I filled up with gas this morning and as I am apt to do I checked my oil, I spotted this

It's on the top of the engine on the left side, any ideas ? Looks to be melted

 

It deffinately doesn't look good, or right. It looks like an electrical connector but can't really tell. Is there wires coming out of it? Do you have a pic a little farther away so we can see the exact spot it is? What year is the car?

 

The car is a 91, I will take a better pic this afternoon when I go out to the car.

 

any help? 1991..

 

Thanks Bill, from that pic the possitioning of it, it looks like it might be a fuel injector connector. I can't think of anything else that's down in that area. But I also can't understand how it would melt, it doesn't get that hot in there.

Woody426; Does the car run OK, or do you have a minor skip like one of the injectors isn't getting fuel?

 

Car seems to be running fine. I will check into.it this evening, why would that melt ?

 

it has to be an electrical short to melt it.

 

It lives under the EGR Vacuum Modulator Assembly

 

the plug to the left of it, is that an injector??? if so the damaged part is a knock sensor.... if the plug to the left is not an injector, then it is the knock sensor.... so you better pull the damaged item out and we will go from there...
that is the limit of what I could find.... maybe some of the others can help you....

 

The knock sensors are under the intake. Looking in my 93 manual I can't tell what that burnt spot is b/c the 91 and 93 engines are different in that area. But that black square plastic thing that runs to the left and right of the burnt spot, I think that's the wire loom for the injector plugs. I'll take a look at my engine tomorrow to see if I can figure anything out.

 

If I get some time tomorrow I will pull it off. Parked it tonight, I'll just have to drive the SC400 this week .

 

Hey Woody, are you sure that's not just something that fell into that spot? It looks more and more like a piece of plastic wire loom that got burnt or melted and just tossed in there. I looked at all the pics on lexls.com and can't see anything like this in that area. The best pic is #15 in this; http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/engine/valvecover.html
Just to clear up something I said, The piece I thought was the wire loom for the injectors is not. The wire loom I was thinking of and the injector plugs are under the louvered engine cover in your pic.

 

Took it off today , its actually a "Vacuum Valve Switch" part # 90910-12076, here it is

As you can see for whatever reason the end of it is melted. So I call my local Lexus dealer and get quoted a price of $138.00, hmmmm, I drive to the local Pullapart and pick one up for $4.95 + tax.
as you can tell I broke off the vacuum nipple when I removed it at the yard, so I will either remove the nipple from the old one and epoxy it to the other "new" one, or just drive back over and grab another one. Still baffled as to why the end of it would melt.

 

Go figure. I thought the VSV was towards the rear of the engine. I don't think you'll be able to change that nipple over from the old one. But for $5 you might as well go get another one.