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Lexus ES Starting Problems

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    jet15jet15 Member Posts: 2
    Sorry, my problem with starting is intermittent. The green light in the ignition switch is on yet when you press it(foot is on the brake) everything lights up but the engine makes no attempt to start. NO sound what so ever. I have been stranded and had the car towed to the dealer and when they pressed the button it started. I must have pressed it 50 times in an hour with no response. It has not started around 30 times in the last 4 months. I am hoping that the person that said a new wiring harness solved his problem. What I want to know is can the dealer determine if there is a problem with the wiring harness if the car is starting. I'd appreciate any advice.
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    nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I appreciate what you are saying. I have two classic Fords, a Galaxie and a Mustang, both of which I restored. Everything on the engines is simple, especially on the 65 Galaxie. No smog, no electronics, nothing. Very easy to keep running. However.....

    The trade off is they never run that good! They start hard sometimes, they run lousy sometimes, they diesel when you turn them off sometimes, and they stall out sometimes....none of which happens to a modern engine. That's just the way cars were back then, we were used to it, knew no better. But now, when I drive one of them, it brings back the horror of how badly cars could run when it was cloudy, or hot, or cold, or wet, or just about everything back then. They're fun to play with, but to drive everyday? I'll take my Lexus hands down!

    Just sayin...... I fully appreciate your point!
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    dherr7dherr7 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the same problem as jet15. The green light in the ignition switch is on yet when you press it(foot is on the brake) everything lights up but the engine makes no attempt to start. NO sound what so ever. This has been going on for over a years. I have taken it in for repairs 4 times and they have replaced the Relay Assy. Start twice and the Start Switch once. Still have the problem.
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    berkeleyguyberkeleyguy Member Posts: 1
    My car was running great. Then I hand sponged the outside of my car and gently cleaned the inside. The doors were open while I was doing so. Then, when I tried to start the car, it made a metallic stuttering sound (sort of like holding a light metal rod to the spokes on a rapidly turning bicycle wheel) but would not start.

    When I enter the car, everything comes on okay and my stereo plays and the check is okay.

    Then I put my foot on the brake and the green light comes on on the Start button. When I press the Start button, the car makes a metallic stuttering sound but the car does not start.

    I tried jump starting it with jumper cables connected to another car but I just got the same stuttering sound so it's not a dead battery. I let it be overnight but (sadly) got the same sound next morning.

    Any ideas? Thanks in advance, any advice would be greatly appreciated before I take this in.
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    steveo24steveo24 Member Posts: 7
    It still might be the battery. My car is a 2003 model, and the way it behaves when the battery is weak or dead is totally different than any car I've had before. Instead of a gradually weakening battery, the car seems to switch from "normal" to "dead" with no warning. It behaves much like you're describing. If I try to jump it with another car, it will often continue to act the same way, and may require about 20 minutes of steady charging before it will finally start, and when it does, it acts normal again. My other cars do not behave like this. With my other cars, the battery might struggle to start the car and you can hear it struggle. Not so with my Lexus, it's either all or nothing. SO - while I'm sure that washing your car did nothing to hurt the battery (unless you knocked it loose or something), I'm guessing that leaving the doors open may have drained the power a little, since the interior light would be on, and perhaps you had other items on as well, like the radio - did you? If it were my car, and if the battery were already weak, I would've sensed no indication from its behavior that it were weak, but it might die from leaving the doors open for an extended period of time, then it would just suddenly do what you're describing the next time I tried to start it. Anyway - just a thought, your problem could be anything, but I would not assume the battery is good, not yet anyway.
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    steveo24steveo24 Member Posts: 7
    Great post, and great insight into your classic car experiences! My Lexus is tremendous too, a great car.
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    jacob54jacob54 Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2013
    I own 2002 ES300 for almost 10 years. Now it has 140,000 miles. All the time all repairs and service was done at Kuni Lexus in Denver. I've driven it all over the UT canyons, AZ, NM, MT, NE, WY, etc. Never had any issues until this year.
    Starting problems. May 2013 - couldn't start. Towed to dealer. Starter replaced. August 2013, couldn't start. Towed to dealer. Some relay replaced. September 2013. Couldn't start. Towed to dealer. No problem codes. Car is still at the dealer. Two follow up calls. Still couldn't find the reason.
    Not sure what to do. It is getting pricey to have it towed almost every month with similar problem.
    Spoken to Service Manager and mentioned that I am not confident how this problem is being fixed. Looks like its a miracle. Not sure what to do. Any advice?

    P.S. Sorry forgot to add that after couple towings dealer was able to start it. And ones it died on mechanic on the test drive.
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    icorvidaeicorvidae Member Posts: 1

    I am on my second set of the same problem with my 2000 ES300 (under 90K miles). The first time it wouldn't start, I replaced the battery and it was fixed for about a year and a half, the second time I had the terminals for the battery replaced as the negative one was corroded ($67). Three days later after not driving for two days "CLICK". ARgh! Brought it back and and they said "We know what your problem is, the Starter" I guess it was 'firing intermittently'. Quoted $579 to repair. Getting done this afternoon. I will come back and update you all. Hopefully this is the last problem! Merry Christmas, and Thank You, Santa for the new Starter.

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    rcummelinrcummelin Member Posts: 184

    Our '08 has recently started cranking longer--5-8 seconds vs. 1-4 seconds--and I think it's likely the fault of the battery. Still has the original battery. Will change the battery if it gets much worse.

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