Wow, I almost don't want to touch this one, but here we go. awj, t's not a dirty air filter and probably not a vacuum line, the car would more than likely start, but might run crappy. Probably not any kind of linkage either. If the plugs were mega fouled or actually broken (i.e. shattered insulators from detonation) then that could do it, but that's probaly not it either, but yank a plug or two and see how it looks, that's always a good idea anyway. Stomp on the gas all you want, it's not carbureted where there's a direct linkage and fuel will dump in, the injector won't lift the pintle off the seat unless the computer tells it to do so, and the car has to be running for that, or you have to at least turn the key forward to get the fuel pump to prime/pressurize the rail. $40 is high for the fuel filter, list is around $34 or so if I remember. It goes underneath the car, driver side, a little ahead of the rear wheel. These cars are known to have a propensity for stripping those fittings, so take your time, i'm probably one of very few people here who's actually run all new factory fuel lines in an SC from the tank to the rail, and since these lines are installed at the factory before the drivetrain goes in, it's a b!tch to change them, not to mention that Lexus ships these lines un-boxed, and by the time they get to you, they'll probably be bent enough that they don't line up at all, and you'll have to tweak them a bit. You'll want to use spanner wrenches, if memory serves it's a 14mm and a 19mm I think, soak the fittings with liquid wrench for awhile before you even touch them, some come undone easily, but don't take chances, and make sure there's not too much gas in the tank, and that the car has sat long enough to bleed off any pressure in the lines/rail. That being said, IMO it's not the filter, that thing would have to be so mega-clogged for the car not to start, I can think of ten things it would more likely be. Two month old gas likely wouldn't be the culprit either, that's not too old. If you really are pretty sure the problem relates to the gas you got, the tanks that the station pumps from have socks to filter the fuel as it gets to the pump, i've heard stories of it breaking and dumping a bunch of sand in with your fuel. I used to know a guy that swore he had lost two motors in his Cyclone from this, whether or not I believe him is another story, but it is possible, so as long as you bought the filter anyway, throw it in, but back-flush the old one after it's out and see if any crap dumps out. Getting gas was probably a coincidence with the car dying, so if the problem persists, we'll take it to step two of diagnosis.
- Jon