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irishvol

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Posts posted by irishvol

  1. Can anyone who owns a SC430 ever replace a Front Passenger Side Fog Light Bulb? It's not your typical turn and pop out socket. Any help would be appreciated! B)

    This a PAIN! Unless you have a lift, go to PepBoys .....I did. Took 30 minutes and cost $26.....Well worth it.

  2. Your problem is very simple.......you need a NEW BATTERY !!! If these cars are left idle for several days the battery can drain from all of the various functions that draw power..the alarm system, clock etc. Once your battery looses the proper charge all kinds of craxy stuff will begin to happen, including the light display you discribe....easy fix to all your problems

  3. I'm no expert, but as far as I understand the chip reprograms the ECU maps and uses the OEM map as the baseline condition. The chip hooks directly to the OBD-II port through several wires. I'm not mechanically inclined at all, but even I was able to do the install. The car just drives much more aggresively; I wasn't convinced until I actually removed the chip and the car went back to baseline conditions.

    Brett

    It's your imagination........

  4. Easiest way .. start pulling fuses, beginning with the sensor circuit. Eventually you'll find the drain.

    Btw, nice setup aquanuke, esp the rims. How about a few pics.

    This is a common problem with cars left unused for several days. All of the various systems which run while car is idle will eventually run down the battery. SOme dealers will install a small battery booster on cars which sit on their lots for long periods to prevent this problem.

  5. The installation could cause your problems if not properly installed. If all vacuum lines not properly installed could cause computer to misread air/fuel, timing requirements which would cause problems you're discribing and other querky problems. Remember, all stock lines must be reinstalled in proper locations. Hope this helps. Good luck.

  6. I have a 2002 SC430 and had to have the throttle body replaced a few months ago. The problem my car had prior to it being replaced has returned a few days ago. Has anyone else ever experienced this problem. The car will begin to lose pressure as I am driving and pushing the gas further to the floor does nothing. Its as if I have taken my foot off the gas completely. Once I wait a few minutes and accelerate again it picks back up and picks up speed. I trusted my dealer when it was diagnosed to be the throttle body, and my problem did go away for the months following the repair, but now its back again??? Does anyone have any idea or experiences with this??

    Thank you!

    can anyone help me with this problem? I have a 2002 sc430 also doing the same thing. can you email me at presseyf@hotmail.com Frankie

    The 430 has an electronic throttle. There is no "throttle cable" connected to the throttle body. So the problem sounds like it's electronic not mechanical. I doubt seriously that there is a problem with the throttle body itself. I would suggest having the dealer check out the throttle electronics. Hope this helps.....Tony

  7. Interesting concept but I'm curious how well this could actually work? Although you are getting the correct resistance by wiring two 4" speakers in series.. The front 6x9" is a mid bass woofer. 4" speakers are known to provide very crappy midbass due to the size of their cone.. were you able to find specific 4" mid bass drivers or did you just wire up some two way speakers and just aren't utilizing the tweeter in both? I'm very curious on how this could possibly sound good? Thanks for your input.

    The sound is GREAT!! So much better than factory. The guys who did this are real professionals and did a wonderful job. I would never attempt something like this myself. I understand your concerns but almost anything would be better than those crappy factory speakers. When removed both paper cones had torn away from their outside outside frame. The 4s are very high quality. Do you know of any aftermarket 8 ohm 6x9s? Thanks for input....Tony

  8. When recently replacing the CRAPPY door speakers in my '02 I learned that the factory system is an 8 ohm system. All known auto speakers are 4 ohm. If 4 ohm speakers are used it will blow the amplifer at some point. About a $1000.00!! I was very lucky to have some very knowledgable proessionals who solved the problem with a custom install of 2, 4 inch, 4ohm speakers wired together (thus 8 ohms) in the stock mountings in each door. Sounds great.....cost? $240.00

  9. If you are using stock wheels and close to stock size tires the alignment specs will not change. If, however, you are using wheels with a significantly different offset or some kind of bizarro size tire the spec may change and will have to be custom set. From the discription of the wear pattern of you current tires it sounds like you do need an alignment. Are your driving habits rough? Lots of bad roads? Well, I would suggest having an alignment with new tire installation using factory settings......hope this helps.

  10. Well, I am no expert but the chip instantly made a difference and the car is much more fun to drive. I cannot quantify the improvement in HP or torque, but all I know is the car is more fun and feels more responsive...

    That's what is most important.....after all, we're not street racers. If we want that we need another car. Fun is what it's all about!!!

  11. Does anyone know of an ECU upgrade (chip, etc.) for my '02 SC ? I'm looking for performance upgrades.... Thanks!!

    I bought the VP12 Volo Performance Chip. My sc430 seems to have improved throttled response and is a bit more powerful. The low end torque is better. It is not much, but for $89 it was worth it. Brett

    Take a look at the dyno results I posted below. You're being fed a lot of the typical forum BS from people who don't know their butt from their elbow about what they're talking about. Here's some advise....save your money! The only significant power improvements that can be made to this car with "bolt ons" is with turbo/supercharger and/or nitrous ($1000 to $10,000). A limited slip differential only helps performance if you have the power to spin the rear wheels(and I don't mean in the snow). This car does not to any significant degree. A high stall torque converter is an ABSOLUTE waste of money unless it is used with a transmission shift kit and even then with only minimal drag race affects. It has nothing to do with "shifting". It only allows you to rev the engine from a stop to a higher RPM before engaging the trans. How high the RPM is determined by the "stall" built into the converter. Some all-out drag cars will use a 3 or 4000 RPM converter.....street racers usually in the neighborhood of 2000 RPM. They can be a pain in the !Removed! for everyday driving. Your best move was with the headers...I'd be interested in seeing some dyno results. The base dyno on this car (300hp models) is around 210. On the 288s around 200. I'd suspect that you picked up maybe 10 or 15hp with the headers.........anyway, I don't want to rain on your parade but I really get annoyed with the "BLOW HARDS" in here with all of their BS power claims. ONE: 262.5rwhp! LOLOL.........Hope this helps

  12. Based on my experiences with K&N, both FIPK and drop in filters, there are little or no differences between these versus a "clean" stock filter. The only real difference was a noticeable improvement in throttle response. It's much more responsive than before, being more pronounced with the FIPK than the drop-in.

    Then there were absolutley no differences. For one, I saw no difference in MPG and two, no difference in power (well, the seat-o-pants dyno anywhow). These are the two things I wanted to improve when I was new to this sort of thing. -no dice.

    In my opinion, the only real benefit to this, other than racing applications, is that this is the last filter you will ever have to purchase. When it gets dirty, all you have to do clean and re-oil the thing. Simple as that. The only thing you will have to worry about is over-oiling it because oil can get sucked in and contaminate your MAF sensor (well, that was my experience with other cars).

    If you do decide to get one, you better enjoy the first 3 months of it, because the improved performance difference that you feel, if you experience one, will long be forgotten.

    There is NO performance benefit from K&N filter and little if any from the Injen Intake system (see dyno results posted below). The only benefit that I see is that it can be reused and there is some controversey about that.

  13. Our local builder has advised that short of turbo/supercharger ($5000 - $10000) there are no meaningful mods available for our cars. He suggested a 100shot of NOS as the best bang for your buck ($500-$1000). As far as all of the intake/exhaust BS you read and hear about you might want to look at the Dyno test results I posted here. Pretty much a waste of money unless you're looking for a great sound. There are some BSers on some of these cites claiming 30-40hp increases....a lot of baloney! Hope this helps.

  14. I am no expert but I wouldn't think it would hurt anything. I try to follow whatever the manual says. I also just put in the mobil full synthetic, good oil. -Dave

    It will probably make no difference but the manufacturer has a reason for recommending a paticular weight. With newer autos the bearing clearences are much closer than in the past thus a "thinner" oil is recommended to improve penetration. I would suggest that you stick with the man. recommendation unless you are operating in very hot temperatures. Hope this helps

  15. The car regarding this question is a 2002 SC430 with 35K miles. It runs great and has not given any issues other than an O2 sensor that needed replacing.

    One of my good friends is a BG Products representative in another state, he is strongly recommending that I take my Lexus to a local dealer that uses BG Products and have my transmission flushed,

    have new fluid put in, and also add BG Product transmission treatment.

    The reason being is that if I do this before the car hits 36K I will get a warranty against transmission repairs from BG. They will pay up to 2K if I have any transmission problems for the life of the car.

    Before my friend mentioned this, I had the Lexus serviced at the Toyota dealership and spoke to them about flushing the transmission fluid and the Service Manager told me there was no need to do this

    though they did flush the differential.

    What do you guys think?

    BTW - I did find a place that does the 'BG Transmission service' and it costs $175.

    Let me first say this, I am not familiar with BG products at all. I would througherly read any such warrenty. I agree with the dealer...you do not need to flush the trans at this point. HOWEVER, let me add that I have flushed my '02 and replaced with Mobil 1 Synthetic and the difference in the way the trans shifts is amazing. The cost was $160.00. I believe money well spent. I also use Mobil 1 Motor Oil. More expensive but only needs changing every 15,000 miles. I change mine every 7,000. Good luck. Hope this helps.

  16. These are the 2 Dyno tests run on my '02. First is stock base line and then with airbox removed. Second is with Injen Intake and then additionally with the muffler removed.

    As you can see the stock baseline was around 212hp. With airbox removed it jumped to 218. Test 2 shows 215 with Injen and it dropped to 212 with muffler removed. That surprised me. I thought we'd pick up some power with reduced back pressure without muffler. Well, Injen still sounds pretty good.

    post-94150-1243964794_thumb.jpg

    post-94150-1243964843_thumb.jpg

  17. Nice looking car there.

    Don't like the tape around the engine for the induction kit.

    But other than that a nice car, whats the colour as it difficult to tell with the photos?

    Thanks

    The tape around the Injen is insulation and a heat shield box. The heat from the engine is absorbed more by the metal intake than by plastic. This will, of course, affect performance. Sooo in order to keep from adversely affecting the temperature of air taken in the intake is insulated and a heat shield built around the filter.

    The car is dark blue, saddle interior.

  18. What do you guys suggest I should upgrade first, and with what?

    I will be picking up my SC430 any day now, but want to plan what I should upgrade.

    I am thinking abouT:

    Lowering it (tein coils?)

    Intake (Injen short ram?)

    Exhaust( No ideas)

    LuxLink

    Not in any specific order.. What is everyones suggestion.post-91611-1238987475_thumb.jpg

    PS....The first thing most folks do is REPLACE THE DOG UGLY WHEELS! Tire Rack is an excellent place to check wheels and replacing the Run Flat Tires. These things seem to be a real sore spot and drive folks nuts....loud and rough riding.

  19. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all Hertz 6x9's 4 Ohm speakers? You will trash your ML amp!!

    Hey guys, I'd like some help with this problem. Are the speakers you're talking about installed in stock location? Will these speakers solve the proble or do all of the speakers need to be replaced? Costs? My system really STINKS! Any help appreciated. Thanks :(

  20. As far as the intake/exhaust mods you are looking at, it amounts to money spent for nothing but a really nice sound. As I've posted before, I did dyno tests on my '02 with the Injen and with freed up exhaust.....showed 2 hp gain over stock. There are lots of Bull*BLEEP* claims made by some folks, who don't know their azz from their elbow, about ridiculous power gains........all fantasy! The machine don't lie. There is also another popular fantasy floating about that the ECU must be reprogramed after these modifications....more baloney. There are two types of programs controled by the ECU; open programs and closed programs. These mods are controled by the open program which adjust itself to any change in air/fuel mixture changes. These guys don't like to hear this stuff and the real pfoney-baloneies will let out a howl. Thes types of BSers have always been around hot rodding.....for as long as I can remember. Good luck and I hope this helps.

  21. I currently have a 2000 ES300 and no longer need the sedan. It has been a great car. I currently have 135,000 miles on it and I am thinking about getting a 2002 SC430 that has about 50,000. Do these cars have any quirks that I need to be aware of? Any maintenance issues? Any input will be appreciated.

    I bought a Certified Pre-owned '02 from Sewell Lexus last year sight unseen (just web pics). 63,000 miles. These people are TOPS in my book. Car was perfect and has remained that way. Only complaints are the usual seemingly universal ones: Run Flat Tires SUCK!! and the sound system SUCKS!! Hope this helps.

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