Rx-300 Stalling/hard To Start

mjhenks · August 29, 2005

My sister owns a RX-300 that is having some stalling/idle issues. Can anyone help me diagnose what is going on or where to start looking???

Details:

Once a week or so the car will not idle. It will start right up but will not idle. She has to give it lot's of gas for a few minutes an then she can drive it.

It tends to do this once she has driven somewhere (like to the store) and when she tries to leave it will stall.

Last week if did it while driving which is a first. Again had to give lot's of gas to get it going.

She lives in So. cal so low temp's is not an issue. She had gas and nothing else apears to be going on. Car is well maintained although i will say she does have a sqeeky serpentine belt if that is of any help.

Anyone have anything i can go with? (My Ford Explorer did this and turned out to be the idle control valve. Does this car have something similar?)

I do not monitor this board regularly so feel free to Pmail me.

Thanks

mjhenks

lexmex · September 6, 2005

1. Check her air filter to see if it is clean or needs replacing. I often recommend trying to drive around the block with the air filter out to see if that is the problem and if it will stall. It won't hurt the car unless you are in a duststorm

2. On the tube from the throttle body to the airbox there is a sensor attached with two small screws. This is the MAF sensor. Unscrew it and pull it out and see if their gunk on the little red diode. Clean it off using carb cleaner or brake dust cleaner. Sometimes, you won't get a check engine light for this. If you do, pull the negative Battery cable off or take the EFI fuse (20 amp yellow fuse in the fusebox) out for a second. In both cases, DO NOT have the key in the ignition.

3. Take off the rubber connection hoses from the throttle body to the airbox. Get some carburator cleaner (like the stuff made by GUNK) and a bottle that will spray not stream water (like old Armor All bottles). Have your sister turn on the car and give it gas all the way. Start spraying in the carburator cleaner into the throttle body for about 30 seconds. Then have her step off the gas and wait 30 seconds. Then have her floor it again and spray the water in the throttle body for 30 seconds. Repeat this two more times.

Note: You will get a check engine light after this so either pull the EFI fuse or the negative Battery cable as I mentioned earlier.

4. Use some fuel injector cleaner. I highly recommend Chevron's Techron or two bottle of their Progard, NOS fuel injector cleaner or Restore fuel injector cleaner.

5. Take the RX somewhere where you can get the engine steamed. You would be surprised how much dirty and much is in the engine compartment and what an improvement you will feel in performance after this.