Lexus GS300 problem

May 13, 2008 9 Replies

I bought this car by mistake - didn't really like it in use - bit of a barge, so now I'm looking to get rid of it in my usual manner by letting it rot on my drive....



Anyway, it's actually a very nice car, clean, but before I try and offload it I'd like some help with a few issues I have with it, if there are any Lexus-savvy people about here....


  1. Idle speed. Looks about right rpm-wise, but after it's warmed up it settles to a somewhat rough tick-over. Never stalls but you definitely feel the car rocking slowly. A waft of pedal and it's perfect, acceleration is tremendous, never falters...


  1. This one is weird, under certain road conditions, never quite pinned down, but almost always sweeping right-hand bends taken at speed, ie M60 onto M61 if anyone knows it, the car will hop left to right at the rear, as if it's shift a load quickly. It feels like the diff is slipping (LSD?) in an odd way, or the autobox is doing something odd. It's very disconcerting, doesn't happen everytime. I sometimes get the same when I kickdown a gear but never when I floor it totally.



Any ideas? It's a 1997 model, I got an Alfa 166 TS now - light years better if slower.....



Cheers!



Steve Kearney gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Plugs?

Rear suspension bushes?

Could be - I'll wip em out at weekend! I forgot to mention tho, when I test drove the car - I don't remember this issue. However when I actually took possession of it, I did with I reckon lowest amount of petrol ever in a car sold to anyone ever. I drove miles in sheer panic looking for a petrol station, must have been seriously bone dry. Wonder if there's crap in the fuel system still?

But otherwise it's spot on, no knocks, wandering, in fact very quiet bump free smooth ride, better than the Alfa.....

the plugs last 63000 miles and are a majorish job to change and cost 20 quid each, an air leak is the most likely idle fault. the suspension is complex, but usually good, tyres can make them awful especially with oversize rims, no lsd on english cars.

I thought the GS300 Spurt had an LSD?

Could be anything- you need to get some live data from it. But start with examining the plugs, leads and checking *carefully* (there are loads) for split vac hoses. Leaking EGR valve also a favourite.

I would put money on it being a knackered bush on one of the wishbones...

Tim..

Yeah!

It's on Pistonheads at £995, R reg 1997, lowly Legato tho, Burgundy with cream (and clean!) leather, 141k, absolutely no interest whatsoever. I'm a s*it salesman tho. Thing is I'm moving in June and I won't really need a car then, so I'm looking at my beloved Alfa in a 'ur gonna be put down soon' sort of way....

Can you send me some pics etc, mind the spam trap.

pete (dot) murray (at) blueyonder (dot co dot uk)

I take it you're not too far away from me, I'm in Liverpool.

there was a recall because of possible faulty suspension links on july 95 - july 97 models

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