Lexus Repair: Car wont start on first try, e mail address, induction system


Question
Hi Zak! Thanks for answering my question so fast!  Is this how I can respond to you if you asked me a followup question?  I know you must get alot of e-mails so I cut and pasted my question at the end of this e-mail. To sum up my problem: sometimes my car won't start on the first try. If it does start on the first try it is so weak it vibrates, so I shut it off and gun the gas.

As you inquired, I did have the tires checked and they looked at them, rotated them, and said there was no problem. The car has about 95,000 miles and I got the (pricey)periodic maintenance check in August. I also had the battery checked at Wal-Mart and they said it was fully charged.

I'm going to put valve cleaner in the fuel so hopefully that will fix it so I don't have to get another pricey repair.  I've called the service department at Lexus but they didn't have any suggestions as to what it could be.  

If I do need to take it into the service department, I'm trying to do a little research. Am I on the right track? I've found the following possibilities:
-a dead or weak cylinder
-bad spark plug
-compression problem
-air leak in induction system
-Defective magnetos
-Water in fuel
-Distributor points or contact breaker points dirty or pitted

Is there any other obvious problem I can check and possibly fix myself?

Thanks again for your help!    

Previous e-mails:
Subject: Car won't start on first try.
Question -
(Sorry to send this question again but due to my Internet security, my e-mail address might have been masked.)

My car intermittently won't start on the first try. Sometimes it does start but it is so weak that the steering wheel is very hard to turn and the car rattles. If that happens I shut the car off and restart by gunning the gas as I turn the key. It's just started doing this for about 3 weeks and as I've said, this problem doesn't occur every time I start the car. I live in Texas so cold weather isn't a factor that affects car performance. Could it just be clogged intake valves? I have a 1999 Lexus Rx300.

Also, I don't know if this is related because it's been doing this for a while, but when I drive at about 70mph the car starts to vibrate. When I reduce the speed, the car still shakes but not as much.

Thanks for any help!


Zak Saenz Answers -
Wow! That is the first time I have heard that problem. Hard to say what it is. How many miles do you have on it? The vibration sounds like a tire problem.

Have any other questions? Try one of our experts at http://www.allexperts.com

http://www.allexperts.com
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Answer
Most of the things you have listed are very rare, does the vehicle run well once it gets beyond the start point? You may have to bring it in to the dealer to have it checked. The only thing that can really cause a vibration problem at a certain speed is a tire problem, out of balance or out of round.