2002 Lexus es300 VSC/TRAC OFF/ ENGINE LIGHT
09-03-17, 04:30 PM
#1
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2002 Lexus es300 VSC/TRAC OFF/ ENGINE LIGHT
Vsc trackoff and engine light came on. Trouble code came up as P1350. Any idea what this might be?
I had read some other threads. Before pulling up code. Some had suggested something simple as gas cap not being secure. The cap has no rust but I cleaned it and the neck where you out gas in. The seal thread on the cap was not cracked or damaged either. Still oiled it a bit. I disconnected the battery for 10 minutes. The light's went off.
but as I was driving car seemed like it was going to turn off. I parked up and car turned off. I turned car back on and drove car about 15 miles truing to avoid a full stop. Then lights came back on and stalling at stop no longer occurs.
now that pulled up the code p1350. I really doubt it's a simple as gas cap.
Any suggestions?
I had read some other threads. Before pulling up code. Some had suggested something simple as gas cap not being secure. The cap has no rust but I cleaned it and the neck where you out gas in. The seal thread on the cap was not cracked or damaged either. Still oiled it a bit. I disconnected the battery for 10 minutes. The light's went off.
but as I was driving car seemed like it was going to turn off. I parked up and car turned off. I turned car back on and drove car about 15 miles truing to avoid a full stop. Then lights came back on and stalling at stop no longer occurs.
now that pulled up the code p1350. I really doubt it's a simple as gas cap.
Any suggestions?
09-04-17, 02:02 AM
#2
Have you looked up P1350?
It's not related to a gas cap or VSC. It's the VVT system, likely the OCV for that bank (replace both if you do one; it's easy). You should also see misfire codes on that bank. Use a good synthetic oil at reasonable intervals and it shouldn't ever happen again.
That is entirely consistent with (though of course not full proof of) a VVT/OCV issue.
It's not related to a gas cap or VSC. It's the VVT system, likely the OCV for that bank (replace both if you do one; it's easy). You should also see misfire codes on that bank. Use a good synthetic oil at reasonable intervals and it shouldn't ever happen again.
but as I was driving car seemed like it was going to turn off.
09-04-17, 01:50 PM
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I was going to do oil change and noticed this. Dirty where you fill in oil and under oil cap.
I bought this from older guy. Rarely drove it. It had 87,500 when I bought it. It now hasroughly 89,700.
Do you think this is associated with the ocv issue?
and does it seem like there may be an engine flush needed?
looking at these different things I think I'm just going to take it to my mechanic. But would like some morebackground info before going in
I bought this from older guy. Rarely drove it. It had 87,500 when I bought it. It now hasroughly 89,700.
Do you think this is associated with the ocv issue?
and does it seem like there may be an engine flush needed?
looking at these different things I think I'm just going to take it to my mechanic. But would like some morebackground info before going in
09-05-17, 01:19 PM
#5
Yeah, most OCV issues are cause by sludging. You have to remember to clean the screen filter for each valve as well.
Most common symptom is running rough/hesitation when warm. That's because the VVTi 1MZ does not have dedicated EGR hardware - it uses valve trickery through the VVT system to achieve the same effect.
Most common symptom is running rough/hesitation when warm. That's because the VVTi 1MZ does not have dedicated EGR hardware - it uses valve trickery through the VVT system to achieve the same effect.
09-05-17, 04:09 PM
#6
The pics don't indicate any sludging - that's just how the baffle and oil cap look on ALL of them. The baffle traps splashed oil there and it gets hot. Looking past it is indicative. The 2002 and+ have a redesigned valve cover vent in the rear and is supposed to help with the general issue. The sludging issue comes on earlier years that are driven far, far past recommended OCIs. I doubt very much it has anything whatsoever to do with your issue.
If you want to DIY, you could address the p1350 code. If not, a mechanic can. I have seen a lot of OCVs fail and sludge never had anything to do with it. They are just wear items that do fail. 90k miles is on the low end of their life expectancy, but 15 years is certainly not, nor do you or I know how it was driven that whole time, which matters. It is very good to be thorough, but nothing you have said or shown indicates another major problem. The last photo is the back side of the PS pump, and it looks ok. That may be some oil from the rear bank valve cover gasket, or a little seep from the PS system, which is not unusual. I would flush the PS system and put in new Dex III fluid, and I would also drain/fill the AT pan (Castrol Transmax High Mileage would be my pick for replacement ATF; I have tried quite a few over the years). You can also pump out the whole AT system w/o too much hassle via the cooler line. That's a better approach if you don't know the AT service history, but probably not entirely necessary. 90k is relatively young on this engine/transmission and they can go a very long time if you start a good maintenance routine.
Personally, I think engine flushes on used cars are a great idea, and on our HM cars I do do them routinely. My SUV is hard on oil so I do it every oil change. The Lexus, much less. An easy cheap way is to add 1/2 to 1 quart of ATF or MMO to the crank a few days before an oil change and drive it around normally. Then drain 2 qts, refill with 2qts of kerosene and idle 20 minutes. Let cool, and repeat. This will do a really good job. I do it every other oil change (15k miles). Our car has 280k on it and runs wonderfully, uses about 16ozs of oil every 7.5k oci (virtually nothing). I got about 250k before an OCV failed, running Mobil 1 HM 10w-30 and doing engine flushes after it got into the HM zone.
BTW, if the car is new to you, be aware it is also hard on filters. The bad filter placement makes them run very, very hot and induces the drain-back valve to fail. Listen to your starts to hear if the filter is draining down. I find a high quality filter is a must, like a Napa Gold, Wix 51348 (same as Napa), or a Fram Ultra (XG3614). The Fram is really robust and I actually went 15k (2 changes) with the current one with no drain back failure. I will be using nothing else for the foreseeable future.
If you want to DIY, you could address the p1350 code. If not, a mechanic can. I have seen a lot of OCVs fail and sludge never had anything to do with it. They are just wear items that do fail. 90k miles is on the low end of their life expectancy, but 15 years is certainly not, nor do you or I know how it was driven that whole time, which matters. It is very good to be thorough, but nothing you have said or shown indicates another major problem. The last photo is the back side of the PS pump, and it looks ok. That may be some oil from the rear bank valve cover gasket, or a little seep from the PS system, which is not unusual. I would flush the PS system and put in new Dex III fluid, and I would also drain/fill the AT pan (Castrol Transmax High Mileage would be my pick for replacement ATF; I have tried quite a few over the years). You can also pump out the whole AT system w/o too much hassle via the cooler line. That's a better approach if you don't know the AT service history, but probably not entirely necessary. 90k is relatively young on this engine/transmission and they can go a very long time if you start a good maintenance routine.
Personally, I think engine flushes on used cars are a great idea, and on our HM cars I do do them routinely. My SUV is hard on oil so I do it every oil change. The Lexus, much less. An easy cheap way is to add 1/2 to 1 quart of ATF or MMO to the crank a few days before an oil change and drive it around normally. Then drain 2 qts, refill with 2qts of kerosene and idle 20 minutes. Let cool, and repeat. This will do a really good job. I do it every other oil change (15k miles). Our car has 280k on it and runs wonderfully, uses about 16ozs of oil every 7.5k oci (virtually nothing). I got about 250k before an OCV failed, running Mobil 1 HM 10w-30 and doing engine flushes after it got into the HM zone.
BTW, if the car is new to you, be aware it is also hard on filters. The bad filter placement makes them run very, very hot and induces the drain-back valve to fail. Listen to your starts to hear if the filter is draining down. I find a high quality filter is a must, like a Napa Gold, Wix 51348 (same as Napa), or a Fram Ultra (XG3614). The Fram is really robust and I actually went 15k (2 changes) with the current one with no drain back failure. I will be using nothing else for the foreseeable future.
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