Jump to content

blueviol

Regular Member
  • Posts

    159
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by blueviol

  1. hmmm...mine is closing at 250K miles, so I think it's lasted for some good time. Did your car make clogged engine sound also, and the red hot pipe around the converters? I will get one off of eBay and see what it will do. If not, I will need to take it to a dealer and get it checked. Winter is just around the corner and I tend to have a thought on an S4 these days for that quattro system.
  2. no i recently had an alignment and general check up service at Firestone. Right after things happened, this one guy found that one cable (was told it was an air cable) was loose. I put it right back on, but it was the same. Now my mechanic is saying I might have to change the MAF sensor. Do you think it can be the reason? Thanks.
  3. What are the typical symptoms of bad MAF sensor? My car suddenly lost power and wouldn't rev RPM. THe downpipes before the front converters get really hot and red causing some smoke. I first thought it would be the clogged converters, but running the car with the converters removed didn't help. My mechanic said there is too much fuel going into the cylinders and uncombusted fuel gets into the converter making it get hot. The engine vibrates and makes weird clogged noise. The RPM wouldn't go anything higher than 1500 and moves up and down by itself when I apply constant gas. Of course I couldn't drive it faster than 20- 25 mph. It happened when I was accelerating from 0 to 40 mph in a local highway and I first thought something got loose.
  4. I recently replaced the stock springs/shocks with Tanabe NF-210 lowering springs and KYB GR-2 struts thinking this combination would lower the car about 1 inches front and .5 inches rear. For some reason it lowered the car more than I anticipated and whenever I make a hard turn (making the car lean on one side) or hit sizeable bumps, the tires get in contact with the tire well housing. I mean literally it touches the ceiling of the tire well making some screeching sound. It seems there is no much room for the tires to move. Is this usual happening with lowering suspension? Has anyone experienced this same problem? Should I go back to stock config or is there any solution that can cure this? Perhaps those coil-overs are better way to go?
  5. Thanks jzz30! I recently swapped the stock ones with a set of Tanabe NF210 which lowered my car about 1 inch all around. Though the ride became a bit harsh around bumps, I kinda like it overall.
  6. Hi, I just took my car to Goodyear Auto Center for alignment. They said they can't do it since the tie rods are bad. Recently the steering was making whining noise when turned much in either direction and the tires were skipping when making turns at slow speed. Would this be related to the bad tie rods? Also my car behaves terribly around the trailer marks and I think it is very dangerous especially at high speed. Is this related to the bad tie rods also? Or is this some other issue? Like bad links or bad rack busings? I would have to get the wheel alignment first to better know what to fix, but please advise.
  7. Hi, I just replaced the springs with Tanabe NF210 lowering springs. The car's now about 1 inch lower overall than the original spec leaving less than 1 inch space between the tire and the wheel housing arch. I thought it would be a little less drop than that. The ride is a bit more stiff and lost some of the original softness in ride. It corners much better now. However I have experienced two problems so far: at highway exits or on fast winding roads, the car seems to oversteer making the car suddenly lean to the outward direction and try to cut in more than it used to. And the second problem is that when I corner hard, the outer front wheel touches the wheel housing. In one instance, I heard the screeching sound. Are these normal symptoms? Or is there something wrong I need to fix?
  8. Well, I just replaced the bushings in May, so I wouldn't know the cold weather thing yet. I hope it doesn't make too much sqeeking sound though. Does your Control Arm bushings squeek in cold weather?
  9. I got the bushing set from tmengineering.net. It is Daizen and costs $250 ~ $300 for front fitment, I forget the exact. The labor is quite a bit, since I had them for both upper and lower, costing around $400. I am now trying to change the shocks and springs, and I wonder what the damage will be this time.
  10. Hi all, I just replaced the front lower and upper control arm bushings with ones from Daizen. IT feels great, no more vibration through steering wheel at high speed cruising. Now I feel like doing it for the rear as well, and changing the whole spring/shock for the front and rear. I am looking at Eibach Pro Kit and Tanabe for spring and KYB GR2 for shocks. Would lowering the springs about 0.5-1 inch work in conjunction with regular-spec shocks like GR2? Or should I just go stock springs with stock-spec shocks? Please share your experience. Thanks.
  11. JIBBY, How is the dragon torque converter? I believe it delivers better and quicker power to the rear wheels. Is the upgrade easy? and at what cost? Thanks,
  12. Thank you all for your advices. I just bought the Type IV ATF from Toyota dealer and plan to get the flush later this week, with the filter. Thanks again.
  13. I stopped by a Lexus dealer yesterday to arrange a service for my 230K mile 95 SC400. I felt like I needed to get a transmission fluid flush since I was feeling it a bit sluggish and since it was never done on my car. I usually drain and refill fluids at local auto shop every 30K miles or so. This time I wanted to do a full flush using genuine Toyota stuff at the dealer. The service consultant however was not sure if I wanted to do that since the car has so much mileage and since he does not know the condition of the car. He explained that with the full flush, things (debris) in the transmission will drain and it may not make the car drive better. It can make it worse he said and Lexus would not guarantee anything. IS this a normal situation for a car of high mileage? Please let me hear your advice on this.
  14. What do you think is the best year for SC400? I am thinking of departing with my aging (230K miles) 95 SC400 and getting a newer one hoping that it will last another 5-7 years with lots of fun! Oh, and how much would it cost for a decent mileage (60K ~ 80K)? Thanks
  15. a twin turbo??? WoW!!! I am thinking of selling my aging 95 SC400 (just turned to 230K) and get something like 98 with somewhat lower mileage, then put a supercharger later on. How does this sound?
  16. when I got mine replaced and had the similar problem, I had to change hose which was worn and torn (leaking) to stop the noise. Check out your hose as well.
  17. What is the spec of your wheels? Now you just need a big rear spoiler ^^
  18. A superb looking car AWJ, I NV U! You pretty much got everything I want on my car~ Did you get the carbon fiber hood as well?
  19. Hi, I just got a clear NRG ground wire set off eBay. I am thinking of doing it myself if I can easily locate and reach the connection points (tranny, alternator, and others). Is there any diagram depicting the wire connections? If not too easy, I will have a mechanic do it. Oh, and do I just leave the old ground wire harness in place? Thanks,
  20. Daizen from TMengineering.net http://www.tmengineering.net/suspension/daizen/make/sc.html Vlamos from AU http://www.vftbushes.com/
  21. When I start the engine, I smell unfired gas at the exhaust. After several minutes of warming up, it becomes okay. Could this be some problem with the starter? Thanks,
  22. do you have any idea why the vib feels more noticeable at aroung 1800-2000 RPM band? Thanks,
  23. Thanks for the pics! The LS400 calipers look better to me. I recall that the stock dust covers need to be cut however.
  24. What is the typical cost related to changing engine mounts and trans mounts? My car is vibrating at 2000 RPM band and perhaps it is due to aging mounts. Well, my SC400 is closing in for 230K miles soon. Thanks,
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership