joedoc

How do you know the amp is blown? What symptoms are you seeing? The reason I ask is that my back 2 speakers went out, and I went through the obvious things and have concluded it is probably a blown amp.

I eventually decided that it wasn't the parking brake, but rather one (or more) of the calipers that had seized, probably due to the rust that forms on the rotors after a car wash.

I got up the nerve to just rev the engine enough and the brake finally broke free (I almost wrecked into my other car when it let go) and now everything is fine.

Lesson---drive a bit after a car wash to heat the rotors and minimize rust

I parked my Sc400 just after a car wash, and now cannot release the parking brake. The car is stuck, it will not move either forward or backward.

Has anyone had experience with this?

Naturally, it is parked right up against the wall in my garage so removing the right sided wheels is impossible.

I tried every kind of sealant, nothing worked. I finally bit the bullet and bought a new tank for 130.00 or so. It didn't come with a new level sensor, so I got an expansion plug from the hardware store for a dollar and plugged up that hole. I don't have a sensor anymore but I haven't had any leaks.

did the ignition wire break spontaneously?

has anyone else had this problem occur?

try this link for used parts:

http://taprecycling.com/inv-lexus/sc.html

i assume the coolant temp stays normal while this heat pours out--is that correct?

have you looked to make sure there is not a red hot exhaust manifold when this happens? i'm thinking that the heat must be from the exhaust.

does the interior heat work when you switch it on?

Has anyone had experience changing the interior door handle? Mine has cracked off, so I have to reach out the window to open the door. I assume I have to take off the door trim panel, but thought I would see if anyone has been down this path already. Thanks.

as for the harshness shifting, be sure not to let the car roll once you shift into park. in other words be sure to use your parking brake.

do you mean you are going to swap the entire left seat cushion for the right? are you intending to swap the leather as well, or just take the padding out and just swap that? (the flat part, not the upright seat back i assume)

i am interested as my drivers seat is also pounded down a bit. if it could be switched with the passenger side that would be an easy fix

i was thinking that this could be a wheel bearing (or differential), since it varies with the speed of the car. however you threw me off with the fact that the stereo volume has some effect----do you mean that the noise is louder when the stereo is cranked up? is the noise actually coming out of the stereo speaker?

i hate to extend this post, but i would appreciate it if BlackSC4 could tell us what he did to improve the grounding of his engine. i had heard (but forgotten) that this would help the spark, but it sure makes sense as you need a complete electrical circuit, with low resistance

i am interested in hearing more about those plugs--is that the plug with the 4 electrodes? i had been advised to stick with the NGK (i believe that those are the original equiptment) but had been very happy with bosch plugs in previous cars.

keep the SC. it sounds like you just have normal wear items. the cost of these repairs is well below the cost of a new car. assuming that your SC is paid off, these repair costs would only equal 2 or 3 monthly payments on the new car.

i won't attempt to give marital advice, however many men have found that it is impossible to make women happy, so you might as well have a car you like. just my 2 cents worth.

you really ought to take a test drive. i would be leery if the owner won't allow one.

are you having the leather re-done? let us know how it goes and how much it sets you back.

i hope they are wrong about that snow. you are picking a good time to depart the ohio valley though. have a safe trip.

great idea there with the cookie cutters----can i ask one more question----as you can tell i am getting ready to do this myself---were you able to get the snorkle out without removing the headlight? there is one bolt underneath the light holding in the snorkle and i was hoping to get at it from below. any advice on that? joe

let us know how it goes. did you cut down the aluminum egg cups as on planet soarer to form the silver round openings, or did you try another route?

looks good. does your SC have the large open space under the headlight that vents directly through the openings on the front fascia? i was thinking that i could just use those openings instead of bothering with channeling the air through the central openings. are you thinking the same thing? it looks like there would be plenty of air flow right to the filter. maybe just put a top cover over the air box.

the other item that worries me as i get up in mileage is the starter. you can see several posts relating what a pain it is to switch it out. to answer your question, the engine itself is strong, but it the wear items like PS pump, starter etc that you should budget for. good luck

can you confirm that it has had all of the other typical services---fluids, water pump, PS pump, etc? that price seems a bit stiff for that kind of mileage.

a faulty wheel bearing, or a sticking brake caliper can rob some horsepower through friction losses.

a discharged battery, or use of electrical accessories can take up a few extra HP turning the alternator.

at one time, we used to take the fan belt off the A/C compressor (old GM cars) to free up a few HP. of course we only wore tee shirts in those days, so the heat didn't seem so bad.

the only ways to get more HP to the wheels are 1) increase engine HP output or

2) reduce HP losses (friction etc) in the driveline

at one time I read some info claiming that certain synthetic oils/additives would reduce internal friction losses, but the differences were trivial.

you can also improve performance by changing the diff gearing. i have to dust off an old engineering book to see if that really fits the definition of getting more HP to the wheels though

why would the tranny flush cause more problems? i was thinking it might be a good thing to try---i get some hard shifting in AM; also the car will slow down fairly abruptly when i release the accelerator, almost like a manual tranny. i had assumed it was the torque convertor, and was going to try a flush first.

$210 at the lexus dealer