decypher

hey guys, i just joined in as a new member cause i just bought a sc400 online. i haven't pick it up yet, but its a 97,with 77k miles, alot of options, its automatic, dont they only make anto transmation on 97? couldn't find any mauals. very nice condition inside n out. engine compartment looks clean n new. clean carfax, one owner. although i haven't test drive it yet, but lets say it drive like new. i bought it for 9400. wat u guys think? i think its a good price, checked it on kbb, suggested retail value is 12000.

Congratz! Welcome to the club. You will learn over time that these cars are truly magnificent. Btw, I think you got a good deal. That sucks about the books not being with the car..maybe you could call a dealership and buy one if you're feeling frisky. I don't even know if they sell them or what they'd say.

Why did you buy a car without testing driving it? That's generally not a very good practice! But I hopefully you'll luck out and its a well maintained car. It could be due for a timing belt..or other things.

Woah. I thought they all came with TRAC.

My 95 SC300 Automatic seems to have the light on the dash board upon start up and even does that noise when you first turn the wheel after first starting the car. The noise I'm referring to is like a laser sound or a laser gun being shot off, then goes away quickly. Sounds like a motor firing on or something. I was under the impression that that noise was the TRAC system engaging and or self checking.

Am I completely off base with the noise I hear?

Greetings,

I've got stock rims on my baby. She's 14 years old by now so I think some of the chrome is starting to flake off. The flaking is only present in a few areas near the spokes. I've no reason to believe it's not flaking anywhere else though.

I've had the car for two years and certain tires cannot hold air for more than a month without needing to be pumped up again. Before filling one up the other day it was down to 15-20psi. My tire guy says I will be fighting this as long as I have the car. I assume he really means as long as I have the rims in their current condition. I've had new tires put on there(not to fix the problem but because it was time) and I even had the tire shop rebuff the rims. Didn't help.

Have any of you experienced this problem? Would the problem go away if I had the rims re-chromed? It obviously would go away if I got new rims, correct?

Thanks,

Decypher

1995 SC300 150,000 and purrs like a kitten. A really big, buff kitten.

Hi Guys, do you all know if there is a known problem with the power mirrors in the SC series. I have a 93. Both of my side view mirrors stopped working. I don’t even know when. I can’t seem to locate the correct fuse for the mirrors.

Any help on this would be appreciated.

Factory manual for a '00 SC says check RADIO No.2 Fuse on Junction Block No.1 and DOME Fuse on Relay Block No.2

My power mirrors don't work along with my Dome light. Sounds to me like this could be the culprit. I'll buy a fuse and have a looksy. :-)

i got a 92 sc400 trying to convert automatic to stick....can anyone hlp on doing this conversion and where i can find a manual transissin

There's quite a problem with your terminology, first off. You say you want to convert manual to stick. thing is, those are the exact same thing dude. Manual transmission IS a stick shift! get it?

Anyway:

You're going to be looking for the Supra V160 6-spd transmission , it works perfectly as far as i have read.

Touché! I just know that most people here mean well and deserves a break. Even I mean well when I chimmed in even though it could be viewed as rough. I love everyone !

There is a lot of negativity and bull crap in this thread and doesn't need to be here.

For one thing, lexypam, all that guy was saying is that the "best" is objective to the driver and individual. To get the best possible fit for this guy it's best for him to state his desired outcome with the springs/shocks.

Then the genius JohnH chimes in with absolutely nothing constructive to say and just further adds to the idiocy of this thread.

It's pretty clear JohnH and lexypam know absolutely nothing about their cars. If anything, you two give lexus owners a bad name not the ones in this thread actually trying to constructively help someone.

I don't HAVE to know anything about my car, I know that (to me) it seemed Mr skperformance was rude in the initial response to tc32. tc32 had to spend his time responding to a still rude response to Mr skperformance. You have lost the point. Why couldn't sk performance just be polite and helpful? Is he excused of his rudness because he "knows everything about cars"?

decypher you have "chimed in" on uncalled for name calling. How rude!!!

There is a lot of negativity and bull crap in this thread and doesn't need to be here.

For one thing, lexypam, all that guy was saying is that the "best" is objective to the driver and individual. To get the best possible fit for this guy it's best for him to state his desired outcome with the springs/shocks.

Then the genius JohnH chimes in with absolutely nothing constructive to say and just further adds to the idiocy of this thread.

It's pretty clear JohnH and lexypam know absolutely nothing about their cars. If anything, you two give lexus owners a bad name not the ones in this thread actually trying to constructively help someone.

How much would they charge to install the fuel filter? There's no way I'm messing with it myself.....

Could be your catalytic converter. Check it out :)

That's kind of unusual. I haven't come across an instance when both switches weren't working.

Don't know the interior colour of your SC but try this link out

Ebay-Part and try to eliminate that switch, the window motor regulator and the window itself.

I still think it;s the Window motor regulator.

The car was made in 94, btw. You asked earlier and I just caught it. It is weird they would want to replace both when the driver side controls work well. I'm going to try and get a second opinion today from the toyota dealership, that is if they work on lexus.

As for the eBay part, I have a tan interior so that one doesn't match. I do believe you're right on the regulator, as I can't see a control switch making the window sluggish.

I believe so. I paid a little bit over $500 for the job with my Toyota tech, and paid $150 in parts, new EGR sensor, and the labour to clean out the sute from pipes. dealer or someone else?

How much was the Window Control Switch by itself?

It is not the dealership, closest one is Fresno I believe. I am on the central coast. I went to a local import auto place and they said both passenger and driver side switches needed to be replaced. Driver side is like $230 he said, and the passenger one is like $170 or so.

Turns out the problem was the Driver and Passenger side switches, which run $200 and $175 respectively. Plus my car was showing error 71 I believe. The ERG valve was malfunctioning , no doubt affecting my MPG. He quoted me at $675 for parts and labor, does that seem fair to you all?

i'd say replace the motor... doesn't sound like the regulators the prob. but if you can find where to get one without involvin the dealer then let me know please

Does anyone know if the window motor from a SC400 of the same year would work in my SC300?

When I first got my 95 SC300 I immediately noticed the passenger window would roll up and down very sluggishly. It would get the job done, but it seemed to struggle a lot.

One beautiful day four months ago I picked up a friend who rolled down the passenger window, hours thereafter we discovered the damn thing wouldn't roll back up. I slept on the problem trying to figure out what I would do to solve it. I awoke and went to school 9:30, and at 10:30 in between my next class I checked on the window because I'm OCD like that and it magically but very sluggishly rolled up.

I told my buddy who is a pretty good car guy about my experience and he mentioned something about a temporary breaker or fuse which can break temporarily disabling the window, but then can refuse when it's "safe." I don't know what he's talking about or if that is related to my experience or not, just wanted to throw that out there. After it rolled back up I put on the passenger window lock to ensure any unfortunate events. I wasn't smart enough to get it replaced then!

Two days ago, I pick up another friend for adventures and he promptly disengages the passenger window lock while I'm in the trunk putting in a CD he requested and rolls down the passenger window. That *BLEEP*!!!!!! I kept my cool but explained the window is likely to not roll up again for a few days. Of course I couldn't blame him, you ride in a car that nice and you just expect the components to be operational.

Yesterday my brother and I removed the passenger door panel and realized you could hear a faint humming when you engaged the passenger window switch up. Which to me sounds like the motor is getting electricity, yet the window still doesn't work. My brother thinks its the window motor, however.

Should I just replace the window motor and regulator? It is 13 years old after all. Is there a Toyota or Lexus model from that year which used the same window motor and regulator? From which car should I try and find a window motor and regulator? I need to know what would be compatible.

Any help or advice anyone can give on this situation is greatly appreciated.

I hope you all are doing well and that your cars are running smoothly. :)

What kind of fuel meter would you suggest I get?

I am looking to increase fuel efficiency in my ride. Power is not much of an issue as I would just like a little better MPG with some modding. What mods do you guys recommend for this?

To those who have already performed these mods, what kind of MPG do you get now? I average about 19-22 mpg right now and would love to see that number near 30.

Remember that your particular year of SC400 has a non-interference engine. Meaning that if the belt breaks, no damage will be done to the engine.

If you do not go out of town much, and it would not be a huge problem if the belt did break, you could wait a little while longer. Chances are it will not break for quite a long time though, unless the water pump failed.

Does the SC300 have this same non-interference feature on the engine?

i got a ticket for "running a stop sign" when i had stopped at a stop sign in my neighborhood for only 1 second and then continued driving. once i continued driving i noticed the cop in someones driveway facing out with his lights off and his engine running. ive heard that the cops are not allowed to do this. is this true? and if so how would i go about reporting this so my ticket gets cancelled? thanks a lot

btw i live in orange county in california

I am sorry to hear about your run in with the law. Thankfully it ended with you going home safely with only a ticket. I really dislike cops. I've been pulled over multiple times for not having a front license plate because I drive a Lexus and I am young. I have been harassed recently and I finally got my front plate on.

In the future I would be more careful at night time driving. Never forget (9/11 mother *BLEEP*er) that California is in a huge economic crisis ( as well as the *BLEEP*ing country ) and cops are doing anything to raise money for the State, as evidence by my recent harassment for not having a front plate.

To answer your question: I live in California and I have heard that it is illegal for a cop to not have his lights on when he is parked actively looking for violators. I believe the officer must have at LEAST his parking lights on, some indicator that a person is inside the car and it's not just an abandoned piece of *BLEEP*(hyundai).

I'd say you have a pretty solid case if you fought it. Basically you want to show up and contest the ticket in court because chances are the officer wont even show up.

if you fill your car with 16 gallons what is the difference between regular and premium? about $3.20. your going to put in fuel that was not designed for the engine putting it at risk for premature failure just to save an amount of money that cant even buy a #1 at Mc Donalds. sell your car and get a geo metro.

Oh I think I will do that, along with running you over with a tractor. Thanks for quip!!!

Hello folks,

I have a 95 SC300 that I absolutely adore. I want what is best for her. So naturally the topic of what fuel I should put into the car comes up, especially in this day an age of the high price per gallon. When I bought this car it had a measly 131k miles on it, just broken in if you ask me. The previous owner told me they only put Regular in her. I was shocked. The car runs so well! It runs like a dream, no funny noises in the engine, smooth starts and acceleration.

When I first got it I put Premium in her but with prices so high I have been giving her Regular for the past month and I haven't noticed any difference. Am I very lucky?

Should I just put Mid-Grade in and be happy with the middle ground?

What do you put in your car and why?

decypher, option 1 buy a new license bracket from link below.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...playCatalogid=0

Option 2 buy a used license bracket from vendor. He is a member of this site and goes by the same name aliga you can PM your request.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293883

Thanks so much for that info. I was able to get a hold of him on AIM and paypal him and he's going to ship it tomorrow! I couldn't be happier!

My sc300 was sold in Georgia and didnt come with a front license plate. I live in California and its illegal not to have a front plate, Ive been pulled over a few times and its getting old. I think its partially because I'm a young 22 yr old driving a nice car. Anyway, I don't want to put then plate on my dash because it looks trashy IMO and I don't want it messing up my dash. I'd rather just mount it in the front and forget about it, especially since this is now my only car. I am sad because I know it will look like *BLEEP*, but I'd rather not have the po-po sniffing around. Any suggestions on how to mount it easily and have it be asthetically pleasing?

I had a guy wash my engine bay and he got water in by my spark plugs. My mechanic dryed it out and replaced my plugs along with the wires. Does anyone know if theres anything else i should be worried about like a long term effect from this?:chairshot: Sorry i'm new to this forum stuff so give me a chance to get use to it.

Coming from a PURELY electrical side, I would say that if the engine never ran while the water was on the spark plug and if the water on the spark plug is completely dry now it should be safe to operate with no bad effects.

Electronics can get wet, it's just they have to dry out completely if you want to use them again with no chance of failure.

Now, I don't know if this applies to the machine aspect of the car but I feel some know from a purely electrical aspect of the situation its not the end of the world :)

If your lucky, it's the fuse. I don't know where it is. On mine, the previous owner thought it was the switch and had an extra one, but that wasn't it either. I got a mirror computer from a junk-ah, salvage yard for $20 plus $10 shipping on Ebay. That fixed mine. BUT, what a !Removed! to get to. Above the steering column, over toward the middle of the car. Had the dash out and STILL couldn't get to the bolt on the top bracket. Finally gave up and cut it with some tin snips to get it out. That still left a slide-in bracket and another bolt to hold it in, which holds it fine. It is nice to have them working. Oh, and when you turn the key on to see if you got them working with the dash out, you'll trip your airbag light. I read don't start the car-I guess they meant dont even turn the key at all. I saw how to reset it, but have not done it yet-still got to send it off for needles anyway. Good luck.

I looked inside the manual and wasn't able to really get a confirmed location of the fuse, or even which fuse governs the side view mirrors.

There was a fuse with the code DOME which included Dome lights, vanity mirror lights, and mentioned side mirrors however if the fuse was bad, wouldn't all the other stuff like the Dome lights, vanity mirror lights not work?

All that stuff works fine!

Which leads me to believe it's the mirror computer :( Anyone able to shed any light on my situation with this new info?

Hello folks,

I have a '95 SC 300 and everything works really well in it except for the side view mirrors! I have to adjust them by hand which I am sure isn't the best thing for the mechanisms which move it electronically. The person I bought the car from claims its just a fuse which needs to be replaced, is this accurate? Has anyone ever had to do something like this? Where can I find this fuse and how do I know which one to replace?

Hello,

I recently bought a 92 lexus sc400. I bought it from a private first owner with only 44,000 original miles and in mint condition. I paid $8000 for the vehicle. My first question is how did I do as far as price wise? I also have several more questions.

Several people have told me that if i took off the middle catalatyic converter, and the 2 rear resonators that it would free a lot of horsepower. So I did just that. I took out the y pipe as well and just had my muffler guy run straight pipes into the original stock mufflers. I like the sound now but I would like to get performance mufflers. Does anyone have suggestions on mufflers that will not be too aggressive, or over powering in the cabin?

My next question is what if any are some fairly cheap attributes I can add to my car to produce more horsepower?

Also, I was told that I could and should put supra brakes on my lexus. Is this rediculous or does it make sense?

Thank you for now, and I am sure I will have several more questions.

I just bought a 95 sc300 with 130kmiles for $7500. The car is in nearly perfect condition : )

So depending on the condition I would say thats a great deal with the low miles.