topgun129

Hi All,

I noticed when driving my 99 ES300 this morning there was some slight sluggishness and hesitation when accelerating from idle. It didn't feel like a smooth acceleration. The car has 128K on it and I did the trans. fluid flush like 20K miles ago. One thing *I think* is occurring also is the car is going thru gas faster than usual. Not sure if the 2 issues are interrelated. There are no check engine lights on.

Any suggestions what the problem might be? I was going to do the following:

1. Disconnect the battery for a few minutes to reset the computer
2. Check for cracks in the connected area between air filter and MAF.
3. Clean the throttle body (any recommended cleaning products?)

Also is it safe to drop a fuel injector cleaner into the gas tank? If so which brand/product do you recommend?

Anything else that comes to mind would be appreciated.

Thanks!

PFB

They are all reasonable trouble shooting ideas, with the following comments:

Your no 1 option should be the last, and in terms of a fuel injector cleaner, make sure that you get one that says that it's compatible with the Catalytic converter(s)

OceanView

I agree with PFB.

I would try #2 and 3 first and then go from there.

Good luck and report back with your results.

PIONEER

iTrader: (2)

did this just happen today out of the blue or is this something you have been experiencing for some time and its gotten worse?

You can go to autozone and have them connect a OBD reader to the car and see if there are any errors on the O2 sensors or ignition coils.

topgun129

this happened out of the blue. maybe i'll take the car to autozone and have them run the scanner. i also did a visual inspection of the area from the air filter to throttle body and see some cracks in the attached image (maybe thats the culprit and need to change both the rubber pipes).

PFB

Those cracks can definitly cause the symptoms you have. time to get new ones. You could TEMPORERALY close them up with duct tape, till you get new ones.

You may have other ones that will only become apparent once you remove them and examine them more closely.

Phil

topgun129

would this be the correct replacement part - http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/...FbFFMgodIygA2Q?

seems smaller than what the engine currently has.

mitmaks

You could easily check for vacuum leaks.

PFB

The one pictured on parts geek, looks different than the one on your car. Yours has 4 ridges, the one on Parts Geek, has only 3 ridges, so it may be shorter.

The one on Parts Geek may however be a generic picture, so who knows.

PFB

All of Eric's videos are excellent, However, this particular method of finding vaccum leaks may or may not work in this case. The poster's leak will only occur under engine load, such as when he accelerates from idle, thats when the engine physically tilts on the engine mounts. Its when it tilts, that the crack opens up, and the leak occurs.

His type of leak, could also have been caused, not only by deteriorating rubber hoses, but also by weak engine mounts.

PIONEER

iTrader: (2)

The crack at the top appears to be before the clamp, but the one below is before the clamp so it can definitely let premetered air in the system causing O2 readings to be out of wack.

topgun129

quick update - i've ordered the parts, but had to take the car for a 5 minute drive and the rpm is now hovering at the "1" line and the engine/car is vibrating at idle. also during the drive the check engine light came on. needless to say, i immediately turned around and went home.

hopefully the parts come in soon...

PFB

As I mentioned in my original reply, you can fix it TEMPORERALY with duct tape until your Parts come in. Your latest symptoms are not fully indicative of cracked air box hoses. So you may have another problem as well. Get the check engine code read.

You should also check your engine mounts. Weak engine mounts could have been the contributing cause to the cracked hoses.

Phil

topgun129

i got the error codes read. they are the following:

p1354
p1153
p1133

also i noticed a softness in the brakes when i was driving. i'm assuming this issue is greater than just the hoses and it will need to go to the shop.

IzzyB

p1354=VVT Sensor Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1)
p1153=Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor Circuit Response Malfunction (Bank 2 Sensor 1)
p1133=Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor Circuit Response Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1)

Not sure what they all mean together, but these are what they are