Check Engine/VSC with a bunch of fault codes?!
08-29-15, 06:27 PM
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Check Engine/VSC with a bunch of fault codes?!
Hey everyone,
Long time lurker here at CL, apologies for the massive first post. I picked up a 2007 GS350 AWD with a little under 60K miles a few weeks ago, figured I'd reach out for your valuable advice now that I especially need it.
I've been absolutely loving the car, but noticed the check engine light/check VSC came on this morning on a cold start; it also sounded a bit rough on idle. I have an Android to bluetooth OBDII scan tool for my other cars so I pulled the codes, and it's showing P0300, P1600, P1700, and P1800.
Searched the forums and nothing comes up for those specific codes. But the first couple of things that came up as culprits for check VSC were the gas cap and brake fluid; went out and bought an OEM gas cap and made sure the brake fluid was topped off this afternoon. I reset the faults and drove the car around, but the lights came back on about 15 miles later.
It drives and shifts fine, but I still think it's a bit noisy at idle.
A little background on the car: The previous owner only drove it on weekends and for events here and there, hence the relatively low mileage. The car was sitting in his garage for almost a year before I bought it, he finally got rid of it because he wasn't using it. I grabbed it despite a higher asking price because of the mileage and how clean it looked, but now I'm a bit worried. Is this bad gas? Should I flush all of the fluids? MAF or other sensors? I'm a bit lost.
Planning to bring it in to my trusted indie shop on Monday, but would like to have some sense of direction beforehand. Would really appreciate your insight and or prior experience!
Long time lurker here at CL, apologies for the massive first post. I picked up a 2007 GS350 AWD with a little under 60K miles a few weeks ago, figured I'd reach out for your valuable advice now that I especially need it.
I've been absolutely loving the car, but noticed the check engine light/check VSC came on this morning on a cold start; it also sounded a bit rough on idle. I have an Android to bluetooth OBDII scan tool for my other cars so I pulled the codes, and it's showing P0300, P1600, P1700, and P1800.
Searched the forums and nothing comes up for those specific codes. But the first couple of things that came up as culprits for check VSC were the gas cap and brake fluid; went out and bought an OEM gas cap and made sure the brake fluid was topped off this afternoon. I reset the faults and drove the car around, but the lights came back on about 15 miles later.
It drives and shifts fine, but I still think it's a bit noisy at idle. A little background on the car: The previous owner only drove it on weekends and for events here and there, hence the relatively low mileage. The car was sitting in his garage for almost a year before I bought it, he finally got rid of it because he wasn't using it. I grabbed it despite a higher asking price because of the mileage and how clean it looked, but now I'm a bit worried. Is this bad gas? Should I flush all of the fluids? MAF or other sensors? I'm a bit lost.
Planning to bring it in to my trusted indie shop on Monday, but would like to have some sense of direction beforehand. Would really appreciate your insight and or prior experience!
08-31-15, 09:59 AM
#4
My guess is you have blown fuse(s)/short, check them all. P0300 is misfires, but could also have been due to something shorting. If you find bown fuses and replace them and they blow right away again I bet you have a damaged harness on your ignition system.
09-05-15, 12:46 PM
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Thanks for the reply. I ended up taking it to my indie guy. After pulling the codes, he felt that it's likely 2 crankshaft position sensors that need replacing. I didn't think multiple crank sensors could go bad at once, and that there's probably another explanation, so I took it to my local Toyota dealership where I service one of my other cars.
They pulled the same codes but recommended that I take it to Lexus, as they think engine timing is off and causing the trouble here, not the sensors.
Dropped it off at the Lexus dealership this morning and they said they'll get back to me by the end of the week; they also noted that timing is off, but will be opening it up to find out exactly what the cause is. Hopefully just needs readjustment of the timing chain and nothing more. Like I said before, it drives pretty good, so I'm banking on it not requiring any major components.
A lot of running around, but I have my fingers crossed that it's nothing too serious! Will keep you all posted.
They pulled the same codes but recommended that I take it to Lexus, as they think engine timing is off and causing the trouble here, not the sensors.
Dropped it off at the Lexus dealership this morning and they said they'll get back to me by the end of the week; they also noted that timing is off, but will be opening it up to find out exactly what the cause is. Hopefully just needs readjustment of the timing chain and nothing more. Like I said before, it drives pretty good, so I'm banking on it not requiring any major components.
A lot of running around, but I have my fingers crossed that it's nothing too serious! Will keep you all posted.
09-13-15, 08:43 AM
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Resolved!
Just for future reference, if someone is seeing fault codes P0300, P1600, P1700, P1800 with a check engine and check VSC: one thing to add to your possible list of problems is a misaligned timing chain. I had a slightly louder idle, but no real change in performance or gas mileage that some may experience with jumping timing chains.
Took Lexus the better part of a day to diagnose and readjust the timing in my case, but it's resolved. Still no clue how it happened, but glad to have my car back on the road.
Took Lexus the better part of a day to diagnose and readjust the timing in my case, but it's resolved. Still no clue how it happened, but glad to have my car back on the road.
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09-15-15, 03:45 PM
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Didn't check specifically for the cam gear recall, but the car was up to date with all recalls according to the Car Fax when I bought it. Is there a Lexus specific website or database that I can look it up using the VIN number or something?
09-15-15, 06:21 PM
#9
PM me your VIN. I can look it up in TIS.
09-15-15, 07:46 PM
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09-18-15, 05:07 PM
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Appreciate the offer Othic. Found the entire service history on the Lexus drivers site that sha4000 shared. You guys are a massive help! The cam gear recall was done at 46K miles last year.
09-18-15, 05:10 PM
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