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TXSC3

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  • Lexus Model
    98 SC300

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  1. No rips or tears but it looks like someone spilled a solvent or bleach on it at some point. Some cheap carpet dye should take care of this. I just put in a rubber liner in my SC so I do not need this anymore. $45 shipped....OBO.....PM is the best way to reach me.
  2. IMHO the best wheel for the SC is the stock 18 inch wheel from any 94-99 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4. It is a direct fit for the SC and the tire size is 255/40/18. I plan to get these for mine but I kind like the way my 16 inch GS300 chrome wheels look as is. Have a look: This is NOT my car but this is where I saw it. http://www.3si.org/forum/f13/my-new-car-307470/ Oh, but try and find the OEM Mitsubishi wheels instead of the made in China junk replicas that sell on ebay. The copies are one piece and a bit heavier than the 2 piece OEM version. What NOT to buy: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/18-Mitsubis...sQ5fAccessories If you ask around on the 3000GT forum linked above you can find an OEM set for 500-600 bucks.
  3. http://www.car-part.com/ Find one in your area. Shipping is not worth the hassle with covers. I'd go OEM used over new copy.
  4. I would go with OEM parts if you are keeping the car pretty much stock and for daily driving. The front struts are about $43 each from Lexus of PembrokePines. The rears are more at about $120 each. Toyota made a huge error somewhere because the part number for the front strut for 97-00 SCs is 48510-29515. This part number is the same strut that is on MK4 Supras and sells at Toyota discount dealers for about $140 online. If you enter this part number into any Lexus dealer site you get a repalcement part number of 48510-29505 which prices for the $43. Unless Toyota revised the Lexus version to ride a bit cushy it should be the extact same part. If it is a made in Japan KYB that is OEM and costs $43 then it beats out any aftermarket strut at 3-4 times the price. The guy that owned my SC before me put the made in China rear KYBs purchased outside of the dealer and I hate just having a made in China part on the car. Besides, the idiot that installed them left the nuts off of the top of the left strut and just threw away the retainer rings and caps. I got all of that stuff for $10 from a junkyard and put back what was missing. I hate mechanics that are lazy and have no integrity. If I had not taken the rear carpet out to replace the trunk lift struts I would have never known of this. My front struts are stock and shot so I plan on replacing them with the $43 struts and then at some point in the future I will get rid of the made in China KYBs on the rear for OEM made in Japan KYBs.
  5. What part is leaking? The pump? a hose? the rack? The pressure is too great for a plug to work if it is a hose. If it is the pump then replace it ASAP because it will leak into the alternator and cause it to fail as well.
  6. You can create your own fog lamp circuit for under $15. Use a relay and any switch you want that will mount in the car to run. The switch activates the relay and the relay allows the power to flow into the circuit. If that does not make sense....google some of those terms and a diagram will be found somewhere. The stock fog light switch was located on the turn signal arm on SCs. You would be able to retrofit one but a simple switch mounted somewhere is much more easy IMHO.
  7. The correct way to do the conversion is to pretty much remove all of the a/c system from the car and flush it with a solvent to get rid of the mineral oil. The compressor is the exception to this....just tip it and get as much of the oil out as you can. Then change all of the seals in the system to ones designed for 134a. Check for leaks by pulling a vac. on it and seeing if the vac. holds for several hours. If all is good refill with PAG oil and 134a as specified. That kit will work but your air will not be as cold as before and if can leak because the mineral oil from R12 systems has a chemical reaction with the 134a PAG oil which eats the seals and rubber hoses. This is a great guide: http://www.acura-legend.com/vbulletin/f13/...etrofit-109833/
  8. TRUE....I'm 30 so I got my license well into the era of fuel injection, sensors, ECUs, etc.... But I grew up with my dad having a VW bug so we got another one (1973) for nostalgia. Only the radio in the car is electronic....everything else is mechanical. Sooooo cheap to work on. I rebuilt the entire brake system for only $210 using all German parts. $210 won't buy even a remanufactured master cylinder on an SC.
  9. 90%+ of the time the oxygen sensor is faulty when a check engine light comes on.I have never had a car run that poorly due to the sensor but it's worth checking it out. Download the service manual (search this forum for the link) and go from there. An aftermarket sensor will work just as well. Only if your SC was one year newer with OBDII.....it would have been all plug and play with a code scanner. Oh, and check the throttle position sensor as well while you are at it.
  10. How much for the driver side headlight? I don't care if the tabs are broken as long as the lens is clear and not broken/cracked. Price quote shipped to 77035 please. Thanks.....PM is the best way to reach me.
  11. 1. As the other guy said....might be related to #4. But the valve that allows coolant to flow into the heater core might not be getting power to it or might be stuck closed. Test it out per the service manual which you can download online (search this forum for the link). 2. what grnsc....said 3. Go with a used OEM part. see link at end of this post 4. See link at end of this post...or I might have one...gotta dig in the garage. 5. I don't think your year had chips in the keys and an immobilizer so you can buy key blanks from an online discount dealer like Pembroke Pines. Any half way good locksmith shop can cut a key blank to fit your lock if you remove the trunk lock (easiest one to take out) and take it in to them for about $40. They will cut copies of the master for $5-10 labor (you supply the blanks). ECU.....get a used one....see link below. 6. You might have a faulty amp. Get a used one. see link below http://car-part.com/ Avoid ebay unless you know for sure you are getting a good deal on parts. I see stuff like the 97+ taillamps sell there for $300 when each one is $111 from online dealers. Assume a 30% markup on ebay unless you know for sure what parts are worth and what is fair.
  12. Get an electrical tester and see if there is voltage at the sockets. A tester can also check if there is continuity in the bulbs. Bulbs okay and no voltage at the socket could be corroded sockets. I don't think your fuses are blown cause both fog and tails would be out for each circuit.
  13. My SC had a bend in the "Y" pipe so I scored one at a junkyard for $20. I drove the car in the morning and got around to the job about 3 hours later. I drop the pipe toward the front of the car and a small river of water flows out. NO the car does not have a busted head gasket. This was the first time I was under the SC and I must say it is a joy to work on. The layout of things is super clean and I think I could now do a cat back exhaust job in under 30 minutes. The water kind of concerns me....the pipes will just rot from the inside out rapidly if there is constantly that much moisture inside. Is there something about the design that causes this. I've worked on other cars and never saw so much water in the pipes.
  14. My 98 has a small spot of discoloration in the mirror. It still dims okay but Lexus wants $250 for just the mirror part. The whole assembly is like $320. I do know of a junked 95 that has the mirror on it. I can buy it for under $20. Are they the same?
  15. Keep looking around online and in your local area but don't rush buying one. I first saw mine in June of 08 but the guy did not want to negotiate much so we had no deal. Later in the summer I saw an SC400 for less on a Sunday. I liked it but when I told the guy I would need my mechanic to check it out for me on Monday he said if I took it then and there he would drop the price another $500. It was too good to be true and I almost went for it but patience paid off. The stock market crashed in October and on election day I was driving the first one I saw home for $2900 less than his first asking price and $1600 less than my best offer he refused in June. There have been some very nice SCs on ebay lately....many people are crazy for the 97+ so middle model years are crashing in value. Find a 96 5 speed if you can because it will be worth less than a 97 just cause of the body style and it has OBD II which makes solving problems easier (something 92-95 lacks). This one in my area is a good starting point. It does lack being a 96 but the miles are low and it looks clean. I'd just add a 97+ style spoiler and slap on some late model GS300 wheels to make it look much better. With car sales being as dismal as they are I bet somewhere between 5500-6000 would be enough to buy this car. http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/955881317.html
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