Thienn

Bought my parts from Park Place Lexus Plano (Timing Belt -Water Pump -Timing Belt Idler Pulley L -Timing Belt Idler Pully R -Timing Belt Tensioner -Drive Belt, Thermostat, cam seal all the seals/gaskets, etc...) for around $475). My mechanic backed out of the job so I brought the car to Hoffman Lexus in Hartford, CT and they charged me 6 hours to do the job (I think at $89/hour so the total labor was about $600) So YES, dealers will do the job if you give them OEM parts. By the way, my car (1996 SC400) had 113,000 mile at that time and the TB still look real good but i glad I did it cause you will never know.

Try Ebay; just measure the outter diameter of the center caps and do a search! I got two set of these for me my SC400 from Ebay for less than 20 buck. Good Luck, TN

Hello everyone, Does anyone know a good, reliable mechanic (in either Connecticut or Western Mass) capable of doing a Timing Belt Change for 1996 SC400? My mechanic does not want to do it because he does not have the proper tools! and I don't want to bring it to the dealer. Thank You, T.N.

The best thing to do is try different grade and see which one will work for your car.

I have same problem with my 1996 SC400; and it turned out to be the Vacuum Switch Valve. Search the net or get a hold of a factory service manual to get instructions on how to diagnosis the problem. Especially the VSV only costs $60 compare to over $200 for the Canister; and sometime it could be as simple as the gas cap gasket. Good luck...

I am having the same problem with my beater, 1992 Honda Accord! Will try to figure it out this weekend.

Sorry Brucelee but you are wrong! Toyota introduced Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVTi) in 1999 and this is interference type of design and might cause damage to engine when breaks (lot of damage if one try to crank the engine after it died). Non-interference type of design will not cause damage and I am pretty sure that 1995 SC400 is this type of design! I have 1996 SC400 with 95k so I am due for timing belt change soon too. I know it will cost big bucks but it is better do it now than later and get stuck in the middle of nowhere...

The Legend is a complete different car from the SC400 so I can't really compare the two. but I have to said the SC400 is more fun to drive...

1981 Honda Accord Hatchback 1989 Acura Integra 1990 Acura Legend 1992 Honda Accord Coupe 1995 Acura Legend and Now 1996 SC400 (sometime 1992 as a beater car:-) As you can see, I am making some progress:-)

I don't think the quote is including the idler pulleys and TB Tensioner (my OEM service manual does not mention these). Get a complete quote (maybe in writing) then shop around see if you could save a few buck!

I can't believe that people turned this tragic topic into debate about our foreign policy! It is so *BLEEP*ing sad but let's give some fact about hundred of thousand (if not millions) people died under Saddam? Being a political refugee from Vietnam I will give you my personnal horror story as the result of the U.S pulled out of the region (countless of South Vietnamese died after 1975, thousands died trying to cross the ocean. and PLEASE DO NOT FORGET MILLIONS OF CAMBODIAN PEOPLE DIED:-( Let's hope we not pull out of Iraq until the job is finish. So please leave the political bull *BLEEP* out of this and focus on the real tragedy! God Bless...

DId you get a receipt/email from them state that they got you request? I have the phone number from the last order at work; I will post it tomorrow so you could call them directly! How about calling the local dealer? They are selling these for around $80 with tax; if you need them right away it might well worth it...

I got to agree with SW03ES and Jasver! You knew the consequences of breaking the law so take it like a man and next time think twice about speeding and do not speed unless you are ready to pay. I could understand if it was your first time speeding but appearantly you like to drive fast; so pay up or take them to court:-(

Geno, the link dgorrie gave is correct! If you can't find the part on the website then email them with your car information (VIN) and describe what you are looking and they will get back to you within hours. They have very good prices with no tax and free shipping. There were a recall on emission control parts for some lexus and Toyota but I did not see RX300 on the list. Try google and search for "EMISSION CONTROL RECALL LEXUS" and see for yourself. From my personnal experiences, replace the VSV first to see if it fix your problem (This is the only part that connected to the Electrical system, i.e. ECU) The canister is nothing but a charcoal filter with 3 one-way valves. Changing the Canister will set you back over $350 and won't fix the problem! I know people that bring the Lexus and Toyota to the dealer for the same problem and they change both the VSV and Canister. I only change the VSV on my car and it have been fine for over 5K miles...

AM attenna use different connection than FM

I don't know where the charcoal canister for the RX is but if you know where the Vacuum Switch Valveis then it should be easy to trace it back. The Canister is connected to the VSV so just follow the hose backward and you will find it (it usually locates by the firewall). I have the same check engine light for the same code (Evaporator) with my 1996 SC400; took me awhile to figure it out. So here we go: -Check your gas cap and make sure it is still nice and tight; it should make a suckling noise when you open the cap. If not, replace the gas cap gasket (less than 5 buck. -Get a volt meter and check the resistance between the two terminal! It should be between 27-33 ohm when cold (room temperature) if not it should be replaced. Also check it when hot (after driving for half an hour or so) or put it in a 90 degrees C oven (make sure you clean it throroughly to get rid of the gas vapor) or it will catch on fire. I put it on a convection oven at work so I don't have to worry about spark. If it is anything over 35 ohm then it should be replaced. This was the problem with my VVS; the resistance goes up as it getting hotter. -You could also check the canister but I doubt it is the cause of the problem. The ECU is sensing the current (resistance) thru the VVS and give the warning light so check the VSV first and replace it if neccessary! The VSV is only 50 bucks (with Free Shipping from Plano Lexus; the dealer will charge over 80 bucks plus tax) and the canister will set you back over 250 bucks so whatever you do change the VSS first. I did all these and found that my VSS' resistance would goes up as it gets hot. I replaced it and reset the ECU; the check engine light had gone for over 6k miles -Also, replace the PVC while you at it (it should locate on the valve cover somewhere). I hope this help to fix your problem! Thienn

Personnally I would NOT put that on my car and probably laugh my !Removed! off if I see that on someone else SC...

How about move closer to work?

Sounded like a tire related problem to me (only happen over 45 mph); possibly the steel belt inside a tire! I would try and see if a known good set of tires is swap to see if the problem goes away; try to convince the tire people or if you have any friend with the same wheels/tires. Good luck!

According to OEM Manual for my SC400, check the oil level with engine OFF, car on level ground. If the car has been running then the level should be checked with the HOT marker. If the car has not been running then check with the COLD marker.

Take it easy on the throttle if the tires start to spin! You don't want to fry that expensive transmission...

I would stick with Toyota fluid! It is designed by Toyota for Toyota...

According to my OEM service manual (1996), the valves only need to be adjust if you have problems

I got my 1996 SC400 fully loaded with 80k miles for $12,300. So be patient, they are out there. By the way I went with the 400 because I am not plan to do any mod to the car...

Check those tires for proper air pressure! You could lose 2% of fuel efficiency for every PSI under inflate tires. Also, there is no need to warm the car up extensively (10-20 seconds should be enough) however drive gently until the car warmed up. The most important factor that affect fuel efficiency is stop and go; since you do lot of city driving then try not to slam on the gas after those stops...