JIBBBY

Dawg - When you hammer the car and it goes nowhere fast that is the torque converter... I remember that feel years ago when my car was stock...Now I tap the gas and off I go...Night and Day.. I am suprised you did not get better gains when changing out the mufflers. I noticed a big difference but then again I am using straight thru mufflers and not ovals...Oh, and yes the stock mufflers weighed alot and were very restrictive...That is the main reason they are so quiet....If you upgrade or better yet delete the three cats you will see even more power gains, but mostly at top end.....Have fun and don't break the bank...Horsepower is addictive... Dawg - When you hammer the car and it goes nowhere fast that is the torque converter... I remember that feel years ago when my car was stock...Now I tap the gas and off I go...Night and Day.. I am suprised you did not get better gains when changing out the mufflers. I noticed a big difference but then again I am using straight thru mufflers and not ovals...Oh, and yes the stock mufflers weighed alot and were very restrictive...That is the main reason they are so quiet....If you upgrade or better yet delete the three cats you will see even more power gains, but mostly at top end.....Have fun and don't break the bank...Horsepower is addictive...

If you really want to search for exhaust systems to buy for the SC400 go to the forum Clublexus.com then go to the forum section, then "Sc300/Sc400" section and use the search function "type SC400 exhaust" and you will find more info then you can read....They have write ups on every type of exhaust available for the Sc's...Check it out, same goes for the intake designs....Very comprehensive.... Jibbby, I love my set up now. :D It's nice to know that the noise won't increase without the cats because I like it the way it is and its BAD A**. It's not overbearing or attention drawing, but it does let everyone around know that there's a V8 lurking under that yacht-like hood. I will replace the cats for the additional HP gains. Total cost = parts ($234.86) and labor ($250) came out to $484.86 for the whole set up, minus the cat work. I have one question on throttle response...I generally have good response when I push down the pedal, but ther is a slight gap there that sometimes leads to a surge forward when I'm pressing down. Is this because my throttle cable is loose? Is it my torque converter? Or is it that my throttle body needs cleaning like you described to 95 SC400? Where is the snorkel tube? I have a pretty good CD manual from eBAy, but you could get me there without having to dig in. Dawg Gdawg, if you have an unsteady idle or bouncing idle when stopped then I would say it is a dirty throttle body...The snokle tube is that big plastic circular tube which connects to the throttle body and travels almost down to the filter...You can't miss it....Remove that with like 4 bolts then the throttle body is exposed.... Lack of launching power from a dead stop is normal and caused by the very weak stock torque converter...Surges could be several other things.. GDawg - did notice nice gains when you changed out the mufflers? Curious as I have never actuallyu used the Magnaflows just read alot about them, and a few buddies told me they are nice......

95 SC400 - To clean the throttle body I remove the snorkel tube and spray STP carb cleaner directly into the throttle body and butterfly area...I try to keep the car running while doing this, but you will have to hold the throttle down a bit manually as the car will stall on it's own once the snorkel tube is removed and pushed to the side..Keeping the car running helps with the cleaning process...I do this every 4 to 6 months... This helps steady a bouncing or rough idle..... Intake, problems that may happen - when you drive in a rain storm that pod filter might get saturated and wet...Bad sensor MAF reads and loss of power may occure...The pod filters will keep out most dirt and debri's but some of the fine stuff will pass and dirty up your throttle body causing an unsteady idle over time...No big problems will occure... My suggestions would be to move the pod filter back up to the stock filter position and funnel and or channel the air flow with scoops to hit the pod filter directly...That is what I did...That way the filter is not directly hit by the elements when driving....Best would be to also make a metal box around the pod filter to sheild out engine heat which robs you of horse power.....Good luck man I hope it all works out for you.... Dawg - When you change out to high flowing Cats your noise levels will not increase....Changing out the stock restrictive mufflers is really what makes these cars loud...Even with my headers to my suprise I only picked up maybe 10 percent more noise....Typical with any performance muffler when installed on these SC400's the noise levels are increased at higher rpm's...If you need your exhaust to be less noisy just install a set of high flowing circular resonators on the back half section of the exhaust...Oval shaped Magnaflow mufflers and a set of circular high flowing resonators should bring the exhaust sounds back or close too the stock sounding noise levels.... My car sounds close to stock at low rpms, but really gets loud when I hammer it...I have straight thru mufflers , 4 resonators, headers, larger piping...I can drive it mellow and it does not draw attention, over half throttle heads start turning...That is with my setup...Oval mufflers are much quieter then the circular straight thru mufflers....

This weekend was fun. I replaced my air filter with the K&N stock replacement filter. I also replaced my plugs with NGK platinums and the OEM High-tension cables with Bosche. MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! I haven't had my muffler work done yet and I can feel a HUGE surge of HP. While the torque isn't there (convereter here we come), but once it gets going it throws me back in the seat.....NICE!!! I'll post some pics of my muffler set up as soon as its done. I'm going to replace everything aft of the center cat first, then I'm going to replace the cats per your recommendation. Chasecroft- Sorry bro, Magnaflow oval mufflers are one of the more quiter performance mufflers....For the more expensive choice the BLitz Nur rear exhaust system is one of the best for sound and performance...THe price reflects at around $700 or so......I would go with Magnaflow for mufflers and high flowing cats for your needs and wants...Not to pricey either....There are really so many to choose from..... Thanks Jibbby, the filter is actually just below the sheet metal that was under the stock intake box. All i did was cut a hole, and just connect my pipes down through it. The filter isnt incased in anything it just sits there sucking up cold air and making a nice deep sound when accelerating. I definately feel a boost in hp and even more in torque. I dont know if this is better then the BFI setup but i imagine it would be because before i went cold air i had my filter just sitting in the stock spot. It was great when car was cold, but once it warmed up, it felt like i was in a go kart. Another thing i should mention for those who are thinking about doing an intake, dont replace the tube before the MAF, its unique design and special resonator help keep its power. I've read and heard that changing that pipe with one such as an injen will actually decrease power. So look for parts seperatly on ebay or other auto stores. its an overall better and cheaper way to go. I also included more pictures so you can have a better idea of what i did and how the filter is getting its air. Wow, that is an interesting design....Not to discredit anything you did, but two things come to mind with your setup, first that pod filter is offered no protection from the elements and should get dirty or wet very quickly which will cause intake problems...Secondly, your air flow intake is not channeled or funneled to hit or flow into the pod filer like the BFI intake design to make addition horsepower...... Let us know how your setup works over time? Getting the filter dirty would be my biggest concern....All the credit though for your creativity... My pod filter is inside the engine bay and somewhat protected from the elements and still it gets dirty real fast...Every 4 to 6 months I need to clean the filter pod and clean/spray the throttle body just to keep the idle running smoothe and steady...Just something to think about.....

Well, it wasn't making this noise before? I would look at exactly what this mechanic did for you if the noise just began after his work.....What he worked on is probably the problem area...Try rotating the tires, balancing etc.....Usually noise like you said would be from differential problems, or axle joints.... I would have to see it for myself to determine the problem....Sorry I could not be of more help and good luck with the fix..

95 SC400 - Nice intake...It appears you did alot of custom work to make the cold air box in case the pod filter....Does the air flow still come from under the headlight like stock, or did you channel up from under the wheel well?.... Any larger pictures by any chance to better show your design?.....Again good work I am impressed..... ;)

This weekend was fun. I replaced my air filter with the K&N stock replacement filter. I also replaced my plugs with NGK platinums and the OEM High-tension cables with Bosche. MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! I haven't had my muffler work done yet and I can feel a HUGE surge of HP. While the torque isn't there (convereter here we come), but once it gets going it throws me back in the seat.....NICE!!! I'll post some pics of my muffler set up as soon as its done. I'm going to replace everything aft of the center cat first, then I'm going to replace the cats per your recommendation. Your existing filter, plugs and wires must have really been in bad shape...I happy you got some gains from that, you on your way...The exhaust mods and torque converter will do wonders...

What's the problem?

Hey Homer - That is not an actual steel peice that covers the plugs and wires it is a long plastic piece with small bolts securing it down...Simply remove the holding nuts and it comes right off...Then you can access the plugs and wires...Make sure you seafoam first then change the plugs....You should be good after that....It's all very simple...

Magna flow 2 into 1 center cat should have 2.25" sizing....Don't get the 2" sizing..... Get that and then just drive to a near by muffler shop and have them install it...

It's called an ECU piggy-back system and not a chip....What it does is attach or wire up to your stock ECU (cars computer brain) and allows you to increase the stock setting of fuel and air mix that is delivered to the engine...Hense more fuel and air give you more power...The most you can expect to gain off this mod is maybe 15hp or so and not 30hp... Stock settings are restrictive as is with most cars. You can also send in your stock ECU to be recalibrated...There are a few companies that do that too..I don't like that method for tuning reasons alone... You can expect a ittle hit at the pumps but not much if any...... Apexi piggy back ECU is what I use....Decent...$500 installed and tuned.... and many others out there.......

Wow, all I can say is maybe you got something small small caught up between the hub and rotor...Maybe a bent rim even...Hard to say...I would remove the tire and check the furfaces to make sure they are both flat and clear of metal debris.. Even switch tires (rotate) left side to right side and see if the wheel still wobbles......Good luck

Very easy as I replaced all my wheel studs last year.......All you need to do is remove the tire and brake rotor...Grab a big hammer or small sledge and hammer out the broken stud from front to back...One good front hit of the stud and they will pop out the back..They are pressure fitted.. Once removed Kragen auto parts will sell you a new stud for $3....Total repair cost for a wheel stud replacement is $3....I replaced all 20 of mine to longer studs so I could use wheel spacers....Oh and I strongly recommend you do not use wheel spacers to flare out your wheels with the stock wheel studs in place...That is how you break or strip out the stock studs...I broke all 5 off studs off my driver side rear wheel while driving my SC400 at around 30mph...The wheel wobbled tfrom launch the I heard "snap,snap,snap, and off went the wheel bouncing into someones front yard...The rear end of my car dropped and I road on the brake rotor to a dead stop...Big spark show and needless to say I ruined my rear rotor....Luckly no more damage...The reason is that I was using 1/2 inch spacers on the back wheels and didn't grab enough stud threads.. I think I got 4 full turns on threads and that was not enough..... If you do not have a mechanical bone in your body, go to Kragen get the stud replacement, and take the car to a local tire shop...Tell them to hammer out the broken stud and install the new one...Make sure you tighten up all the good lug nuts on that wheel before driving....You should not get reamed to bad...Maybe $50 tops...

True, but not really....The lexus SC400 calipers should not go out, I owned a used dealer ship for a few years and bought and sold altleast 50 or more SC400 and LS400 and some with super high mileage too. Not one ever had a caliper piston problem...Also I know a few heads in the lexus dealership and they tell me the calipers are very solid...If any are to go bad it would usually be the fronts as they support nearly 75% of the cars breaking power, and the rears contribute to only around 25%...Any used SC4 rear brake caliper should be in good shape 99% of the time...Your failed rear caliper is very uncommon....Just my 2 cents... Rebuilding to new status is a good idea, however I am wondering if there is manufacturing defect going on with your single rear caliper..Hope the problem doesn't come back after rebuilding....How many miles are on your car?

It sounds like an electical short of some sort...Check ignition and spark plug wires... Fuel filter or pump possibly too.....Does your check engine light come on?

Dawg - How goes it....I understand your reasoning for not replacing the center cat for $300....I paid $150 for mine...Anyway, the stock center big cat is restrictive and the Y bends that enter into that stock center cat really disrupts the exhaust flow...If you look you will see the extreme bends that enter the cat....When I changed the to the magna flow cat with the built in high flowing Y, I immediately noticed power gains to my suprise..Almost as much as changing out the mufflers, but not quite that much.... Trust me that mod is worth considering, just look for a better deal then $300....Good luck.. The most restrictive parts in the SC400 exhaust system go in this order in my opinion - - Stock headers - Stock mufflers - Center cat and Y's - Two small down pipe cats - rear exhaust stock piping Solutions - - EKtuning.com direct bolt on headers - Magna flow ovals or straight thru circular mufflers - Delete the cat and install a high flowing X member, and or go with the magna-flow 2 into 1 high flow center cat. converter - Delete the two cats, or find high flowing ones that fit..(don't no about replacements) - 2 1/4 inch mandrel piping, or 2 1/2 inch bent exhaust piping for replacement...(Blitz nur is fine system)

Oh the old sticky brake caliper...That sucks.... You may consider just visiting a local import junk yard and pick up a used rear brake caliper for cheap...Maybe even EBay....Almost cheaper then rebuilding and less headaches...Just a suggestion...

Why are you rebuilding your rear calipers? They should not need rebuilding...If you are unsatisfied with your braking performance I suggest you purchase a set of drilled and slotted rotors for all 4 wheels...Check Ebay they have great deals...Then use OEM or high quality brake pads...You braking should improve by 25% over stock....

If the transmission and motor mounts are not the culprit...It almost sounds like your tranny line pressure is maybe set too high, or worn driveshaft joints.....Does it clunk when shifting from P to D? What do you mean exactly by lunging forward...Is your idle too high when cold where it engages and jerks....Hard to determine your problem without more information....

Look into the transmission and motor mounts...They could be worn out and need of replacement...Those types of sypmtoms are usually related....Good luck...

The Precision Industries "Dragon Torque Converter" runs for like $900 and should cost no more then $300 to install....A cheaper solution is thru Lextreme.com....You need to send your stock one in for re-calibration so your car will be disabled...Unless you pick a used one up from the wrecking yards...Anyway that will cost you like $400 and $300 to install.... The very first mod I would do for a stock SC400 or LS400 would definetely be the torque converter upgrade...That really wakes the car up off the line from like 0-40mph.... Headers will give you nice mid to high range power gains but your takeoffs will still suffer and even more so then ever...Why you may ask? Because with headers you will lose just a little lowend low RPM power, not much but a little as I did with my S&S Headers..... Mods I would do in this order - 1) Torque Converter 2) Highflowing cats, Exhaust pipes, and mufflers.. 3) Headers 4) Piggy Back ECU 5) BFI intake.. 6) Supra 93-98 limited slip differential...off an automatic tranny TT....

MORE MODS ------- One of the nicest mods that you can do besides Turbo, supercharger, and nos is replacing the 4 stock cams... Unfortunately there is only one company that I know of that supplies the four upgraded cams for the 400 engines (xuz-fe) and that is Kelford.com cams located in New Zealand...About $1000 bucks for the set of cams shipped but with that upgrade you can gain 45-50hp which is mostly at mid range to topend power....50hp is impressive...These big gains are probably the most noticeable besides the Dragon Torque converter to really get the SC moving....Something to consider if you have some extra cash to spend... These cams bring the same power that a VVT-I setup would bring...Again the torque converter upgrade should be considered first before cams and headers are installed. WHy? because the car will rocket at higher rpms with headers and cams but will remain a slug out of the blocks and or from idle with the stock torque converter..... Kelfordcams.com or kelford.com is the company to order on line...You can PM the owner of the company for specific questions that is what I did......I am not aware of any domostic companies that supply upgraded cams for our 1uz-fe sc400 motors....Lextreme.com is currently working on developing a mild set of perfrormance cam that will bring about 30hp or so...THat project is a few months away... These are a few pics of the engine...

Try and do the exhaust - mufflers and cats especially, magnaflow is a good brand to consider...The noise is not too bad but if you like your luxury sc to sould like stock high flowing resonators should be installed too...I have headers, Magnaflow catalytic converter, Highflowing Y's and straight thru Megan N1 mufflers...With that setup you can rattle the neighbor hood from the noise.....However adding two sets of 1" round high flowing resonators you can get the car sounding like stock again without sacrificing too much performance....Complete Exhaust mods can literally give you 50-75hp on the older SC's.. The older SC400 exhaust systems are one of the most restrictive systems out there, really bad and litterally choke the engine....Ebay has good deals on Lexus exhaust stuff.... The mufflers and cats get clogged up over the years so get big gains with each change... The Apexi piggy-back ECU is good cheap mod that opens up the full air/fuel mix delivery to the motor that is restrictive too at stock form...Fuel economy will not suffer that much either as you tune for a increased lean mix..... Headers are tricky and expensive but EKtuning.com just came out with the only true bolt on headers for the SC400 in the entire United States.....They bolt up perfectly but are $1000 per set..Not cheap.....For more header and exhaust performance info. check out Lextreme forums.com and under the exhaust section you will find much info on the different headers and exhaust systems that are available.. The Precision dragon torque converter is one of the most impressive mods and doesn't effect the driveablilty of the car...As you know now the stock SC are painfully sluggish off the line and from a dead stop...That completely changes with an upgraded torque converter...You can spin the tires from a dead stop with a new torque converter and your 0-30mph times are dramatically improved....Hope this helps... These mods will not effect the reliablity of the car either... yes you are right jibby. i have a 95 sc 400. and it feels like something is clogged right before i accelerate. i just did a major tune up in lexus. new timing belt the works. and it still has that cloged feel at first. but when the car gets moving it feels alot better. I just purchased some 19 inch wheels. the next upgrade that im going to do is the exhaust to help it breath like you mentioned. quick question doe. are headers diffrent than the piggy back that you mentioned. i want to get the whole system from front to back. i was thinking the s&s headers and rod millen mufflers. what do you think about that? The S&S Headers are not the best choice in headers....THey are not true bolt on headers...Some custom fitting and exhaust work needs to be done...However there are other brands to consider...Look at my thread "Result of Mods" on this forum... I list all the mods and effects of the mods, headers and exhaust chioces to choose from, and also the piggy back ECU and what it does,,.....Just use the search function you can't miss it.... The piggy-back ECU will give you maybe 10hp while the entire exhaust can bring you back as much as 50hp....So I tell everyone to go for the exhaust changes first...The blitz nur exhaust system is reall nice...there are many others aswell....Rod Millen has quality products too... The sluggish starts can be corrected by an upgraded "torque converter".....Lextreme.com and Precision Industries (Dragon Torque Converters) are the two companies that have the upgraded torque converrter for you...

For you guys that live near the LA area in California....The paint shop to visit is... JC Auto Body Shop - (For painting and body work) They re-painted my 1992 SC400 for $1000 cash almost two years ago.....It still looks amazing...Came out like new and like factory...No Orange peal at all and they removed every dent and ding...They remove all the lights, molding, etc..when prepping they also apply several Clear coats and color sanding...A 1 year warranty included....They may want $1500, but offer $1000 cash and they will take it....Probably the best deal around...I shopped it too... JC Auto Body Shop 7314 S. Avalon Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca. 9003 1 323 752-5059 It's in the hood but they keep the car gated, covered and secure during the painting process..

Dawg - THe bottom line is the inside of these older lexus motors have alot of grim and spent NOX buiildup and the more smoke that comes out the more cleaning action is going on...The experts from Australia told me to use the brake vacume line to suck up the seafoam into the engine combustion chambers.....Then let it sit for 10 minutes and crank the engine...Tons of smoke should come out as the engine is being cleaned rapidly....I inquired about the fuel feed, they said the seafoam ratio to fuel feed going thru the injectors will not clean the engine chambers as there is not enough seafoam hitting the buildup...The little whitie smoke you see is probably just the fuel line, tank, and injectors being cleaned by the seafoaming action...That is what I was told and that makes perfect sense to me....They also told me to change the spark plugs after the process. That is it.. Marspe - Wow, I get so saddened when I hear about people taking in their older sc's to Lexus dealer for repairs....They do the job correctly but are sssoooooooo expensive....The only thing I would use the dealership for is hard to find parts or a diagnostic check to locate and determine where a hard to find problem like your wire harness is.....$1200 is crazy...What you need to do now is - now that you know what the problem is, you can open the yellow pages and call around to import mechanic shops in your area for the best pricing...Lincoln Blvd has a ton of them... Ask them how much they charge to change out the wire harness on an older SC400....You will save alot of money, and changing the wire harness any mechanic shop should be able to do correctly..It's all plug in wires on the harness...That is what I would do if I did not want to do it myself........I would venture to say it should cost you half that much...The wire harness itself should be the most expensive part..Good luck... Hookups - I have not unboxed my crap yet but found two cards to my two most used shops... A shop on Linclon Blvd named A+ Complete auto repair located in the city of Santa Monica, - (310) 314-3104 and talk with LEO the owner.....He's a Nice mellow guy and he has a "very good" in house mechanic working on the cars..They know the import cars very well....He is a small shop and is very busy because he is good and inexpensive..Appointment only usually..... He custom fit and installed my S&S Headers and deleted my two smallerl cats..He also made and installed new custom fitting down pipes for me with flanges.. Not an easy task for most muffler shops and did all that for $500 cash....., He installed a Kaaz LSD on my stock rear open end differential which I later dumped for a Supra LSD complete..He also installed my Dragon Torque Converter for $300 which requirs dropping the tranny out.. So I would recommend Leo's shop all day long......Mr Kools Muffler shop did all the other exhaust work located in South Central LA.... If you use A+ Auto pay Leo in cash and ask for a better deal and he will go for it... Good luck....and please don't use the dealerships they are too frigg'in expensive........Other mechanics can do all the same work for half the cost of a dealership... A+ Complete Auto Repair 2700 Lincoln Blvd., #5 (310) 314-3104 Tell Leo the tall guy John with the suped up tan Lexus SC400 sent you, who knows he may give you an even better deall...He knows me well, and is impressed with my ride...... Mr. Kool Wholesale Distributors (exaust work and raditators only) 5975 S.Hoover St. Los Angeles, Ca. 90044 These guys changed my radiator on my SC400 and on my 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser, they installed my Magna flow center cat, and my 2.50" rear exhaust bent piping. THis was all done in shop for really the best price around..I shopped.....I would not have them do the Headers even though they probably could... All parts they stock in house which is makes things easy... Hope this helps...