supra9398

I have a 2000 SC 400 with a rather odd set of symptoms; a search here and elsewhere has not yielded anything quite the same. Here it goes:

With the transmission in "park," the engine idles normally. With the transmission in "neutral," the engine idles normally. With the transmission in "drive," however, the idle drops to about 300rpm, accompanied by quite a bit of shaking and a check engine light. Once I rev it, the check engine light disappears and it runs smoothly. I have no idea why this occurs only with the transmission in "drive."

BiGEZ

iTrader: (24)

Once the CEL comes on pull the codes to see what the issue is. Might have a bad coil, plug or something along that line. Pulling the code will point you in the right direction.

DrAtomica

I almost have the same issue, except it doesn't go down to 300RPM and I don't get a CEL.
I've checked for leaks and also tried cleaning the throttle body. Usually I'd either shift to neutral in traffic or turn the AC on and the RPMs will go up.

Zerodrag

iTrader: (5)

Could it be an alternator charging issue? Could explain why the CEL comes on at low RPM and disappears when engine RPM increases?

DrAtomica

Usually if the alternator has a charging issue the battery light will then come on.

BiGEZ

iTrader: (24)

No sure but I too noticed my 99 SC400 idles at 300 rpms sometimes at 250 rpms when at a stop and in D. foot on the brakes. However it is smooth as silk and never miss a beat. I did a full tune up, brand new everything including all vac lines. Still idles low when at a stop but always silky smooth. No CEL or anything, so I don't worry about anymore.

DrAtomica

Maybe 1UZ VVT-i cars idle low? I don't know, I checked the shop manual it set it should be 650rpm +/-50RPM

No issues with my 98 400 either

LEXXIUM

iTrader: (1)

supra9398

Hey, sorry for my slow reply. Thanks for the comments, everyone. I bought a code reader and plugged it in; it says "misfire detected" for cylinders 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8. What could cause that? The most I've done under the hood is rebuild the starter motor 11 months ago, and the car has been in storage since then (had a lot of personal crap going on). 91 octane gas, always.

supra9398

Something major (fuel system, ECU, etc.) would likely affect all eight cylinders, yet something minor (coil, spark plug) would only affect one. I have misfires in five cylinders, for which I am at a loss for an explanation. Perhaps fresher gasoline could solve the issue, or is that overly optimistic? I am hesitant to try anything, as I do not want to damage it.

GS34B

Did you add some fuel stabilizer to the tank before you parked it for that time?

BiGEZ

iTrader: (24)

Dump a bottle of lucus or similar fuel injector cleaner and fill her up with good quality gas.

supra9398

No, I did not add any fuel stabilizer; I always doubted the effectiveness of such things. I will try BiGEZ's suggestion and see how that goes. I will update tomorrow.

supra9398

I have put fresh gas in it, and while the check engine light no longer illuminates and the code reader no longer detects a misfire, it still idles just above 0 and feels quite rough.