jimboNmia

I know there are other threads on the Check VSC issue however my situation might be a little different so I thought I'd throw it out there and see if anyone has any ideas. I just recently towed my car (on a car carrier with all 4 wheels up on the carrier) from Atlanta to South FLorida. Everything was fine when I drove it on the carrier, however when I got to Florida and started it up I have the check engine and check VSC errors.

Any thoughts? Any reason towing it on the car carrier would have caused something to happen? Is there any way to reset this error without spending the $105 my local lexus dealer wants just to see the computer error code?

Thanks for any help. It's appreciated!!
Jim

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

The evaporative emissions system runs a vacuum pump about 4 hours after shutting off the car. If the results of that test are bad, you'll get a CEL. The first thing to check is the gas cap and the gas cap gasket. If the cap isn't sealing, the test will fail and you'll be doing what you're doing right now: scratching your head and asking "WTF?"

Tighten the gas cap and see if it goes away.

Also, you can (in many states) go to Autozone and have them hook up an OBDII scanner to read the codes that set the CEL. If you post them here, we can look them up and tell you what might be wrong. Try the gas cap first though.

jimboNmia

The gas cap was tight, but I retightened it just to be safe and the light is still on. I will swing by an autozone and try and get the computer code and see what we can come up with.

Thanks for the help!!

jimboNmia

Ok, went to autozone and got the following back on the computer codes.

P0303
P2195

Guess one has to do with cylinder 3 misfire and the other is an O2 sensor issue. Is it likely these are related to the surprise change of climate the computer saw? Is there an easy way to clear these codes so I can see if they come back? I suspect if they were cleared, the issue would be resolved. Autozone said they are not allowed to clear computer codes.

Thanks again for any help
Jim

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

DTC P2195 Oxygen (A/F) Sensor Signal Stuck Lean (Bank 1 Sensor 1) along with
DTC P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected

Would make me think you might have a dirty, clogged, or malfunctioning injector. The bad thing is, lean kills engines. Rich runs dirty, but won't usually damage anything.

If your car is still under Federal Emissions warranty, this should be a warranty repair by the dealer since you could not possibly pass emissions with these codes and if the injector is malfunctioning, it should be covered by your Federal emissions warranty if your mileage is not too high.

jimboNmia

Do you think there is any chance these codes are false? I wouldn't have any reason to think this except that the codes first came on when the was first started after being towed to Florida. Could the air pressure and altitude change be unexpected trip the computer up? Or is it just very coincidental that the first time I started it down here, my check engine light was on?

Is it worth trying to clear the codes and see if this is an ongoing problem or just a one time quirk thing?

The IS is a 2006 with about 63k miles. I'm in Florida. Any ideas whether this should be covered?

Thanks
Jim

Mv350

iTrader: (23)

that should be something covered by warrenty hopefully, i would swing by a dealer, ask the local forum in the regional section to see if anyone can send you to a local dealer to help you out with this. good luck with everything

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Yes, it should be covered up to at least 72k miles.

jimboNmia

I took the car into the Lexus dealership after they offered to clear the codes. So they cleared the codes and told me that the reason I'm getting these codes is because I have a bad mass air flow sensor. Does this sound right? I specifically asked her if it's positively bad and she told me it was.

They want $470 to do the job, which seems expensive considering I can buy the sensor online for less than $100 and do it myself. Would pulling things apart and cleaning this sensor help any?

Just looking for some advise....

Thanks

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

No, that doesn't make any sense. If the MAF were bad you'd see misfire/lean/rich on all cylinders, not just #3. If the CEL is off now, I'd run a bottle of Techroline through it and see if it comes back. My bet is it won't unless there's something a lot more serious and warrantable wrong.

jimboNmia

Sorry, I missed one key piece of information. I parked the car about 20 minutes after I left the dealership, got back in the car, started it and the check engine light and Check VSC lights all came back. I have not taken it back to Autozone to get the codes read and to see if it's the same ones as before.

Torii

most maf sensors go bad due to using kn type air filters that use the spray on oil. they dont let the filter dry completely or put too much oil on and that oil screws up the maf sensor. it is an expensive part to fix and usually is never under warranty. but the vsc code and misfiring engine seems like something else could be wrong. i had my fuel pump go bad which caused these lights to go on in my pick up truck at 15k miles. it was under warranty.

i would get lexus to fix it now that they have documented the problem. if this problem gets worse could cause more severe damage which wouldnt be covered under warranty, like blowing cylinders which would cost thousands.


you can try to clean the maf sensor yourself. just time consuming. dont break the lil metal wire in it while cleaning. its like a filament...fragile. do a google on the procedures. it is a 50/50 chance of working i bet from other attempts online.

jimboNmia

Since my check engine light came back on a few miles after I got it cleared, I stopped into an Advanced Auto today and got the codes read. The following codes are what I got.

P2195 - 02 Sensor Stuck Lean Bank 1
P0031 - HO2S Bank 1 Sensor Heater Circuit Low

So I stopped into a different Lexus dealership than last time and asked them what this meant and what needed to be fixed. I was told that without them hooking up to their computer they could only tell me that it was one of two things, either a Air Fuel sensor or an oxygen sensor. The sensors are either 220 or 290 and labor is 1.5 hours at $163.

Any more thoughts? I'm a little confused because the last lexus dealership told me that it was positively my mass air flow sensor.

Thanks
Jim