Fuel gauge and stalling problem
09-23-13, 07:31 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IL
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fuel gauge and stalling problem
2002 RX 300 - 203,500 miles
New antenna & motor @ 75,000
New trans @ 201,000
Need some advice though....just had a tune up & fuel filter changed a couple of weeks after getting the new trans. Two days after the tune up I went to get gas & filled the tank ( I still had a quarter tank of gas in there & the low fuel indicator lght was not on.). Upon starting the car the fuel gauge needle was at E & low fuel indicator light came on. I knew I had gas so I drove it short distance home. Told my husband, but he didn't have any answer for me. Came here to look up what could be wrong. Drove the car all week, watched the fuel gauge needle bury itself below E, & low fuel indicator light stayed on; needle never came back up & light never went off. Drove 235 miles & then bought a bottle of Techron & poured it in. Car sat most of the day with the Techron in the tank, then I drove 40 miles on the expressway to get home. I'm four tanks later now with no change in the fuel gauge needle level or the indicator light going off. My husband also tried disconnecting the battery to reset the light; that didn't work.
Since this has happened I've had 2 experiences where the car stalls & dies out. The first was when I went to the grocery store 2 miles away from home. Drove to one store, parked, shopped, started up & left no problem. Went to the next store, same thing no problem. After shopping in the third store, car would start after a couple of key turns, but would not stay running. When I start the car up right after this happens(a couple of key turns) it won't stay running; it dies out, especially when I attempt to put it in gear (drive or reverse). Finally, I was upset that I had all these perishable foods in the car & just spent $4,000 on car repairs since July (new trans, tune up, oil change) & it's 10 p.m., that I kept one foot on the brake & one foot on the gas gently keeping the car idling above 1,000 rpms & pulled it into reverse & the car went. It died as soon as I braked. I then repeated this & pulled the car into drive & made it home. The next morning when my family & I went to church, it was as if nothing happened. Two weeks of expressway driving & no breakdowns, but have noticed that if I'm driving in stop-n-go traffic & /or I brake hard on the expressway the car rpms go down below 1,000 & when I step on the gas, the car stalls, but then lurches forward to go. Today, I was in stop-n-go traffic, no problems on the expressway. Exited off the expressway & caught four green lights to get home, so I never really had to drop below 25 mph. Drove into subdivision, right up to the mailbox unit. Turned car off, retrieved the mail & got back into the car. The car would start but not stay running for me to get it into gear. My husband & kids weren't home, so after 2-3 minutes of attempting to get the car moving. I left it by the mailboxe unit & walked 50 feet to the house. I let the car sit there for 15 minutes. Went back out car would start, but not stay running, so I did the same thing - 1 foot on the brake & 1 foot on the gas & pulled the car into drive & attempted to back into the garage. The car died as soon as I came to a stop. I started it up again using the aforementioned method & backed the car into the garage. My husband came home 30 minutes later & started the car right up & drove it around the subdivision without incident. Parked it in the garage.
I suspect the fuel pump is going bad & needs to be replaced? I've read about the MAF to be cleaned? Anyone with a low cost solution to this problem, please post - I'm broke & can't afford a costly repair...or a new car. The inside of my Lexus is like new - I taught my two boys (ages 13 & 8) to respect my car. I'm the original owner, purchased it in May of 2002.
New antenna & motor @ 75,000
New trans @ 201,000
Need some advice though....just had a tune up & fuel filter changed a couple of weeks after getting the new trans. Two days after the tune up I went to get gas & filled the tank ( I still had a quarter tank of gas in there & the low fuel indicator lght was not on.). Upon starting the car the fuel gauge needle was at E & low fuel indicator light came on. I knew I had gas so I drove it short distance home. Told my husband, but he didn't have any answer for me. Came here to look up what could be wrong. Drove the car all week, watched the fuel gauge needle bury itself below E, & low fuel indicator light stayed on; needle never came back up & light never went off. Drove 235 miles & then bought a bottle of Techron & poured it in. Car sat most of the day with the Techron in the tank, then I drove 40 miles on the expressway to get home. I'm four tanks later now with no change in the fuel gauge needle level or the indicator light going off. My husband also tried disconnecting the battery to reset the light; that didn't work.
Since this has happened I've had 2 experiences where the car stalls & dies out. The first was when I went to the grocery store 2 miles away from home. Drove to one store, parked, shopped, started up & left no problem. Went to the next store, same thing no problem. After shopping in the third store, car would start after a couple of key turns, but would not stay running. When I start the car up right after this happens(a couple of key turns) it won't stay running; it dies out, especially when I attempt to put it in gear (drive or reverse). Finally, I was upset that I had all these perishable foods in the car & just spent $4,000 on car repairs since July (new trans, tune up, oil change) & it's 10 p.m., that I kept one foot on the brake & one foot on the gas gently keeping the car idling above 1,000 rpms & pulled it into reverse & the car went. It died as soon as I braked. I then repeated this & pulled the car into drive & made it home. The next morning when my family & I went to church, it was as if nothing happened. Two weeks of expressway driving & no breakdowns, but have noticed that if I'm driving in stop-n-go traffic & /or I brake hard on the expressway the car rpms go down below 1,000 & when I step on the gas, the car stalls, but then lurches forward to go. Today, I was in stop-n-go traffic, no problems on the expressway. Exited off the expressway & caught four green lights to get home, so I never really had to drop below 25 mph. Drove into subdivision, right up to the mailbox unit. Turned car off, retrieved the mail & got back into the car. The car would start but not stay running for me to get it into gear. My husband & kids weren't home, so after 2-3 minutes of attempting to get the car moving. I left it by the mailboxe unit & walked 50 feet to the house. I let the car sit there for 15 minutes. Went back out car would start, but not stay running, so I did the same thing - 1 foot on the brake & 1 foot on the gas & pulled the car into drive & attempted to back into the garage. The car died as soon as I came to a stop. I started it up again using the aforementioned method & backed the car into the garage. My husband came home 30 minutes later & started the car right up & drove it around the subdivision without incident. Parked it in the garage.
I suspect the fuel pump is going bad & needs to be replaced? I've read about the MAF to be cleaned? Anyone with a low cost solution to this problem, please post - I'm broke & can't afford a costly repair...or a new car. The inside of my Lexus is like new - I taught my two boys (ages 13 & 8) to respect my car. I'm the original owner, purchased it in May of 2002.
09-24-13, 06:16 AM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
2002 RX 300 - 203,500 miles
New antenna & motor @ 75,000
New trans @ 201,000
Need some advice though....just had a tune up & fuel filter changed a couple of weeks after getting the new trans. Two days after the tune up I went to get gas & filled the tank ( I still had a quarter tank of gas in there & the low fuel indicator lght was not on.). Upon starting the car the fuel gauge needle was at E & low fuel indicator light came on. I knew I had gas so I drove it short distance home. Told my husband, but he didn't have any answer for me. Came here to look up what could be wrong. Drove the car all week, watched the fuel gauge needle bury itself below E, & low fuel indicator light stayed on; needle never came back up & light never went off. Drove 235 miles & then bought a bottle of Techron & poured it in. Car sat most of the day with the Techron in the tank, then I drove 40 miles on the expressway to get home. I'm four tanks later now with no change in the fuel gauge needle level or the indicator light going off. My husband also tried disconnecting the battery to reset the light; that didn't work.
Since this has happened I've had 2 experiences where the car stalls & dies out. The first was when I went to the grocery store 2 miles away from home. Drove to one store, parked, shopped, started up & left no problem. Went to the next store, same thing no problem. After shopping in the third store, car would start after a couple of key turns, but would not stay running. When I start the car up right after this happens(a couple of key turns) it won't stay running; it dies out, especially when I attempt to put it in gear (drive or reverse). Finally, I was upset that I had all these perishable foods in the car & just spent $4,000 on car repairs since July (new trans, tune up, oil change) & it's 10 p.m., that I kept one foot on the brake & one foot on the gas gently keeping the car idling above 1,000 rpms & pulled it into reverse & the car went. It died as soon as I braked. I then repeated this & pulled the car into drive & made it home. The next morning when my family & I went to church, it was as if nothing happened. Two weeks of expressway driving & no breakdowns, but have noticed that if I'm driving in stop-n-go traffic & /or I brake hard on the expressway the car rpms go down below 1,000 & when I step on the gas, the car stalls, but then lurches forward to go. Today, I was in stop-n-go traffic, no problems on the expressway. Exited off the expressway & caught four green lights to get home, so I never really had to drop below 25 mph. Drove into subdivision, right up to the mailbox unit. Turned car off, retrieved the mail & got back into the car. The car would start but not stay running for me to get it into gear. My husband & kids weren't home, so after 2-3 minutes of attempting to get the car moving. I left it by the mailboxe unit & walked 50 feet to the house. I let the car sit there for 15 minutes. Went back out car would start, but not stay running, so I did the same thing - 1 foot on the brake & 1 foot on the gas & pulled the car into drive & attempted to back into the garage. The car died as soon as I came to a stop. I started it up again using the aforementioned method & backed the car into the garage. My husband came home 30 minutes later & started the car right up & drove it around the subdivision without incident. Parked it in the garage.
I suspect the fuel pump is going bad & needs to be replaced? I've read about the MAF to be cleaned? Anyone with a low cost solution to this problem, please post - I'm broke & can't afford a costly repair...or a new car. The inside of my Lexus is like new - I taught my two boys (ages 13 & 8) to respect my car. I'm the original owner, purchased it in May of 2002.
New antenna & motor @ 75,000
New trans @ 201,000
Need some advice though....just had a tune up & fuel filter changed a couple of weeks after getting the new trans. Two days after the tune up I went to get gas & filled the tank ( I still had a quarter tank of gas in there & the low fuel indicator lght was not on.). Upon starting the car the fuel gauge needle was at E & low fuel indicator light came on. I knew I had gas so I drove it short distance home. Told my husband, but he didn't have any answer for me. Came here to look up what could be wrong. Drove the car all week, watched the fuel gauge needle bury itself below E, & low fuel indicator light stayed on; needle never came back up & light never went off. Drove 235 miles & then bought a bottle of Techron & poured it in. Car sat most of the day with the Techron in the tank, then I drove 40 miles on the expressway to get home. I'm four tanks later now with no change in the fuel gauge needle level or the indicator light going off. My husband also tried disconnecting the battery to reset the light; that didn't work.
Since this has happened I've had 2 experiences where the car stalls & dies out. The first was when I went to the grocery store 2 miles away from home. Drove to one store, parked, shopped, started up & left no problem. Went to the next store, same thing no problem. After shopping in the third store, car would start after a couple of key turns, but would not stay running. When I start the car up right after this happens(a couple of key turns) it won't stay running; it dies out, especially when I attempt to put it in gear (drive or reverse). Finally, I was upset that I had all these perishable foods in the car & just spent $4,000 on car repairs since July (new trans, tune up, oil change) & it's 10 p.m., that I kept one foot on the brake & one foot on the gas gently keeping the car idling above 1,000 rpms & pulled it into reverse & the car went. It died as soon as I braked. I then repeated this & pulled the car into drive & made it home. The next morning when my family & I went to church, it was as if nothing happened. Two weeks of expressway driving & no breakdowns, but have noticed that if I'm driving in stop-n-go traffic & /or I brake hard on the expressway the car rpms go down below 1,000 & when I step on the gas, the car stalls, but then lurches forward to go. Today, I was in stop-n-go traffic, no problems on the expressway. Exited off the expressway & caught four green lights to get home, so I never really had to drop below 25 mph. Drove into subdivision, right up to the mailbox unit. Turned car off, retrieved the mail & got back into the car. The car would start but not stay running for me to get it into gear. My husband & kids weren't home, so after 2-3 minutes of attempting to get the car moving. I left it by the mailboxe unit & walked 50 feet to the house. I let the car sit there for 15 minutes. Went back out car would start, but not stay running, so I did the same thing - 1 foot on the brake & 1 foot on the gas & pulled the car into drive & attempted to back into the garage. The car died as soon as I came to a stop. I started it up again using the aforementioned method & backed the car into the garage. My husband came home 30 minutes later & started the car right up & drove it around the subdivision without incident. Parked it in the garage.
I suspect the fuel pump is going bad & needs to be replaced? I've read about the MAF to be cleaned? Anyone with a low cost solution to this problem, please post - I'm broke & can't afford a costly repair...or a new car. The inside of my Lexus is like new - I taught my two boys (ages 13 & 8) to respect my car. I'm the original owner, purchased it in May of 2002.
Please make a new thread, and we will all gladly help!
In the meantime, do a search on cleaning IACV and throttle body. That may take care of the stalling problem, as long as it isn't related to the fuel pump going haywire. You can DIY it and it will only cost you $5 for the bottle of throttle body cleaner from an Auto Parts store.
09-24-13, 06:45 AM
#3
Moderator
I have moved the posts to a new thread as they had nothing to do with the 200k thread. Hopefully the OP will know to follow it here.
Idle problems are related to IACV and if that has not been serviced it may be time to do that. Read the DIY and determine if you need to take to a mechanic or not.
Fuel gauge problem:
In order or possible cause
Sending unit (float)
connector at the tank side
wires
instrument cluster.
Quick test would be to ground the connector pin (fuel level) and monitor the instrument cluster. Beyond that I am out of ideas. Hopefully other members will help too.
Salim
Idle problems are related to IACV and if that has not been serviced it may be time to do that. Read the DIY and determine if you need to take to a mechanic or not.
Fuel gauge problem:
In order or possible cause
Sending unit (float)
connector at the tank side
wires
instrument cluster.
Quick test would be to ground the connector pin (fuel level) and monitor the instrument cluster. Beyond that I am out of ideas. Hopefully other members will help too.
Salim
09-26-13, 11:34 AM
#5
Moderator
Did they service the fuel filter in the tank? If so the crazy fuel level readings can be due to something the mechanic failed to do properly .... loose connector, pinched wire etc. Visit them again and let them diagnose and fix the fuel gauge issue. Intermittent fails are hard to diagnose. But if they worked in a area of the sending unit, they dont have to hunt much.
Salim
Salim
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
