Check VSC, Engine light....

[Ceramicolive]

So some of you may know that I decided to buy a GS300 that had covered a mere 140,000 miles, what's the worst that could happen?

Anyway it's been performing beautifully and driving like a car with a third of the mileage as you would expect from a lexus.

Last night after a 70 mile trip I needed to fill her up for the second time since my ownership as the DTE was indicating 32 miles on a quarter of a tank? Thirsty girl!

I pulled into the local BP ( other fossil fuel providers are available) and took off the fuel cap to be greeted with a release of pressure which I believe is normal, and filled her up with BP's finest grade fuel, I forget the name, ultima or something along those lines? 

So I drove home which was a further 40 odd miles no problems, plenty of power, no warning lights but today just pootling around my local town I get a check vsc message, yellow brake warning, yellow engine check light and the yellow skidding car to indicate no traction control on. I know it's christmas time but that's too many lights for my liking!

A quick check on the internet indicates it could be down to a loose fuel filler cap (please be that!) so I went outside and took it off to inspect it. This time no release of pressure perhaps indicating it wasn't sealing all that well? 

I put it back on and ensured it was three or four clicks tight. Lights still on but some report it may take a few days for the fault to clear itself? 

Anybody that has had anything similar and would like to share their experience would be greatly appreciated. 

I'll report back in a couple of days as to the condition of my newly rather festive dash!!

Thanks

[KayCee]

Hi Anthony

Yes last year when i had my 55 GS300 i too got the same dreaded lights (You Know the Feeling ") WTH a Lexus and a fault surely not however i took it to lexus who said Need a o2 sensor  i cant remember price but it made me gulp but we will take the dtc off for you they did and it came back on on the way home i researched and loads of posts said Fuel cap i purchased one and it never came on again

but i never ever let it get below 1/4 tank it just may be you are running on different brand of fuel they are sensitive

Robert

check this

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-3rd-gen-2006-2011/705445-2007-lexus-gs350-check-vsc-engine-anti-lock-and-skid-lights.html

[Malc1]

.... different car here .....  removing the petrol filler cap doesn't always result in that sharp outtake of air, that gush, whatever the level of fuel remaining ....  I had sort of, for no reason at all, put it down to the heat of the day maybe evaporating and some fumes being released.

Of an 85.1 litre tank the lowest it's got to is about 80 litres before a refill, well into the orange light and me knowing there's about 100 miles left once the light comes on.

Malc 1

[cruisermark]

Hi Guys - just found this thread - my 430 has the same lights/message on - the garage has told me it needs oxygen sensors which i was planning to get changed - do you think it is worth me changing the cap?

Also will i need to clear the codes afterwards - reason for asking is when i changed my Battery just recently the lights went out for a while and then came back after driving about 5 miles

looking forward to your replies

 

 

[Ceramicolive]

Thanks for the replies and the link KayCee, Lights are still present as of this morning, might be worth £30 for a new fuel cap just to rule that out. I'll keep you posted.

[CustomIce]

VSC and brake light on the early Mk2 GS was a fault with the brake booster system which was overhauled on the latter years of the Mk2. This fault tended to manifest itself with the Christmas tree dash light display.

I looked at several GS when shopping for mine that had the same fault.

I would doubt VSC and brake warnings are fuel related unless it it causing loss of power to the engine and auxiliary systems

[Ceramicolive]

I've read up on the subject and the sequence of lights, VSC check etc relates to around 40 different errors it's just telling you to take your car to Lexus so they can read the exact fault so it's difficult to say but the fuel cap not being tight enough or sealing incorrectly is definitely a common one, so common that Toyota/Lexus started to put a warning on the fuel cap on certain models stating that if it wasn't tightened sufficiently it would throw up a VSC warning. Here's hoping.

[steve2006]

I think that the brake booster was the  main reason I sold the GS300 I bought as a temporary replacement when the LS400 was accident damaged back in 2010.

Having said that it still seems to be running fine as I see it occasionally.

From what I recall on start up there should be a pumping/grinding noise from the brake unit as it activates for a few seconds then it should only make the noise again when the brake pedal is pressed repeatedly.

Pulling the EFI fuse and leaving it out for a few minutes normally resets the ECU and the stored codes.

 

[Ceramicolive]

25 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

I think that the brake booster was the  main reason I sold the GS300 I bought as a temporary replacement when the LS400 was accident damaged back in 2010.

Having said that it still seems to be running fine as I see it occasionally.

From what I recall on start up there should be a pumping/grinding noise from the brake unit as it activates for a few seconds then it should only make the noise again when the brake pedal is pressed repeatedly.

Pulling the EFI fuse and leaving it out for a few minutes normally resets the ECU and the stored codes.

 

Just to be clear the car is a mk3 GS300 not a mk2. Does it suffer with the same brake booster fault?

[cruisermark]

3 hours ago, Ceramicolive said:

Thanks for the replies and the link KayCee, Lights are still present as of this morning, might be worth £30 for a new fuel cap just to rule that out. I'll keep you posted.

please keep us posted - if it wors for you - I might try it

[Ceramicolive]

Update, I pulled the EFI fuse 25amp and the 10amp ETCS fuse as recommended here and on the following picture, I did not disconnect the Battery, I also removed my fuel cap seal and turned it the other way round so the opposite face now seals against the filler neck. (hope that makes sense) All lights extinguish on start up no more check VSC etc. I'll see if it comes back on after a drive and report back.

[steve2006]

1 hour ago, Ceramicolive said:

Just to be clear the car is a mk3 GS300 not a mk2. Does it suffer with the same brake booster fault?

Sorry, yes I was assuming a series II, hopefully the series III has a conventional braking system.

Fuel cap gasket is available separately under part number 77300-50020 priced around £15.00.

[cruisermark]

9 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

Sorry, yes I was assuming a series II, hopefully the series III has a conventional braking system.

Fuel cap gasket is available separately under part number 77300-50020 priced around £15.00.

Hi steve

Do you know if the the gasket is availbale for the LS430 fuel cap - i inspected mine and I think it looks a bit flat - please let me know

[steve2006]

15 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Hi steve

Do you know if the the gasket is availbale for the LS430 fuel cap - i inspected mine and I think it looks a bit flat - please let me know

Hi Mark,

Yes same price and part number is 77316-16010.

[cruisermark]

Thanks Steve - just ordered one - will update by the weekend if it worked

[Ceramicolive]

Just thought I would update the thread in case anybody else is having a similar issue.

So far flipping the seal around and resetting the ecu via the method above has worked, no more warning lights.

Hope this helps someone else, I will be changing the seal for a new one to be on the safe side.

Thanks.

[IdleRich]

On 11/25/2016 at 7:24 PM, Ceramicolive said:

Just thought I would update the thread in case anybody else is having a similar issue.

So far flipping the seal around and resetting the ecu via the method above has worked, no more warning lights.

Hope this helps someone else, I will be changing the seal for a new one to be on the safe side.

Thanks.

Hi there, I got this "Checjk VSC" error message yesterday as well... car still had lots of poewrr and was driving normally (it's a 2005 Lexus GS430 Sport). I followed this advice (swapped around petrol cap gasket, and took out the 2 fuses for 5/10 mins)... However, now I still get the "Check VSC" ereror message, but have absolutely no power in the car... just like it's in limp mode. Not sure whay this would be - unless the swapped gasket is MUCH worse than the way it was originally inserted? The gasket does look pretty tatty tough.   Soo I swapped the gasket back, but still feels like it's in limp mode... For my clarity, do I just need to order a new gasket only... and not a full petrol cap unit? (ie, the full piece that you screw into the top of the tank?). Anyone know the part number for the gasked on a 2005 GS430 sport?  Many thanks.

[The-Acre]

2 minutes ago, IdleRich said:

Hi there, I got this "Checjk VSC" error message yesterday as well... car still had lots of poewrr and was driving normally (it's a 2005 Lexus GS430 Sport). I followed this advice (swapped around petrol cap gasket, and took out the 2 fuses for 5/10 mins)... However, now I still get the "Check VSC" ereror message, but have absolutely no power in the car... just like it's in limp mode. Not sure whay this would be - unless the swapped gasket is MUCH worse than the way it was originally inserted? The gasket does look pretty tatty tough.   Soo I swapped the gasket back, but still feels like it's in limp mode... For my clarity, do I just need to order a new gasket only... and not a full petrol cap unit? (ie, the full piece that you screw into the top of the tank?). Anyone know the part number for the gasked on a 2005 GS430 sport?  Many thanks.

I can't help thinking you need to see if any fault codes show in a diagnostic.  There are various things that cause the check vsc to come on.