jbarhorst2

Is it both seats??

My '01 RX300 also does this, but it happens on both the driver and passenger belts. I don't know what it is, but you're right, they retract slightly when you turn the key off. Tom

That would be an extreme conversion. It can be done, but be ready to open your wallet. It would be cheaper to find an RX that already has that option package. Tom

Thanks. That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure. Tom

Anyone?

I just changed my timing belt on my '97 SC300 and I had 154,024 miles on it. The belt looked like it could have lasted much longer. Certainly this is a different engine and may have different characteristics that cause the belt to wear. I thought the RX engine was INTERFERENCE, not NON INTERFERENCE. Perhaps the dealer told me wrong. Tom

I am reading my factory manual about setting the timing on my '97 SC300 and it shows an SST that you connect to two terminals in the data connection under the hood. Is this just a jumper to short out these two terminals, or is there something special about this tool? Thanks Tom

That's correct, there is no paper gasket. FIPG stands for Formed In Place Gasket. When I did my tranny pan on my SC I used it. It was a red cream like material. It worked great. Be careful not to tighten your pan bolts too much and squeeze out all of the material. I believe the torque spec on mine were 20 in/lb. Then you let that material dry for at least 15 hours (I think). Overnight is good, then you can refill the fluid. The stuff is good. It took a lot of force to get my pan off. Tom

Here's what I did. Take your old serpentine belt (you're probably changing it too) and cut a piece to wrap around the pulley. Use a large pair of vise-grips that has the attached chain and wrap it around the pulley on top of the serpentine belt and tighten. I then used 2 jack stands underneath the car to hold a short piece of 2x4. The handle of the vise-grip should rest on the 2x4 as you break the bolt loose. You can also use the water pump to push against if and only if you are replacing it. That is what I did. Then you just use a breaker bar and a pipe extension to break the bolt loose. Torquing the bolt back to spec on the reinstall is basically the same. Just move your jack stands and 2x4 to the other side of the pulley and use your torque wrench to tighten the bolt. I certainly could do this job much faster the second time as I learned all the tricks now. Tom

Well, I did the job this past weekend and everything went well. The crankshaft bolt is a pain to get loose, but once you learn the trick it is not too bad. It certainly is satisfying to do the work yourself, plus you know exactly what was done. My SC300 had 154,024 miles on the clock. Everything was original - timing belt, water pump, etc. I replaced it all so that I would not have to go back in there for a while. I felt I was pushing my luck and did not want to get stuck this winter if my belt broke. However, the belt looked great when I removed it. Certainly is pleasant to change a water pump with o-rings for seals instead of a glued on gasket. I like that design. Tom

That's where I mounted my XM radio bracket also. I custom made my own bracket so that I could use the holes that were already at the back of the opening. No drilling and when I sell the car in a few years I can pop the cupholder back in.

It's a pop out cupholder. But it is not very good. You cannot drive and have your drink there because it WILL spill. It can be good if you are drinking in your car when you are parked. But, Parked ONLY! Tom

My digital camera is being borrowed right now, but I can walk you through it if you want.

There is a black '98 SC400 at Lexus of Dayton in Ohio. 36 or 38,000 miles. The car looks nearly brand new and the interior is spotless. I think they are asking about $23,000 if you are interested in a 400 instead of a 300. Tom

It does sound like your clutch is slipping to me.

Johnny, thanks for the info. I just picked up all my parts to do the job. $415 with tax for the water pump, timing belt, tensioner, pulley, thermostat, some gaskets and some o-rings. Oh, and a gallon of Toyota antifreeze. I didn't think that was too bad from my Lexus dealer. I have heard of prices being higher elsewhere. It looks pretty straightforward in the service manual. Are there any words of advice you have for me? Thanks for all your help. I have heard that the crank bolt can be a pain to remove and replace. Is it really that bad? Is there a trick to it? Later. Tom

Johnny, one more question. The service manual shows removing both cam gears and the crank timing gear to do this job. I don't see where that gains you anything because you put them right back on. What is the purpose in that?? Is it just inspection, or should you clean them while they are off? Or, are they in the way and you have to remove them? Thanks Tom

Let me know if you need help finding the right one. But, there should be a little map on the inside of your fuse box cover. Tom

Thanks for the info. I'll probably just leave the crank and cam seals alone unless they are leaking. I am going to do it myself, but I think I will go ahead and change the pump. I have 154,000 miles on it. I would hate to have to take it apart again in 30 or 40K. Thanks Tom

I am getting ready to change my timing belt next week on my 1997 SC300. Has anyone ever had to replace the crankshaft and camshaft seals when they do this job? How common is it to change these, or do you typically only change them when you rebuild the engine? If I do need to change these, is it an easy job while I'm in there to do the timing belt?? If I don't need to worry about them, I'll just leave them as they are. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Tom

Does your cigarette lighter still work? If not, it sounds like you blew that fuse, but that doesn't control the lighting - only the operation of the climate control. Tom

My dealer had told me that the new version would be available near the end of October. If it's not already in dealerships, it should be close. Tom

It's easy to check your brake fluid. Open your hood and look at the brake fluid reservoir. There should be a line on it for a lower and upper fill limit. Look to see how much fluid is in your reservoir. If it's low, you could be losing fluid through your vacuum assist and would never see a leak. Is your car smoking or anything like that at any times? Tom

Have you checked the connector on the back of the cigarette lighter. Check to see if you have ground on the outer ring of the lighter. I believe that will tell you if it is connected (at least partially). Are you absolutely sure that the fuse is good and it is the correct one? I have, in the past, seen some fuses that were bad, but looked good. Only after testing them electrically did I find that it was bad. It's a longshot, but worth a quick check. You could try substituting another fuse just to try it. Tom

I can foresee 2 possibilities. Although I am sure there are more. It could be that your lock-up torque converter did not unlock when you came to a stop. Since you are having braking issues, it could also be related to engine vacuum with respect to the vacuum assist on the master cylinder. Or the brake fluid could be leaking into the engine through these same parts. Is your brake fluid going down?? Just a coulple of ideas. Tom