is220d iS220d fix/sell advice

[CazzyG]

Hi Guys,

Little dilemna going on here, need second opinion.

Car details:

Lexus iS220d 2007
Mileage: just under 180ish k km)  
2 owners from new (got car with 120k km from previous owner)

Modifications:

Remapped to 510nm torque and 210bhp, upgraded GS350 6pot brake calipers and bigger discs, lowering springs, V-LAND tail lights, sport flat base steering wheel, twin exit stainless exhaust system from Honda S2000, original GS300 alloy wheels , boot spoiler, K&N filter, blocked 5th injector. Probably forgetting something. Long story short i have looked after the car and spend over 2-3k on upgrades. The car has exceptional Power/Weight ratio and most importantly fuel efficiency about 5-6 ltrs/100km.

Last year i was unfortunate to put in bad diesel from a local garage and instantly noticed puff of black smoke, However being naive thought it was my eyes or paranoia. Anyway ended up changing 4 injectors (no-one told me they were priced as GOLD) , air filter, cleaned EGR valve. Finally came to conclusion it was bad fuel (probably damaged the replacement injectors too). Car has been sitting last 4months at least due to bad weather and now weather has improved but it won't start just cranks.

Is this worth fighting the war to fix it, I keep thinking i am almost close to fixing the issue, I am currently using LS600h as daily but i would prefer to have the Sporty IS220d manual as daily and the LS for long trips. Problem is i have no garage space to actually take it apart to inspect any internal components and having played around with it,  its probably going to be hard to get a mechanic willing to take a look at it as the road-worth test is expired since Dec 22.

Attaching photos of what i was getting on Techstream when it was still starting, I have a few post here where i shared video/photos but can't figure out how to re-share. I have connected Techstream but no codes.

Possible cause from my understanding:

- not starting (probably weak Battery even though i charged it nearly 2 days but never goes past 13.5v, i am thinking cranking Amperage is weak or fuel pump)

- black smoke (bad fuel, bad injector/s leaking fuel causing over-fueling)

Any pointers/advice much appreciated.
 

Diesel Black Smoke Test.pdf June 11th injector 34 cleaned..pdf Not starting accelerate sticking to floor.pdf

[McShmoopy]

Personally I'd cut your losses and get rid of the 220d, even if you hadn't put in the bad diesel these cars are notoriously unreliable (as far as lexus standards) and the poor manual gearbox and economy hardly makes it worth it (although I noticed you're not in the UK and you have the sport which I heard had a better gearbox). The IS250 on the other hand achieves very comparable economy (I get 28 to 32 local driving and 43mpg on the motorway), the auto gearbox is silky smooth (there is a manual also) and petrol is cheaper and it will give you the rock solid reliability and refinement you'd expect from a Lexus. Just my two pence though!  

[Shahpor]

Hi Cazzy,

Without error codes you might have to go back to basics a little.

First, have you tried Priming it before starting?  If so, the repair manual suggests the following:

Hope this helps.

[Spark plug]

Get rid and buy a IS petrol 

[CazzyG]

8 hours ago, Shahpor said:

Hi Cazzy,

Without error codes you might have to go back to basics a little.

First, have you tried Priming it before starting?  If so, the repair manual suggests the following:

Hope this helps.

Hi Shahpor.

This is actually perfect timing, I remembered i have quick start in the shed, So asked neighbour for as jumpstart and with a puff of quick start in the air intake the car fired up and died. So it is definitely fuel related,  I don't hear fuel pump running and i think your test above will be ideal test to confirm. I will run it tomorrow on Techstream  and see what happens.

 

@McShmoopy and @Spark plug i totally agree, This is the worst Engineering of Lexus and it hurts so much as i love the compact shape of IS. Just so beautiful and sleek, The LS is perfect for Long Trips and such but i would really love to use the IS as daily as i get  a good buzz from throwing it around because it handles like a train on rails and STOPS like a train (Never understood that part, since trains are the worst at stopping)

 

[McShmoopy]

43 minutes ago, CazzyG said:

Hi Shahpor.

This is actually perfect timing, I remembered i have quick start in the shed, So asked neighbour for as jumpstart and with a puff of quick start in the air intake the car fired up and died. So it is definitely fuel related,  I don't hear fuel pump running and i think your test above will be ideal test to confirm. I will run it tomorrow on Techstream  and see what happens.

 

@McShmoopy and @Spark plug i totally agree, This is the worst Engineering of Lexus and it hurts so much as i love the compact shape of IS. Just so beautiful and sleek, The LS is perfect for Long Trips and such but i would really love to use the IS as daily as i get  a good buzz from throwing it around because it handles like a train on rails and STOPS like a train (Never understood that part, since trains are the worst at stopping)

 

Its definitely worth considering a manual IS250 then, but an F Sport Auto IS250 would be a suitable contender as the gearbox is pretty bullet proof and you have paddle shifters for exciting driving and cheaper to tax. These cars are great the only issue is the MPG but you get peace of mind as the trade off (as long as you keep up with those yearly oil changes!) 

[Spark plug]

On 5/3/2023 at 9:07 PM, CazzyG said:

Hi Shahpor.

This is actually perfect timing, I remembered i have quick start in the shed, So asked neighbour for as jumpstart and with a puff of quick start in the air intake the car fired up and died. So it is definitely fuel related,  I don't hear fuel pump running and i think your test above will be ideal test to confirm. I will run it tomorrow on Techstream  and see what happens.

 

@McShmoopy and @Spark plug i totally agree, This is the worst Engineering of Lexus and it hurts so much as i love the compact shape of IS. Just so beautiful and sleek, The LS is perfect for Long Trips and such but i would really love to use the IS as daily as i get  a good buzz from throwing it around because it handles like a train on rails and STOPS like a train (Never understood that part, since trains are the worst at stopping)

 

I think this engine is a BMW engine and was never great. I m not a fan of diesel engines. Only had one in over 40 yrs of driving and hated it 

[ColinBarber]

10 minutes ago, Spark plug said:

I think this engine is a BMW engine and was never great. I m not a fan of diesel engines. Only had one in over 40 yrs of driving and hated it 

It's an in-house developed Toyota engine. They switched to using BMW engines at a later date for Auris/Corolla/Avensis etc. - presumably because their lack of ongoing R&D into diesel engines meant they were not competitive.