My theory is the reason my engine acts funny once in awhile when punching the F is because the ETHANOL that's added to the gasoline. I hear it could cause engine problems, and performance problems I could attest to.

Again, this has to do with my engine "bogging down" when needing to accelerate quickly. Boggin down like there's water in my gas, like the engine won't "open up" so to speak. It's stuck in a "nasanally" sound, you don't hear the rich open v8 acceleration I would normally hear, does that make sense? Has anyone else experienced this.

My buddy owns an Exxon gas station and he said that when the Exxon tank is almost empty the Ethanol levels are skewed.

What do you guys think.

 

stop going to the gas station u are going to is my suggestion and test your theory on another brand. do you actually wait until your oil temps are up to normal then punch it or is it within a couple of minutes starting the car up?

 

I've switched to Sunoco from Exxon and same response. Not every time but sometimes. Im on the freeway after 20 minutes, yes the oil is nice and hot at that time.

 

are u sports mode while doing this? also did you switch to manual mode?

 

Im in Sports mode automatic and it works fine in automatic. I think I tried it in manual paddle shifter mode and still didn't get what i deserve.

 

I don't think ethanol is the problem. I have run ethanol (E-10) in my F all 58000 miles and never had an issue. Although, I did get some bad gas once at an "out-of-the-way" station. I figure it had some water/moisture in it. Once I ran some fuel injector cleaner through a couple of tanks, it has ran fine. Try a bottle of Lucas Fuel Injector Cleaner and Upper Cylinder lubricant and see how it runs. Lucas also has some Ethanol Fuel Treatment that you can try. Plus, like the other member suggests, try a different gas station.

 

The car is a 2012 with 24,000 miles. Do you think it could use that product even if its this new of a car, just curious.

 

There's no way it's the ethanol. If you had any kind of fuel problem, you'd be getting a CEL for misfires.

"Feels like" isn't very helpful when trying to understand what's happening. I'd suggest driving a different F to see if it is something you are doing or if there really is a fault with your car.

AFA injector cleaners, there are really only two known to work well - BG44K and Chevron Techroline. BG is pretty pricey, but works better than anything else I've ever seen. Techroline isn't so pricey, but does a pretty good job. Red Line also makes an injector cleaner approved by BMW for use in their cars, but I haven't been as impressed with it as I have BG or Techroline.

 

Yeah, Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant and Fuel Injector is safe for any engine. It can even be used on every tank. I use it every 5000 miles. I buy the large container and refill the smaller one. It saves a lot. Comes out to around 1.50 per bottle that way versus 4.99 if you buy it off the shelf.

 

Mechanic said the Air Filter could be too Dirty...

 

That's true, but with only 24000 miles on your 2012, I don't think that would be it. But it wouldn't hurt to check it. The air filter is easy to check.

 

This never hurts.....

Resetting the IS-F ECU

~ Joe Z

 

Blame it on the eh- eh- eh- eh- eh- ethanol

 

I doubt it's the ethanol. If you DO NOT believe it is driver error, have the car checked to see if it threw any error codes.

 

Ummm. No. First, the standard service interval is 30k miles, and second, a dirty air filter won't cause a hesitation, it will reduce ultimate power. Either there is a mechanical problem or a software problem and the OBD system isn't detecting it - OR - the driver is doing something the car doesn't like.

I'll be the first to say my car doesn't drive the way I'd like it to drive on cold cycle, mostly because I live on a hill and the first thing I do is go down the hill and stop at the bottom. When I accelerate from the stop, if I don't punch the accelerator, the car is slow to respond and slow to accelerate. If I just punch it past the place I would normally use if it were warm, it drives fine. So, the way I'm driving the car with my foot being lazy is what causes the whole problem. It's not the car itself or a mechanical problem. This is why I suggest driving another IS F to see if it does the same thing. If it does, then it's something the driver is doing. If it does not, then the problem is with the car and it needs to be fixed by Lexus.

It surely isn't the air filter. Resetting the ECM might make a difference. But it would be best to figure out if it's the car or the driver first.