K9crew

meddle, The water pump issue is kind of a gamble. By changing it when you change the timing belt you hope to save on labor costs. If you plan on doing the work yourself and you're strapped for cash then you could always do the water pump at a later date. Don't forget, changing the timing belt is a factory recommended maintenance item ... changing the water pump isn't! A water pump could last 120,000 miles or it could fail after 20 miles on a brand new car. Many water pumps fail due to a lack of proper maintenance i.e. draining and flushing the cooling system every year or two. If your water pump does fail then hopefully you'll notice the coolant temp climbing rapidly BEFORE the engine overheats to the point of damaging the block. :)

AWJ, I decided to replace the PS fluid this morning before I went to work. I disconnected the return hose (at the reservoir) and drained the reservoir. Next, I used a short section of 3/8" hose with a plug to cap the return "nipple" on the reservoir. I extended the return hose by about 10" and ran the line into an empty 1QT container. I filled the reservoir with Amsoil ATF and ran the engine for about a second. The empty container now contained about 1/3 QT. I repeated the process two more times until red ATF came out of the return line. I ended up with just over a QT of black/brown PS fluid in the container and nice red ATF in the rack, pump and reservoir. After driving about 20 miles to work I thought that the steering was quicker and more precise (placebo effect?) but the vibration/humming was still there. I'm now convinced that it's something to do with the brake system ... possibly the ABS pump (if there is one). The vibration/noise is definitely more obvious with my foot on the brake but that could be due to an increase in the load on the engine and electrical system .... I'm going to flush and bleed the brake lines and ABS modules over the weekend to see if it helps. Thanks for the help though .... I appreciate it. Oh, my reservoir is a metal canister and the screen looks very clean. :)

AWJ, Thanks for the help. I think you're right about the brake pedal merely transferring the vibration from the engine compartment since there's a direct metallic pathway from my foot to the engine. The vibration/humming can be felt without depressing the brake ... but it's less obvious. I'll try to drain/suck the fluid out of the PS pump and replace it with fresh fluid to see if that helps or eliminates the problem. At this point I don't know if it is the PS pump ... perhaps someone else has experienced the same symptoms prior to a PS pump failure. Thanks for the confirmation regarding the coolant. I plan on draining/flushing the system in a few weeks and refilling it with Sierra propylene glycol coolant. :)

RedRocket, Thanks for the information ... it sure would be nice to have an owner's manual. :)

I recently bought a '95 SC400 with 46K on the odometer. A couple of weeks ago I began to notice a humming/vibration coming and going that I can "feel" in the brake pedal. It comes and goes with the trans in D, N or P and with my foot on or off the brake pedal. With my foot on the brake it's more noticeable. When the humming/vibration occurs it seems to go away or diminish if I turn the steering wheel to the left ... or at least it did initially. I checked the PS fluid and it's an odd brownish color and not the ATF red that I'm used to. I've read that PS pump failures are common on the SC400. Any thoughts or suggestions? While I'm here I was wondering if the reddish coolant in my cooling system is the right stuff for this car. It came that way so I have no idea if it's normal. Thanks for any help. :)

Thanks ... your response was very helpful. There's a SET button along with L1 and L2 buttons. The ignition has to be on and with your help I was able to figure out that I need to hold down the SET button while pressing either the L1 or L2 buttons until I hear a beep. My wife is happy now!! Thanks again.

I just bought a '95 SC400 but it didn't come with a user manual. How do I set the seat memory function for two different drivers? I've been trying various procedures but nothing seems to work. Thanks.