srmlexus

My 2008 LS460L has been periodically displaying the following message in the dash display: "VSC System Error" ...

This message displays on and off about every other day.

Yesterday, I hooked an OBD2 scanner up and discovered the following error code history:

P0171
System Too Lean Bank 1

P0174
System Too Lean Bank 2

P0022
"A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Retarded Bank 2

P0335
Crankshaft Position Sensor "A" Circuit

P2195
02 Sensor Biased/Stuck Lean Bank 1 Sensor 1

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Every now and then the engine will run a little rough, but usually at low RPM, and (again) not very often.

The car has 166,000 miles of mostly highway driving.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated before I take the car to the dealer ...

Thanks,

Steve

Devh

I would check the electrical system first. Get the battery and alternator load tested.
Multiple system faults and electronic warnings can be a result of a bad regulator on Toyotas.

Doublebase

Whatever it is it is one thing causing all those lights, most likely. I imagine it's all tied together. I wouldn't be surprised if it's your battery...I wouldn't be surprised if it's your air cleaners...and I wouldn't be surprised if a mouse ate a wire under the engine covers. I'm serious.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Could be a more general electrical problem but it sounds like an O2 sensor (vs a CPS, which is unusual on these cars). One failing component can cause multiple codes.

Devh

Very possible. The car is certainly in limp mode and dumping fuel. I wouldn't drive it in this condition.

JiffyPop

Vsc is the vehicle skid control. Standard obd scan tools won't reveal those problems. You need access to an advanced scan tool or techstream. The codes that came up would trigger a check engine light instead of VSC. I would reset the codes and see if any return. You still need to get the VSC code scanned though.

ghenley

I got the same message on Thursday while driving normally - I've got a 2007. But, the car still drives fine, except that the cruise control doesn't work. I'm taking it to my independent on Tuesday.

I'll post what he finds.

Greg

CJITTY

Weak battery causes some crazy issues on these cars. I've owned a 460 and now a 600 and when the batteries get weak but can still start the car...it really freaks the car out. First step is load test of battery and go from there. Just a few issues a weak battery has caused for me:

ABS error light
VSC error light
TPMS sensors not checking in
Navigation HDD load errors
Dash not shutting down after car stopped.

Got a New battery and magically all of these issues just disappeared never to return again

roadfrog

That's common now in newer cars that require good battery condition to run all the diagnostic modules and gizmos. My BMW E65 was the same way. Even a battery that load tests correctly on the bench can still be problematic. At the first sign of any irregularities, it's just good practice to start with a fresh new battery and go from there. Even if the battery isn't the culprit, worst case scenario is, you have a new battery that you can rely on for another 5 years or so as preventative maintenance and you're only out a 100 bucks +/-

ghenley

Well, the warning lights didn't come on this morning when I started the car, which confuses me even more than whatever the problem was. Everything worked fine, including the cruise control.

The warning lights had been on since last Thursday as well as all day yesterday. But, I took the car to the mechanic anyway. He did a scan, cleared the codes and told me to come back if the warning lights come back on.

A few of the comments mentioned a weak battery. In my case, I got a new battery about 3 months ago.

Greg

Devh

You need to get your alternator load tested.

roadfrog

Agreed, since we can pretty much eliminate the battery as the culprit.

kornpeef

your main codes are going to be the lean codes. focus on those first. clean out MAF sensors with electrical cleaning spay and carefully air dry the sensors. theres a special kind of electrical spray in a can that dries up fast and doesnt leave any residue, you can blow air into the sensor but be careful a strong air shot can damage the sensor. the maf sensor is a small hot wire that detects the amount of air going into the engine by calculating the air passing by it. as air passes by this heated wire it starts to cool down. the computer keeps the wire at a certain temp and increased the voltage to it to keep it at this temp. by doing this it can see how much air is going into the engine and add fuel accordingly. if the hot wire is covered in dust it cannot see how much air is going in and will have a hard time keeping the fuel ratio right. first things first clean the maf sensors and throttle body. if it doesnt fix it more diag will be needed

roadfrog

I used a MAF cleaner spay from CRC. Available just about anywhere.

Devh

Bad alternators kill batteries. When the regulator fails it can cause intermittent symptoms.