My Lexus is possessed.

[mk2tmr2]

For those of you who don't follow my turbo Lexus build thread on Club Roadster, here's the quick background.

I've had the car for several years as my daily driver. It's fantastic. Reliable, classy, comfy, sporty, etc. I recently brought it to Jeff Tsai of Power Dynamix for what he dubs the "Stage 2" turbo setup. Target power is around 375 at the wheels. Not difficult for a 2JZ.

I got the car back this week and soon discovered a **VERY STRANGE** bug. A full recounting is transcribed from CR.net below.

If anyone sees this and, in your vast history of car modification/maintenance knowledge, has insight into this really weird problem, please let me know.

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This morning was STRANGE. I've experienced some automotive voodoo like none other. I've sworn, in the past, that certain cars were haunted or possessed. But that's always tongue in cheek. This time...notsomuch.

Last night when I picked my car up I turned the key to crank the engine and it didn't start. Jeff explained that, due to the oversized injectors, the car will occasionally flood and might need a little throttle to get it started. (Turns out this is almost never the case...but I digress.) He hopped in the car and it started immediately.

I drove it home, parked it and had a great night's sleep with dreams of open-dump wastegate (yes!) and fluttery BOV noises waiting for my morning drive to the office.

Got in the car this morning, turned the key and it cranked but wouldn't turn over. I gave it some throttle like Jeff showed me and it wouldn't turn over. Lexus has a "flood-clear" mode so I engaged that by holding the accelerator pedal to the floor and cranking for 10 seconds. Still wouldn't start after that.

So I called Jeff and he decided to come over during lunch to take a look.

He got to my house. Turned the key and the car immediately idled and purred like a very large, hungry kitten.

I told him that I was hoping that wouldn't happen but I was glad it did. Assuming it was just a fluke, he was getting ready to leave. Before he did, I wanted him to observe me starting the car just to make sure all was kosher. We shut the car off. I got in. Turned the key. Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Wouldn't turn over.

Odd.

Jeff got in. Started right up.

I got in...wouldn't turn over.

Jeff got in. Started right up.

I got in...wouldn't turn over.

FOR ONE SOLID HOUR the car started 100% of the time for him and 0% of the time for me.

We checked grounds, pulled fault codes, plugged into the FIC and monitored all sensors while he (successfully) started the car.

It made absolutely no sense. So we got my neighbor...I kid you not this is how we were troubleshooting my car...to try and start the car. It wouldn't start for him.

Jeff got in. Started right up.

So I called my wife who was 15 minutes away at a friend's house and told her to bring her set of keys over. (We thought maybe the transponder in my key was somehow to blame.)

She got in. STARTED RIGHT UP!

All. Of. The. Fucks.

So here's where we were at. The car starts and runs fine with absolutely zero issues if Jeff or my wife turns the key. If I or my neighbor turn the key the car refuses to turn over.

So we started turning the key without sitting int he car by reaching in through the open door. We tried gloves. We isolated ourselves from every inch of the car with layers of towels.

Still started 100% of the time for Jeff and 0% of the time for me.

UNTIL!!!! Jeff had the FIC plugged into his laptop via the USB cable. Mind you...NO applications were running. The computer was just on. I turned the key. Started right up.

WHAT THE FUCK?

So I got my Macbook Pro. Plugged in the USB cable. Started right up. Put my Mac to sleep with the cable still plugged in. Car wouldn't start.

So...now...get this...my routine for starting the car is to plug the tuning cable into my Macbook Pro, wake the computer, then turn the key. Otherwise, the car WILL NOT start for me.

So...obviously there is an electrical gremlin somewhere. But it does not, at all, explain why the car will start EVERY DAMN TIME for 50% of the people who turn the key and NOT EVER for the other 50%.

We'll eventually fix it. Jeff is determined to do so when he has the car next week to replace the coil packs and turn up the boost.

Still...I'm weirded out. I've never had a car issue that was 100% dependent on which human was interfacing with the vehicle.

[SirHustlerEsq]

Really weird. I don't believe his story on "the injectors are too big for good cold-start" unless he's running EV1s or something which is dumb.

[CosmosMpower]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, burn that thing to the ground.

[mk2tmr2]

Really weird. I don't believe his story on "the injectors are too big for good cold-start" unless he's running EV1s or something which is dumb.

You're right. He was just trying to offer up a solution for why the car didn't start that time when I tried it. It's got ~850cc injectors in it now and stock is ~275 or something. So that was his best guess as to why it didn't fire up right away.

For what it's worth, when the car is being started by someone who has the right mojo, it starts instantly and idles perfectly. The injector size, it turns out, is a non-issue.

[Davidss]

Does the car have a manual transmission?

[SirHustlerEsq]

You're right. He was just trying to offer up a solution for why the car didn't start that time when I tried it. It's got ~850cc injectors in it now and stock is ~275 or something. So that was his best guess as to why it didn't fire up right away.

For what it's worth, when the car is being started by someone who has the right mojo, it starts instantly and idles perfectly. The injector size, it turns out, is a non-issue.

On a related note...can I do some burn-outs in your VIP car?

[SirHustlerEsq]

Does the car have a manual transmission?

Clutch-key depression/activation order crossed my mind too.

[mk2tmr2]

Does the car have a manual transmission?

Clutch-key depression/activation order crossed my mind too.

That'd be too easy. No...it's an automatic.

On a related note...can I do some burn-outs in your VIP car?

Any time.

[SirHustlerEsq]

That'd be too easy. No...it's an automatic.


Any time.

I am Yakuza.

[Davidss]

Do you have to press the brake to start it?

I have seen before (on a manual trans car) where you had to press the pedal at a certain angle to engage the switch. I would try having Jeff sit in the driver seat and you turn the key from the passenger seat. And vice versa.

[mk2tmr2]

Do you have to press the brake to start it?

Nope. And I tried with/without my foot on the brake.

I have seen before (on a manual trans car) where you had to press the pedal at a certain angle to engage the switch. I would try having Jeff sit in the driver seat and you turn the key from the passenger seat. And vice versa.

Did that. Regardless of which seat we sat in, it started for him and not for me.

We even tried him reaching in through the door while I was sitting in the driver's seat (and vice verse) with the same results.

We tried turning the key while touching various parts of the car's interior and chassis (to ground ourselves) and it started 100% for him and 0% for me.

We tried completely insulating ourselves from the car - and even from the key - using layers of towels and it still started for him and not for me.

We also tried both of my keys with the same results. So that rules out a particular key transponder being the culprit.

I'm telling you guys...this is really, really weird.

[Davidss]

Not that I don't believe you. We have known each other since the MR2 days. But I want to see a video of this!!!

[mk2tmr2]

Didn't get a chance to do the video last night. Trey came over at the spur of the moment to help get the city driving part of Rooster's tune dialed in. He did get to witness the Lexus weirdness. Turns out it won't start for him either. But he got to see how it does start for my wife.

Also...a new development. I got a really long set of channel locks and reached across from the passenger side of the car to turn the key with them...and it worked! The car started. I guess I distanced myself far enough away to remove my "aura" from interfering.

[MoonieGT]

This, while sucking completely for you, is just incredible. Since we're clearly in the realm of the super natural, think hard. Did you recently cut off a crazy looking lady with a necklace made of chicken bones or something? Voodoo? Did you break any mirrors? Park that sucker, wait 7 years. Any black cats? Spilled salt? Did you screw up the i before e except after c rule? Have you tried rearranging the furniture in your house for better feng shui?

[MoonieGT]

I've got it. Print out a life size picture of the tuner's face, glue it onto a paper plate, hold said plate in front of your face, then turn key.

[juxt3r]

My old turbo wagon did this to me. I sold it to the person who got it started on the first try. Turned out to be some oddity in the fuel pump wiring in conjunction with a bad OE fpr.

[slowchildmiata]

Have you even pulled out a volt meter to check anything at all? Sounds like you just keep trying variations of the same thing expecting a different result. You have to isolate things in the system to test and fix.

[tailchaser]

I've got it. Print out a life size picture of the tuner's face, glue it onto a paper plate, hold said plate in front of your face, then turn key.

PLEASE let this work!!! Or better yet, a Guy Fawkes mask...

[sammm]

Any type of weird sensors in the drivers seat? Maybe it thinks the seat is empty and won't start? Very strange.

[mk2tmr2]

Any type of weird sensors in the drivers seat? Maybe it thinks the seat is empty and won't start? Very strange.

Nope. I can be sitting in the seat and my wife can simply reach in through the window and turn the key and it will start.

Just had one of my employees try and start it. Wouldn't start for him.

So now the count is:

Will start for 3 people
Will not start for 4 people