Issue with a 1991 Lexus LS 400 dying?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Drake G
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Drake G

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Lately my car has been having issues, where it just shuts off for what seems to be no apparent reason. Right before the car shuts off, the rpm meter starts to shake (going up and down a little bit). Also, it seems like the engine starts to stutter slightly. I'm not having any problems starting the car in general. There is no particular amount of time that I have to drive for the car to shut off. Some days I can drive for 15 minutes before it happens, other times I can go a few days and it not happen. The odd thing is that I can usually start it right up after it shuts off. If I do have to wait, I only have to wait about 10-15 seconds. The check engine light does not come on at all. I have taken it to a mechanic shop that I trust and the only thing they could think of was changing the fuel filter and the fuel pump, which didn't help any. I would take it to a Lexus dealership, but the one in my town is really sneaky and they tend to do extra repairs without request. Any ideas or suggestions will at least give me a place to start. Thanks.

By the way, I do have a brand new battery and starter. Not sure if the alternator could be going out. The test that was performed on it said that it was getting good power, but who knows. None of the symptoms seem like an alternator though.
 
No. It's not your fuel pump or filter.

That's an electrical fault. More than likely the relays under the hood in the power distribution box. One of the relays is getting tired or dirty, or loose.

Spend $30 on the ignition relay and replace it. They simply plug in and out. (jiggle and pull) KEEP the old one in your glove box.

Now, drive around as you usually do. If it doesn't fix the problem, replace the fuel pump relay with the new relay you just pulled out of the ignition slot. Put the old ignition relay back in.
Now, drive around as usual again.

Intermittent electrical problems are very difficult to find, and can get expensive to troubleshoot.

I wish you a whole bunch of luck with t.
 
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