Es300 1997 Intermittent Revs

[djmostyn]

Hi All

We have had our 1997 ES300 LXS for approx 4 months. The car is excellent to drive the majority of the time. We have noticed that the fuel consumption may be a little high but are hopeful a service will fix this. Also when we got the car the intermittent revs started soon after purchase and white smoke appeared at the exhaust. After the panic had subsided....... A local mechanic changed the HT Packs, leads and coils which seemed to solve the white smoke issue and cleaning the AICV initially seemed to solve the variable revs (400-1500 RPM fluctuations). Also we have tried a fuel cleaner which does not appear to have made a difference.

The issue that puzzles us is the intermittent nature of the revs events which decreases confidence in the cars reliability. The car starts first time and runs well and is smooth to drive (even on the freeway in normal revs driving and the heat of Perth; the car behaves normally). The event seems only to occur when we drive home, via a climb of two reasonably steep roads in quick succession. If we rev the car over 2000 RPM up each hill, by the time we get home (soon after the 2nd hill) the engine revs start to fluctuate and the car threatens to stall. It appears as if the car is having breathing problems after exercise (just like us :-) ). Taking the same route home and taking it easy with the revs under 2000 RPM, the car drives consistently smooth.

I've read the forums regarding sticking AICV, MAF and various sensors and all could be relevant. The plan is to adopt a process of elimination approach in trying the solutions suggested, Before we do this, has anybody had the same issue and can point us in a more targeted direction. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Dave