Is a loud engine normal for an SC300?
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Is a loud engine normal for an SC300?
I have no idea what are this belongs in so I decided to just post it here.
I'm not sure if this is normal on the SC or not, but the engine seems rather loud for a Lex. When I go from a stop it revs fairly loud and the RPMS go up normally but it takes 2.5 RPM for the car to start to move and it shifts around 3 RPM.....is that normal for a SC300.
I'm not sure if this is normal on the SC or not, but the engine seems rather loud for a Lex. When I go from a stop it revs fairly loud and the RPMS go up normally but it takes 2.5 RPM for the car to start to move and it shifts around 3 RPM.....is that normal for a SC300.
#3
I'm assuming an automatic since you said "it shifts". GTE in your forum name, but sounds like the car is stock...so I'm assuming 2JZGE
No, I don't think it's normal. Shifting from first at 3000RPM might be, but 2500 to get it to move is high. Some slippage somewhere in the drivetrain. Torque converter or transmission itself. A little more detail might yield some better advice.
Is this level ground?
Is it exhaust noise, from under the console or from the engine bay?
Stock exhaust?
Is the power delivery normal after you get moving?
Slappy
No, I don't think it's normal. Shifting from first at 3000RPM might be, but 2500 to get it to move is high. Some slippage somewhere in the drivetrain. Torque converter or transmission itself. A little more detail might yield some better advice.
Is this level ground?
Is it exhaust noise, from under the console or from the engine bay?
Stock exhaust?
Is the power delivery normal after you get moving?
Slappy
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
I'm assuming an automatic since you said "it shifts". GTE in your forum name, but sounds like the car is stock...so I'm assuming 2JZGE
No, I don't think it's normal. Shifting from first at 3000RPM might be, but 2500 to get it to move is high. Some slippage somewhere in the drivetrain. Torque converter or transmission itself. A little more detail might yield some better advice.
Is this level ground?
Is it exhaust noise, from under the console or from the engine bay?
Stock exhaust?
Is the power delivery normal after you get moving?
Slappy
No, I don't think it's normal. Shifting from first at 3000RPM might be, but 2500 to get it to move is high. Some slippage somewhere in the drivetrain. Torque converter or transmission itself. A little more detail might yield some better advice.
Is this level ground?
Is it exhaust noise, from under the console or from the engine bay?
Stock exhaust?
Is the power delivery normal after you get moving?
Slappy
Yes its an auto (GE), It happens no matter what kind of ground I'm on level or not. Everything is stock and it just sounds like the engine is reving high and faster than normal. While driving it shifts around 2500 from gear to gear, but sometimes it shifts hard from 2nd to 3rd and when it does the RPM's are around 3.5 and sometime 4.
Now the other issue is no matter what speed I'm at I get what sounds like a rattling/grinding from either the tranny or possibly the differential..........I'm really not sure. It does not get worse when the RPM's go up or down................its just there and I'm really not sure where its coming from.
#5
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What's the mileage on that car?
Sounds like you have a transmission problem. A used auto tranny can be had a for a few hundred bux. The classified section had a few listed and still available.
First things ,first. I would check the transmission fluid and see if that's low. If it's really old or looks dirty, I would flush that out and put new fluid in. If that doesn't fix the problem, a transmission swap may be needed.
From your description it sounds like it's the transmission, not an engine problem.
For comparison, when I go easy on the gas, car shifts at 2k rpm, occasionally 2.5. 3rd to 4th gear shift is delayed unless i let off the gas slightly past 40mph and it will shift smoothly into 4th.
When you say, loud engine noise, when stopped, but in Drive, I'm not sure what you're referring to. Is the engine rpm high, i.e. higher than 800rpm? Loud engine noise can have many iterations. Please elaborate.
Sounds like you have a transmission problem. A used auto tranny can be had a for a few hundred bux. The classified section had a few listed and still available.
First things ,first. I would check the transmission fluid and see if that's low. If it's really old or looks dirty, I would flush that out and put new fluid in. If that doesn't fix the problem, a transmission swap may be needed.
From your description it sounds like it's the transmission, not an engine problem.
For comparison, when I go easy on the gas, car shifts at 2k rpm, occasionally 2.5. 3rd to 4th gear shift is delayed unless i let off the gas slightly past 40mph and it will shift smoothly into 4th.
When you say, loud engine noise, when stopped, but in Drive, I'm not sure what you're referring to. Is the engine rpm high, i.e. higher than 800rpm? Loud engine noise can have many iterations. Please elaborate.
#6
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
What's the mileage on that car?
Sounds like you have a transmission problem. A used auto tranny can be had a for a few hundred bux. The classified section had a few listed and still available.
First things ,first. I would check the transmission fluid and see if that's low. If it's really old or looks dirty, I would flush that out and put new fluid in. If that doesn't fix the problem, a transmission swap may be needed.
From your description it sounds like it's the transmission, not an engine problem.
For comparison, when I go easy on the gas, car shifts at 2k rpm, occasionally 2.5. 3rd to 4th gear shift is delayed unless i let off the gas slightly past 40mph and it will shift smoothly into 4th.
When you say, loud engine noise, when stopped, but in Drive, I'm not sure what you're referring to. Is the engine rpm high, i.e. higher than 800rpm? Loud engine noise can have many iterations. Please elaborate.
Sounds like you have a transmission problem. A used auto tranny can be had a for a few hundred bux. The classified section had a few listed and still available.
First things ,first. I would check the transmission fluid and see if that's low. If it's really old or looks dirty, I would flush that out and put new fluid in. If that doesn't fix the problem, a transmission swap may be needed.
From your description it sounds like it's the transmission, not an engine problem.
For comparison, when I go easy on the gas, car shifts at 2k rpm, occasionally 2.5. 3rd to 4th gear shift is delayed unless i let off the gas slightly past 40mph and it will shift smoothly into 4th.
When you say, loud engine noise, when stopped, but in Drive, I'm not sure what you're referring to. Is the engine rpm high, i.e. higher than 800rpm? Loud engine noise can have many iterations. Please elaborate.
It idles at 700-800 RPM and is quiet, but the minute you step on the gas the engine revs louder than normal.
Now the rattling/grinding you can here the minute the car goes into gear, no matter what gear you go into and it is audible from inside and outside of the car.
The fluid looks normal, but I was thinking flushing it anyways the only reason I have not done it yet is because to my understanding if the tranny is slipping flushing can cause more problems.
I'm having a ***** of a time finding a A340E tranny locally
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#8
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sounds like you have TRANNY issues....
This is just a wild guess, but i think that you should check your clutch fan and plastic shroud that surronds it, that can be the culprit to your noise...
zerosix
This is just a wild guess, but i think that you should check your clutch fan and plastic shroud that surronds it, that can be the culprit to your noise...
zerosix
#9
Driver School Candidate
1999 SC300 seems to be louder than normal
same thing with my car, it seems like the 400 was a little quieter but I think because the car is so heavy it’s louder when hitting gas . I replaced two mufflers and there are no leaks on the exhaust so....
#10
Moderator
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As far as loudness in general, the 2JZ series is a generally smooth engine being an inline six but it does have a satisfying growl. Even with the non-turbo versions it is technically a performance engine. Remember that this is an engine design that was first sold in 1988 (Japanese market cars first with the first generation 1JZ-GTE/GE series) and even modern trucks that we are used to today have had tremendous improvement in smoothness and NVH compared to what trucks used to be in the early 1990's when the SC300/Soarer and GS300/Aristo were first sold to the public. Still a very smooth engine by modern standards and mostly quiet with a stock exhaust system when cruising along or accelerating slowly but you should be hearing it a bit when you get on it.
I regularly compare the sound/feel of my SC300 to a 1999 LS400 with the 1UZ-FE VVT-i 4.0L V8 and even that car can be "loud" or a bit loud when you get on it. But it is geared differently than the SC300 and it has its stock exhaust system. If accelerating and cruising moderately any of the 1UZ-FE engines in a stock car are going to be a bit more quiet.
If something does seem to be off with your 1999 SC300 and the loudness increases in proportion to revs the very first thing I would check is the mechanical fan clutch assembly.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 03-21-18 at 04:53 PM.
#11
Driver School Candidate
This was great detailed reply
What happened was that I purchased this car around two to half weeks ago , car body was made into sharia was made one owner car ,The only thing was before I came to pick it up I remember me asking the salesman does it need exhaust because I know that when these cars get a certain age especially for the SCEs there’s a little not so appealing sound to the exhaust. I figured worst-case scenario when I get back to New York I would just do whatever I have to do for the exhaust So,I went to my friend shop and he installed two mufflers , don’t know if that meet Amy much of a huge difference but it definitely quiet t
#12
Driver School Candidate
Sorry for the incomplete thread
Don’t know if that made a huge difference but it was quieter.... however in the area around the harness in the engine area is still feels a little rough when I’m gassing it. I went back to the muffler shop and they put the car back up in the air and still did not see anything leaking other than the two bottles that they replaced another friend of mine said that the mufflers are probably cheap.
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