Check engine light is flashing and it seems to be misfiring. Temp is normal but when I sit and let it idle for a while it gets hot and the heat blows cold. I lost gas cap recently...

110

Asked by Noelle Nov 24, 2017 at 02:01 PM about the 1999 Lexus ES

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Check engine light  is flashing and it seems to be
misfiring. Temp is normal but when I sit and let it
idle for a while it gets hot and the heat blows cold.  
If I put it in neutral and give it gas The heat comes
back and temp goes back down to normal range. I
did recently lose my gas cap but the check engine
wasn’t on for about a week. And it comes on and
goes off frequently but the mechanic said when I
had some work done that this wasn’t a big problem.
But now it’s flashing. I can only imagine the car
means business.

2 Answers

110

Thanks Tom. I’m about three miles from the auto parts store and it’s really misfiring. I know it’s hard for you to guess without seeing it but you think it’s safe to travel that far? I was wondering I guess if there’s anything that’s a red flag not to drive it from the things I told you it was doing. Thanks!

6 people found this helpful.
110

They said there was an evap code which would be the gas cap. And then it was a multi cyl misfire and cyl 2 and 3 misfire (4 codes total). But it came on fast. Rather than gradual. He said it’s prob only spark plugs and wires and needs a tune up. Being the weekend, a mechanic may be tough. And to be honest, money is super tight. He said (the guy that read the codes) it’s nothing that will cause bad damage and that I shouldn’t break down. He said it will just run really rough (that’s an underestimate) and it shouldn’t break down until I get to a mechanic. That the worst that can happen is the misfiring and bad gas mileage. He also said- worst case scenario, it could be a fuel injector. He thought I’d be okay to drive it a few days as is. Thoughts?

5 people found this helpful.

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