I didn't know whether or not to post this in the Lexus ES forum since they are pretty much the same cars, but here goes.

Last week, after I backed out of my driveway and put my 2002 Toyota Avalon into drive, fluid (later determined to be motor oil) leaked out onto the street. Towards the end of my 1 mile trip to the store, I could feel that my 2002 Toyota Avalon was wanting to stall as the RPM's kept going up and down when my foot was off the accelerator. When I put my foot on the accelerator, nothing happened and then the car "stalled" and I lost all control of power steering and braking. Fortunately, I was able to pull into the store parking lot as this all happened a block away and safely but the car into park. When I went to restart, it took a long time for the car to restart. I opened the hood and all the fluid levels were good. After 10 minutes in the store, the car started up just fine. However, when I was stopped at a few red lights, after 15 seconds, the car stalled, but started back up just fine. When I came home, I checked the fluid levels and everything checked out ok. There is no oil leak a week later and no codes are present. I replaced the battery and have driven the car around the block a few times and couldn't duplicate the stalling problem or oil leak. The fluid are fine.

Should I mention anything to the auto shop when I go in for an oil change? Not sure if I should tell the shop to look for an oil leak, do a fuel pressure test or even tell them about what happened at all. If there are no codes present and they can't duplicate the stalling problem that occurred once, then I kind of feel that $ might be wasted.

 

moved to car chat.

 

I notice you are in AZ. How hot was it outside when this happened? Summers in low-lying areas there can be well over 100 degrees. Heat like that, added to engine heat, can cause liquid gas to vaporize in the fuel lines before it gets to the injectors or carburetor...in the old days, they used to call that "vapor lock". When that happens, the engine stalls out and dies until the fuel in the lines can cool down, condense back into liquid, and flow again. That will happen in cycles as long as the underhood temperatures get too hot for the fuel. Things cool down a little as you park the car and go shopping, and then heat up again after you start the car.

The fact that it (once) started back up just fine, immediately after a stall, at the stop-light, though, may not mean vapor-lock. If it is not vapor-lock, then you might (?) have simply gotten a bad batch of fuel with some water in it here and there (which may turn to steam at hot under hood temperatures). Cut-rate gas stations (those without a national name-brand) often have fuel with water in it or without needed additives....that's why I don't recommend those stations. Of course, even the highest-quality stations can also get poor fuel once in a while, but it is usually much less often. BTW, I usually recommend either Shell or Chevron.