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Car Trouble

n-abounds

n-abounds

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 6, 2006
563
0
I drive a '92 Lexus SC300, and recently have had some trouble with it. Sometimes when I drive it, there's a strong, cyclical pulse that you can feel throughtout the car. When this happens, the car will eventually stall when I make a turn or whenever I stop.

Anyone know what this is, or what to do about it? It sucks cause the power steering turns off during a turn and the car will stall shortly after, and obviously, this could be dangerous.

Thanks.
 
n-abounds said:
I drive a '92 Lexus SC300, and recently have had some trouble with it. Sometimes when I drive it, there's a strong, cyclical pulse throughtout the car. When this happens, the car will eventually stall when I make a turn or whenever I stop.

Anyone know what this is, or what to do about it? It sucks cause the power steering turns off during a turn and the car will stall shortly after, and obviously, this could be dangerous.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
It's threads like this that truly highlight the ... uh ... diversity of topics we have here! ;)

Now about your car, I bet this "cyclical pulse" is a noise that's high pitched or like a squeak. If it is like that then it's probably your belt/pulley system. I don't know much about that particular model, but I bet it's a serpentine belt problem. However it's entirely based on those assumptions, so take it with a grain of salt!
 
Raid said:
Now about your car, I bet this "cyclical pulse" is a noise that's high pitched or like a squeak.
Click to expand...

By pulse I mean the car subtly moves..you can feel it in the car. There's no sound involved.
 
I had a problem like that once, turned out to be a clogged fuel injector, FWIW
 
The power steering pump should be running whenever the engine is running. Does the stalling and the loss of power steering occur simultaneously?
 
n-abounds said:
I drive a '92 Lexus SC300, and recently have had some trouble with it. Sometimes when I drive it, there's a strong, cyclical pulse that you can feel throughtout the car. When this happens, the car will eventually stall when I make a turn or whenever I stop.

Anyone know what this is, or what to do about it? It sucks cause the power steering turns off during a turn and the car will stall shortly after, and obviously, this could be dangerous.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

automatic or manual?

this is out of left field, but I'm wondering if you've got a short in your fuel pump shut off circuit. My old 90 Ford Probe was beset with all manner of weird little problems (though it ran like scalded dog), and one of them was that condensation would collect in the trunk. The upshot was that the wires connecting the fuel pump shut off switch had corroded, which would sometimes cause strange things to happen. Stripping the wires and re-working the connection fixed the problem, though not before a lot of head-scratching.

having said that, I think you're probably looking at an intake/exhaust problem. Maybe engine backpressure (obstructed flow) is causing you to stall, or maybe the engine is just starving for air. You're probably better off to grit your teeth and take it to the dealer so they can put it on their diagnostic machine. They can at least tell you what's wrong, and then you can choose to have it fixed then and there or not.
 
n-abounds said:
Automatic.
Click to expand...

ah...that presents another set of problems. Since an automatic is essentially driven by fluid, it could be that you have a transmission issue that is causing your engine to bog and stall (and yes, I have seen this happen). Interesting...

it might be worthwhile to have the transmission flushed and the filter changed. Transmission fluid is pretty thin, about like 3-in-1 household oil, and if it gets gummy it can definitely create some issues. That should cost less than $200. If it fixes the problem, great. If not, it probably needed the work done anyway.
 
If the alternator or the serpentine belt are going you might experience those symptoms - I'd have a mechanic check it out.

...And by the way, when did you last change the timing belt? That's something it pays to keep an eye on.
 
Likely one of the Toyota forums can help with surging/stalls -- it might be a common problem when the vehicles near 100k.

The Ford I have, this would signal the vehicle needing a tranny flush and new plug wires. could be either one, but it is cheap to do both since the torque convertor has a drain plug.
 
Stalling appears to be the real issue. The loss of power steering is just a symptom. If this is happening at engine speeds other than idle, then the problem is probably in either the fuel or the ignition system. A single clogged injector could not cause the engine to shut down, I don't believe. I like the clogged fuel filter theory, especially if the engine quits during acceleration or other heavy loads.
 
Would be nice if it was something as simple as a vacuum hose knocked loose or sensor connector knocked off during an oil change.

But see if you can find someone with a computer to pull codes or run a test loop.
 
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