My Sisters Having A Few Issues Guys

[wayne-T]

Hi, I hope someone with more experience could beam some light on things going wrong with my sisters motor.
Its a 2007 is220d

First issue is she says it won't start in the mornings but after about 3 mins later it will start.

Second issue , She is saying that she is topping up coolant every 3 days but there are no leaks.

Any seasoned Lexus people on here maybe had these issues before and could help out

 

Update

 it goes into limp mode then if she puts the anti freeze and takes codes off the car it goes back to normal the filter has been changed & the glow plugs fine.

 

 

Thanks in advance

Wayne

 

[steve2006]

Hello Wayne and welcome to the LOC.

Unfortunately not good news, these engines are notorious for Head Gasket Failure, not starting could be coolant in the cylinders which eventually evaporates and gets blown out  and coolant loss without any external leaks points to gasket failure.

A few years ago Lexus were replacing engines for this issue under an extended warranty unfortunately not any more.

[wayne-T]

Thanks steve for your speedy reply I'll hot her with the bad news 😞

[Texas]

+1 on above info and unfortunately it looks like your ( sis ) 220 has finally got to the stage where the head gasket fails, not catastrophically in a cloud of smoke and steam but very gradually with water ( coolant) weeping out of the cooling system and into the combustion chambers.

do a search on this forum for head gasket failure and you will see it is very common on this otherwise good car and is invariably the demise.

[wayne-T]

Okay thanks guys, what would be her best plan be , how much is it worth as it sits with this issue ? or just drive till it hits the graveyard or get the removal men to come and get it ?

Anything like gasket sealer maybe prolong the life of it?

 

Thanks in advance

[is200 Newbie]

I think everyone else would be of the same opinion, a 2007 with this issue will be untouchable by anyone who knows the lexus cars - look through eBay to see the value of these and they range from anything from £500 upwards for a 2007 high miler that is running fine.

A PX against a 250 would be a better bet - almost similar mileage and one of the most reliable cars - same comfort and if opting for the auto model then a better drive. Your sister will already be used to driving the same size of car so there shoudl be no issue. the 250's are at a reasonable price at the moment, guess no one wants to buy the big engined cars anymore - a lot of bang for your buck as they say...

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, wayne-T said:

Okay thanks guys, what would be her best plan be , how much is it worth as it sits with this issue ? or just drive till it hits the graveyard or get the removal men to come and get it ?

Anything like gasket sealer maybe prolong the life of it?

 

Thanks in advance

I think any kind of "sealer" would just be money wasted.  What a shame.

[wayne-T]

Thanks All......

The guy that sold her this car seemed like a decent fellow tbh , but did say you need to check the water/coolant and oil on a weekly basis, is this normal for these types of cars or do you think he would have known about this issue by saying this ?

I own a is300h f-sport 2015 myself & tbh i never check anything apart from tyre pressures & when it needs it service it gets it.

thanks in advance guys just trying to get to the bottom of the issue for the sister.

 

 

Wayne

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, wayne-T said:

Thanks All......

The guy that sold her this car seemed like a decent fellow tbh , but did say you need to check the water/coolant and oil on a weekly basis, is this normal for these types of cars or do you think he would have known about this issue by saying this ?

I own a is300h f-sport 2015 myself & tbh i never check anything apart from tyre pressures & when it needs it service it gets it.

thanks in advance guys just trying to get to the bottom of the issue for the sister.

 

 

Wayne

To be honest Reginald Christie sounded like a nice guy as well!  It's not normal to have to check the levels weekly unless you were expecting them to drop.  It sounds like the seller may have known.

[wayne-T]

thanks all for your help........great forum long live the lexus 🙂

[JamesIS220]

Sadly mine went the same way but high miles at 187,000. Gradual loss of coolant and then pressurising.

Drove great still! My most expensive car at £1500 until my Auris.

Listed with a totally honest listing on eBay and got £350 after 2 messers. Even bought new tyres 2-4 months earlier all round and when bought 18 months earlier fitted a new AC condenser so fully working AC. Now have a Toyota Auris Hybrid. The chap who collected said he gets 3-4 a week!

I tried HG sealer and it didn't work. The 250 is much better, should of bought it instead!

James.

[HellRider]

!st issue is that you have is220d 🤣

Never buy diesel, especially japanese 

[rich1068]

Helpful. I'm sure his sister finds it hysterical.

[bernieeccles]

Just a comment about sealer. A couple of years ago, my daughters Peugeot 206 started to emit plumes of white smoke that had the characteristic smell that pointed to a leaking head gasket. Not wanting to spend a lot of money on this old car, I decided to try a sealer called "Steel Seal" I didn't really believe that it would work but bought some and followed the instructions. BTW, I figured the original cause was a stuck closed thermostat and a not very car savvy daughter who never checked anything.

Over two years later, the car is still running with no loss of coolant, no white smoke and a rock steady temperature gauge.

I know this sounds like I have a vested interest in this stuff, but in our case, it really worked and was worth the money which at the time seemed quite a lot for not much sealer.

Got to be worth a try.

https://www.steelseal.co.uk/

[wayne-T]

anyone else used this stuff, maybe worth a punt, shes looking to borrow some more dollar for a new car and she aint paid back the last one yet😆 hahahaha

[The-Acre]

3 hours ago, wayne-T said:

anyone else used this stuff, maybe worth a punt, shes looking to borrow some more dollar for a new car and she aint paid back the last one yet😆 hahahaha

There's a lot of pressure in a diesel engine, your choice, and everyone here would be more than happy to be proved wrong, but I won't be betting on it working.  I suppose the only way to find out is to do it, I'll get the custard ready to eat with my humble pie just in case!

[Texas]

As a last resort before deciding the car is uneconomical to repair then I wish you the best of luck with the SteelSeal option but alas I feel it is asking a bit much on a DERV engine with vey high compression occurring in the area of failure.

If you follow the steelseal instructions exactly then you will have done all you can really.

 

[bernieeccles]

I would add that in doing my daughters car, I did flush out the system and used new antifreeze/coolant before applying the SteelSeal. Also after reading the instructions on their website I noticed the following.

• Unless you are confident that no coolant additives have been used in the past, we recommend flushing the cooling system with clean water.
• Steel Seal is compatible with most antifreezes, but also works in clean water. We do not recommend using Steel Seal with long life / extended antifreeze. If completing the treatment with water only, simply follow the steps above with plain water and add antifreeze afterwards for best results.

As Lexus use the pink coolant which IS longlife, I would bear that in mind.

Also, as far as scepticism goes, I have many years of fixing up vehicles both professionally and in a private capacity and have always poo pooed quick fixes but with my daughters car being worth next to bugger all, it was worth a try and as I said, it's still going strong.

They do offer a money back guarantee but I would suspect that there are a few hoops to jump through before they honoured that if it didn't work.