zeus87gn

Thanks again for the response. It appears to me to be the original antenna. It is stamped Toyota and plugged into the the fcty wiring harness. It's quite obvious the grinding noise the the gear on the teeth. It's try removing and reinstalling and see what happens. Would it matter that I had to remove the entire antenna and break the case open to remove the old broken stem? The WD40 thing is a joke. There's another thread on it bing the wonder fluid here in this section.

Thanks for the reply! Nope, as far as I can tell the wheels are original (16" Lexus rims) and the tire size matches the glove box sticker. I don't have any lights on the dash showing for service, but I also havne't hooked up my scantool to it yet either. From some of the other threads I have read, a generic scantool won't work on these cars. You have to go to Lexus. I have weeded through the wiring diagram and it appears the speedo gets it's signal thru a few places from sensor #2. The ECM, ABS & another that I don't remember right off. I can't tell what the #1 sensor is for. Is it a backup?

Well, I got through the electrical diagrams (all 300p) and couldn't find anything about what those 3 wires were for. I can tell they are there, and there are 2 more wires that feed power to the antenna control box, but it just appears that those 3 are strictly for control. Correct me if I am wrong, but the antenna signal is the typical single pin cable....right? Without taking my DMM to those 3 wires to find out what they do, I don't have a clue. Like you, I was hoping there would be more chatter on this board. There's got to be someone that has done this. I'll try to take a look this weekend and see if I can figure it out. I'm wanting to put an aftermarket radio in soon and will need to figure it out anyway.

Now that's funny right there.......

Bump to the top. I hope someone has had this problem.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Be aware - this is just a guess. I have not messed with the wiring to the antenna yet, just replaced the mast. But as there seems to be a control box with a multitude of wires that are cnnected to it and the antenna, my guess would be that the three wires are +, - and signal. The + & - being the hot and cold of your 12VDC and the signal being the wire from the radio that tells it when to go up (or down). What are the colors on the wire insulation?

Well, thanks for trying that tap test anyway. I was hoping for a neat trick, but I guess not. Hate that your replacement isnt' any good either. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you on a refund. Some people are adamant about "ALL SALES ARE FINAL", some aren't. It would be interesting to find out if you knew someone that could hook it up to thier car (knowing thier MAF is good) and see what happens. It could point you in another direction. In other words, eliminate any chance that that replacement MAF is indeed bad. Just a thought if you could pull it off.

Yea, you at least tried. Keep that guys number. He will be of help in the future. You're probably Ok on the used unit from evil-bay. I have purchased used MAF's in the past and not had a problem. About the issue of something causing this. I suppose it's possible, but I really don't know. Sometimes parts just go bad. Technicaly, the only thing I can think of is bad wiring. If you have a wire shorting out, they yea. That may have caused it. You can check your wiring easy enough. If everything else is Ok, it may just be an isolated dying part. I have seen stranger things happen. Check the condition of your engine and wiring harness grounds (wherever they are). Bad grounds can do strange things....especially in older vehicles. If you would please, try and take a moment before you change out the MAF and do this tap test that I asked about. I'm curious to know if the same reaction happens on these vehicles that happens on my Buick. It could be another way to determine if the MAF is bad without having to use a diagnostic computer. Thanks for the help. Z

1 - Noted 2 - What I am talking about is the condition of the inside of the throttle body. It is carboned up? Does it have caked on deposits that aren't allowing air to flow properly? 3 - If your check engine light is flashing, something is going on to set it off. 4 - Good to know, you are better off than a lot of people. The basic principle of changing plugs/wires is the same. 5 - Hmmmm. You said it wasn't until you to to the end of this mid grade tank that the problems began to occur. I'm wondering if you got ahold of some bad gas and it needs to finish running it's course (out of the tank). It's not uncommon these days. The quality of gasoline has gone down steadily of the years. Do the fuel system cleaner trick and see what happens. If the problem clears up, you have your answer. Check the condition of the plugs before you do it. It may answer some questions. Let us know what you find. Z

Just changing the plugs and wires won't take all day. Maybe a short afternoon....couple hours at most. Remember to use some anti-sieze compound on the threads of the plugs. You are dealing with an alum head engine. An off line stumble could be a couple of things. I havent read all your posts, so if you would answer me this: How many miles? Condition of the throttle body? Is the SES light on or do you know if any codes are present? Have you ever done this before to any vehicle? Do you know what type of gas was run in it before you got it? A fuel system treatment may solve the problem if your injectors are dirty. You will find out soon. SCdriver's technique works, but I do the first run with 1/2 tank and run down the interstate as fast as I dare. I used the NGK V-power plugs and they are working well. Another thing to consider (or at least check) is the condition of both dist caps and rotors if you really want to dive into it. I changed mine the other week, it was worth the trouble as they were original with 160k on them (just like the wires). It made a noticable difference in performance, fuel consumption and overall operation. All that did take a good part of the day. I ended up removing the p/s radiator hose to get the access I wanted, but the coolant needed to be changed anyway. Please stop using ALL CAPS. People will think you are yelling, and it's kind of eye painful.

Wow, that is weird. You thingk WD-40 will fix it? Where's the Lexus guru who knows everything?

WD-40 is a fabulous thing. I use it to keep the entire contents of my engine bays looking good after a through cleaning with Simple Green. It keeps things lubricated, keeps rubber soft and supple, and most importantly - it displaces water. Strange that it won't last past the next time you drive it in the rain. Brandon, You Alt probably was shorting from the waterpump leak. The WD-40 removed the water and the short stopped.

I may be wrong here (and someone correct me if I am) but I don't think the 92 or 93 models had "fog lights". There were cornering lights that only lit up when you activated the turn signal. At least that's how mine work.

Interesting story how you found out the problem. Be glad that there was a fellow there that was nice enough to help you out. You need to remember him in the future cause you owe him one. Send him some business.....or something. Also interesting finding out the diagnosis. If I may ask...now that the stumbing is almost stopped... 1 - what happens when you let the engine idle in park? Does it idle Ok? Like normal? 2 - If so, what reaction do you notice in the engine if you were to tap on the MAF sensor? Does it make the engine stumble? My curiousity is killing me.

Ok, Ive replaced the mast and drive stem on the power antenna but I don't think it's right. It goes down just fine. When it goes up, it gets to the top and makes this buzzing noise and then drops back down a few inches. I'm guessing it's skipping on the teeth because it doesn't know where to stop? The instruction sheet that came with the replacement mast states it will stop in a few turns of the radio by self adjusting. It's been doing it for a couple of weeks now. Have I done something wrong? Have I not done something? Any and all input is welcome. I'm hoping someone has run into this and has a solution. Thanks in advance, Z

The ASE thing is a joke b/w me and some of my friends on the Buick board. We're all a little nuts. I would hope there wouldn't be a problem in snapping bolts with these cars, but I have seen stranger things happen. Lemme try to explain better. I have exploded diagram captured from the manual. Youcan see the torque plate and the caliper. Being in the parts business, you should recognize this. It's for the rear. The front is similiar.

You're welcome for the help. You're question happens not to be diffucult. I just got my manual on disk and have it here. If you're going to torque the components back together, this is what my book says (guessin my book is the right one): Front torque plate (armature that the caliper bolts to) - 87ftlb Front caliper to torque plate - 25ftlb Rear torque plate (armature...) - 77ftlb Reat caliper to torque plate - 25ftlb Personally, I have never torqued any calipers or armatures back on the vehicles I have worked on with an actual torque wrench (although I do have one). I put them back on as tight as I can get them by hand with a typical socket wrench (usually a 3/8' but sometimes a 1/2"), and then either put a pipe on the end of the wrench and give it a little more or wack the wrench once or twice with my dead blow hammer (no pipe). Sounds rediculous, but it works. I've been doing this for many years now and haven't had a problem. Even so, I won't fault anyone for proper torquing. HTH Z

Don't question it. Get a second. It's cheaper/easier/more convenient to have it on hand than to try and run back to the store for another. If you don't need it, you will have it for later, or you can return it next time you are there.

A fresh fuelfilter may help, but pressure washing fuel injectors is not going to help. They tick. Accept it. They should tick quietly. You shouldn't hear them once you shut the hood. If you want to help the injectors, get some injector cleaner and add it to your gas for a couple of tanks. Keep premimum in the tank. Other than that, you could remove them and get them professionally flow tested and cleaned, but that costs money and time that you most likely don't have. If you can still hear a tick after you shut the hood, there is another problem. Address this stumbling problem and then you can takcle any leftover issues.

Don't be too fast to dispute what they say. A kinked fuel line can cause problems. But, there are other things that can cause these problems. Did you see the kink with your own eyes? Is it possible to get a pic of it and post it up? Did you run over anything that may have bumped under the car? The fuel lines appear (at least to me) to be covered by nothing more than a plastic shield. I haven't go through the entire fiel system on mine yet (i'm a new owner too) but depending on how the line is designed, it may very well have to be replaced from beginning to end. High pressure FI systems must have proper fuel delivery to operate correctly. Speaking of fuel, do you know you have good gas in the tank? From your description, it sounds like they charged you for this tune up and it didn't make any difference. Have you checked behind them to make sure they actually did the work? Do you know where the dist caps and rotors are? A tune up is a logical place to start if you don't know what's wrong. It eliminates a possible problem. I think you have done the right thing and told them to take a hike. IF they did the work, this might be a timing issue. Do you know when (or if) the timing belt has ever been changed? If that belt is old, and stretched enought to jump a tooth (unlikely but possible) the engine will do some stupid stuff. Have you had any diagnostics run on the system yet? A diagnostic code could lead you in the right direction. Forgive the long post, just thinking of other possibilities. Z

In the short amount of time I have owned mine, I think the Lexus name means $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to mechanics and parts stores. Be gland you only spent $180 on your tune up. I spent that in parts for my tune up and did it myself.

Well, I found out this weekend that the speedo in my SC400 is reading SLOW. LIKE 20MPH SLOW. When it reads 40mph, I am going 55. When it reads 45, I am running over 60. Thank the good Lord above, I didn't get a ticket going to my sisters for a visit. But I did have a lot of fun on those back roads!! :D First thought was the gear on the cable was wrong, but there is no need for that as the car is (supposed to be) all original. So yesterday, after I figure out new and interesting ways to lift this thing in the air to change more of the trani fluid, I find there is no speedo cable. Ok, it's got to be an electronic speedo. But an electronic speedo shouldn't bounce at slow speeds like this one does(????). I'm lost here. I did find 2 sensors at the end of the trani that oppose each other, in the tail end where a cable would typically be. They look like small TPS's. Would these be the speed sensors? Is it possible for one to be bad and the computer is not interpreting the signals correctly because of that? Forgive me for asking such a NOOB type question, but I haven't weeded through the 3300 pages of the manual quite yet. I don't want to throw parts at it and not fix the problem. Hopefully, someone has run into this. All comments/suggestions/opinions/whatever are greatly appreciated. Z

Thanks for the responses. I received my manuals (on disk) so now I can take a closer look and find out what I am up against. Yes, there is one tick that is quite pronounced. I just cna't track it donw very well. The sound seems to travel well in this engine. If the cams are shimmed b/w them and the valves, it sounds (in essence) like a solid lift cam?