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92 SC400, no codes thrown as its an OBD1 but if failed smog 531ppm of NOx when passing is under 487. I tested EGR stepper motor and it works (goes in and out using battery) and the pintle seems to seal as when its closed I can almost pull a vacuum across the 2 ports. The EGR passage is clean and the tube into the intake manifold is suprisingly clean for 230K miles. I can see there is just a very light scaling on the EGR tube inside the intake manifold. Can stick a 1/4 extension in with ease and it goes all the way in until it hits the little down turn of the pipe. I can also push a rigid wire into the bottom port easily and it goes at least 10" before it hits the 90 on the back of the intake. So I dont think I have any blockage EGR wise. The EGR pipe itself is almost an inch thick so I dont think I have any blockage in that one that runs down the back of the motor. Plugs look decent but Ill buy 8 more as I failed HC also, 73 passing and I blew a 129!!! @ 15 mph. CO passed with flying colors. Would the recommended premium fuel give me lower NOx readings? I never use it but I always passed using it for the last 3 tests.

The valves cannot be adjusted in a normal "turn a screw" manner as they are precision shims that set the lash. When the lifters wear, they require thicker shims to get valves to the recommended .015/.025 lash. The shims cost $$$ for what they are if you can find them as they usually don't wear as they are bathed in oil.

I had a mysterious noise from my 92 SC400's front end when I went over bumps in road (lane markers, cracks, etc) Sounded like a bushing was bad. It was a "snare drum" noise instead of a "bass drum" noise you hear on a new car so I suspected a insulator was shot. While I was down there installing new ceramic brake pads (my semi-metallics were close to wear indicators) I looked at the lowers, uppers, strut ends and sway bar links and all seemed tight and visibly good. The pads went in after I got the pistons retracted, and I vented the brake fluid that was displaced with new pads. While breaking in the pads, I noticed the suspension noise had disappeared! Ive driven it 30 miles since and no more "snare drum" noise when I go over sharp bumps, its now back to the good 'ol Lexus solid bass drum sound. My pads didnt seem loose in their calipers but I wonder if they were at speed? Just a feel good story I thought I would share. Now its to the body shop to get the rear bumber cover repainted after a very mild rear end bump. The clear coat cracked and some paint crazing where the bumper flexed as well as a 3mm gap between the right taillight and the trunk lip. It looks like the frame of the light may have been displaced from behind the steel bumper bar. $975.80 quote..bummer for the insurance company. Guy that hit me was insured under my company so $250 deductible was waived.

Can I use universal 7mm spark plug wires, ie. Mallory Blue or Accel? I noticed the OEM plug wires have the plastic extension and the tube seal integrated into the wire, but at $90 a set? I can get 25ohm/ft 8.8mm MSD wires for less than that and cut to fit. I figured if the tube seals were in the valve cover for oil control and the seals on the plug wires were only for the spark plug wells, I figured I could do without the well seals and just run the wires to the plug. Wire covers need not fit as I like the wires exposed. Thanks.

What exactly does the gasket do , vent pressure at a certain point?

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My wifes 91 LS400 gets a hesitation every now and then and she swears that venting the gas tank by loosening the filler cap fixes it. I have done that too and was suprised by how much pressure builds up in there. Is the vent in my cap malfunctioning or is the vent in the tank? If you unscrew the cap like you are going to gas it up, itll "exhale" audibly for about 4 seconds. Is this normal?

That sounds very inexpensive. Let me know if they work.

Just did mine, it is a pleasure to drive again. No noise from the front suspension going over small bumps and undulations in the road. I was getting a "something is loose up there" noise whenever I went over a n oticeable bump. I took mine off, checked them out and didnt really see anything wrong, but the ball joint was as loose as a joystick on a Pacman game. I couldnt feel any play in it but I couldnt put as much force on it as the car does. about 90 minutes total, the first side being 60 of those. I am very happy the shock didnt need to be compressed to be pulled, that would have been a bummer. I would like to advise that if you are doing one side at a time, you need to unbolt the swaybar link so the lower control arm can be lowered enough to unstress the shock and get the bolt out. Otherwise you are working on a still compressed shock, dangerous. Another hint. REuse the original castle nut as the one supplied is thinner and ends up above the cotter pin hole, rendering the cotter pin useless at retaining the nut torque, Or use a washer as stated before. I am going to try and replace the ball joint with a shelf item just to see if I can as the bushings are still tight.

So...it actually ended up being a bad Engine Control Module. Got it rebuilt for $350. Now the check engine light is on and showing a bad knock sensor. I took a look under the intake and saw the lead wire on #1 knock sensor is broken away from the plug completely. Would this cause an intermittent "miss"? Knock sensors are pretty cool. They "listen" for preignition (knock) and when they hear one, they !Removed! the spark a little to correct the problem. The bad knock sensor (disabled) is most likely either causing a "knock" signal to be transmitted to the ECU and that is unneccessarily retarding your spark, cutting power and going to a default "limp" mode as it cant clear the perceived knock, OR it is never sensing the knocks and is allowing the ECU to advance the timing to a dangerous knock level that will eventually destroy rod bearings and pistons. With todays electronically controlled ignition timing, you need these sensors to work properly for designed performance.

Most 4 disc autos have some sort of drum brake for PB function. Much easier to mechanically actuate a drum than a disk setup with a cable. Many rear disk retrofit conversions for older muscle cars utilize a common GM setup that has the integral drum parking brake. And those vented cross drilled rotors, save them for fade prone racing cars. Lower surface area means less stopping power and all those holes and slots make for a weaker disc.

A Snap-On set of 6 3/8 drive sockets, standard or metric, cost around 90 bucks to whom it may concern. Not cheap. Matco makes some nice tools as well as Kobalt (Lowes) and of course Craftsman (Not Sears branded, but Craftsman branded). Here is a tidbit of info. Like it has been said, any tool that has a manufacturers lifetime warranty on breakage can be hunted down at flea markets. Seems people get this stuff broken as scrap metal and sell it for nothing. I mean who wants to buy a broken wrench?? You do if you can flag the Matco truck down a the corner garage and show him the broken part. I aquired a Kreuter (?) 3/8 ratchet and thought it was the nicest ratchet I had ever used. Fine tooth (more "ratchets" per twist so it can be used in very tight spots) and it had a sort of a rounded square handle that felt better than a round one in your hand. Of course a 1/2 inch ratchet with deep sockets will cover 90% of your needs. and last but not least is a 30" Chrome Moly 1/2 drive breaker bar. Hands down the great equalizer when it comes down to breaking 19mm suspension nuts and bolts. I used that Kreuter 3/8 drive with a 3 foot piece of 1/2 galvanized pipe as a breaker for years and I finally lost (got snaked?) the drive, never broke it.

Cool, doesnt look that bad from the instructions. I thought I might have had to get a spring compressor or some other special tool.

You all should catch TV series "The long way around". Ewen Mcgregor (young Obi wan kenobi actor)and mate does London to NYC going across asia on BMW motorcycles and says Mongolia has about 50 miles total of paved roads country wide or something ridiculous like that, and the poor guy spent alot of time dumped in some marshy muddy slop, not easy on a big motorbike. Great series on Discovery or PBS, TLC, etc. I would do this in a heartbeat if I were not married and liable for 3 other mouths to feed!

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