bought the car at 109k
had the transmission replaced at 110/111k
since getting the transmission replaced, the car will hang onto lower gears forever after a cold start (until the engine warms up to when the temp needle is about almost halfway between C & H)... i'll take off in the morning and be doing 50 @ almost 3k rpms... and when I head home at night I'm stuck in the slow lane doing 60mph at 3k rpm because I dont' want to be revving the thing down the freeway at 4k to do 65/70.. takes about 5mins to warm up.
granted, it's been colder here (in palm desert, ca) at night, but this is irritating. is this normal????
also, the car has been 'surging' when I step on the brakes and slow into a parking spot.. feels like it wants to jump forward.. this is irritating as well. I read this is likely a MAF problem.. how difficult is the MAF swap on the 99 Q45? I've replaced them before in other cars.
AND LASTLY.... one day I notice I'm losing power during acceleration. like I have to mash the gas to get it to pick up and go from a light, and when moving, the throttle response sucked.. more than usual. 20mins later, on my way home, my CEL comes on. I take it in (due for an oil change anyways) and the code is for PO400 EGR valve.. could the EGR valve be causing the sluggish throttle response?? (also, when starting, it'll hold 1500rpms for about a minute or two lately.. could the EGR valve be causing this as well??).... oh, and the guy says my belts are cracking (I have noticed a squeal a couple nights at cold startup) and i'll notice a burnt rubber smell when I park and get out... what's the likelihood of a belt actually breaking? and what damage am I looking at?
OH..... and I need a new front brake job, very soon. only squealed a couple times, but I can feel them getting very bad/grabby/weak.
so.... this car has turned into a money pit, I need to figure out what I need to replace FIRST, as I dont' want to drop 1500$ at once to fix everything.
surging at idle,late shifting and bad EGR code.. questions..
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tfvesquire
- Posts: 290
- Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:56 am
- Car: 1998 Q45
Re: surging at idle,late shifting and bad EGR code.. questio
Wow, sounds like you have a lot of major issues to deal with. Let's start with the most expensive one first, your transmission. When you say, you had it replaced only 1-2K miles after you bought the car, did you have the existing trans rebuilt or did you buy a used one from the salvage yard? Have you checked the trans fluid for unusual color or burnt smell? It may be as simple as dropping the transmission pan, installing a new filter and fluid. But, the symptoms of the erratic shifting and surging you have described most likely means that either your trans was not properly rebuilt or you got a bad trans from the salvage yard. Also, would need to know when the shifting issues started. You need to run a computer scan to see if any codes besides the 0400 pop up. You could have the wrong trans fluid, the filter could be clogged, but something is seriously wrond. I bought a used trans with 50K on it and it shifts like new even thought it has been minus 40 here in Chicago. I did let it warm up at least 15 mins each day, but its drives fine. If you have a bad trans then depending on what you paid for the car, you need to seriously consider just how much more $$ you are willing to put into the car just to get the mechanics up to speed. I was able to buy a low mileage trans for only $400 and had it installed for only $400 including a complete once thru, new filter and fluid.
The surging issue could be a MAF and they are not too hard to change, just have to be careful when installing not to bang it around and make sure the harness is snapped on tight. Should be able to pick up a used one from a salvage yard for about $75. If your EGR tubes are suspected of being clogged, here is a good way to check: While the car is idling, locate the EGR on the top rear of the engine and use two fingers to depress the vacuum plunger thru the underside vent holes (just put your thumb on the top of the EGR and use your fingers to feel the internal plunger and press it closed a couple of times). If the engine stumbles and then dies, your EGR is working properly and the tubes are clear enough for it to work properly. The 0400 code would then be related to the MAF. If while pressing the EGR plunger the car idles the same and doesn't die, then either your EGR is not working, or one of the tube EGR tubes is completely clogged/caked full of carbon and need to be removed and cleaned out. There are several threads on here showing you the removal and install of those tubes.
The burnt rubber smell from your engine belts means that one or more is ready to snap on you while driving because either they are old and brittle or you need to replace the idler bearings. I just wrote a short thread on where to find a replacement set of idler bearings because I had one that started making noise on me.
Bottom line, as anyone on this site will tell you, if you can wrench on a car or have someone close to you who knows what they are doing and doesn't charge you shop labor prices, then you can afford to drive an older Q45. If you are expecting to buy one of these cars cheap, then I think you have to be willing to accept the fact that the reason it is being sold cheap is because the guy before you knew what repairs were needed and either didn't know how to fix it or didn't want to put the $$ into fixing it.
Start with the transmission diagnosis first, since you are literally going nowhere if you cannit even drive your car down the road properly. Don't think you want to be repairing a rough idle issue or idler bearings/belts if it turns out it is going to cost you a grand to fix the drivetrain.
Good luck and update what you find out. BTW, where are you located? You may find a member on this site close to you that would be able to help you along.
Ted
The surging issue could be a MAF and they are not too hard to change, just have to be careful when installing not to bang it around and make sure the harness is snapped on tight. Should be able to pick up a used one from a salvage yard for about $75. If your EGR tubes are suspected of being clogged, here is a good way to check: While the car is idling, locate the EGR on the top rear of the engine and use two fingers to depress the vacuum plunger thru the underside vent holes (just put your thumb on the top of the EGR and use your fingers to feel the internal plunger and press it closed a couple of times). If the engine stumbles and then dies, your EGR is working properly and the tubes are clear enough for it to work properly. The 0400 code would then be related to the MAF. If while pressing the EGR plunger the car idles the same and doesn't die, then either your EGR is not working, or one of the tube EGR tubes is completely clogged/caked full of carbon and need to be removed and cleaned out. There are several threads on here showing you the removal and install of those tubes.
The burnt rubber smell from your engine belts means that one or more is ready to snap on you while driving because either they are old and brittle or you need to replace the idler bearings. I just wrote a short thread on where to find a replacement set of idler bearings because I had one that started making noise on me.
Bottom line, as anyone on this site will tell you, if you can wrench on a car or have someone close to you who knows what they are doing and doesn't charge you shop labor prices, then you can afford to drive an older Q45. If you are expecting to buy one of these cars cheap, then I think you have to be willing to accept the fact that the reason it is being sold cheap is because the guy before you knew what repairs were needed and either didn't know how to fix it or didn't want to put the $$ into fixing it.
Start with the transmission diagnosis first, since you are literally going nowhere if you cannit even drive your car down the road properly. Don't think you want to be repairing a rough idle issue or idler bearings/belts if it turns out it is going to cost you a grand to fix the drivetrain.
Good luck and update what you find out. BTW, where are you located? You may find a member on this site close to you that would be able to help you along.
Ted
Re: surging at idle,late shifting and bad EGR code.. questio
Cut your growing losses and headaches and trade it in for a brand new Camry with zero % financing,a long warranty,and fixed monthly costs.
Re: surging at idle,late shifting and bad EGR code.. questio
i had the transmission replaced by the used car dealer I bought it from.. well, they didn't replace it, but they refered me to a place they have a relationship with.. I was f'n furious when the transmission went out 1 month after I bought it and they're initial response was 'well, you take a risk when buying a used car'.. yea, that's a nice biz motto to tell your customers. lol... so at least they worked with me a little on the price, and I have a 1yr parts and labor warranty on the transmission.
i'll try to get around to checking the transmission fluid tomorrow, although the oil change place checked (or was supposed to check) all my fluids last Saturday (also when they ran the check engine code). The fluid before the transmission was replaced was dark and gritty (the transmission was toast and left me stranded twice in the days before I had it replaced). I'm guessing it's a little low on ATF fluid.
the car belonged to an old lady who lived in a country club, so I doubt it was abused. it drives straight as an arrow and the interior is pristine.
so I'm hoping I just have a crack in the vacuum tube to the EGR.
so that leaves me to do the MAF, $75, brakes $300? roughly, I'd guess... shocks for the hood ($30/$40... shocks are useless, and the hood doesn't "pop" when I pull the lever, it takes two people to pop the hood. one to pull the lever in the car, and one to pull the hood at the same time), and eventually I'm gonna need to replace the suspension.. do clue what that's gonna cost.
if I was gonna buy a new car, I'd probably pick up a Hyundai or a Kia... or an 05 Yukon/Tahoe.
i'll try to get around to checking the transmission fluid tomorrow, although the oil change place checked (or was supposed to check) all my fluids last Saturday (also when they ran the check engine code). The fluid before the transmission was replaced was dark and gritty (the transmission was toast and left me stranded twice in the days before I had it replaced). I'm guessing it's a little low on ATF fluid.
the car belonged to an old lady who lived in a country club, so I doubt it was abused. it drives straight as an arrow and the interior is pristine.
so I'm hoping I just have a crack in the vacuum tube to the EGR.
so that leaves me to do the MAF, $75, brakes $300? roughly, I'd guess... shocks for the hood ($30/$40... shocks are useless, and the hood doesn't "pop" when I pull the lever, it takes two people to pop the hood. one to pull the lever in the car, and one to pull the hood at the same time), and eventually I'm gonna need to replace the suspension.. do clue what that's gonna cost.
if I was gonna buy a new car, I'd probably pick up a Hyundai or a Kia... or an 05 Yukon/Tahoe.