Engine Light Diagnosis?

Gamesound · November 28, 2002

This morning whilst driving to work, as I went to lick down and at about 4000 rpm the engine light illuminated (on the dash) and the power (green light to tell you your in sport mode i guess) keeps flashing and it seems to be staying in low gears?!?!?! Any Ideas.

If i turn off the engine and restart, the lights go, but as i get to about 4000 rpm, the lights come back on. At idle, the engine can rev very hard (past 6000rpm without any probs)

My last lexus (a uk gs300 sport) I had for 130,000 miles with no faults ever.

Any enlightenment, things to check etc would be much appreciated. Past experience has shown that lexus wont touch my car with a barge pole as it is an import and they dont like my haircut or my money.(despite spending 30k+ with them!)

The car is a year 2000 V300 vertex twin turbo (jzs 161).

Rik

Rodders_UK · November 28, 2002

Hi Rik

I don't know the solution to your problem I'm afraid - but you might want to contact Mark at TDI - they may be more willing to sort out the problem that Lexus (and may do a better job too!!)

Gamesound · November 30, 2002

Thanks Rodders,

Tried that - No Joy.

It amazes me that considdering there are so many dealers and even enthusiasts on this forum, no one knows what the green flashing ECT light means. None of the Lexus dealers would even put it on diagnostic and yet Honda will go out and buy a set of OBDII toyota leads to try and at least diagnose the problem. Honda have been excellent at researching the problem themselves, getting me to try various things to root out the cause.

I knew when buying the V300 vertex that I would get little support from Lexus, but having previously owned a UK supplied (bought from lexus!) GS300 sport and having 130,000 trouble free miles, i figured what the hell.

Toyota in Japan have been very helpful , and even they are amazed at the fact that Lexus uk give me the cold shoulder. They have even faxed the diag codes to honda!Next year i was toying with the idea of buying a uk LS430 (either that or the tax man gets it!), but am i gonna suffer the same again?..... surely in this day and age it makes sense for a dealer to think about repeat business and brand loyalty. Again, love the cars, but my experience with both this car and the previous uk gs300 sport when it comes to the dealers has been nothing short of double glazing salesmen.

For Sale Vertex V300 twin turbo year 2000 28k miles - was a great car reluctant sale - px for vauxhall viva.

Monster-Mat · November 30, 2002

rik,sorry to hear Lexus have been a pain,the facts are though the vertex is very rare in the UK,i know norkep has one,im supprised no one pointed you in his direction.

as for lexus GB,you really do need to find a good dealer.

and i think most couldnt help with the light is most of the cars wont possibly have it fitted,many JDM vehicles do have differing functions fitted as standered

mat

peter-flint · November 30, 2002

could be one of two things. Easiest/ cheapest first, check the air filter & intake, there has been a lot of leaves around lately. Second and a bit dearer to replace could be the airflow meter, fitted in the induction pipe tends to get oil contamination, can be removed and cleaned with a degreaser/brake cleaner solvent.

Good hunting.

Gamesound · December 1, 2002

Thanks chaps,

With regard to "GOOD LEXUS DEALER" - know any!? I dont mean that as an insult to you or indeed lexus- I just cant find one! The guys i bought my first one from had there dealership "taken away" to make way for a trendy wine bar lexus dealership, which seems to serve latte and crepes all day long, but not interested in anything else.

According to Toyota (Japan) (expensive phone calls in the middle of the night and my trips to japan on business help a tad with my kanji!) All uk dealers have the codes to diagnose the problem, which they believe (becuase the green ETC light (sport mode light) flashes) is a gearbox sensor problem (highly unlikely to be the gearbox itself if it still drives they said) - this light exists on ALL lexus / aristos built from 1995 (with exception to the 5 speed auto) this light is common with GS300 mk1 and mk2 with 4 speed box (and also tiptronic).

Apprently one of the software engineers said that the uk dealers have the codes for twin turbo even though they dont sell the vertex in europe as when they design the diag software its easier for toyota to have one set of codes (hence the obd2 standard) - becuase of translation he was of the opinion that i had the codes but didnt know what it was..... he then said (after bad translation on my part - probably told him his mother smells of trees or something) he said, its easy, just take it to dealer!!!!... they can diagnose!

Then he said, dont get pulling off all the sensors etc trying to find the problem as that will be another fault added to the registry!..... oh how we laughed..... cried....

I notice mat you have a gte implant planned on yours...... gues what my engine is!!!!! I also want to "ramp up the power" on mine too... they say the gte is built to withstand upto 600bhp from the factory!..... but just driving and changing gear would be nice for now!

I will try the airflow thang as peter sugests. failing that and no other enlightenment.... its off to a honda garage!?

Any other things to try would be much appreciated.

Rik

Monster-Mat · December 1, 2002

Have you tried contacting paul "Norkep"

find where his aristo vertex is sorted,i find it strange though that a dealer wont do a dio on the car,have you tried contacting TDI....where in the UK are you,it may help me source a dealer who will be prepared to help,if you can get the code read,i will find what the fault is for you.

i will go straight to TTE for the info

i wanna help you........oi dealers that read the forums........help this guy

javaboss · December 1, 2002

Thanks chaps,
With regard to "GOOD LEXUS DEALER" - know any!?

Lexus Hadleigh in Essex do a fine job.

norkep · December 1, 2002

Hi Gamesound,

Sorry to hear that you are having a few problems, When you rev the engine while static, I take it that you are in "P" and not in "N". From the sound of it, the Hydrolic Clutch Lifter is playing up. If you put your foot down slowly, this should be OK, if so that is the problem, when you floor it, the auto changer ups the gear but if the lifter is playing up, the ECT Mode automaticly kicks thus giving the green power light.

If you U2 me, I'll put you in touch with the person that does all the work on mine.

norkep · December 1, 2002

As to the engine management light, just checked my manuals for the JZS 141- 161 engines and the problem could be down to the air intake, there may be a leak and loose pipe somewhere with in the system as Peter said. If you rev the engine from the TRC control unit manually under the bonnet, if it is sometihing to do with the intake, you will hear a slight hiss that disappear when you let the engine go back to idle, it's not as bad when the engine is not under load but with auto's, the engine is usually always underload until you lift your foot off the acc. pedal.

It could be that until the engine management system is sorted, the ECT mode may temp. disabled giving you the warning flashing light. I know the gearbox is mapped through the ECU which in-turn is mapped with the air in-take etc....

TRL Performance · December 2, 2002

Still no joy then Rik ?

I was working on a Tiptronic Supra the other day and that thing wouldn't shift up gears at the correct time, the display was all wrong (gear display) and the traction control would come on all the time.

To cut a long story short it was the cr*p speedo converter and installation. It was a right bull in a china shop conversion. No thought had gone into it at all.

Now I know your car was fine and then suddenly went wrong and it may have nothing to do with the same problem but someone out there must have an OBDII scanner that can be plugged in for 30s !

You can buy them yourself from the web and as I've said to you I've even considered making one. (or buying one myself)

norkep has the manuals so interpreting the codes from the scanner is simple enough.

My first avenue with all these things regarding imported cars is remove what is foriegn to the car. i.e. anything not Lexus original. A wire that has been cut, replace and see if the problem goes away.

80% of the time the car goes back to working fine as Lexus/Toyota intended. Then work forward from there.

This is because in general the Jap cars are so reliable, I always assume something else first.

The scanner will obviously help narrow down the problem quickly but there are other ways to diagnose the problem.

Pete

james2210 · December 2, 2002

If you can speak Japanese you could try asking this chap. I don't know who he is and I've never tried contacting him, but judging by the number of fixits on his website for virtually all the Japanese cars, he looks like he knows a lot.

http://www.fureai.or.jp/~noranbo/

You could see if Babelfish on Altavista would give a close enough translation

Otherwise, you could see if any vehicle training colleges in your area train Toyota/Lexus mechanics. I used to work for a vehicle training college that had contracts for Porsche and Audi. VW supplied us with a copy of their workshop manual/diagnostic software called Poses, perhaps Toyota do the same. We also had all the breakout boxes and interfaces to reprogram/diagnose all VAG cars. The one I worked at was always on the lookout for donor cars, just ensure that the grease monkeys don't spoil the leather!

Gamesound · December 2, 2002

I managed to bribe an "un named" lexus dealer to put it on diag..... the result (and all he was prepared to say) was that it was a speed sensor. (after his boss previously saying that there machine couldnt read it!) he wouldnt say where the sensors were (got the impression it was more than his job was worth,) so we left at least happy that we had narrowed it down to a "speed sensor"...... He was very helpful though.... He also told me that I shouldnt use OPTIMAX as it freaks out the oxygen sensor... anyone heard of that?

So we cleaned the speed sensors on the wheels (4 of em) and the 2 on the gearbox..... still no joy..... then when driving it home....... The VCS, the ABS and the TRC buttons all illuminated!!!!! so now we have created even more faults!!!!! I darent drive it home...... and got a cab (50+ miles!)......

Im paying for someone to travel to me tommorow (which alone will cost me over 300 quid before he even starts!).... but under the circumstances, if at least he can narrow it down, clear the codes and find out the part no's that we need to replace?..... anyone know what the readings on the sensors should be?.... (the magnet jobbies).... 2 (the front) are caked in grease, the rears are not.... the 2 in the gearbox, sit in oil...... then again, its probably not that!... and why have all the other lights (abs) (TRC) VSC etc all come on too now?.....

Can I also take this opportunity to thank Pete, Mat and paul for there input... Its very humbling to know that your thinking about my problems! - I really appreciate it!

Is there another speed sensor anywhere weve missed?

Once again many thanks..... I'll have another day off from work tommorow making games..... by playing my own!

Best

Rik

Monster-Mat · December 2, 2002

ive sent you a potentially usefull number mate in PM

norkep · December 2, 2002

Was your key in the ignition when you was cleaning the speed senors on the wheels?? That sometimes confuse the h*ll out the system. PM me again and I'll pass you the number of garge that has reset mine. At one stage, my TRC, ABS and the park light would light, did not damage anything unless you had to brake quick in which case your ABS stops working.

TRL Performance · December 3, 2002

GS400 models use ABS information for vehicle speed signal. If a fault is present a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) is set.

For GS300,LS400,SC300 and SC400 you have to manually test the sensor. Remove the sensor connector and measure the resistance between the terminals (of the sensor). Resistance should be 560->680Ohms

Set a voltmeter to AC and measure between the terminals again and wave a magnet close to the front of the speed sensor (quickly) This should generate a voltage pulse which you should be able to read.

I've also dumped some more stuff at http://www.trlperformance.com/personal/Lex...gs300_obdii.gif

http://www.trlperformance.com/personal/Lex...3_400_obdii.gif

http://www.trlperformance.com/personal/Lex...ls400_obdii.gif

Although my web page seems to be dead :-(

Might be of some use.

Regards

Pete

Gamesound · December 3, 2002

Pete,

That is REALLY useful! - Just what the Dr ordered!.... makes little sense to me, but will of course make sense to the guys with the car..... Im off on another 50 quid taxi ride to see how we get on today....

Thanks Again!

Rik

Monster-Mat · December 3, 2002

How did you get on?

Gamesound · December 3, 2002

PROGRESS!!!!

Well, it turns out that its the convertor / restrictor mod that was added to the car (before i got it) It was stuck in the engine bay by gaffa tape!..... the guys who came up ripped it out and bingo!.... no more engine light! (but i need a KMH to MPH convertor now....) at least nothing too serious....

However, because we removed the semsors on the garbox, and the 4 abs sensors on the wheels..... we still have the ABS, TRC and VSC ligghts still on.... we took the car to "Lexus" to get the codes cleared and .... there was no one there in service who knew how to use the sacnner to clear the codes.... off sick with flu, blah, blah....

anyone know of a fix to clear the memory?.... apparentlly, removing the efi fuse (or removing the Battery etc) doesnt clear these codes... it needs to be "cleared" on a scanner.

Its interesting that a paperclip between T1 and E1 shows up the faults on the dash (which is very cool) but there doesnt seem to be a way of clearing the memory by jumpers.... my guiess is there is.

The morale of this story is.....

Pete (TRL) was right with the fact that toyota / lexus make brilliant cars.... (anyone seen the huge install base of the v300 vertex in japan?.... outsells the "standard" (uk effort) by 3 to 1!) .... it was an aftermarket "bodge" (prior to my ownership) that caused it to be ill!

Whilst its not over until these faults are cleared from the memory and i can have traction control ,assisted rear steering and proper brakes again.... the original fault (root) has gone!!!!!

I cant thank each and everyone of you enough for your input, help and support in what was a very worrying time for my baby!

Best

Rik

Monster-Mat · December 3, 2002

Rik,

the number i gave you the dealer will service your car

TRL Performance · December 4, 2002

I hate to say it but that's what I said all along to you in my private emails ;)

Ths sounds very very much like the speedo converter or speedo sensor signal has failed or the wire has broken.
The Supra and other Toyota cars with Auto gearboxes all flash the overdrive or traction lights in some form to indicate the failure of the speed signal.

The fact the gearbox ECU has no speed signal makes it have to guess at when to change the gear just based on other inputs. So the gear changes become jerky and at the wrong speed.

Go to my web site. As you know there is a speedo converter and combined delimiter on their.

TRL DSC

I know it's advertising but I'm awaiting a mail to get me put on as another sponsor.

Pete

yoshi · April 7, 2003

Yes, KMH/MPH convertors can cause problems.

My 'ARS' light came on a lot until I disconnected a faulting MPH convertor.

turbotransam · March 2, 2018

On ‎03‎/‎12‎/‎2002 at 8:35 PM, Gamesound said:

PROGRESS!!!!

Well, it turns out that its the convertor / restrictor mod that was added to the car (before i got it) It was stuck in the engine bay by gaffa tape!..... the guys who came up ripped it out and bingo!.... no more engine light! (but i need a KMH to MPH convertor now....) at least nothing too serious....

However, because we removed the semsors on the garbox, and the 4 abs sensors on the wheels..... we still have the ABS, TRC and VSC ligghts still on.... we took the car to "Lexus" to get the codes cleared and .... there was no one there in service who knew how to use the sacnner to clear the codes.... off sick with flu, blah, blah....

anyone know of a fix to clear the memory?.... apparentlly, removing the efi fuse (or removing the battery etc) doesnt clear these codes... it needs to be "cleared" on a scanner.

Its interesting that a paperclip between T1 and E1 shows up the faults on the dash (which is very cool) but there doesnt seem to be a way of clearing the memory by jumpers.... my guiess is there is.

The morale of this story is.....

Pete (TRL) was right with the fact that toyota / lexus make brilliant cars.... (anyone seen the huge install base of the v300 vertex in japan?.... outsells the "standard" (uk effort) by 3 to 1!) .... it was an aftermarket "bodge" (prior to my ownership) that caused it to be ill!

Whilst its not over until these faults are cleared from the memory and i can have traction control ,assisted rear steering and proper brakes again.... the original fault (root) has gone!!!!!

I cant thank each and everyone of you enough for your input, help and support in what was a very worrying time for my baby!

Best

Rik

Hi Guys - I need some urgent help.

I have exactly the same problem as listed above. Engine warning light / ect flashing / weird gear changes / dead, stuck or occasionally registering speedo.

My mechanic has asked me to find out where to look for the (potentially failed) Km/h to Mph converter module as he doesn't have a clue on an imported Jap. He doesn't want to tear out the dash to find out it isn't under there! A description of where to (likely) find the module is what I need. A photo or description of what it looks like along with a location would be gold. Please help as I'm missing driving my baby.

Many thanks for any advice or information.

Adam.

ColinBarber · March 2, 2018

There is no one place but normally it will be behind the speedo, especially if the speedo needs to be removed to put a mph sticker over the Km/h symbol anyway. Some conversions aren't electronic, they just put a printed face over the speedo to give it new markings.