Newie With A Gs300 And A Smallish Problem

[IanCornwall]

Hi everyone yet another newie here

After several years nagging the wife and having tantrums screaming I wanna Lexus I wanna Lexus, she gave in and I now have a really superb GS300 Mk1

Drives like a dream, goes brilliant, full service history 12 months MOT, not a squeak not a rattle

But

It hates starting from cold

Some mornings I get in and turn the key and wonderful it starts great, next morning I get in turn the key and it seems to flood, turns over, stinks of petrol and eventually (I mean eventually) it starts and the exhaust sticks of unburnt fuel

I have actually read the manual and it does say dont use the accelerator pedal to start it from cold, so I dont

Anyone had this problem ? any cures or hints ? or is it of to Lexus for a diagnosis

Oh and once it starts its brilliant for the day

[johnboy]

Hi welcome to the club, :D

it does sound like its flooding, when it didnt start had you touched the throttle, as you should never touch the throttle to start the car, just turn the key.

Hope this helps.

[Mr Flibble]

Welcome to the club :D

Do you drive the car hard over very short journeys, maybe it's not burning the fuel quickly enough therefore being flooded when you try and start it the next day? I'm only guessing.

This happened to my IS200 twice, it's really embarrasing when your sitting in a supermarket carpark and your new shiny Lexus won't start.

[norkep]

Hi and Welcome,

First thing I'd check would be the spark plugs, you may have one or more that have seen better days

Also on the days it struggles, is the weather damp, cold etc....could be sign for places to look into.

Hope this helps tracking the problem

BR

Paul

[IanCornwall]

Thanks Paul

The Lexus does have a full service history, but from the MOT and stuff I have it looks like it has been garaged a lot in the past year or so, as the owner was overseas, and it hardly moved, so maybe something stuck or just needs some clean up

I think a set of plugs and a general look over may be in order

the weather has been fine with warmish nights and it doesnt seem to be any different when it is wet or dry, just when it feels like it, it decides to wind me up

once started its a dream to drive and it starts and runs brilliant all day

Hi and Welcome,

First thing I'd check would be the spark plugs, you may have one or more that have seen better days

Also on the days it struggles, is the weather damp, cold etc....could be sign for places to look into.

Hope this helps tracking the problem

BR

Paul

[Keith Bowler]

Hi

Good to see another Mk1 GS owner in the club.

I would change the distributer cap, had a similar problem with mine but after changing the cap the problem was cured.

[chips229]

Hi and Welcome to LOC Ian :)

Its sounds like the same sort of problem i have with my car,but on my car its the other way around.It starts fine from cold but i have trouble starting the engine when its warm.

Does the engine always start then it idles roughly and loses rpm and stops or are you having trouble with getting the engine to start eg does it turn over on the starter but doesnt start straight away and your winding it over and over.

My car always starts but the idle is rough and the rpm falls away.

People tell me its the idle control valve thats the problem with mine,the last time i priced that up from the dealers it was £440 :o

Chips.

[IanCornwall]

Once started its fine, idles great, runs smooth, just so damn frustrating when I am turning it over for ages and it won't start, it is as if it isn't getting a spark, because it sure as hell is getting fuel, gallons of the damn

My thoughts are split is it a fuelling problem ? or is it a spark problem ?

Hi and Welcome to LOC Ian :)

Its sounds like the same sort of problem i have with my car,but on my car its the other way around.It starts fine from cold but i have trouble starting the engine when its warm.

Does the engine always start then it idles roughly and loses rpm and stops or are you having trouble with getting the engine to start eg does it turn over on the starter but doesnt start straight away and your winding it over and over.

My car always starts but the idle is rough and the rpm falls away.

People tell me its the idle control valve thats the problem with mine,the last time i priced that up from the dealers it was £440 :o

Chips.

[chips229]

Hi,

On my car i think its a fuel problem as though its over fueling and its running overly rich.

With yours it could be under fueling as it sounds like you say to be not firing as though its not getting enough fuel.

My fathers old Volvo 164 with used twin carbs used to turn over and over when starting well warm before it would fire up.He never did get to the cause of the problem.You could almost here each cylinder fire up one by one as the starter motor didnt have to work as hard.

Chips.

[IanCornwall]

thanks for all the input on the starting

All it was, was a dirty sensor, the car had been parked to long and i think spiders and bugs moved in and set up home

as the car had been garaged almost 100% between MOT for 12 months, i decided to check the belts and rubber

the cam belt had only done 2,000 odd miles but was delaminating and the fan belt was almost solid, so these are now changed

I checked the plugs and oil and these were like they were changed yesterday so no problem there

Still an amazing car for the cash I paid