Pearl250

my car started doing it from 17K kms. it wasnt as bad as now(30K kms).

Now its just terrible, when I'm at a stop sign its running very rough and vibrates.

Ill make sure that i will get the induction service kit for free. Otherwise there gana get it from me, and they wont be getting my business anymore.

Clay Easto

I had problems with this two weeks ago - stop at red light, car starts idling very rough, accelerate away from red light and warning lights go crazy on the dash (check engine, VSC, etc.) and the car wan't go faster than 40 mph. Took it to dealer, no codes stored, dealer could not replicate problem. No problems since then.

I called the dealer yesterday to ask about this TSIB, he said he didn't think I should do it since the problem has not re-occurred.

Would you guys take it in and have them do the top end cleaning??? Thanks for the help.

blue_dlb

iTrader: (3)

The TSIB mentioned in post 33 doesn't seem to fit the carbon issue since, i believe, people with rough idle at stop signs are not experiencing check engine lights. Anyways i have the rough idle at stop signs and no check engine light. a few hours ago, I did the water injection technique by:
1. fill a 1 litter bottle with water almost to the top.
2. poke a small hole by the neck of the bottle above the water line and left the cap off.
3. start the engine and remove the vacumm hose from the brake booster.
4. have someone keep the engine idled between 1 and 2,000 RPM
5. put the vacum hose onto the small hole i punctured on the bottle
6. Tilt the bottle until water is being sucked into the vacum hose
7. Several seconds later, white smoke comes out of my exhaust like crazy.

The bottle was almost empty when no more smoke came out. I'm assuming the carbon was all removed that's why no more smoke show. During this process I got several check engine lights regarding misfire and o2 running lean. I then drove my car around the blocks pretty hard, cleared the code with my obii scanner and drove it some more. The whole process took about 30 minutes. I seem to noticed a little less vibration, not much. My question is does anyone know what this manual cleaning that the dealer does because I don't seem to have anymore carbon in my engine however still vibrating at stop signs.

thanks.

ajfinoak

I brought my '08 IS250 to the dealer 3 times for this. They did do the top engine cleaning as well as tightened various parts (suspension, motor mounts) and checked the gas for water (I only have used Chevron since new) after the 2 time I brought it in and they witnessed it. It seemed slightly better for a few months and then vibration came back and when I brought it back last month the SA said Lexus corportate indicated it was "normal" and would not authorize more work on it. I would suggest anyone experiencing this call Lexus corporate Customer Service at 800 255 3987 to let them know this issue needs a real fix unless they intend to extend the warranty. While it may not be a safety issue it is very annoying and will affect repeat purchases and my recc the car to others to purchase.

is250gurl

i agree that it needs to be brought to the attention of corporate as it will be an ongoing issue as long as you own this car. i plan to talk to them about it and find out what their plans are for the future of this car as i just had mine done at 45k.

quick123

iTrader: (2)

I am not 100% on what top engine cleaning that Lexus is doing, but they are paying their techs 3.5 hours for some crazy huge EFI service (our service only pays 1.0 for induction cleaning, even a 3-part service only pays 2.0 hours)....so they might be doing something a bit more then a de-carbonization

If there are any Lexus techs on here, they might know exactly...but it looks fishy to me....

quick123

iTrader: (2)

Ok, I just found out my own answer on TIS (the rest of the TSB tells the techs out to do this)....

This is a 20 step process that involves bringing the vehicle to NOT (normal operating temperature)...removing all coils, spark plugs, starter relay, and the intake air surge tank assembly...then get this, they pour in 1.0 oz of GM upper engine and fuel injector cleaner into each cylinder (YES!!! GM part # is even listed!!!)...cover the spark plug tubes, crank the engine for 5 seconds, then let it soak for 60 minutes...spray a lube into each cylinder and crank by hand 2 rotations to disperse the lube...crank again for 5 seconds to move the top end cleaner around again...soak another 60 minutes...re-install everything, drain and refill the engine oil...then start the vehicle and immediately drive for a minimum of 15 minutes (this is highlighted!)...then change the engine oil and filter, clear any codes that are present...confirm repair.

Now that is one serious top engine cleaning!!! If I owned a 250, I would be calling to schedule an appointment right now...

XhyDra

iTrader: (8)

I've spoken to two very reliable Lexus Master Techs, and they both state that they've been doing many IS250 cleanups with this method mentioned on the Lexus TSB. I just have not had time to update my thread.

Coconut

So my IS250 has 43k miles right now. I started noticing the stuttering at around 20k miles. Seems to happen once every 3-4 months. Should I bring it in now or wait until my warranty is us (70k mi)?

quick123

iTrader: (2)

I would have them do it now, and then again if it returns....this could ultimately be affecting things like gas mileage and perfomance...so I would not hesitate to do it...

Clay Easto

Quick - my service advisor said he didn't recommend it. Based on your knowledge, what are the chances that they could mess something up doing the top engine cleaning?

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

Corbio

I'm wondering how many people have tried water for cleaning carbon build-up through the brake booster vacuum and the results afterward. Anybody else done it except the previously-mentioned one?

joshuajj

I am curious if any IS350 owners have run into any of these problems? I know the service bulletin is only for the 250, I wonder why us 350 owners aren't covered?

XhyDra

iTrader: (8)

This hasn't happened and won't happen in most cases to IS350's because the fuel delivery system on it is different than the IS250's. The IS350 has Direct Injection & Port Injection as well, witch in a way work together to counteract the others side effects. The IS250 has the common DI found in many cars, two particular ones being the Audi RS4 and the BMW M5 witch both suffer from DI's side effects resulting in extremely carbonated engines and in some cases up to $8000 in repairs. Will post this and more information on my thread once I finish consulting with my tech.

joshuajj

Thanks for the info XhyDra...good to know.