K9crew

... one of the best posts of all time IMHO!! An M5 would be my choice any day of the week ... this is a fun topic .... :D Car and Driver LOVED the new Ford GT and for $150K it's a "steal" (that's how C&D described it). http://www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt/home.asp?bhcp=1 Sadistic's comments reminded me of my Jeep ... I can go to the dealer and buy a Rubicon but where's the fun in that. I've installed 4.56 gears, cross drilled rotors, I have a Ford 8.8" rear end with disk brakes waiting to go in, I plan on installing Eaton electric lockers front and back, an Atlas transfer case, an NV4500 transmission, a Rubicon lift kit etc .... the list goes on but that's the point. It's the journey from A to B that makes it all worth while. :)

sightdev, THANKS ... is the mirror automatic dimming since I don't have an on/off switch that I know of. YOU'RE TELLING ME THE RIMS ARE FROM A '92~'94 ..... YIKES!!! That's all the exuse I need to buy new rims for the car ... my wife's not going to like hearing that she's driving a '95 with older rims. What I'll probably do is put the rims from my LS on the SC and buy new rims for the LS. :D Thanks :)

When I bought my '95 SC400 in New York last April I knew that the windshield had been replaced and it looks like the original rear view mirror was reattached but someone cut the two wires coming out of the mirror (I'm guessing that the installers did that). There's no control on the rearview mirror to turn on/off an auto-dimming feature (LS has that) so what are those wires for? Also, the mirror is "loose" at its mounting point. There's a torx head bolt holding the body onto a mounting plate and there's way too much play there .... any ideas as to what's going on? Anyone else with a loose/floppy rear view mirror? Would a photo be helpful? Thanks :)

I have a two CD, two floppy disk set from Mitchell Repair and it has tons of data for ALL Lexus cars from '90 to '02. The first CD that I bought was the same as the one that wilhunt bought ... a bunch of pdf files. The second CD was the Mitchell set and like an idiot I didn't realize that it covered my '99 LS so I bought another rip off CD (more pdf files). Anyway, if anyone's interested I'll happily burn the two CD's and copy the installation floppies for a VERY small fee (to recoup the $50 that I wasted on 2 CD's with pdf files). I could even make a couple of .ISO images that could be download from my server. Perhaps I can donate any extra money to this website!! I'm sure an administrator will be along shortly to condone or condemn!! :) P.S. The data CD has some sort of copywright protection but I'm sure that NERO could get around that.

Craig, If you take a look at my post in the SC400 section called "Tokico shocks/springs ..." you will see that I mention isolators. These are the rubber pads that sit on top of the springs isolating the spring from the body of the car. Here's a picture of the front left spring/shock (strut) assembly. You can see the "isolator" between the top of the spring and the strut-body mounting plate. My SC had about 58.5K miles on it when I did the installation and the isolators were very worn (the back boots were torn in a number of places). My guess is that these are the "strut bar cushions" that you're talking about since there aren't any cushions anywhere else!! They cost about $30 each from the dealership. As for the MSN reliability report, I wish they'd provide information on how many cars they're basing the report on. Most people that bother to fill out a reliability form do so because something has broken or failed on their car ... if your car is running well you don't go in search of information on the net and hence you don't fill out a "complaint" form. :)

moe, the garage that you went to originally should do the job for FREE if they had any ethics at all ... their misdiagnosis cost you time and money!!

UCF3, YOU DA' MAN!! :D

moe, Are you loosing coolant? If so you could have a leaking head gasket or worse yet a cracked block. Both of those conditions can lead to overheating if enough coolant is getting into the cylinders. Did the garage pressure test your cooling system? If the system can't maintain pressure then your coolant can boil causing overheating. You might want to replace your radiator cap since it's cheap. Is your radiaor leaking, blocked etc. There are many possibilities but as UCF3 mentioned it's hard to diagnose a problem over the internet. We can only make suggestions. :)

I'm totally against cutting rotors since this is one of the most common outcomes ... I installed cross-drilled rotors on my Jeep last year and will certainly install cross-drilled rotors on my SC and LS in the near future. Give John a call at Powerstoprotors.com, 1-888-428-7278. The ones on my Jeep are Cadmium coated so all the unswept surfaces look great years later!! :)

99, I guess it's easier to part with CN$700 vs. US$700!!! I hate to see moemoe ripped off like that but I also hope there's a silver lining to this cloud!! :)

Make sure there's a new o-ring in the box with the thermostat!! Stories like this one make my blood boil!!! You may want to bleed the cooling system to rule out air pockets causing your problems. I'm still not sure what you mean by "the car cools down by itself ... ". If your temperature gauge is the only indication for your overheating and "apparent" cooling problems then perhaps your coolant temp sender is faulty ... we're just guessing here!!

I took the advice of VMF, jdmparts and 99 and used a vacuum cleaner and compressed air to clean the filter. When I was blowing air through it (clean side to dirty side) a ton of dust and crap came out ... uurrghh!! I guess I've been inhaling that stuff for years when driving other "non-filtered" vehicles. Anyway, I vacuumed inside the box above the blower, cleaned the cover and reinstalled the filter. It occured to me that $50 is ridiculous for that piece of paper. I'm inclined to follow wwest or jdmparts' suggestion of making my own filters. Paper is a good medium for filtration since it's quite restricitve and the pleats trap and hold the big stuff such as bugs, leaves, hair etc. I would think that someone could make a killing manufacturing and selling good alternative cheaper filters ... hmmmm. :)

WOW!! I thought I was lucky when I bought my '95 SC400 with only 46K on it!! If the car was in storage for the last three years then it was only driven about 3K per year for the eight years before that. That might imply short trips (or one long trip per year ;) ) which can lead to plug fouling, condensation in the exhaust system etc but the exhaust is stainless and new plugs are easily installed. Brake fluid absorbs water over time and the water can settle in the master cylinder, calipers etc. I'd certainly have the brake fluid flushed and the brake hoses, seals inspected. The cooling system will need to be flushed as well. The corrosion inhibitor package in the coolant would most likely have "expired". If a car sits for a long time the tires can deform to the extent that the wheels/tires cannot be balanced. I'd also recommend the "usual" maintenance like an oil/filter change, new fluids in the trans and diff, new air filter etc .... start fresh!! DEFINITELY check out the car on CARFAX. I almost bought a '99 SC400 on eBay. The owner claimed 60K but CARFAX showed 122K on the odometer. Let us know what you decide and if you buy the car let us know how it is. Good luck. :)

There's so much excellent information here with numerous options presented .... THANKS to VMF, wwest, 99, UCF3, tansupplyman, jdmparts and VBdenny ... Since this is the first time that I'm changing the filter I think I'll buy a new one because I really don't know when it was changed last. At least I can monitor the new one to get some idea of it's useable life. Perhaps a trip to Home Depot for a furnace filter is in my future ... Thanks again for the excellent comments and advice. :)

Actually, the guy I bought the car from "missed a spot" since he took that picture! So you're right ... I am cheating ... I'm showing my engine having been cleaned by someone else! :D However, that spot is now shiny like everything else since I'm now the owner. I guess I'll just have to take another picture! ;)

99, Thanks!! I buy the Turtlewax 2001 from Checkers. It doesn't specifically mention using it under the hood but I've used it for a few years now with good results. It's supposed to have anti-static properties which results in less dirt build up ... that's the theory anyway ... I just like the way it makes everything shiny!! :D :)

99, My LS has been taken in for service religiously by the previous owner every 5K ... I have the records from the dealership. According to my records the filter was "inspected" at the 45K mile service on 10-22-02 so 15K miles and just over one year later the filter looks like this!! Makes me wonder if the dealership even looked at the filter. They claimed to do so much other work at that time so perhaps they missed it. Anyway, like you I do ALL my own work. :)

:( You're right about that! I'm thinking about driving home tonight without the filter but then a bunch of crap might come out of the vents. I have a can of Dust Demon that I could use to get the worst of the dirt off until I can pick up a replacement. My dealer has cabin filters for $49.92 plus tax but they're available on eBay for less ... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=42612 Makes me wish that K&N sold them since they'd be cleanable and reusable! :)

How about my SC400 .... The guy that I bought it from had steam cleaned it and treated the plastic with something or other. It sure looks nice but I had to replace all the plugs (engine was missing badly from NY to Columbus,OH) and I had to replace the wires, distributor caps and rotors when the car arrived in Hawaii. If he had run the engine after cleaning to dry out the motor everything would have been fine. Anyway, the engine compartment and motor still looks like that almost 13K miles later. I use a Turtlewax product called 2001 Super Protectant with Sun Stop to keep all the plastic and rubber looking nice. I also use it inside the car on the dash, seats, doors etc. :)

I was looking through the manual this morning to see if there's a way to set the vents to outside "fresh" air when the car is parked all day to allow the car to breathe (didn't find any info on that). I knew about the cabin air filter but hadn't removed it or looked at it in the six weeks since buying the car in Houston. The intstructions for removing it seemed simple so I opened the glove box, removed the two plastic pieces and pulled it out. Here's what I found ... Probably the original filter by the looks of it!!

I've looked at the anti-theft wiring for a '95 SC400 and a '94 SC400. Here are parts of the wiring schematics for both cars showing the Wireless Door Lock ECU which is separate from the anti-theft ECU. On my car a "Wirelss Door Lock Buzzer" is shown with a red/white (+) signal being sent to it from the ECU (pin# 1). The '94 doesn't have the buzzer and the ECU is wired differently although it also has 12 pins. The good news is that'd be easy to tap the red/white wire and connect it to the parking light relay(s) to make the lights flash when locking/unlocking.

The part number is 16482-50020. You could try calling www.thepartsbin.com at 1-888-628-3247. I've ordered Lexus parts from them in the past and have been pleased with the cost and service. I'm sure other Lexus dealers closer to you will have the item so you could do a search at www.lexus.com. The phone number for the dealer here is 1-808-545-3987 and they could possibly UPS or FedEx the item to you but you'd pay less shipping if the dealer is closer. Good luck!! :)

I just called my Lexus dealer and a coolant reservoir/expansion tank is $178.33 AND it's a stocking item!!! I get a 25% discount through my friend so that's $133.75 plus 4.16% sales tax. That's a long way from $600 ... someone is trying to make a boat payment at your expense!!

Yes, that's the coolant reservoir/expansion tank .... $600 sounds ridiculous!! In the meantime you might be able to remove and repair it with epoxy or fiberglass until you can find a good used one. :)

That "feature" is only for the front license plate. I know that Corvettes in the mid '90's had a revolving front license plate but I'm not sure about newer vettes. I wouldn't trade my '95 SC400 for a '95 vette either!! That said, I'd buy a Z06 in a heartbeat if the interior wasn't a total POS!!