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Pipe in engine bay glowing red hot! Scary, need your help
Hi all,
So I was driving my 2001 Lexus ES300 today and put gas in the car. A little while later while at a stop or low RPMs, the car would sputter like crazy, nearly stalling out. Then the check engine light came on. I don't have access to an OBD2 scanner for a few days, btw.
I drove straight home and popped the hood to find that a metal piece (shown in the picture) was glowing red from heat! I've searched everywhere and in diagrams but can't find what this piece is called, and thus can't even attempt to diagnose or guess what the problem could be. Does anyone have an idea what this piece is called and why one would be so hot that it would glow red and the car would be sputtering?? I'm worried to continue driving it at all obviously until it's fixed...thanks in advance!
arrow pointing to the metal piece glowing red from heat
That is your Bank 2 Catalytic Converter. If it's glowing red, that means that there is some serious issues with your engine.
1. You could have a stuck open fuel injector that is dumping fuel into the exhaust and destroying your catalytic converter
2. Your honeycomb inside the catalytic converter has collapsed and blocked off the exhaust pipe, which in turn created excessive temperatures inside the cat.
First things first, get the OBD2 code ASAP and don't drive the car until it's fixed.
You can get a scanner for free to use at any NAPA, O'Reillys, etc. major auto parts store. They will take an ID and credit card and then refund it when you return it.
You can get a scanner for free to use at any NAPA, O'Reillys, etc. major auto parts store. They will take an ID and credit card and then refund it when you return it.
Correction. You can't get one for free.
You can borrow one with deposit.
Some shops will scan if for free....
I freaked out and tried to search, and you guys responded so quickly, what a great community
The car hasn't been driven and won't be until it's fixed. I have never used any kind of fuel injector cleaners or other foreign liquids like that (that's a good question, Need4Speed, and from everything I've read I stay away from that stuff), and I only put in Plus-type gasoline or premium, never the 87 octane.
I had all spark plugs changed last year and did the front and had the front and rear valve cover gaskets changed early this year to keep on top of all regular maintenance (treating this car like a baby to last forever hopefully).
My OBD2 scanner arrives tomorrow - in CA we can't just go to autozone to scan it unfortunately so I'll have to just get it in to a shop nearby asap and have it checked out.
Correction. You can't get one for free.
You can borrow one with deposit.
Some shops will scan if for free....
K. Please read my post; I never said you could get one for free. 'free to USE.'
Reading is fundamental.
OP - you have options for affordable aftermarket cats for these, so don't panic. RockAuto is a good source, 5% coupon (google for the code) will offset shipping, too.
How often should you check for a glow under the hood?
Apparently when the car shakes at idle like you're in an earthquake!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, and the advice on the cat. I read the codes and was getting random misfires on cylinders 2, 4, and 6 and a P1354 [Variable valve timing system]. Wouldn't think all 3 cylinders would mess up at the same time, so I ended up replacing the VVT Sensinoid on bank 2 (left / front). Cleared the codes and going to test drive it around noon Wed to see how it goes; here's hoping that's all it was and it won't throw more errors...and hopefully I parked it soon enought that the cat didn't suffer damage! Will report an update in the next few days after enough mileage to test it out! DIY style
Wouldn't think all 3 cylinders would mess up at the same time,
There are MANY reasons a whole bank will fail. It is best to think of systems and how they work, not massive exclusion of reasons.
If the bank2 VVT solenoid cured you, to me it raises big questions;:
a) your engine is sludged
b) get on a de-sludging plan pronto
c) pull and clear the OCV filters.
d) pull and clean the solenoids of the VVT system.
I've opened a few 1MZ-FE engines OCV's, all maintained well. No problems. Your's sounds hideous.
My recommendation:
1) check oil level. Add ATF until full, or 1/2 qt.over. Run it 50 miles.
2) drain and fill w/pure synthetic. I prefer Mobile 1 HM 5w-30. It is perfect for this engine.
3) Run that 5k miles, then 7.5k miles per change after that with a good filter.
Just curious, is the ATF fluid used to de-sludge the engine? Any chance of damaging the seals?
Not necessarily de-"sludge," but indeed clean varnish and suspend and remove elements oil does not. If you have a sludged engine, it will help. if I had a sludged engine I would run 2k short changes with Chevron Delvac or another very god HDEO for two or three oci's, but then go to synthetic.
ATF won't damage seals, but if you have bad seals that are being kept intact by contaminants, there is the risk it will remove the contaminants and expose pre-existing bad seals. Personally I'd rather do that and find the bad seal and fix than have it lurk and later throw off sludge that will clog something.
I have used the technique (brief 1/2 day, 50 or so mile run of ATF) on many engines for years and never led to a seal leaking. My dad and other professional mechanics have used it for 50 years or more and it works well. It is a proven technique on good engines, but if I had a seriously suspect engine/leaking engine that I was not interested in maintaining properly, I would hesitate to do it.
I recently started using high quality synthetics for the same purpose (Mobile 1, Pennzoil Platinum) and feel they do the job more gently and are the right move for this purpose in general. I am very "sold" on Mobil 1 5w-30 High Mileage for both cleaning and general engine health. Have moved two vehicles to it with great results - especially our 200K+ ES300 - it now runs even quieter than before, is peppier. Engine is getting cleaner (visualized through valve cover as well as what comes out through oil), no oil burning or leaks.
There are MANY reasons a whole bank will fail. It is best to think of systems and how they work, not massive exclusion of reasons.
If the bank2 VVT solenoid cured you, to me it raises big questions;:
a) your engine is sludged
b) get on a de-sludging plan pronto
c) pull and clear the OCV filters.
d) pull and clean the solenoids of the VVT system.
I've opened a few 1MZ-FE engines OCV's, all maintained well. No problems. Your's sounds hideous.
My recommendation:
1) check oil level. Add ATF until full, or 1/2 qt.over. Run it 50 miles.
2) drain and fill w/pure synthetic. I prefer Mobile 1 HM 5w-30. It is perfect for this engine.
3) Run that 5k miles, then 7.5k miles per change after that with a good filter.
\
Great idea, and your expertise is appreciated. Now's a perfect time to use the ATF as I'm approaching an oil change soon. (By ATF do you mean Automatic Transmission Fluid btw? Want to confirm as it sounds strange to me). I did switch to synthetic (Valvoline SynPower Full Synthetic 5w30) about 4 months ago.
Question on the sludge: I have no idea what was actually done at the shop when they had may car early this year obviously, but I did have my valve cover gaskets done. When they did them they put it back together with a bad torque and I had to have them re-do it the very next day at which time they cleaned it all and re-did the maintenance with proper torque, etc. Basically the job was done right and everything cleaned.
Questions are:
Would that cleaning not have removed sludge at that time?
Would the sludge have happened since then?
What causes it to get sludged up so that I can prevent that in the future?
Reason that I am saying that is that the Mechanic that changed your valve cover gaskets would have noticed any abnormal sludge as soon as he removed the valve covers, and would have mentioned it to you.
With all due respect to Oro and his recomendations re adding ATF fluid to clean the engine, it's an old wifes tale without any scientific proof. Synthetic oil will do it much more gently and safely. It's also not recomended by ANY car maker.
11-24-14, 08:21 PM
Pipe in engine bay glowing red hot! Scary, need your help
