350TPI

I have a 99 GS400 and am looking at a beautiful,meticulously maintained 92 SC400.Its been garaged kept for the last 15 years and there's not a door ding on it.The interior is like new also.Its just a gorgeous car.The problem is it has the battery drain problem that i just read about for hours after doing a search.Is there a definitive answer to this problem?I am supposed to buy it friday for $3800 but now i am about to back out.I dont want a problem that i cant fix.Thanks for any help.

- V -

iTrader: (1)

Personally id stay away from the 92 being that its the first year of production. Never heard of the battery drain issue so i cant comment on that BUT i cant tell you that if the car has been sitting in a garage for 15 years without being used, you're going to have a lot more problems with it then just the battery issue. I wont go into a lot of detail as to what happens but the basic thing is that the engine is made to be running. if its been sitting in the same position for 15 years it will have issues shortly after its running again. Your seals will probably be going bad and other stuff as well. There are plenty of good SCs in very good condition. I picked up mine about a month ago and its in wonderful condition and it has 132k miles on it. driving it for a month and i don't hear anything out of the ordinary.

Now i will tell you that im no mechanic and don't know about cars as much as other people. but when i was buying my own, i did all the research i possibly could before pulling the trigger and everyone seems to agree that buying a well maintained car with modest amount of miles is better than buying a car that has say 30k on it but has been sitting in a garage for most of its life.

Of course you should wait for other, more experienced members to reply to your post before you do anything, but i thought i would share what I've learned so far.

Good Luck

350TPI

Sorry,i didnt mean the car had been sitting up for 15 years just that it had been garaged for 15 years and thats why its still so nice.It has had all needed maintanance and runs and drives really nice.The ONLY issue is that when it has sat for a few days the battery is dead so he just puts it on a battery charger.I would rather not have to do that since it wont be my daily driver either.

LEXXIUM

iTrader: (1)

I'd jump all over that 92 model for the right price of course.
92 had the beefier rods which are great for turbo or any forced induction apps.
If the car has been sitting in one spot then you have to worry about the valve seals getting dry rotted, but if its been driven a little each year it wouldnt be bad at all.
I've been looking for another sc especially 92 models, so I can do just that. If the car runs good doesn't smoke, burn excessive ammounts of oil, and everything works like it should go for it. It would also be a great idea to take it to a Lexus or Toyota dealer(only exception) to have it inspected for about $80 smackers just to be sure.
Just my 2¢

Str8sikk

iTrader: (2)

Dude if its the original battery um just buy a new one lol. A tender isnt going to bring it back to life they dont last forever. If its less than a year old i say then it culd b afyermarket something draiing it or alternator is bad. Either way i wuld buy it, its still a cheap fix even if u took it somewhere.

350TPI

The car is like new in almost every way.All needle lights work,all displays work like they should.leather is like new,etc.The car has been driven and not put away for 15 years.The owner is older and is **** about his cars.He keeps it cleaner than i do my GS.I was just worried about the battery running down after sitting for a few days but if none of you know what i am talking about then maybe its not as big a problem as i am making it out to be.BTW,the car is $3800.

chnk

iTrader: (12)

a 92 sc doesnt compare to a 99 gs, the gs is a better car, more power better gas mileage

chingpo05

iTrader: (2)

if you plan to do any forced induction mods just stick to the straight 6 bc the v8 is a pita to work on and clearances are crazy tight. there are many possibilities for batt drain, one of which could be bc of many open circuits that drain the car even when it is not running, others could be a lack of ground to charge battt, bad contacts, bad alt, or worst of all a bad starter solenoid. i mean the worse for this particular car bc the starter is in the center of the engine and would take you around 4-8 hrs to change.

Scotty93

battery's are only supposed to last for 60 months. when was it last replaced? i would be more curious about the garage floor. stains or leaks will lead to PS or engine problems and you might want to then stay away. if its only a battery, you have a goldmine

UR2klose

iTrader: (3)

not sure if the car your looking at has the same problem but it sounds similar to what i went through with my 92 sc400. even with a brand new bat. and alt. and it was still dying. had a few different mechanics check it out and no one could tell me exactly what was wrong with it..

Joey-E

iTrader: (1)

+1

WadeLovell

iTrader: (5)

Whatever the cause, it is not a huge problem finding it if you are competent with a multimeter that can read up to a couple of amps (under $20 at Harbor Freight). With everything turned off, insert the meter inline between the + terminal of the battery and + battery cable. You will see it reading, say, .8 - .9 amps. That would be typical for something light a dome light. You are looking for a hidden light drain, high computer draw, alarm system draw, etc. Remove the fuses one at a time until you see the draw drop significantly. You have now identified the circuit involved. Delve deeper until you find the root cause. Good luck.

WadeLovell

iTrader: (5)

P.S. some issues are inexpensive to resolve and others are not. I had a battery drain on my AMG which turned out to be the electronic seat modules - $1400 to fix but, being who I am, I just wired around the circuit that was causing the problem. Two switches, $10 plus the inconvenience of reaching under the seat when we changed drivers.

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

I have to chime in.. I have a 1992, somewhat in good condition when I bought it. I knew nothing about it, but I wanted it. I paid 2k for mine. I have over 10k or more in it now. This is due to me doing everything that I have read on here that could possibly go wrong.. Needles, climate control, lcd, popping door higes, new tint, brakes, wheels, struts, mounts, etc. These are normal things. The power steering leaked three years prior to my buying it and it was done at the dealership.. over 3k in parts and labor. I have receipts for the work still along with the window sticker. The bottom line is if you think it is a nice car and you feel good about it, then buy it. Every car will have some things wrong with it. I have enjoyed the SC400 for the past five years now, and will continue it for another five years. If I ever wreck, I will by another one.. Bottom line is its your choice. Dont let no one on here steer you away in what YOU want..

Str8sikk

iTrader: (2)

I think we all know what ur talking bout. Seriously if u know anything bout cars a multi meter and sometime. Will fix it. Its a no brainer.bro buy it. Mine had same problem. I thought it was altinayer then i found wires for an amp that were under back seat. That was my problem. Gs is nice too..good luck