanner, at this point, if I were you, I would erase all the codes, and see which codes come right back.

Phil

shickalee

Hi Phil, the mechanic is a high end import mechanic that I have used in past with good success but high priced. It was running so rough that I did not want to take it to my standard mechanic that I would use for brakes, starters, etc... knowing that it was going to be very Lexus specific.

LeX2K

If it was me I'd replace the VVT solenoids, clear the codes and go from there.

shickalee

Hey that sounds like a good place to start. To reset the 2000 Lexus ES300 do I just need to disconnect the battery cable. The mechanic as I recall, said that would not work and the codes would be stored in the memory? Even starting with the VVT Solenoids I am concerned the fixes may be extensive. I spoke to a bone yard in CA that said they had an Avalon with less than 50k that was mint. He thought I could just bolt it in and not replace the gaskets, timing belt, water pump, sensors, etc... what do you think of that option vs getting the engine with 240k miles back in good working order?

LeX2K

Be very careful when it comes to used engines. Auto wreckers often make claims about low mileage engines but unless you see the engine in the car and verify the odometer you have no idea if they are being honest. At the very least you should see a compression check being performed. You also have to make sure you get the exact same engine, meaning it uses the same ECU/harness. If you don't, then you could run into all kinds of issues. If the engine is 100% compatible and in good working order then yea it's a good way to go, assuming the engine swap is done without damaging anything.

To clear the codes pull the EFI fuse for a minute or two. Or removing the battery cable will do the same thing.

BTW if you replace the engine you must keep the current ECU in your car. If you don't then your keyless entry will no longer work and the car won't start either due to the security features.

LexusElite

I would clear codes and see what pops up first. That will give you a direction. It could be a simple fix.

shickalee

Ok, if I had the key/chip from the Avalon would there be much benefit to keeping the ECU of the Avalon with 50k miles? What is the desired compression per cylinder on a 2000 Lexus ES300?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Is there a backstory to this? Was there some kind of service performed on the car prior to these codes? How long have you owned this car for?

shickalee

I purchased the car with 160k miles approx 6 years ago. I have not done any sensor replacements other then the Master Air Flow sensor.

shickalee

Just a follow-up, albeit late. I starter with the VVT solenoids and I experienced a significant improvement in performance. I am no longer going into limp mode but still not going into overdrive. I am going to replace the Oxygen sensors next and see if that takes care of my lack of overdrive.

jenga

Check one of the front spark plugs to see how worn they are. The fronts are fairly easy to get to.

shickalee

Would this effect the no overdrive issue? It seems to have the same power as before. Gas mileage however seems to be terrible. I need to calculate to be sure but appears to be like 15-18 mpg which I attributed to the overdrive not working.

shickalee

- I replaced the Master Flow Air Sensor
- Both VVT Solenoids
- Replacing both O2 sensors this week
- I just added Chevron Techron to see if this helps at all with my Knock Sensor codes. I have heard the screens could be dirty or fuel injectors not operating properly which could trigger the Knock codes.

Just went to AutoZone this week and the codes are reading as follows:

- P0125 - Insufficient coolant temperature for closed loop fuel control
- P0325 - Knock Sensor B1
- P0330 - Knock Sensor B2
- P0768 - Shift Solenoid D electrical malfunction - SSV S4

The P0768 code is new. Could this be related to the Knock Sensor codes? I am hoping I don;t have transmission issues pending. Shifts fine other than no overdrive which I previously attributed to the Knock sensors. Any insight would be appreciated.

I also have ABS codes:

- C1241 Power Source Voltage Down
- C1223 Antilock brake system control malfunction

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Check your alternator.