MadMaxSC400

it's supposed to be better for cleaning the motor... I don't know what to think about that one. I would guess it broke loose a ton of dirt or something and that's why it looked dirty... I'd be interested to know since you're not doing yourself any favors by washing tons of crap through the system.

akmpres

Ya i think you have to take that guard off to change the oil, and i have no idea on how to jack this thing up, its too low to drive up the ramps that i have and the jack doesnt give it enough support to hold it up, im afraid that thing is going to come down on me. so i take it to lexus, but i dont like paying 42.50 for the oil change, and ive noticed that they dont even put all the screws back in for the guard, i went underthere and noticed half of them were missing! it is so hard to find somebody that will take care of your car as well as you do.

Intellexual

I have ~70K miles on my SC300 and I'm about to put in Mobil 1 5w-30 Synthetic with the Japanese Lexus/Toyota OEM filter.

Seems like a lot of you guys have changed to synthetic at high mileage with no leaks or problems? Any advice on how I can achieve the same? Or is it just luck and how well the previous owner took care of the engine?

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

Techinically, you should do a 50/50 change the first go around; then go 100% synthetic on the next oil change. Allegedly the 50/50 mix will slowly clean out your engine and allow the seals to gently swell and prevent leaks,and it also won't clog your filter w/ the dislogded gunk.

I said screw it, and did it cold turkey- no problems. Not even in any of my other cars. I changed out the filter after the first 1000 miles after the change just to be safe.

akmpres

do you guys think i should just keep using the dino oil for now? I spoke to the lexus dealer, the oil that they use is shell oil, is that an ok oil? i was thinking id make the switch when I got close to 100K miles

Lex Luthor

akmpres, if your motor has over 100K miles, you may want to consider a blend. Forgot to ask you before, where in NY are you?

akmpres

what is a good blend to use?
Im on 72nd and 5th.

Intellexual

Yea, I'd also like to know which blend is good? I don't believe Mobil makes a 50/50 conventiona/synthetic blend do they?

I think I might switch to a 50/50 blend first for 3000 miles then switch to synthetic like some of you guys recommended.

Now I just need to know what oil to buy, hehe, any recommendations?

MadMaxSC400

Well, I changed my oil yesterday with Castrol Syntec and a regular Lexus filter. I think I'll buy its counterpart at the Toyota dealer, it's probably cheaper.

I'm amazed that oil can make such a big difference in the car. I can feel a significant power gain (check UZZ32's website, he's got dyno runs showing the same after changing oil to synthetic) and most importantly, the faint clicking I heard from my engine at high RPM is gone.

Important for all you folks out there who still do the 5000 mile interval at the dealer; I changed my last fill of dinosaur oil out, at 4000 miles. It was BLACK.. looked like crude oil with some extra dirt mixed in... change your oil every 3000 or less if you want your car to survive.
The best rule of thumb is that when the oil starts to get dark, change it, but I'll stick to every 3k.

jalex

I just changed my oil/filter today on '92 SC4 with Mobil Drive Clean Synth Blend and a FRAM double guard filter at 90K. I want to do the synth migration so I'm starting with a blend.

To answer a couple questions, I jacked the car up using two ramp blocks (just place them in front of your front wheels and drive up). It was enough room to maneuver under. The plastic underneath engine cover did need to be unscrewed but I was able to reach the filter by bending it back instead of taking the entire piece off. I think to take the entire piece off, you first have to take off the front cover under the radiator too.

Questions:

1. Do any of you actually replace the gasket on the drain plug as recommended? If so, do you get it from the Lexus dealer? and how much? If not, ever experience any leakage problems?

2. With the windows down, I hear a faint rapid chirping noise. Anyone know what this is?