Gs300 Cold Start Problem

[crosbie2000]

a little strange

turn the key when its over 5 degrees and ita a silky smooth as expected start. no issue

When its cold however on first turn of the key it tries to catch then just churns on the starter .

kept churning, resting and churning and pedal pumping until eventually it caught.

Wierd thing is it is silky smooth when it starts. when I stop it it restarts no problem as normal

any ideas out there ???

cheers

Iain

[Zotto]

Is oil the proper one 5W-xx or also 0W-xx ? No need in modern cars to pump on gas pedal.

[cruisermark]

this is a common problem on the 400s and 430s where the starter contacts wear out and fail to engage on the first start of the day. once the engine is warm the expansion makes the problem go away. The replacement parts are only a few quid but the gettting to the starter motor requires alot of dissembly as you have to remove the intake manifold.

it took my mechanic 6 hours on my 400 many years ago.

This could be your problem

[cruisermark]

Is oil the proper one 5W-xx or also 0W-xx ? No need in modern cars to pump on gas pedal.

This is also a valid suggestion - i have experienced this in my brothers BMW where putting the wrong oil (thinner i thin) caused starting and lumpy idling problems

[crosbie2000]

thanks for the suggestions

changed the oil myself so I know it to be good

Starter motor working all good.

its only when its below 6 drgrees

and it turns over fine but just doesnt catch.

Wierd

Cleaning throttle body and checking operation of cold start mechanism next

thanks

Iain

[Derek J]

GS 300 ... starting trouble !

When i turn the key to fire up the dashboard lights go out and the there is a clicking noise ...

but after constant turning of the key it does turn the starter but it do's not start the car ...

have changed the copper contacts checked all the usual on the starter all working order ...

fully charged Battery doesn't help either ...

would the alternator cause any of this ???

does anyone know how to fix this problem as i am getting withdrawal systems from not being able to drive my Lexus ... :eerrrmm:

[KentIS300]

When I had my IS300 SportCross, there is a "well known" issue mostly in US market of difficulty starting in the cold weather.

However when I was looking this noone knew the solution. .. and was understood to be one of the "things you had to live with"

an example of the many posts (http://my.is/forums/f122/2002-is300-cold-start-problems-381398/)