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If a key has a chip in it, and you just get a hardware store copy it will not start the car. You only can use the key to open the doors. The 1993 key does not have a chip in it, so any hardware store or locksmith that has a blank will cut a copy that works. However, I assume you want a key with the buttom that will also automatically open the doors. Make sure that is what you are getting as they may charge you for one without the opener and the dealer price is way more than a simple hardware/locksmith. The hardware store didn't have a blank for me, the locksmith did and charged me $12.

Took the radiator out, real easy like everyone says. Went to a radiator shop who charged me $50 to clean and weld it. I didn't think you could weld aluminium but it is fixed. Put it back in without antifreeze as I wanted to see if I had a head gasket problem. Car runs fine. I did look on the internet and it looks like $175 shipped for radiator if you look around. I didn't need to go that route. I guess I still have the potential for a head gasket blowing out in the future, but so far good to go. Just won't take long trips. That test for the head gasket where the blue fluid turned green put some worry in me the car was shot, will see what happens. Drives like it did before. No signs of head gasket problems other than some white smoke on the right side when it is cold that goes away after a minute as it warms up.

Driving and notice temperature going up, pull over and all the water leaked out of radiator. Testing radiator with that blue chemical fluid you put over radiator cap and it turns green (I guess yellow would have been real bad) which means there is some CO2 leaking in from head gasket. Looking for leak, radiator seemed fine, but I when I pour water in it just pours out. Leak is from very bottom near the drain plugs. I assume there is a crack as won't hold water at all although I can't see the crack. Q: I don't want to replace the head gasket and do a valve job. If I just replace the radiator how much time do I buy? Nothing in oil, no milky color inside oil cap, nothing on dipstick. No white smoke when I run it. Where do you find the cheapest radiators, is this an auto zone item or should I try radiator shops. I have to do this myself as can only drive about 3 miles without overheating and that is just asking to screw it up. I guess I can call Carson Toyota to see what they will ship one for. The last year I noticed some white smoke out of the right exhaust on start up, it goes away after it warms up. Am I wasting my time thinking I should just replace the radiator? If I can get one cheap enough it seems easy enough to do.

It was my transmission mounts,not much rubber left on them. Did a seach on how to repair and after seeing how easy they were to replace, ordered them thru Carson Toyota for $58. Two jacksneeded , take off bolts on cross member, replace mount. The car runs a lot smoother. This is an easy fix that I should have done earlier.

I have a 93 SC 300 and was told that the black paint was the only color without a clear coat. The front section was repainted a year ago, they didn't put in a stretch additive and it has started to peel. My only thought is to put a bra on it rather than repaint at this stage. They had to get the Lexus paint and did not mix it themselves. Everything matched on mine. Don't know if they still do it, but Lexus used to make body shops go thru a special Lexus certiified repair program before they would let their dealers refer people to a faciility for body repair work.

Just noticed that when I put my car in reverse and start backing up there is a clunk, more pronounced when car is cold. There is some play somewhere. Any ideas where to start looking this weekend? Only happens in reverse.

Problem was with radiator cap. The spring load was shot so it wouldn't hold any pressure which was why when I turned it off all the water went right to the overflow reservoir. Too bad I repaced the thermostat and flushed it first.

Just to follow up, when I did a search someone said they replaced the door locki mechanism and it took 2 hours, took me 4. Didn't have the star tool from the outside of the door so bought one. This is really not fun. I would pay someone next time. Lubbed the window channel while I was in there. Used epoxy to glue some of the door panel plastic pieces so my bottom door light and the remote control unit would stay fixed and in place. So where did I go wrong? When door first woud not open from outside, I should have stopped using the window as it may have contributed to breaking the rod. Should have went to the dealer and bought the yellow clip before I took the door panel off and started messing with it, they don't carry these at Autozone and you need the dealer part. Be carefult twisting the rod to get it way up in the corner to snap it in place. If you end up twisting the rod and breaking the U, it cost me $208 for the entire part, and was a real pain to replace. AS to door panel, its easy to get off, I peeled back the plastic splash shield and re-used it. Only other stupid thing I did was close the door when I had the door panel off after I disconnected the door handle from the inside so I couldn't open the door from the inside or outside.

Did mine today, took 20 minutes, should have taken less. I have the SC 300 but ordered the stiffer SC400 for the spoiler. $48 delivered from the ebay Santa Margarita place. Took 2 days to arrive. They come with the clips and bolts. When I took the back panel off, the large rubber trunk stop that prevents the trunk from opening all the way fell off, the other side didn't have one. My struts had been replaced once before so no lloctite prblem, I needed a 13mm wrench, and oddly the other side needed a 7/16 to unscrew. No problem. First I tried to unclip the bottom piece which was a real pain until I realized I had the same clip on the new ones and then just pried and twisted them off. That cost me a little time as I didn't realize what the clips looked like. Then I looked at the ball and socket they give you (both are in small plastic bag in one of the stut package and when I was looking how it would go into the new strut i put it in so I had to hold the strut up while I screwed it in which added al little time. It it easier if you just screw in the ball and socket, then press on the strut. Then I had the little clip facing towards the outside of the car rather than on the inner side facing the inside of the trunk and they are harder to go on that way so after I hit it with a rubber hamer I realized it wasn't going on easy because I had it backwards so I twisted it around and it slid on and in place without a rubber hammer. Second stut took less than 5 minutes. I used lithium grease on the latch and when I pop the trunk from inside the car the trunk opens as I have no spoiler.

Looks like the thermostat on the SC 300 is a little harder to get to than I thought. Any one done it? No noise from the water pump. Didn't they used to say only use Toyota antifreeze? As I only popped the hood today, I replaced the trunk struts so I could down a cold one with satisfaction.

When I turn my 1993 SC300 off, I have been hearing the radiator surging water, pop the hood and look at the plastic overflow tank and water just surges in. Will go to the top before it cools down. I don't recall this happening before. Normal? , or should I do a radiator flush to avoid excessive heat !Removed! up a head gasket or some similar problem.

Problem is that it hasn't done it again, literally only about once a month so I havent been able to experiment. Where is the solenoid located, might as well see if some R&R will work as I would prefer if this never happens again. The solenoid may be sticky from soda or something getting in there.

Twice in the last month my SC300 will not allow me to shift out of park when the car starts. However if I let it run for a few minutes and it warms up, it will allow me shift out of park. I am assuming when I press down the lock out button it is either out of adjustment or needs replacing. Anyone have a solution before I get stuck somewhere with a car that I can not shift out of park?

Drivers door would not open, common problem and solution is to replace the yellow clip on the door rod actuator. Took off door panel, saw the rod was dangling and knew that because when you roll the window down it would jam against the rod. It was Sunday so I bought the HELP clip packages for domestic cars at Autozone and they were close but would not work. There is no clip for the SC series but if you bring in the clip they will sell you the right one from other models. Put the clip on, twisted the rod to go back up in the right upper corner and the rod broke off at the base. (or rolling down the window I cracked it at the base) Now I have to replace the rod,not just the clip. Looks hard. I am finding out you can not just buy the lock, but must pay $207 for the locking mechanism. Several people posted for help or guidance on doing this, no replies. I know they must have done it so I will ask anyone who has done this for tips and guidance. I have the rod, will take it to Carson Toyota to see if they can just sell me the rod but believe I will get stuck buying the whole mechanism as I am not sure how the rod can screw in. How do I replace the rod actuator/locking mechanism? I stupidly took off the panel and closed the door, should have left it on as the handle comes off from the inside when you take the panel off completely so now I am climbing over the passenger side and have to put the handle back on to pull the wires to open the door.

Took off the other door panel and realized the end to the rod goes way up top. Hard to see if your not looking way up there in the top corner. Doesn't give you much room to work or even to see. Took off the yellow clip so I know what I need. When I searched this subject someone said the part number for the plastic clip that holds the door actuator rod into the outside door handle. Driver's side part #69293-12060 passenger side part #69293-12050. They said they paid $4.77 plus tax from the Toyota dealer ship. Hope that is true. Almost every problem I have had has had other posts that proved helpful.

My driivers outside door handle will not open the door. Took off the door panel and the rod with the yellow plastic end piece is off, pull the handle on the outside door and nothing is attached. Looks like the plastic yellow connector is chipped and it fell off, problem is I don't know where it is supposed to attach. I would prefer not to have to take the passenger door panel off to see how this is supposed to work and how I am going to fix this. The CD I have is the basic version without anything on the door. I know the rod that works the handled is out of position as when you open the window it hits it because it is hanging down, just have to figure out where it goes. Anyone have a diagram or can tell me how this works. Otherwise I will take the passenger off and try and figure it out tomorrow. As an aside, I like the rubber goop they put on the plastic sheeting to keep out rain on the inside of the doot, where do you get that rubber goop? On my old BMW I cut out visqueen and taped it on with duct tape, using that adhesive that is on the Lexus is a much better option.

I knew I had an oil leak from somewhere and deferred maintenance finally diagnosed the problem. Battery wouldn't charge, light only came on at low rpm but I don't think it was ever charging. Needed to rebuild alternator and it became clear it was because of oil leak from distributor. Common reported problem on this forum. I know a few of you replaced the O ring on the distrbutor, take it out and I assume slide new one on and put disttributor back in same place. Any other tips other than first looking inside the cap to see if there is any oil requiring replacement of cap and rotor?

I did not buy a Lexus mast, went on e-bay and bought the cheapest I could find, it was around $10, it was so cheap I was scared it wouldn't work but had no problem, the one page instructions were followed and presto, it worked. They send you the antenae mast and the white grooved plastic tail which is what went bad for me as it wore out. Didn't mess around with replacing the whole motor. Took 5 minutes, unscrew base, turn on radio and old one comes out, put in new one. Really easy and cheap.

If your transmission is slipping and it isnt fluid you will know, it will get worse until the car will barely move. Should you go to a transmission shop for a rebuild, ask for the fleet rate. Probably looking at 2,000[ quote name=lexus082' date='Aug 13 2006, 11:35 PM' post='203408] The engine shouldn't reach 6000 rpm at 35mph even if your a lead foot. I'd be careful. Obviously you felt something might be wrong otherwise you wouldn't have posted this. When your transmission shifts is it smooth through all the gears? Again with the engine at that kind of rpm at that speed I would have my doubts upon whether or not everything is mechanically sound. I'm no technician, but the high rpm's chill my bones. :o Check your fluid level and the condition of the transmission fluid. Is your "Over Drive" light blinking at all while driving.

I bought the cheapest replacement which was just the mast with the white trailing cable, didn't have to mess with new wires. It came with instructions which basicially had you unscrew the mast, turn it on and let the entire cable out, thread the new one in, turn off and let it pull it back. Worked for me. Searched prior posts.

M antenae busted off. Had to turn the key on and off in order to stuff the white retract cord back. Did a search on replacement. Any other tips, best place to buy replacement? Search results: You can replace the antenna yourself very easily, but it is really easy if you have a helper. First, you unscrew the bezel surrounding the base of the antenna. This has 4 slots coming out radially from the center. You can use a pair of pliers around the outside rim, but put a rag or piece of leather between the pliers and the bezel to keep from scratching it. Second, turn on the ignition and turn on the radio. This is where a helper comes in so they can turn on this stuff and you can be by the antenna when it starts coming out. The motor will just keep extending it until the antenna and the white nylon rack gear come out in your hand. As it is coming out, keep track of the direction the gear teeth on the nylon section are pointing so you can insert the new one in the same orientation. The fact that yours is bent and still operating probably means the whole nylon section is intact, but compare lengths of the old and new one and look at the end of the old one just to be sure some of it is not left in the motor. Third, place the new nylon mast in the antenna tube with the gear teeth pointing in the same direction as the old teeth came out. Press it in gently and turn off the radio. As the motor retracts the new antenna, feed it in as straight and as gentle as possible. I have been told not to put grease on the new mast, even though the old one comes out with a lot of grease on it. Opinions may vary on this. Replace the bezel and you are done. If the new mast does not go in just right the first time, you can turn off the radio, let the mast entend back out, and try again. You need to handle the mast without forcing it. The utility of a helper is that all this happens faster than you would expect. You can do it by yourself, but you have to be quick, and there is a risk of the mast scratching paint. My old plastic antenna end busted inside the antenna. I had to remove the motor and take it apart and put in the new part. It worked perfect and it took about one hour. If your old antenna is not broken you can change it about 15 minutesy I saw it at Pep Boys for a Toyota. Yes, the mast is the metal part that moves up and down when you turn on and off the radio. It is attached to a plastic shaft with teeth that coils into the motor housing in the fender. The plastic shaft pushes and pulls the antenna. If you can hear your antenna motor running when you turn the radio on or off, then you can just replace the mast and that should fix it. Eventually, the plastic shaft breaks or the teeth wear and the antenna makes noise or stops working. Lexus will charge you around $200 for a motor/mast unit. I got the mast replacement for $24 shipped on ebay and it works great. It comes with the white plastic toothed shaft attached. My old mast did not come out very easily. I had to take channel locks and pull and twist (and destroy) it to get it out. I also took the motor housing apart to remove the broken pieces of plastic shaft. Then just feed the new mast's shaft in and turn off the radio and it gets sucked in. Put the trim ring on and you're done. If you dont hear the motor when you turn on and off the radio, then you might need a new motor/mast unit or could have an electrical issue. There is a $30 replacement for this on ebay too, but I have not heard any reviews of it. It's an easy and cheap fix. I had the same problem. Bought an antenna mast from Ebay for $15.00. Opened the antenna motor, got broken pieces of the cable that controls up/down direction, lubed it, put everything back together and inserted cable as instructed. Works like new!

Sounds like a lot of work, did you do it yourself? Any problem with alignment with the new hinge? I get all my parts from Carson Toyota as well. I took the short term fix of spraying with WD 40, don't know how long that will last. This may be more of a project than I thought, particularly liniing up the door. Any tips if I try this myself? Right now I spray the hinge with WD 40 every 2 weeks, it is working.

I have popping when I open the drivers door where the door edge hits the quarter panel. You can feel some play in the door when you lift the end. Given the play I don't know if this can re re-aligned. Some one talked about using shiims. Can this be tightened or if not, how hard is it to replace the door hinge? The door is really heavy, any insight before I wear all the paint off the quarter panel, the sound of the pop is rather disconcerting.

The passenger side door handle broke off when someone opened the door. The black plastic door latch broke. Need to figure out how to replace this. Anyone done this. Interior stuff isn't listed on my CD guide. Presently looks suspicious when a girl is in my car and there is no handle to allow her get out.

I am interested in this as I am going to need brakes. In the past, OEM dealer parts were recommened by someone as they said they never squeak. That was the only issue I remember being discussed.