K9crew

Try telling that to my friend that has a Tundra ... he's on his third set of OEM pads and rotors because the rotors warp within 10k miles ... so much for Toyota "designing" the best hardware for the job. Powerstop rotors are a QUALITY rotor and are certainly SUPERIOR to anything available from Toyota (with the possible exception of TRD). And while we're on the subject of Lexus brakes, both my SC and LS have the WORST brakes of ANY vehicle that I've owned in recent memory!!! I will certainly be installing powerstop rotors on both of my cars in the near future!! :)

You can buy cadmium or zinc coated rotors in either cross-drilled, slotted, drilled and slotted or OEM styles. The unswept areas won't rust so they'll look good for a lot longer. I bought rotors from these guys for my Jeep and I'm very pleased with the performance and look. http://www.powerstoprotors.com If you want to paint your calipers or rotors check out Dupli-Color products. They make paint specifically for brake calipers. http://www.duplicolor.com

UCF3, Here's the link that AJ posted ... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&f=3&t=1010&hl= I don't quite follow what you mean when you say "you'll have to add a clear lense to the upper/clear side." Can you explain it a little more? I'm clearing the lower part of the lense and Home Depot sells plastic light diffusers that can be cut to the correct size and installed in the lense. :)

My left rear tail light had almost 1/2" of water in it yesterday so I've managed to disassemble it as per wmulli's instructions (thanks also to AWJ). This may be a stupid question but here goes ... if I decide to clear the lower part of the lenses, do I then need to install red light bulbs for the brake lights and orange bulbs for the indicator lights? Thanks :)

My stock rims are 16 x 7JJ with 50mm offset. Most of the aftermarket rims that I've seen for our cars have a 38mm to 42mm offset. Is anyone running a staggered set up? I see that tirerack.com mentions an optional wider rim and tire for the back wheels ... sounds cool although tire/wheel rotation would no longer be practical since many performance tires are directional!! :D

litespeedman, Well done on the design of the "special tool". :D I installed 4.56 gears in my Jeep a couple of years ago and made something very similar to prevent the pinion shaft from turning while installing the pinion nut to 350 lb-ft. gaknut, ALL good points ... especially the breaker bar example. You're right that at times a 12 point is the only viable option ... and yes, I have 12 point sockets. I've only broken one socket and it was some cheap Asian brand that I had in my off road tool box. I was using a 1/2" breaker bar, 1/2" to 3/8" adapter and a 12 point socket. After that I replaced all of the sockets in my off road tool box with American steel since I don't like the idea of that long walk home!! :)

The turning radius with a socket is a function of the ratchet being used. A 12 point socket has to rotate through 30 degrees between each alignment on a nut/bolt whereas a good ratchet has a 10 degree gear action (rotation between each click). For the "shade-tree" mechanics (myself included) that don't have toolboxes filled with Snap-on sockets, cheaper 12 point sockets can lead to expensive or time-consuming mistakes. :)

JPI and SW03ES, Thanks for the help. I checked the trans fluid last week ... it's at the high mark and was changed 15K miles ago. As for the delay, there's nothing "normal" about it. The way it is at the moment is dangerous. It almost reminds me of a VW Jetta that I had back in '89. The delay/hesitation was traced to a faulty O2 sensor. One of the O2 sensors was replaced on this car at around 50K miles because of a driveability problem reported by the original owner. I'll check through the records to find the exact problem. :)

99, 12 point sockets are more prone to rounding off the nut or bolt head because the load is applied at the intersection of each face. The area of shear is very small where the faces intersect so the stress is very high. In theory a good six point socket applies the load evenly on all six faces but in reality this is not the case. However, many good six point sockets have a stress-relieving groove machined or cast into them where the faces meet. This serves two purposes ... it reducus stress concentrations in the socket and shifts the applied load away from the face intersections on the nut/bolt. The OD of the socket needs to be a minimum while still maintaining the socket's integrity under load i.e. minimal stress > minimal deflection > minimal strain. 12 point sockets rarely have stress relief grooves designed into them (wall is too thin), so they are typically more likely to fail and more likely to apply loads in the worst possible location. I haven't done this topic much justice with my brief explanation but you get the idea! 12 point sockets should be AVOIDED!! Buy a good ratchet (SNAP-ON) and you won't miss your 12 point socket! :) P.S. 12 point AND 6 point box-end wrenches do have a place in your tool box. A 12 point wrench only needs to rotate through 30 degrees vs. 60 degrees for a 6 point wrench. If clearance is a problem this could make all the difference!

SW03ES, There's no question that my LS has a throttle cable running from the accelerator through the firewall to the engine!! I haven't removed the plastic engine cover so I don't know how it's attached to the throttle body or if there's an adjustment "feature". I remember someone in the SC forum mentioning that his throttle cable had quite a bit of slack in it. Once he adjusted it the accelerator was more responsive. No offense intended but I hope you're wrong about the delayed response being "normal". I'm going to tinker with the cable this weekend as well as check the TPS. :)

Thanks guys!! :D

denny, Thanks for the help! I just got home and checked the accelerator ... it has a throttle cable! This weekend I'll see if the cable needs lubricating or if the throttle body is gummed up. The TPS (throttle position sensor) could be acting up as well and I think the manual has a procedure for testing that. :)

AWJ and sk, My '95 SC chirps (lock/unlock) but the parking lights don't flash. Is this a feature that can be turned on/off or do I need to hook up a relay as you describe above to make the lights flash? :) P.S. For anyone hooking up a relay, make sure you use a diode to isolate the circuits that you're tapping into. Unpredictable things can happen if you don't!!

I haven't had a chance to examine the accelerator on my LS and was wondering if it's a "drive by wire" set up. If so, does anyone have any specs on the voltage range from "off" to all the way "on"? I can't find anything in the manual (CD version) about the accelerator but I think mine needs cleaning or something. It's hard to modulate the pedal in traffic and I'm experiencing a significant delay when I hit the pedal to get around someone ... nothing happens for a second or two and then ... VROOM ... it goes. Thanks :)

Here's some info on checking the resistance across the ignition coil ... Ignition Coil :)

Do you mean this ... ? http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/pr....asp?product=22 Both my '95 SC and '99 LS require ATF (Dexron II or III) in the power steering system. Is your car different?

Here's the first revision of the Suspension Upgrade How To. Thanks sidewinder for your comments and suggestions .... :) SC400 Suspension Upgrade :)

I agree!! :D

Craig, My SC is definitely lower and if you look at the picture in the link and use a straight edge the drop appears to be equivalent to the radius of the center cap of the wheel. I'm going to measure the cap to see what the radius is. The rear seems to have dropped more than the front but either way I like the stance of the vehicle now. I replaced the isolators since the original ones had almost 60K miles on them. Before (bottom) and After (top) My '99 LS has plenty of room above the wheels for a 1" drop and I'm keen to get that done since the handling will be much better. You needn't worry about looking like a gang banger with only a 1" drop!! However, your concerns about "taking the LS out of the LS" are valid since a great deal of effort was put into tuning the suspension to be the way it is. Installing Tokico shocks and Eibach springs will DEFINITELY change the ride characteristics. Personally I don't like going over a bump doing 60mph on the freeway and have my head almost hit the roof which is what happens on soft luxury car type suspensions. I don't think that Eibach springs and Tokico shocks will put additional stress on other parts of the suspension, in fact the opposite may be true since the ride will be more controlled with fewer oscillations. It's a tough decision I know and at least one member here is trying to get back that "LS" ride since the previous owner had installed a performance suspension. Don't forget that wheels and tires have a HUGE affect on the ride. The LS comes with 225/60/16 tires .... hardly a performance package!!! I'm thinking of buying 17" or 18" rims but am leaning towards 17" since a 235/55/17 tire in combination with Eibach springs and Tokico shocks should be comfortable but WAY more controlled. :)

bear, I'm in the process of looking for 17" or 18" rims for my '99 LS. Most of the rims for the LS that I've seen on www.tirerack.com have a 38mm to 40mm offset. 30mm is quite a bit off from 38mm so you'd better measure twice and cut once so to speak. Let us know what you find out since I'm sure you'll be helping others. :)

Craig, I've put together a "How To" that might be useful if you decide to install shocks/springs yourself. Suspension Upgrade "How To" I think everyone here will agree that Eibach springs are a good choice although other springs are available. A number of members have installed Eibach springs with KYB shocks and seem to like that combination and my previous experience with Eibach springs on my '95 Tbird SC was a positive one. I had Tokico shocks on a Acura Integra back in the early '90's and was very pleased with the performance and ride (especially when combined with the stock torsion bars - the Tokico torsion bars were brutal!!). I did consider KYB shocks but since the factory shock is from KYB I wanted to try something different. I bought the springs and shocks on eBay and saved close to $500 compared to paying for springs/shocks/installation at a local performance shop. The ride is excellent with the Eibach/Tokico combination ... it's not harsh, just controlled. The car feels much more "connected" to the road and the steering is more positive. I will certainly choose this combination again for my '99 LS! As for using Eibach springs with stock shocks ... from what I've read/heard the stock shocks won't last long with aftermarket springs. This is what Eibach has to say on the matter ... "All Eibach Pro-Kits are engineered to perform in harmony with the original damper of the special vehicle - take for granted a good working condition. All TÜV approvals in Germany certify the combination of the Pro-Kit with an OEM shock." HOWEVER, this is their response to a question about the warranty of a stock shock when used with Eibach springs ... "There is no change of the warranty. Actually, the weight of the car and the required basic dynamic work remain the same. Though with special progressive characteristic of the Pro-Kit, the damper is challenged more and usually makes it wear out faster." :)

sidewinder, Here's a before (lower) and after (upper) picture. I'm not sure if the picture helps much though. The car had 58K miles on it when I installed the shocks/springs and NEW isolators. I felt that the original suspension was bottoming out and the OEM rear springs were almost the same height as the Eibach rear springs which made me think that the stock springs could have sagged. The new isolators could make a difference too. Before and After :)

sidewinder and chubyball, Here are screen shots for all the Lexus models covered by the CD's. You can click on the year to see if your vehicle is listed. The software has to be installed and it comes with search capabilities. I don't know if the "real" manuals cover more information or not but here's the Table of Contents for my '95 SC400. :)

Thanks for the positive comments guys!! Sidewinder, When I initially removed the upper A arm I tried using a zip tie to hold it in place but found that it would stay in place without the pivot bolt but your idea of using a 3/8" extension is excellent and a lot safer! I'll add that tip (and credit you for the idea). As for the washer fluid reservoir, I was able to move it out of the way by only removing the upper and lower bolts ... perhaps the other mounting point on the reservoir is broken or the bolt is missing ... I'd better check on that. :) P.S. This is not a difficult project to tackle and it's certainly something that can be done in the driveway.

For anyone that's interested I've put together a "HOW TO" for installing springs and shocks. The pdf file can be downloaded here ... SC400 Suspension Upgrade The file is slightly over 1MB so if you have a slow connection it may take a while to download. Feel free to make suggestions for improving the article. If you notice any errors I'd appreciate an email, PM or post to that effect. Thanks :)