Hey everybody...new kid on the block here. My 02 LX470 has been a workhorse; 210K miles and still going strong with only timing belts (x2), brakes, and tires since purchasing in 2006 w/80K miles. Recently it's not been starting properly though. Not a battery or key problem that others have reported. Doesn't appear to be a bad starter either since it is working to turn over but sometimes it takes 3-4 tries before starting. The wife thinks she may be smelling fuel??? Has anybody else had this issue or have an idea of what to look for? Fuel pump perhaps? Grasping at straws at this point. Mechanic can't say for sure either. It's not quit on us yet and obviously trying to avoid that if possible. Any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Very, very likely, starter contacts. Contacts are cheap but the labor is not. Fix before it stops working at inopportune time.

 

Thanks Hoser. Most people I've talked to say if the starter is going bad I will hear a click and then nothing will happen. My truck's starter appears to be working just fine. By that I mean it sounds normal and appears to be working to start the car as it should but on occasion I have to turn the key a few times before the engine actually starts. Could it be as simple as needing a throttle body assembly cleaning? On the majority of starts it fires up perfectly. Also, I've noticed that the warm starts are more problematic than the cold starts.

 

Oh, got it. So the starter cranks every time but the engine doesn't "catch" occasionally requiring 3-4 tries.

Like you said, I would first thoroughly clean the TB and MAF and see how that works for you. If it hasn't had it's scheduled maintenance done, I'd take care of that. Lastly, with that mileage, I'd consider going over the fuel system... specifically the fuel filter (which doesn't have an interval in the maintenance schedule) and the fuel injectors. The best way would be to remove and send the injectors out to a company like RC Engineering but there are other ways to clean them on the vehicle.

Women generally do have a good sense of smell. If the engine is cranking and the fuel mixture is not igniting, my guess is she is smelling unburnt fuel out of the intake.

 

I'll try that and will let you know if that solves my problem. Hope so!

 

Happy to report that I've not had any more starting problems since the last post. Sea Foam fuel additive may have fixed the problem??? I did switch keys just in case that was the problem but I have a hard time believing that had anything to do with it. 300K miles here I come...

 

I posted a few weeks ago that I thought my starting problems were over....well, I was wrong. My wife was stranded at our daughter's daycare last week so I reluctantly took it to the local Lexus dealer. They were able to locate the problem very quickly. Turns out I had a bad fuse that controls the EFI and it was overheating which prevented the car from starting from time to time. Unfortunately the entire fuse board had to be replaced for a total cost of $815. Sucks but at least the problem appears to have been fixed.

 

Update, it's been a month now and no more starting problems. Looks like it was a bad fuse all along.