Leeladisky

Hey - I hear ya... but the risk of the electrical tape coming loose and falling into the tank is too risky... I wouldn't want to take that risk and cause other probs. Gasoline fumes and gasoline in general have a strange effect on adhesives, in fact, Gasoline or other petroleum distollates are commonly used to REMOVE adhesive... so, using something with adhesive, in or around gasoline, isn't my idea of a "fix."

Lee

I8ABMR

very common problem with the 3GS is for this to happen if you didnt twist your gas cap all the way on when you last filled the car up. Take it to the dealership. They will read the code and reset everything. It should be no issue

DrexLex

I'm sorry if my description was not too clear. The tape is not held in place by the adhesive, but by the O-ring which squeezes it tight. The tape's adhesive is not needed once the O-ring is in place, but it's convenient to use tape instead of plain plastic as it holds itself in place until the O-ring can be reinstalled over it. If someone is worried about the adhesive, another material can be used in its place--or see if the dealer will replace the cap under warranty. My car was over 2 years old before the problem appeared--not a warranty item.

thebriguy

Have you tried just flipping the O-Ring over. I've done this in some other applications and it usually works because the back has not been indented the same way as the front. It would probably work for a while or at least let you know if that's the problem or not.

taylods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leeladisky
I don't know why anyone would jury/jimmy rig a gas cap - it cannot be that expensive to replace and rather than electrical tape, would just buy a new one for safety purposes.

Maybe Leeladisky is right, except he Electrical tape idea has worked for 4 years for me! Maybe I should change the tape though.

I tried to purchace a new cap originally, but the cap didn't match my year of car, so didn't fit at all. Hmmm
Thanks again, DrexLax.

DrexLex

I did eventually buy the replacement gas cap, as the gas fumes degraded the adhesive and the tape would come loose. Didn't want it getting lost inside the fuel tank. The new cap works fine, as does the new one for my '06 4Runner which developed the exact same problem. Funny how the "simple" things can become a nuisance.

jre002

Thanks for the tip! I had my gas cap replaced a few years ago, but just got the error code and checked the cap again and as expected, it would not tighten no matter how much I tried. Followed your tip and put the electrical tape in the groove. I actually took the whole white assembly out after I took off the o-ring just to get better access. Same principle as removing the o-ring... just pry it out slowly at each of the little tabs. I used the same size strip of electrical tape as you and it fit perfectly. Replaced the o-ring, snapped the white assembly back into the cap and now it tightens like new.

I still have the VSC and warning light, but I will drive it around for a couple of days to see if it goes away on its own. I don't want to disconnect the battery because I want to see if the car will recognize the problem is fixed, and also to make sure that it's not something else. I doubt it is anything else, though, since the gas cap was clearly not tightening before I fixed it.

It took all of 3 minutes to complete this. Anyone can do it.

DrexLex

^^ Just keep an eye in that tape. I found over time that the gas fumes attacked the adhesive, so it just became a strip of plastic held by the O ring. It can eventually work its way out of the groove. Here in Oregon we cannot pump our own gas so I had to make a point of checking it periodically. I decided to buy a new cap after I discovered the tape migrating, and of course that also worked fine. Had to do the same for my '06 4Runner, too!

I think the failure mechanism is not the O ring wearing out, but the "ears" on the white part that cinch under the tabs on the filler neck. As those wear down due to friction, the cap cannot seal tightly anymore.

IS220dPT

Hi guys,

First of all as this is my first post I would like to introduce myself. My name is Simão and I own a 2006 IS220d Luxury 28.

I guess this a particularly interesting topic for those who own a Lexus as this error could mean anywhere from an expensive visit to the shop or could barely mean nothing.

My car as been always assisted at Lexus and so for I had the error twice. First time the car got into limp mode some time after I noted some power issues at low rev´s and some extra fuel consumption.

Took it to Lexus here in Lisbon, had an EGR and DPF regeneration, both units tested OK. Payed 98€ and as an advice was told to avoid always driving in urban circuits. I have a Smart Fortwo also, so no problem

The second time happened three days ago and was kind of curious. Just had switched D4S bulbs and was taking the car to a night drive when the dreaded Check VSC appeared. .
Well, oil level was ok, cooling liquid ok, there were no notable leaks, engine was working smoothly, no notable lose of power or extra consumption. Then I remembered, while in the process of changing the bulbs I clipped the oil dripstick inadvertably with my elbow. I thought "naaaa couldn´t be", took it out and put it back in place and guess what: error dissapeared.

Just got home from a 600 km weekend trip. Car doing 6,4 litres/100km avg 120-130 km/h so far so good

Sorry about my English as it´s not my native language

Cheers,
Simão

jre002

DrexLex,

The fix ended up not working for more than a couple of weeks. The light came back on. Surprisingly, the cap still seemed to have a good seal. Before I "fixed" it, it wouldn't even screw down properly. Anyways, I just went to the dealer$hip here in Germany and overpaid them for a new ga$ cap. It was like 40 euros after my discounts were applied! Problem solved though.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

the gas cap is like $25, you drive a lexus, dont be cheap.

Wings34

Had the exact same problem. Most likely a bad gas cap. Just replace it ($10-$12) bucks and that will probably do it. If not, you can rule it out and still have a new cap which you would need eventually anyway.

Evakovic

what can i do now? can u show me some solution. i can do it by myself. pl

AustinSBP

did you ever do a code scan on it?

mr3gs300

you can go to like an auto zone or pep boys they will read the code for free, and tell u wat its related too, to reset it they will sometimes do it for uu if not just take off the negative battery terminal then put it back this will reset it