Trudge

Thanks for the response Steve. A friend who is more familiar with cars than me has suggested that as the random misfires are just on Bank 1, that it could be a blocked pre-cat on that bank. Is that also a possibility? I have read a number of posts about coil failure but can 2, 3, 4 or more really all fail simultaneously?

I bought a 1999 V Reg IS200 auto 2 weeks ago. For the first week all fine and driving well then last Wednesday I set off from traffic lights, the car lost power briefly then sounded chuggy and on came the check engine and flashing TRC OFF lights. I took it to my usual garage on Thursday and they told me the only code was a misfire on Cylinder 2 which they had cleared and checked all 6 plugs which seemed fine. I drive it yesterday and it was fine and no problems but today when I went out in it it sounded a bit "chuggy" which I put down to the cold and set off out in it. After about a mile and a half the car lost power again and on came the check engine and flashing TRC lights. I drove straight home (at low speed as the car wouldn't let me drive faster - limp mode?). When I got home I had a look at the engine which smelt hot and where the lamda sensor connects was glowing bright red. I had bought a code reader off EBay and the errors showing are Multiple misfires and misfire on cylinder 2 and cylinder 3. I am very worried I have made a bad buy. Can anyone suggest what the problem with the car may be?

Please can anyone recommend a decent, inexpensive fault code reader that will definitely work on a 1999 (V Reg) IS200? I have asked several EBay sellers of such items this question and get the stock "2001 and after" answer from them.

A further question regarding locking wheel nuts - Are original Lexus locking nuts the type with some kind of pattern on (like a star etc) or the 3 prong type?

Thank you for your reply Steve, will they type of code reader you can get on Ebay work on a 1999 model?

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I don't have a service history book. Do you think by taking it to my nearest dealer they would be able to help (and hopefully not charge the earth)? I will try and track down a transponder on Ebay then and then ask how! Cheers. Hopefully someone can give me some advice about question 3 now too.

Hi to everyone on the forum. My name is Adrian and I picked up a V Reg Lexus IS200 (Auto) on Friday. As to be expected with an old car I have discovered a couple of issues and therefore would like to ask for advice in relation to them. 1. There is no locking wheel nut 'key' and the previous owner doesn't have it. I know many garages offer locking wheel nut removal via various methods but is there a way to get a 'key' via a dealer or can anyone on here help? 2. There is only 1 key with the car. I have ordered a key casing and key cut but obviously this won't have a transponder in it. Is there a way to get a spare transponder and have it coded without going to a main dealer. From previous experience with a Renault I had, getting a coded key from a dealer is very expensive indeed! 3. The car has driven great since I got it but today when I set off out in it, the car seemed to be initially lacking in power and the engine light flashed for about 20 seconds then went out and the car was fine from then on. Can this be put down to a misfire (maybe the cold?) or is this a possible indication that there may be an underlying problem and I need to get the codes read? 4. The radio works fine but the CD changer seems to be jammed and shows "Err 3". Rather than mess about trying to fix it I was thinking of buying a replacement unit. Can you just put any "double din" unit in its place or is it not that simple? I will probably think of more questions over the next few days but if someone can help me out with some or all of these I will be very grateful :)

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