charlesincharge

I have had my SC400 for a couple of months now. I am the second owner. It just reached 119,000 miles. I have had it in to lexus for the power steering pump replacement.($1316) They are telling me the timing belt that turns the Cams was originally specked to be replaced at 120,000 but they dialed it back to 90,000 miles. They want me to get it done right away. I am trying to set the cash aside for them to do it. They Did Do a really good job on the power steering. They are saying it is a job of basically over $1000. I am also considering getting the water pump replaced and some front oil seals at the end of the cams only because what are the chances they are almost at the end of their life, and most of the labor is already done to do the timing belt. What does anyone think? I want a quality replacement on the belt soon, but I am not a rich man. Any experience on when this might break (under normal wear and tear), how long do I really have to do this before it becomes A dangerous situation?? In miles of course. can I go another 10,000 miles or no? I am told on the 95 if the belt did break it could cause major valve and head damage, I don't want that. Any answers or experience might help me sleep a little better at night for now. Thanks

Climate Control Off - Engines Dies? Restarts no problem. Anyone else experience this and other than not turning the climate control off in traffic, is there a fix? 95 SC400

I just bought a 95 a couple of months ago and I have the same thing. Everything else works. Lets talk... It is annoying, I have had to put the car in N and start it even at +50 Mph. The power steering gets real tough when the car is moving and the engine is dead. I read the owners manual on this and it says to pull over and restart, It doesn't say I can restart in nuetral while moving, but I have. I want to get this taken care of . Other than that, I am learning to just let the climate control run on Auto as it does very well, and let the A/c be on... Oh well, I think it may be engine gunk or other reversible engine clogging at low idle. Charlie.

Any 12 year old great car may need a new seat for the pilot due to all the squirming around in it over the years. I might need one on my 95 in a couple of years or less. anyone know anything? How about Factory or Lexus re-appolstering, or no?

Heres my first nubee mod, and it has three upsides, 1. ~60$ so it is fairly cheap. 2. effective, they say this is the quickest best bolt on starter mod, possibly up to 10% increase in Hp done right. 3. It is fairly easy, a 10mm socket, a common drill (to drill some holes), and a K&N high flow airfilter. Take it apart, drill some holes ~1/2 to 3/4 of an inch to let more air in on the dirty side of the filter, put it all back together and what do you have? A barebones but functional modified cool air induction kit. mine works great. Exhaust obvisously important too, that maybe next or the one after that. But thats more work and more $$$

I just bought my 95, it has 120K on it and it costed me 7200. It seem like you got a pretty good deal. Powersteering leak is pretty common, just fix it asap so it doesnt kill your alternator. I would rebuilt the engine and tranny accordingly. The engine I heard should last over 200k+ if the owner took care of it. Is your tranny doing something funny when you drive it?

You are on track. my alt got soaked and survived, knock. knock. My power steering replaced by lexus. Now perfect. Hoses, pump,everything.1316. Engine and tranny should be fine. This engine is a workhorse. Get new timing belt if not done. Your `95 should haul !Removed! mine does, original timing belt and all... Drain your oil and go to Mobile 1 5W-30 and a good filter immediately. Believe me, you will immediately feel it. this engine has 32 Valves just to start. Good Lubrication.....

I am still looking to purchase this 92 Sc Is a 1992 SC 400 R12 or R134a If it is R12 how much does it cose to switch over? Has anybody done this??

thanks

Brian Felts

It is a change over. ~1500 get this car but get a one with the new reefer. I have a 95 and its good on the new

So I took my SC300 down to the local Foriegn motors to have the oil changed and an alignment. They call me back and say I need the following.

Starter:$460

Brakes: $400

Two Tires: $360

Timing Belt: $200

Now, my brakes are fine, that is how I feel. And it says on my engine my timing belt was replaced at 90,000 miles (Currently at 118,000 ). Now, I found a few starters on Ebay ranging from $20-$60. I dont feel as though I need new brakes or a timing belt and I think I can get Fusion tires? (Guy there told me about them) for 260$. Now I am a 18 year old college student, my funds consist of about $250 right now, not including my check. Should I go with the Ebay starter or are they very unrealible. I just need some advice from people who have either gone through this or really know what they are talking about with these motors, and I know this is the place to ask. Any information would be very appriected. Thank you so much. -Mike.

You said Oil change and alignment was why you were taking it in. Do you really know your car? Look at the meat on the brake pads thru the rim holes, 1 to 2 minutes. Who changed the timing belt? If it was a good job then you know that is good. And Starter? When you turn the key does the engine start? You didn't say anything about that. If you are only 18 then that may explain something. sorry.

heres the deal. too many questions, not enough info. The costs for the parts you are quoting are quite frankly ridicu;ous. Is it a bogus qoute? Is it a lexus dealership? Having lexus here is good cause they 1 year everything. that gives you enough time to really test it out. Get your car back. If you only needed routine maintenance and you know it then don't pay for what you don't need. I am a Lexus SC400 owner go to my profile if u want.

Its called a lower arm bracket stay (p/n 48657-14020). I'm missing the ones on my car. Also what is the purpose of the "front lower arm bushing stopper"? I didn't understand what its purpose was either.

All of the vibration and movement across the road is absorbed in the suspension of all four wheels, each independantly of course. The wheels in the front are held by a set of arms each, think of them as in a wishbone shape. These arms must have a ridgid support to the body of the car. There must be a various list of parts, including bracket stays and bushings to properly allow the suspension to absorb any force without damage. Take last week for example I was forced to run over a large shredded tire which came out from the underneath of the vehicle in front of me, traffic to both sides and the rear... going about 80. Get all these parts. Trust me. I used to work on submarines. Your Lexus will be there for you when you need it, mine sustained no damage but some black rubber scuffs on the nose which i waxed off. Good luck.

I took my sc400 to a dealership this past week because it overheated recently. well, they started out charging me 100 for a general diagnosis and then an additional 100 to check the cooling system.

They called back and said that it would be 2400 to fix all of the problems which include:

Leaking Trans pan 175 dollars

Leaking left front shock 400 dollars.

Powersteering leak 900 dollars.

Radiator leaking on top and bottom 850 dollars.

Now the thing is, I don't really trust the dealership ever since I first got my car two years ago. I went in because the passengers side door wouldn't open from the outside, and they wanted 500 bucks to replace the whole piece, and as well all know, all I needed was the 25 cent clip!!!!!!!!!

So my question to all of the guru's out here, what should I do? get it fixed? take it somewhere else? I mean this is a load of cash to drop on a car that I bought for about 3 times what it's about to be fixed for.

Any information that you could provide could be a great help to me! Thanks for your help and time.

Chad,

get it fixed. it will be worth it. I did, and went with Lexus repair and now I am stoked. Don't take it anywhere else for less. Lexus will warranty for one whole year. I have seen less expensive repair and or parts not work on these, trust me, I already paid over 2g for my SC400 to come home, but now it is worth it. After market parts and labor are cheaper for a reason my friend. Don't rip yourself off.

I took my sc400 to a dealership this past week because it overheated recently. well, they started out charging me 100 for a general diagnosis and then an additional 100 to check the cooling system.

They called back and said that it would be 2400 to fix all of the problems which include:

Leaking Trans pan 175 dollars

Leaking left front shock 400 dollars.

Powersteering leak 900 dollars.

Radiator leaking on top and bottom 850 dollars.

Now the thing is, I don't really trust the dealership ever since I first got my car two years ago. I went in because the passengers side door wouldn't open from the outside, and they wanted 500 bucks to replace the whole piece, and as well all know, all I needed was the 25 cent clip!!!!!!!!!

So my question to all of the guru's out here, what should I do? get it fixed? take it somewhere else? I mean this is a load of cash to drop on a car that I bought for about 3 times what it's about to be fixed for.

Any information that you could provide could be a great help to me! Thanks for your help and time.

Chad,

get it fixed. it will be worth it. I did, and went with Lexus repair and now I am stoked. Don't take it anywhere else for less. Lexus will warranty for one whole year. I have seen less expensive repair and or parts not work on these, trust me, I already paid over 2g for my SC400 to come home, but now it is worth it. After market parts and labor are cheaper for a reason my friend. Don't rip yourself off.

I test drove a 1997 SC400 yesterday for the first time. The ride was very smooth, but acceleration was much worse than expected. I thought a V8 with 250 horsepower would have had excellent acceleration. To give you an example, I was at a red light and a delivery van was next to me. When the light turned green the delvery van accelerated ahead of the SC400. Is this normal? What kind of acceleration should be expected?

No. Although it is faster than it is quick, it delivers. perhaps type in Lexus SC400 video on your search engine on the web. There are a few good videos showing what these cars can really do. After seeing a couple of them and my `95 lexus SC400 having 118,000 miles and a clean bill of health i put my foot into mine. It does just pretty much like the videos of similar although I have not driven it on a track or raced it, I feel it would if I could lawfully drive it to these speeds. You have to understand this motor produces its most power at around 5500rpm and normal driving will not get its attention. 0-30mph some cars are quicker at the beginning, but this car catches up quickly and will pass. On the freeway at around 60mph this one jumps forward when neccesarry quickly and safely moving around traffic.

I just bought a 1995 Lexus SC400. 118,000 miles of which I have enjoyed putting the last 1000 Miles on it. Simply put, this is the best vehicle I have ever owned. I commute round trip ~95 miles there and back for my job. I used to own a great chevy silverado with a 350 V8, but manuevering it in and out of heavy traffic conditions was stressful and not fun driving. This car gets me to work early and relaxed with a smile on my face. I was surprised to feel at my disposal was the power and handling that make the looks just the icing on the cake. Here where I live people have $100,000 cars all over the place, and yet this 12 year old Beauty gets looks and those other more exp. cars take notice. I will admit this is my first Lexus and at the time after purchasing her I had to take her in for repair for a new power steering pump and an overall check-up. Lexus kearney mesa In San Diego did the replacement. It had already had an aftermarket pump put on to replace the original which failed miserably put on by the original owner. It is worth noting these people restored it to perfect function, a lot off my mind so I can put my foot down and see what I got, which is apparently a lot! Sure it was more expensive to have lexus do it, but for me here, it was worth it. ~1316.00 but hey. Its a Lexus right? This car is like a super hot, super smoking hot girl friend, all those looks and head turning performance, except she doesn't talk back and cause drama!! ha. ha. :D