Help Needed - My 2003 GX470 runs 'rich'

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Joined
Oct 14, 2025
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United Arab Emirates
Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster :) I drive a 2003 Lexus GX470 with 225,000 Mi on the clock. I've owned the car for about two years now and for some reason, I can't get it to run 'right'

I love the car but my OCD will not settle until I get the engine to run smooth as butter :)

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I've had a P0172 & P0175 code popping up for the longest time and thought I could fix it when I got the car (more so P0172 than the other bank).

I have replaced almost every line replaceable unit on the car. From the fuel pump (OEM used from the scrap yard) to upstream Oxygen sensors (genuine OEM) to spark plugs (brand new aftermarket), to ignition coils (brand new aftermarket), to MAF Sensor (OEM used from the scrap yard), to removing the calatytic convertors since they blocked out the exhaust. Everytime I visit the garage, the guys there tell me "yes, this definitely must be your problem!"

I've even tried resurfacing the engine head and getting a new gasket kit on there along with checking the timing and water pump (all good). I'm at 225k miles and I barely get 150Mi on a full tank (while I used to get 250Mi on a good day BEFORE the engine head resurfacing). I've even tried getting a different ECU and plugging that in as well to the wiring harness but still to no avail so my last real 'gremlin' on there is wiring.

I will attach my OBD scan on here for the curious ones out there but I'm at my wits' end. The car runs & drives fine (or maybe I just conditioned myself to get used to it heh). It's just not "optimum"

My O2 sensor readings are WAY OFF for me. One reads from 0 to 1V while the other reads from 0 to 0.1V (I'm not sure why) Also, everything on the car is stock (except for the BT headunit), I want it to run right before I modify anything.

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I'd plot commanded air fuel ratios (AFRc) vs. measured air fuel ratio (AFRm), along with long-term and short-term fuel trims, plus MAF readings. That will help tell us how far off the AFRs are from the default computer readings.

Many of us with VVTI GX470s have had very weird engine behavior caused by problems with the MAF connector/plug. I think the non-VVTI GX you have uses a different MAF plug, but it's with looking at. Even if the MAF is a little bit "off" due to a short/poor connection in the plug, it can cause all sorts of weird behavior. It's pretty easy to splice on a new plug if that is indeed your issue. The plug problems will normally show up by the MAF readings being unstable along with fuel trims bouncing around a lot.
 
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