Bubbles

Maybe all four wheels are compressed, but the front rotors are ventilated whereas the rears are solid (ventilated dissipates heat faster). Hence, the front rotors are warm while the rears are hot. If that is the case, there could be a problem that I wouldn't know. I don't know much about brake systems, but check the brake fluid level, it's a good start. I read about this master cylinder, maybe that's the culprit. Or perhaps a vacuum line.

Well if the rears are compressed then you probably won't be able to creep forward with the tranny in D . It is possible that your rear brake pads are worn out completely, exposing the metal backplate with the metal rotor (not likely with 17k miles). Could be something stuck between the rotor and brake pad. I'm assuming both of your rear rotors are hot. Why don't you jack up the car and have a look (with jack stands mounted) . If you don't have a jack, you could try using the emergency jack (and don't go under the car), but it's not meant to be used over and over.

Holy...Don't get too cocky. Make sure it fits. Make sure it works. Make sure it lasts.

Ok... For the clutch kick, the sensor that tells you that the clutch has been pushed in is probably worn out or something (hence, the driver(s) probably pushes the clutch in a "spirited" manner). For the shifter getting into reverse, the reverse isn't syncronized so that may be the reason why it won't go in reverse. That happens to me many times. The owner's manual said that if you can't get the shifter into reverse, put the shifter back in neutral, release the clutch, push clutch back in and shift into reverse. It won't take any more than 5 tries. Tip: When the owner isn't looking, try the method I prescribed above and if it works the shifter is good. Then when you're deciding to buy the car, say that it's hard to get it into reverse and you can save a buck or two. By the way, try going over a speed bump in neutral at about 5mph, then try shifting into 1st. If it is very hard to get into first, the syncronizers in 1st are worn out.

BTW when you offer 13500 the owner will be *BLEEP*ed and probably say no. Perhaps if you tell him -you'll think about it while you go check out the 97 sc300- he'll consider 14200. That'll probably be your best deal. Even though the sc300 5-spd is rare, I don't think there is a big market for the 5-spd. The U.S. don't favor manuals (they don't know how to drive one), plus it's a "luxury" car- just about all the Mercedes are automatics. There is still this 5-spd at a used dealership for over a year now. I'm not a good negotiator but my mom is. My family drove for 4 hours just to take a look at a 92 5-spd. KBB was 6500, asking price 8000. Basically we amplified the problems and my mom got it down to 5500. Too bad my car ended up being in quite a few problems. But thanks to you guys most of them are gone!

14500 isn't too bad. If you want to get it lower it'll be a little tricky. If you offer too low, the owner will ignore you. It's hard to say but maybe if you offer 13500 because the KBB price is 12500 and since he did the tune up and tires you'll offer 13500. Calvin L is right; you should find all the little problems with the car. The only bad thing about that is that you'll be living with those little problems you find until you fix it. Some common problems may be: worn trunk shocks, driver's seat leather is cracking, the rubber on the clutch pedal (or even shift knob) is worn - hence aggressive driving, abnormal noises, dents, coolant/oil quality bad, engine looks dirty, air vents cracked, cd player skipping, etc.

I can't help you on that one. But I see more automatic 2jz-gte's for sale. I'm not very knowledgeable on the gte swaps though. Just don't go for 15500.

To me that seems like a lot of money. There is a premium to try and buy the 5-spd. However, some sellers are unaware of that. It seems that this seller knows it's relatively rare compared to the auto sc300. In my opinion, I think that is overpriced. The seller is probably in a good position to put it at that price. Some reasons could be that he does know it's rare or he doesn't need to sell in a hurry.

Ahh crap. I should have posted earlier. Did you already buy the engine? If you didn't, there is a block tester at Napa auto parts, and basically since you're having bubbles, the block tester will sample the air coming from the bubbles and the air passes through a liquid, and if the liquid turns from blue to yellow in a few minutes then you have exhaust gas leaking into the coolant. For my car that didn't work, but my uncle is a mechanic and he turned on the car and after a few minutes he took off the oil filler cap and there was some gray/milky liquid (as opposed to dark brown oil color) hence I had coolant leaking. I also had white smoke out of exhaust. I ended up pouring some K&W (it's from CRC industries) Permanent Metallic Block Sealer and it seems to have sealed off the coolant. I've read for a couple of weeks on this product and people have said to not follow the instructions on the can. Some people had water pump failure after two years or so, but I only did this because it's more economical for me. My heat works, so that's good.

I don't know what water wetter exactly does, but if the cooling system is cooling the engine too much, the oil won't get hot enough to evaporate the water and fuel mixed into it and sludge will form. That's why cars that don't drive trips longer than 10 miles have to change the oil at 3000 miles whereas a car that drives highway miles can extend the oil change interval. But if the oil is still hot (i.e. 200F instead of 230 or so), the fuel and water will still evaporate, it will just take longer time.

I believe it is right under the passenger footrest. I'll take a look at my manual later, but it's for a 93, and a 96 has OBD-II so that might be different.

The dashpot is this device in the throttle body that supposedly lets the butterfly valve close slowly when you quickly release the gas pedal. This allows the revs to drop slower when you are shifting, hence you get more time to shift. However my tranny's syncros are worn, so I tend to double clutch from first to second, hence my want for the revs to drop faster to complete the shift faster. Anyways, I was thinking that disabling the dashpot would be beneficial (by loosening a screw would help drop the revs faster). BUT, the other reason for the dashpot is to allow some air to pass through the slightly opened valve to burn off with the excess fuel in the combustion chamber after you lift off the gas pedal. I have read that some cars may stall if the gas pedal is released quickly. Has anyone gotten into this subject?

Here's how to stop the CD player from skippping. http://www.scannerplace.com.au/lexus_tips.htm

I see. Thanks.

I mean swap the differential. Wow. 3351 lbs. Is that accurate? The 95 sc300 weighs about 3550. Subtract 49 and 25 and you get 3476. Subtract 3351 and you get 125 lbs. The seats can't be 125 lbs saved, so is it from your wheels; half tank of gas?

The automatic sc300 has a slightly higher final ratio. I'm not sure if you can swap that into the manual sc, but if you can you will probably be able to use more of your 4th gear.

From Motor Trend Magazine Issue 7/95: 95' SC400 List price: $47,500 Price tested: $48,870 250 hp; 260 lb-ft 0-60 mph: 7.0 sec 1/4 mile: 15.2 sec @ 93.7 mph 60-0 mph: 125 ft Lateral Accleration (skidpad): 0.85 g Slalom (600 ft): 63.8 mph From Road and Track Magazine Issue 4/99: 98'/99' SC400 List: $55,205 Tested: $61,246 290 hp 0-60 mph: (6.1 +/- 0.3) sec 1/4 mile: (14.6 +/- 0.5) sec Top speed: (149 +/- 5) mph (electronically limited) 60-0: (127 +/- 10) ft 80-0: (225 +/- 15) ft Skidpad: (0.80 +/- 0.02) g Slalom: (58.3 +/- 1.0) mph

Hell... How do you quote with the phrase that says: QUOTE (********* @ Jan 1 2004, 12:00 AM)

I don't know about the calibration thing, maybe the needle will only fit a certain way, similar to putting a key into a door. If your needle is slightly burned out, you could try dimming the light cluster a bit by the knob on the left of the steering wheel. It works for me and it reduces glare at night.

If the car sits stationary for a long time (I don't know how long, long is), the tires will "warp" and when you drive the warped tires will rotate and the ride would feel awkward. Well... since the car has only 29,000 miles, maybe if you look at the spark plug wires, which are dated, and if the wires are very old it has low mileage?

$200,000 is way too low. BTW, when I was down in San Diego, CA I saw the Ferrari Enzo! At first I thought it was an NSX, but the holes in the hood, the air dam, and the red says Enzo. The back was traditional. I only got to hear it scream for a second as it turned right and blasted away.

egh. I've seen that color before at a meet. Very stock.

Well I did some looking and I was wondering, how are you going to win the bet? If someone finds out blue was a factory color, then you lose. But if no one finds out if blue is the factory color, then you win?

I believe the ect power mode just makes the car shift at higher rpms. The traction control is like a second butterfly valve that limits the air into the engine, thus limiting the power to the wheels so it may help reduce loss of traction. Trac turns on when the wheels start slipping, that I dont' know how it works.

I sc300 doesn't have a limited slip differential. I hear that you can put in the lsd from the supra or trd.