2XLexV8

Good Evening, There's a real good chance that the problem is in the throttle body/induction system. Asking your tech for a throttle/induction cleaning should cost under $100. If your Lexus dealer wants your paycheck, check with Toyota. Either way, they spray the throttle plate with a can of cleaner, and run a second through the intake vacuum lines. If the system is really sticking, a manual cleaning may be the only solution. Occasional use of fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank reduces this problem. You can do this job yourself, but it is a bit messy for the beginner. You'll need: Basic Generic manual throttle cleaning: - Two to three hours you have to spare - Repair manual - Plastic gloves (if you're not used to getting really greasy) - Eye protection - Throttle body spray cleaner, 2 cans. - Several cotton rags (paper towels not recommended.) - Cotton swabs (medical ones with wooden handles are best) - Good flashlight - 10mm and 12mm sockets to take off the intake tube. - Screwdrivers with plastic handles (Craftsman works real well) - Narrow putty knife, with edge in very good condition, no burrs. - Extra patience. Read all directions in advance. - Remove the rubber intake tube from the throttle body. - You'll see a brass circular plate, which may be covered partially with a black tarry mess. Place a rag under the end of the intake. Using the cleaner, spray everything you see. Stubborn or hardened material can be "encouraged" with the putty knife. Be extra careful not to scratch anything. Pay special attention to any holes, clean them well with the spray and the cotton swabs. - Manually open the throttle, look inside with the flashlight. Be shocked, it's black and nasty. Select a plastic screwdriver handle that fits between the top of the opening, and the plate. Gently let the throttle close against the handle. - Now the hard work: clean everything you see. the most critical area is the first inch or so, because that's where the plate moves, and where several vacuum ports are that may need special attention. You'll sacrifice many rags right here. because this stuff doesn't always go away easily. - You can remove some of these small rubber lines (one at a time) and squirt the cleaner through them to the intake using the long tube on your cleaner can. - Don't try and get everything hospital sterile. Take some breaks. - When you're done, let things sit for 20 min or so, allowing the cleaner to evaporate. Put it all back together. - The car will run rough for a few seconds when you start it, and may need a little throttle to keep it running. At this point, there should be no sticking at take off. I hope I've covered everything. Let me know how you went. I've done this at the garage and at home on several vehicles, but only on "extreme" cases. Good quality fuel and occasional bottles of injector cleaner are good insurance. Best of luck.

Good Evening, I tried the Magic Erasers on my 92 SC400 project. Several stubborn areas came clean easily. Particularly the trim at the edge of the carpet at the door sills, and the outside corners of the seats (where shoes leave marks). I'm using Leatherique to recondition the seats. They ask for 400-grit sandpaper to break down the outer "crust" of silicone and other stuff, and allow the product to get in. I thought 400 was too coarse, but, Magic Eraser did the job. Our interior is grey, and we didn't notice any significant color change. When we cleaned the tan leather in our 00 LX with normal cleaners, the rag came away grey too. Surely, there's some long-winded explanation for that. Thanks for this great tip, bandit.

Good Evening, There are several brands. I use STP (Black bottle) or Chevron. It's more important to be consistent, than to spend big money. You can do an injector cleaning and induction (Throttle) clean at a dealer, but the two together are nearly $200. If it's really dirty, you may want to do this first, then maintain it with regular cleaner bottles that you pour in the tank. I use cleaner about 4-5 times a year. Averaging $3.85 a bottle, it's cheap insurance. Good Luck

Good Morning, I have a 92 SC400 with 143K, and a ticking sound. Although it sounds like it's from the driver's side valve area; it's really the hydraulic fan pump. A little investigation with a stethescope(?) found the culprit. They can be reuilt, but my mechanic and Lexus dealer (not the same folks) don't recommend it, because the drive shaft is what wears, and that part is hard to get. Soooo, $500 gets another pump. Good Luck

Good Morning, Two thing you can do: 1. Run some injector cleaner through the tank, if you haven't done so lately. 2. Have someone familiar with your Lexus clean the throttle plate. Dirty throttle plates are often a cause of accelleration problems. Since our cars are "drive by wire", we just push the pedal, and wait. On wire systems, we would notice a little harder pedal effort to make the vehicle go. Most vehicles will eventually have a problem like this, if we're not consistent about keeping the fuel system clean. Good Luck

Good Evening, The tech tip I read recommended checking inside the tailpipe for soot. Since yours doesn't have it, I don't know. I'd start with the sensor in front of the converter, it catches the worst of the exhaust heat. A way to save money with Lexus is to remember that Toyota makes all the parts. Some parts have the same numbers, some need a little research. For example, the tundra/sequoia/LS400/SC400/etc all use the same water pump, but they have different part numbers. Doing a physical check reveals - they're the same. We're running a tundra water pump, idler bearing, and serpentine belt right now, the only difference is the cash we kept. Production dates may sometimes differ on part number for the sensor. Have your parts person check. Sometimes, crossing to a Bosch number will make the research easier. Good Luck

When you get the "catalytic efficiency below threshold" error, it's a comparison between the O2 level at the manifold-side sensor compared to the sensor behind the converter. When they're out of whack, you get a light. Check the tailpipe - is there a lot of black soot? If so, replace the front O2 sensor. $80 vs $800. Good luck

Good Evening, The timing belt drives the water pump. There are two idlers, one guides the belt, the other adjusts the tension. The large guide one, on the driver's side, down near the crank was bad. When you spun it by hand, you could hear the bearing rattle. None of the others did, and neither did the replacement. Serpentine belt has idlers, but it also runs the alternator, PS, AC, and fan pump. I have a knocking noise from the fan pump at idle that quiets as the engine warms. There are two thrust washers that allow the impeller to move back and forth, causing the knock. If you need more info, let me know.

Good Evening, If you visit your local Toyota dealer: - Coolant is ~$12.99/gallon. Coolant change is ~$45. Can be done at home, but recommend reading the instructions very carefully. - Type T Trans fluid is more expensive (like ~$30 a gallon), but needs changed less (60K mi or so). The screen can be cleaned, because it is a screen, not a filter. Your tech will tell you. Drain and refill can be done at home, just like an oil change. Word of caution: Do not substitute transmission fluids. - The hydraulic fan system uses Dextron ATF. You can do it at home with basic tools and 2 qts of ATF (some to spare). - Power steering is a weak point in these vehicles; a leaking unit can damage your alternator. A friend of mine learned this $300+ lesson the hard way. Check it for leaks, it can be rebuilt with a kit. - Differential is fairly easy; can be done at home with 80W90 or similar. - Flushing the brakes isn't hard or expensive, but can take some time. I've read on this forum that changing the water pump and check the idler bearings with the timing belt works, because the pump won't last until the second timing belt at 180K miles. We just replaced our water pump at 143K, and did the tune up, timing belt, front seal, and several other minor gasgets while we were in there. Good news: We found one of the idlers was going, and caught it early. :o Now it's time to rebuild the fan pump, Fortunatly, less than $20. Good Luck

I took the cheap way out, for now. Sylvania Silverstars. $80 for all four at Advance Auto Parts. Significant improvement over stock, particularly after polishing the lens covers.

O2 sensors can be funny critters. The can be dying long before the computer agrees they're dead, or can influence other codes. Some people want to replace O2 sensors like spark plugs. It's not necessarily a bad idea. If your 93 SC has over 100K, and the original sensors, you may want to replace them. Remember to reset the computer, so your motor will learn the new units. I had a catalyst code in one of my vehicles that turned out to be the O2 sensor. $80 vs. $900. Whew!

Good Evening, I've tried this stuff on my 92 SC400. It works as advertised. A few notes: - Bottle A is basically Windex. Make sure the lenses are really clean. - Bottle B is a polishing compound. The directions recommend wearing the included glove, so it must have something else in it. Try cleaning a small area until you get an idea of how much effort you need to put into it. Small circles seem to do it. The directions for this step are good. After some time I used a t-shirt instead of the supplied pad. It worked better for me. - Bottle C is some kind of cleaner wax. It takes off the small swirls you get from Bottle B. Follow the directions here, too. After using the kit, I put some car wax over the lights, and buffed them by hand. The Silver Star lights I put in are no longer yellow. Good Luck

The usual spec for Lexus/Toyota parking brake is 6-12 clicks, depending on model. The "gorilla" among us pull too hard, and can stretch the cables. If you have to pull up the handle to depress the button (on hand-brake models); there was too much tension. On foot brake models with a release lever, having to put your foot on the parking brake is the same situation. A good indication that your rear brakes need adjusted is setting the parking brake, and it never tightens up. When you hear that the parking brake needs tightened, smile, clean and adjust the rear brakes. Most of the time, properly adjusted rear drum brakes will fall into the 6-12 click range.

For those folks with rear drum brakes: The rear brakes self-adjust to a point. Regular use of the parking brake helps them stay adjusted. Front brakes do around 70% of the work of stopping, with the others bring up the rear (ok, bad pun) Those who never use thier parking brake, over time, put more of a load on the front, which can cause you to use more pedal force to stop the car, and increase the chances of warping the rotors. I've seen several cars that need front brake work, sometimes replacing rotors, have nearly new rear shoes. When asked, these owners often tell us they never use the parking brake. Even using it only on the weekend will save you some trouble ($) in the long term. I use mine every time I park. I guess I'll stop now. . . :whistles:

Hello, Is the display itself dark, or are the lights just not working? The lights are the least expensive. The display can be several hundred, depending on if you can get just the LCD replaced, or find a good panel somewhere. My display and lights are out. Price tag around $350 to repair Good luck

Hello All, I have a 92 SC400, 143K. We're doing the 150K service a little early, as well as a new water pump, idler, serpentine belt, several seals and gasgets, etc. There was a tapping noise from the water pump area when we started this. I read a piece of a post that discusses replacing the bearings in the cooling fan pump (ATF as lubricant.) Not doing so can sieze the pump and destroy your new serpentine belt. Does anyone know about this? How much of a job is it? Any insight greatly appreciated Thanks

P0440 and P0441 are both related to the fuel system. First (p0440/p0441: have you fueled recently? Common problems in OBDII vehicles are not tightening the gas cap or filling the tank too much. A simple code reset, and you're good to go. The code can appear after several days of driving. Second (mainly P0441): The evap cannister that works with the fuel tank has some valves and sensors that will throw a code. The problem is common in Toyota Camry. A code reset may cure the problem, but if it recurrs, the cannister will need to be replaced. This quite often happens during the warranty period, so I can't offer a price. In Camry, replacing the cannister requires removing the fuel tank. Check the repair manual first.

I have a 92 SC400 with the Nak system. The rear speakers worked, but were scratchy, the front speakers were dead. When I removed the covers (entire rear seat first, then sub cover, then the panel), the foam was gone between the cone and housing. A stereo tech reasoned that replacing the original '92 Nak speakers might not be the best expense, since technology has changed a lot in 12 years. We purchased four Rockford-Fosgate 4" (The rear deck and door speakers are all 4"), and it sounds really good. The original door tweeters and sub all work fine. Some books list SC rear speakers as 6". The Nak adapters are set up for 4", and I wanted to keep it close to stock. It's also the easiest replacement. Just for reference, our other vehicle stereos: 2000 LX470 with Nak; 98 Toy Taco with factory stereo, 4" Polk Audio in the doors and 6.5" Infinity in the rear. Favorite test song: Rocket Man - Elton John

We purchased the Leatherique products for our '92 SC400 project. The leather is is bad shape on the driver's seat, and the leather was hard on all the others. I called first, had all questions answered, saved some $ by buying only what they recommended, and followed directions. The amount of crud that came off the leather shocked us first. Next was the number of large cracks/small tears that nearly closed up after the leather regained moisture. The leather is much more supple, now. After I fix the minor damage Leatherique's website recommends, we're taking the seats to their facility in Aiken, SC for finishing and recoloring. They restored a set of BMW bucket seats for about $250, parts and labor. We then treated our 2000 LX470. The seats are softer, and have the matte finish just like when new. Sometimes, you actually pay good money for something worth the effort. Just like Lexus.

How difficult was the swap? I have a 92 SC400 with base stereo. The spouse wants a CD in the cabin.