semar

Just reading thru the various threads on this forum and came upon the subject of hesitation.
Never had a Lexus before and still learning the behavior.
Yes, when merging into a fast lane and seeing someone coming up fast but still having lots of space I did not want to "cut him off" I floored it and it took maybe 2 seconds (but not slowing down, just lagging) before it took off like a scalded cat.
Is this timelag normal? Or do your cars go full throttle instantly?like my 88 735
All services are up to date, but I do use 89 grade gas.
I will try 92 (best to get here) and see what it will do.
01 ultra, 116k miles

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Both of my LS does what you are describing

Unlike my other cars throttle isn't super touchy
Allows for smoother driving

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I would not call it normal. Not 2 seconds of lag. I have never felt this.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

I should rephrase

Driving along at 40 mph at 1700 rpm, if you do wot, car takes a little bit of time to downshift and go to redline


The time it takes to downshift is what I was talking about ...

ancdmd

Mine has more of a delay than other cars I've owned so yes, I'd say it's normal.

semar

thanks guys
for the time being I will leave it as is
I know now to leave sufficient space when entering different lanes.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Just manually downshift it to avoid tranny hesitation on kickdown

lazycruzer

There is a valve which increases airflow on acceleration and is a common failure. My mechanic said the car drives fine without it, but people really notice the difference when they floor it after it has been replaced.

Someone more technical can maybe put a name to the part, but it is buried fairly deep so a job to add to other maintenance.

Jon

Edit - VSV = vacuum switching valve

Tom57

Drive-by-wire = electronic throttle control causes some of the lagging acceleration response.

Bocatrip

"Drive by Wire". There are many culprits and parts that can cause an issue and all can be pricey so I have learned to live with my intermittent dead spot when accelerating. None have been a safety issue and sometimes many months go by before it reappears. Just too expensive to throw expensive parts in such an old car.

PS. The above video is educational but the LS430 may be unique with it's inherent characteristics that differentiates it from other manufacturers. Many of the drive by wire parts cannot be tested if the car is not in the "hesitating on acceleration state".

semar

the video is educational but at present would not justify the cost to remedy a "problem" I can handle
Looking back over the decades where I needed to nail it - the expression would be: extremely rare
thanks all for the info and comments

mrboca

I had the hesitation problem too in the past. Timing belt, water pump, spark plugs valve cover gaskets, pcv valve changed for 110K maintenace, and the hesitation problem persisted. Scanned for error codes. Had two pending codes from the O2 sensors for one side, but no CEL. I then checked the MAF sensor. The sensing wires / components were dirty. Instead of cleaning. I replaced it with a new one. The pending codes did not come back, and no more hesitation....

On top of it, I had about 3 mpg improvement in fuel efficiency.

semar

just a thought:
would not the MAF get dirty when you neglect to replace the airfilter?
Or purchase a quality airfilter rather than trying to save a few bucks and then having to spend more on a MAF

mrboca

Good question... When I bought the car it had around 100 kmiles and I had no way of knowing whether the previous owners had had changed the air filter regularly with quality filters. The fact is that the MAF sensors do collect some dirt on the components over the years of service, in my case,almost 15 years. The MAF for our cars is easy to inspect.

Bocatrip

The MAF was one of the first things I addressed with this issue. I even had Lexus do a diagnostic for $99 while cleaning the MAF which was fairly clean. It didn't change anything for me.