LexSC400328

all tune up essentials checked? try running a bottle of Techron Fuel cleaner through the system. stuff cured my car. 93' SC400 from put put poo to VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM (big peel out)

hey man the same thing happened in my sc4. the cig lighter was ca-put and the fuse was fine. turns out the plug unhooked itself from underneath the cig lighter itself! so you have to take out the cup holder, unscrew those screws, then with a philips head screw driver lift up the black shift plate, then unscrew the whole center console surrounding piece or atleast move it until you can see your lighter, and plug it back in. it sounds awful but trust me i did it in the parking lot at work with a buddy it took like maybe 10 minutes to fix it and have it all back to normal. ;)

hey everyone i have a pretty good idea of engine components and stuff exhaust, intake, headlights, but i really am clueless about suspension mods. could someone please tell me like the basic components of a suspension and what exactly a "coilover" kit is... and i'm not asking about specific kits either just in general for a stock sc400 with stock rims what height of lowering would be okay without having rubbing issues and turning radius limitations. thank you all :)

hmmm...very interesting i guess that can only mean the MAF is functioning properly. this confuses me plenty because those were the exact same symptoms my car experienced...im sure you have done this already but have you considered the basic tune up procedures? hopefully its something small man. best of luck

aw man that stinks...that sounds exactly what happened...my mom has had nothing but problems with people installing brakes on her camry...700 dollars later and we still get both ABS and BRAKE lights solidly on.... the only thing to do is take it back to them man and tell them whats going on...the worst they can do is look at it and dounble check their crappy installation

Yes you can. However it has bad side effects. During all this time when i struggled with this problem, one time i forgot to plug the sensor back in...both the TRAC OFF light and CEL will stay on permanantly with it unplugged. and also you will probly smell gas like i did since it will run rich without it. this is a good way to test if its the MAF. because if the engine runs beautiful without the sensor plugged in, then thats what it is. even though it runs rich and stuff without it plugged in, it should RUN seamlessly...definetly don't drive it like that as a permanant fix but just as a pretty un-deniable test for whats wrong. let me know. and oh btw ebay has good MAF for cheap money probably around 100 dollars Good luck ;)

Did you do the labor yourself? because to me that sounds like someone or some shop did not take their time while they did it and put it on crooked or too tight or just half-assed something...that stinks man i'd take it back to who ever did it and tell them to look it over <_<

hahah yeah man i deliver in a navy blue sc400 with loud pipes as far as tips go, it goes both ways...some (RARE) people say i have really nice taste in cars and tip well based on that, and others see the L emblem and don't tip at all... :( "why should i tip you when you obviously have no need for money " they just see the car and assume im rich beyond what i know what to do with so it kinda stinks...as far as the brakes go, those are long fixed...it needed new rear pads thats all

I guarentee you its the mass airflow sensor...my car had the exact same issues. like issue for issue. no codes came on right away, but it was misfiring like you wouldn't believe...so i replaced the MAF and it was magic. Bad MAF = terrible fuel / air mixture so the engine just dumps WAY more fuel into the engine than it needs so it just misfires... my advice is this..it was like magic to my car. Derek

you really need a keen sense for this but definetly take it out for a test drive. when you start it up: does it feel labored when starting? does it feel like its inconvienienced to start? then the idle, does the car vibrate and shake when its idling? (engine mounts) does it idle smooth or choppy? if the exhaust is stock listen closely from the outside for any leaks...definetly search for rot under the sideskirts and UNDER THE TRUNK RUG..under the hood, and in the door jams. inside: the guages will most likely be burnt out or ready to be burnt out by flickering..its very typical. the LCD screen of the climate control and radio will most likely be bled out from the inside...also very typical. rips in leather, worn out arm rests, all stuff to take into consideration. when your out on the test drive: take it over a few bumps, not like off roading but just try to NOT miss a few bumps just to listen to the suspension handle it. listen for pings and thumps and bangs. and also, don't beat the balls out of it, but definetly do GIVE IT SOME GAS atleast a few times because this is very important to watch the car tach itself out without hesitation, mis-firing, or knocking. if its auto your probably fine just put it in D a few times and notice how much the car jerks in place to test tranny mounts. if its a stick your very lucky...but just make sure each gear is nice and seamless and there is no rough spots or feeling of JAMMING it into gear...no grinding, and that the clutch is nice and has a good feel. final thing: sorry for ranting :) take a look at the tires. back ones bald = could have been beaten on front ones bald = took a lot of hard turns especially look for UN even wear up front. any uneven wear is a sign of a front end alignment problem... once again the best of luck to you on this car..those are just the basic "lets buy a car" questions you should ask yourself :D

sorry the fluid didn't work out...and unfortunately i'm sorry to say but i don't know how to access those items or if they could be a problem :( goodluck though

Hi everyone. As of now in my 93 SC400 i have converted the cornering lights into fog lights. they are hard wired to the parking lights. anyways, right now i had cheap little LED bulbs in there. My Problems with these: They are not nearly as bright as the old halogens The white is like almost a fake blueish so it looks crappy and cheesey next to the orange side markers. The are CHEAP and the parking lights inside the headlights looked ok, but those burnt out, and now the foglight mods are flickering which means they are on their way out... NOW.. i want so bad to put 8k HID foglights in there. the problem? i can't seem to find bulb number 1156 HID conversion kits...it looks like they only have headlight sizes such as 9005, 9006, and so on...if i buy a kit like this, where will the ballast connect to? what factory power source is there to plug the HID into? and most importantly the bulb won't fit i would have to make some sort of custom houseing??? i just wish there was some easy way to look for and buy 1156 HID kits... help me please hah thank you very much

A cowboy drove them with stirrups that were very sharp...haha just kidding idk man maybe its just got something to do with the little nub that holds the factory rug in place...either that or just a strange coincedence

try draining the tranny fluid and doing a complete flush of it. drain it out to the last drop and then add brand new fluid.

yup it took a lot from me not to freak out...my mom's car has had beer bottles left inside, the matts are never nicely fitted, the drivers seat you KNOW is always 3 feet out of place from the way they found it cause for some reason every mechanic is 6 foot 10 and needs it all the way back... today i shall fix my car myself hopefully with a good seafoam treatment done by me. and im jw is that your SC in the pic there? cause if so its really really nice.

hey man thanks. i try to watch as much as the "Our insurance prohibits you from watching us steal your money" signs will let me :( i also like to watch because i get *BLEEP*ed off to see how they treat customer cars...no respect what so ever. i live in massachusetts so it snows ALL the time...one time after a tune up they tell me my cars parked out back and i can go get it, i go to find it LODGED 3 feet deep into a snowbank..... DIY > Mechanics who couldn't care any less about your car.......

I have a bottle of that lying around in the shed :D maybe i'll have to give that a try...i'll be back to let you know

This is a HUGE job i hope you know. The most common ones are the W58 Tranny from the Supra. the SC300 manual tranny is also used frequently. you need a new center console, whole clutch assembly, new tranny mounts, and im not positive whether you need a new ECU or not so it won't throw a CEL for the transmission... here is a youtube video of it being done successfully

Hey everyone I'm just throwing my $.02 in here. The BMW crowd seems to think we're trying to make this huge breakthru with the IS-F and start beating BMW and MB...but take a look back in the early 90's. My car, a 93' SC400 would blow the doors off almost every BMW or MB from the same era. SC4 vs. ANY 3 Series? See ya later MB C class......enough said. SC4 vs. ANY 5 Series? Peace out MB S Class.....close but no cigar SC4 vs. ANY 7 Series? gets closer but still see ya This was Lex's base model SC4...the ///M3 and ///M5 would give it a race and possibly beat it by a hair, but those are the glorified special edition models. So when BMW and MB think the IS-F is our attempt at a break thru? Well lets think back a few years ago when the SC series was the sleekest and sharpest car on the road other than exotics in the very early 90's. and how many SC's will STILL blow the doors off 00+ BMW and MB from 92 + ?? BMW and MB take a damn seat.

the post above mine is very accurate. it almost seems foolish but SO many more times than not you accidentally find your floor matt squished up underneath the pedal causing it resistance to push down. give that a check

i know this isn't my forum, however my SC400 receives muchhhh of the same compliments. its navy blue with alloy wheels with HID headlights, K&N intake, and aftermarket exhaust. i notice people driving by me and giving it a second look, mostly though is when i drive by a group of kids hanging out on the street or out in front of the store every single one of them is just fixed on "what just pulled up" fantastic car and they stick out like sore thumbs in the areas where there aren't any others around. :D oh also whenever i go to a friends house i've never been before the parents ask me how i drive a better car than they do aha little do they know its a 93' SC4 in absolutely gorgeous shape. I'm 18 and people think i'm rich to drive a car like this around. cheers to the SC

first off thank you very much for all your thoughts. now, never once have i put anything less than premium fuel in the tank. the fuel filter is old. most likely the original one from 93' and since i've owned the car never once have i drove around NEAR empty. the problem is that the fuel line area around the filter where the nuts are looks totally corroded so i feel like i would snap the fuel line if i try to change it... = / another thing. my fuel injectors. they tick tick tick tick tick and have ever since i got the car. this makes me think they are dirty which could be a problem but im not sure. the car runs BEAUTIFUL with techron in the system but the ticking doesn't subside. anyways, every time the fuel cleaner additive runs out, say with the usage of a full tank of gas, it starts stumbling and knocking a little bit and misfiring. it also runs rich, i can tell from how bogged down the engine is and the popping and stumbling sound from the exhaust. what is so weird is as soon as i add a bottle of techron fuel cleaner to the tank, the results are instantaneous. perfection in one bottle.....= /

hey man thanks a lot. i'll definetly have to give that a try if i have any more BS with mechanics. i too have started learning to do all my own maintenance on my car. its fun and it costs me nothing. i'll let you know when i clean out the throttle body and idle air control valve and hope for a difference. if i brought it in for servicing to have that done im sure they would say i actually have 7 pistons shot through the block and the only reason it runs is from one. guarentee something BS along those lines when they see an 18 year old kid with a lexus.

alright man. well good luck and stay safe over there. can't thank you enough

hmm. that may be a possibility. here is the current situation though in regards to this. I ordered a second MAF from evil-bay hoping it would work better. which it has! the check engine lights went completely off and haven't returned. however...the stumbling occurs every now and then after it goes a while without fuel injector cleaner. it must be Techron fuel cleaner as well because if its not, the stumbling won't go away. however after a dose of fuel cleaner, it runs like its brand new. then after the cleaner burns off as in a tank of gas, it stumbles again. weird i know. so for months now i've just been adding techron and enjoying perfect driving until it stumbles again. also, i can tell when its time to add more fuel cleaner because it runs VERY RICH. you can feeel the engine bogging down when accelerating. its obvious that there is way too much fuel being dumped into the engine just by how it boggs down. so after a dosage of fuel system cleaner all is perfect for 2 weeks.