ricdiablo

I don't recall the RX manual requiring a minimum octane. What it said was use Premium Gasoline Only. If I am not mistaken, for Japanese cars imported into the US, mid-grade or higher is considered premium (89+). I know for my BMW, which was a "Premium Gasoline Only" vehicle, the manual specified the minimum octane to use as 89. That car has lasted me for 12 years with no problems.

jmaynard

I quoted the 2007 RX350 manual earlier in this topic. It specifically says 91 octane.

ricdiablo

Then as my 10-yr old says:
"DARN RIP-OFF ARTISTS!"

AM1

iTrader: (6)

yawn.......anyways rx330s dont need 91. if ihad a 350 i would still put 87 in it. the dealer said its ok also. but i guess they dont know anything

jmaynard

Funny...my dealer (Lexus of Wayzata, in the Twin Cities) made a point of telling me to run 91 because the manual said to.

NewEngland

Hi All-
I alway use the premium 93 since i had my RX. I still get some the Pinging noise when the speed is under 35mph. The noise will be worse with regular gas. This just happen after the engine has warm enough. Sometime it's disappeared and come back anytime.

I did check the engine oil, Transmission fluid, coolant, and used a bottle of Fuel system clearner from Chevon. My temp gause showing 45% after finish the warm up. I got between 14-15mpg (city only). I drive about 4 miles (one way)with heavy traffic jam everyday that it took my about 25-35min.

Please give some advice before i go to the dealer. I just worry when i bring to them the ping sometime disappear.

Thanks everyone in advance.

VroomVroom

I definitely recommend taking the car in...there's something wrong. I'm guessing the CEL isn't illuminated, which is a bummer, but there are still some diagnostic steps they can take. This could be a fuel, spark, or even emissions issue, but it's definitely not something you should be encountering. Good luck...

Lexmex

Pull the battery cables for a few minutes, then reattach and drive for about 15 minutes. I find doing this solves a lot of drivebility problems with my RX300.

NewEngland

I forgot to mention about miles on my car. i did maintaince very on schedule. It's RX 330 2004 with only 38K...

NewEngland

Hi VroomVroom- what is CEL?

VroomVroom

Check Engine Light. Usually indicates an OBDII error message - very helpful in diagnosing a problem. Good advice on pulling the battery connections, but I'd still have it checked out. Detonation is never a good thing.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

maybe a bad o2 sensor?

Lexmex

bad 02 sensor would throw the cel

Cars down here get pinging during summer months, when it gets hot and even worse we have less oxygen at this altitude, so the effect of the heat gets really amplified.

biff44

Are you are sure you are hearing Pinging, instead of some sort of valve noise? When you are driving below 35 MPH, you are not putting too much load on the car, and it should not be pinging.

Pinging is a little hard to describe, but it is a little like a person with allergies trying to clear phlem out of their throats--a grinding uneven sound.

On cars that I have had that ping, like an old avalon, it would only do so when I floored it going uphill.

jfelbab

I'd caution you to know what your doing if you remove the battery cable. You will have several minutes of system resets to do after removing the power. You need to reset all of your power windows, rear hatch, sunroof, etc., etc.