schwarl

Hi folks, I've used these forums to take care of many issues on my car, but never posted before. Please excuse the long post, but I want to give accurate details of my problem.

I drove from to my Dad's funeral (13 hours away), and when I started back, the check engine and check VSC light came on. The check engine light was solid, then started flashing after 10 minutes and very shortly after that the engine started running very rough. I turned around & found a toyota/lexus dealership very close by. They said it was registering a misfire on the 6th cylinder, but didn't seem to be running rough for them. Told me to check it out when I got home. They reset the code and sent me on my way. Five minutes from dealership, the lights came on again and it started running rough again. I turned around, this time they took the car in overnight. Called me the next day to say all the spark plugs needed to be changed & looked like they were the originals as they were "completely fried". (Car is at 173000 km; I bought it at 100000 km.) I had new sparkplugs put in when I did a tune up right when I bought it. (On a related note, I had pre-purchase inspection at mechanics I USED to trust. They billed me for new sparkplugs, so I'm guessing they replaced them.)

They also said the 6th ignition coil was shot and was replaced too. They also flushed the transmission fluid as it was very dark. All in, they sent me on my way after spending $998 and change. I drove about 15 minutes away (at highway speed) and the light came back on! I turned around. They said, it just needs to clear but we did 2 test drives and no light came on. They hooked it up to the computer and it said there were no codes registered. (The light had gone off by this point with engine off/on.) The head mechanic and his computer went for a drive with me and sure enough, light comes back on. We pull over and he watches as the computer notes several misfires all to 6th cylinder, however, we felt/heard no issues with engine running. These misfires were also not being recorded by the car's computer memory.

They took it back in & opened up the engine, reported the inside of the cylinders were all coated and blackened (carbon?). They cleaned them up as best they could, then sent me on my way again. This time I made it 20 minutes before it happened again, and it was also running very rough. I flew home and my husband drove out and uhaul trailered it home.

What are my next steps? The body & interior are in pristine shape. I still owe a significant amount on it. And I'm going back to school to get my MD. I'd rather spend $3000 on it now, rather than $6000 later when I've started back at school.

Any suggestions? Seafoam & pray? New wiring harness? New motherboard? Remanufacture the engine?

I'd appreciate any help. Thanks a lot.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

There is a ton of information regarding this issue. It sounds like the typical IS250 carbon buildup... Lexus was offering to pay for engine tear down and rebuild to fix this issue... Worthwhile to search a little more, there are many threads here for related issues.

RTIS250

iTrader: (9)

I dont believe that program was extended to the Canadian market...