Inconsistent Idling...

[Eatdirt13]

Hi,

I have an IS220d SE with 97,000 miles.

Recently I have noticed on these cold mornings, when I leave the car idling for a few minutes, it seems to idle at the correct rpm (750 - 800?) but every few seconds it will give a quick blip, probably about another 100 rpm, and it does this all the time. I have recently installed a new Battery, could that have anything to do with it?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Oh and also, the car is absolutely HORRIBLE to drive when cold! I know these gearboxes aren't known for their slickness, but it feels like I have to be really gentle with it and be really slow with the gear changes! Sometimes 2nd gear doesn't even want to know!! When the car is warm though after about 30 minutes of driving, the gearbox feels so much nicer!

Thanks Guys! :)

[blackcts]

Switching the air con on and off can affect RPM, but in your case the first thing id do is clean your EGR valve! Its likely to be coked up There are guides on youtube - its not a big job for a mechanic if you dont fancy it yourself!

Re the gearbox when cold, they are all the same..mine isnt particularly pleasant when cold...mine had its gearbox oil changed by lexus a few months ago and it helped, so id recommend trying that.

Hopefully a gearbox oil and EGR clean will solve/help with your problems!

[Eatdirt13]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Funny you should mention the gearbox oil, was thinking about that myself, but read somewhere that the gearbox oil should last the life of the car?

I had the EGR valve cleaned last summer as it went into limp mode. Probably clogging up again though?

Does anyone know when major things start to go wrong with these cars (mileage), I'm thinking of changing it soon but due to negative equity I'm holding on for a bit longer. Just worried expensive things like DMF / Clutch / Gearbox will start to go?

Thanks again.

[blackcts]

You have risk with any used car, does the clutch have a high biting point or judder when you pull off? If not there should be plenty of life left in it. As far as I know the gearboxes can be notchy, but I havent heard of any major problems. Lexus parts are expensive, but there are options on the aftermarket like blueprint, koni shocks etc, if not the same range of aftermarket parts you would get for a 3 series / A4 etc and they are generally more expensive than both. But on the upside, there is no timing belt to change. Use good quality low ash oil, keep an eye on the oil and coolant, give the car a good run up the motorway once a week and it shouldnt give any bother.

[blackcts]

Double post

[Eatdirt13]

Thanks again blackcts!

I would say the clutch bites at 60 - 70% of the travel and there is a bit of judder 'now and then'. I have tried putting the handbrake firmly on though and rolling the car on the clutch and there's no sign of slip, and it handles aggressive launches pretty well still!

Cheers for the information on the parts, will bear that in mind. Most of my driving is dual-carriageway so should be OK I suppose!

Thanks for your help.

[Pete-r]

I would also say EGR. The same thing happened on my VX220, I ended up taking the unit off and wiring in a cheater to shut the OBD up.