CEL came on early this morning. I was thinking it was another defective alternator but my capacitor shows 14.9-15.4 volts. It feels like the engine is idling rough. The CEL is flashing rapidly. When I step on the gas the acceleration seems like its a little slower. Any idea what it could be?

 

Most likely Idle Air Control Valve, but better yet get the code read. Do a search on Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) if you want instructions on how to clean it.

 

It really could be anything. Really would have to see the code.

 

I agree, to got Autozone and get the CEL code read out. If MAF or IACV, you can clean as Mikey00 indicated before trying to replace. O2, AF Sensor, or PCV you can replace easily if they are faulty...Again need to find out what is wrong first.

 

I went to the Autozone closest to my house and they said they didnt do free code checks. Which is weird beacause I thought they did. Either that or the employee was being lazy. I'll go ahead and check with another Autozone tomorrow. I'm just afraid to to drive it over there

 

When you mean the CEL is flashing rapidly, do you mean it is doing this non-stop, blinking on and off?

 

Autozone told me that they can NOT read codes for people in CA only!
They said the repair shops were able to force this.

BUT, they do "rent" you a scan tool for a re-fundable deposit (big though,
I think it was about $170). But too, make sure they have one in stock, I didn't
and needlessly drove there. I ended up just buying one.
Gary

 

ok guys, I went ahead and cleaned the MAF and sprayed the throttlebody with the cleaner. I stripped the 1st screw to IACV so I decided not to make it worse. Changed my oil and filter while I was at it. Anyways, the CEL is still blinking. Idle is still the same. Alittle rough but not noticable until I put the car into reverse. When I'm driving I can really tell theres a loss in power and the engine light stays on instead of blinking. I am overdue for my timing belt and water pump. Can that be a cause? I had this problem with my old Corolla and foundout it was a dead spark plug. I seriously thinking thats what the problem is. Hopefully its not because I know its a PITA to replace them myself.

 

Well if you have severe hesitation that is probably a coil. If either that or plug is dead it will throw the vehicle into a rich condition, thus triggering a light. Even a general mechanic that has a scanner should at least be able to read the code even for a few bucks. Down here, mechanics charge $10 USD equivalent to read the code.

 

I wish it was $10 over here. I actually foundsomebody with a scanner that will get me the codes for $50... I just have to wait til tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it is my spark plugs though since they havent been replaced and I am at 140k already. I dont know if im ready to try and do it myself though

 

I am going to do a DIY once I get my plugs down here. Should be within 2-3 weeks. I have been using TorqueMasters, but having used crappy Pemex gas for years until it just got better (88% less sulfur) decided to get another set of 6 and go do a change.

I know a few others have posted with some photos on how to do this and those rear plugs are not as difficult as long as you used the right tools and patience. My uncle did it pretty quickly with me last year, but I don't remember the length of the wrench he used.

If you plan to keep that RX for long, might want to go ahead and get an OBDII scanner like the little Actron I have though some found some good ones at Harbor Freight.

 

Just came back from Freight Harbor. Unfortunately they sold out of the cheap $50 OBD-II scanners. Decided to stop by the dealership and one of the techs I knew told me it might not even be the spark plug but a bad coil. I also noticed on the drive that my idle is way below 800 rpm. Not to mention that for some reason the RX wont shift correctly. When I step on the gas it wont downshift. And when I'm cruising it wont shift up so my rpm stay in the 3000s when I'm only goin about 40mph. Any idea what that could be?

 

Don't worry about the shifting. That's just normal operation when the check engine light is on. At this point you really don't know what the problem is without a code and have no scanner. Why not just pull the battery cable which will reset the code and the ECU. You may get lucky and everything will be fine. Worse case the CEL will come back on and you will have your code and be right back where you started.

 

A dead coil would be instantly noticeable. Happened to me about a year ago and that poor RX sputtered all the way back to my uncles (that's when we modified a Camry coil to fit). Now, a malfunctioning coil, where it is intermittent or something in the coil, that might be a possibility.

Can you hit all of your gears? You should feel shifts at about 40 and 70 mph if you floor it from a light.

 

I'll try that in the morning. Maybe itll work, who knows.

hmmm, havent really noticed. I've taken it to about 60-65. It took forever and felt like it was still short a gear.