Raven01750

Let's start in the long long past. April 2019 to be exact. I saw an SC430 while looking for a car for my son. Getting up close was my downfall. Love at first site yada yada.
Roll forward to two days ago. After three years, I finally have my ML stereo working 100% and all I can say is WOW! It's a little embarrassing that it took me so long to get everything working again but what I replaced is quite normal. Mostly. I just didn't know anything about the SC430 when I started this particular journey. Just Lexus reputation. So, new owners, this is most likely what you will need to do.
1. Refoam two 6X9 door speakers.
2. Refoam the the two rear speakers and woofer.
3. Check operation of all seven speakers after.
I promise, you will restore an absolutley superior sound system. And for a lot less money. This has been stated hundreds of times. I live in San Diego, you need help, drop a line. Troubleshooting the audio system is pretty straight forward. Good luck.

Paul

whlng88

Hi,

When I start my 2001 SC, the CD player will usually buffer, pause & play, a few times before finally, about 20 seconds later, playing normally. On odd occasions, upon starting the car, it plays normally. Anyone had this issue before ? Solution ?

I consulted a car audio shop & unsurprisingly they suggested a total replacement including speakers The speakers n sound quality are still very good so am trying to salvage & minimise drastic changes.

I had run a CD cleaner disc through it a couple of times but the bufferings are still there.

Any suggestions/help would be appreciated. Many thanks

Raven01750

Oh yea baby. This is a good one. You stated you 2001 mdl year. OK. Probably an 02 but not the issue.
Have you tested all functions? Radio, CD and tape deck? You also have a setting to allow your stereo to change controls like volume, balance to compensate when the top is up or down. Is it "any" CD? The owners manual specifies that we "CANNOT" use aftermarket CD's because they are different weights and thickness than manufactured music CD's. Or is it completely random?

Paul

whlng88

Hi Paul, car was registered here in Singapore Oct 2001. Think SC was launched one year earlier in Asia.

Radio, tape deck all fine. Only CD buffers. Steering wheel volume control etc all fine.., both top up or down. Just the initial “warming up” bufferings.

I am a sticker for audio quality so all CDs are original makes. Sadly, buffering applies to all CDs.

Thanks

Caflashbob

i purchased a ultra low mile 08 a while ago. Replaced the radio head with a Pioneer and a Beat Sonic adaptor. The customizable graphic equalizer and the adjustable dynamic range expander circuitry really woke up the ML stereo. NOT a ghetto blaster still. Just optimized what was there. My experience is that if I wanted more low volume “punch” that more amp would be needed. Some punch can be dialed into the system via the graphic equalizer. I swap various EQ profiles and front to rear fading using the steering wheel controls from the beat sonic 13l. I also adjust the range expander depending on the source material.

Raven01750

Well, I'm at a loss as to what to tell you that you don't already know then. Even though I do not have access to the ML head unit schematics, we both know that buffering is a process of the buss and memory circuits. There is no way, other than the initial data load to start the play function, should you be experiencing that. And since it affects the CD only, you could have anything from a defective solder joint to partial failure of system memory. I doubt it is the buss because everything else is working. The end result is the same. Live with it or start setting money back for a newer model year head unit. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Paul

whlng88

Many thanks Paul. I did consider upgrading the entire system but because I still wish to listen to CDs, instead of modern Streamings, it derailed the plan. The width of the proposed CD player ( & amplifier plus speakers ) is too large & I would have to forego the wood panel flip cover. I love the wood cover so will have to live with the bufferings for now.

Thanks for looking into it.

Raven01750

I wouldn't upgrade the entire system either. You just need a go between to make a purchase on ebay? Get yourself a "spare" door unit just in case that one fails at the same time. But get a newer model year. Say after 2005. I forget the specific mobel numbers at the moment. I can dig it up if you are interested.

Paul

whlng88

Hi Paul, no need for spare door for now. I was able to source some other items from Japan.

SC is extremely rare here in Singapore. In my 2 years of ownership, I have seen only 2 other SCs on the road. Am very happy with my 2001 as the interior is in very good condition & it has very low mileage ( 42,000 miles ) at time of purchase. I have added 9,000 miles since.
Thanks again

lugnuts

WHLNG, with our SC's - it seems many "electrical" based issues I've read since joining in '07, pop the hood and remove the ground wire from the battery for 15-30 minutes. I've learned this from the "old timers" on this site. Example, for some reason our 04 recently won't let us open the trunk via the switch under dash nor key fob. First thing for me to do is pull the ground wire off as above. Worth a try!!

whlng88

Many thanks lugnuts. Am travelling now so will try it when home early next week. Cheers !!

Jsarv

Hi, first time and first post in the forum here as I am a new owner of an 04 SC430 as of yesterday!! I was looking into fixing the sound system in this car as someone very poorly installed an aftermarket pioneer radio. I have yet to pull it apart and really fully diagnose the issues, but so far, the right door speaker and sub does not function at all and the sound quality from the rest of the speakers is absolute garbage. I highly doubt this was how it initially sounded and I wanted to see if I can fully restore the ML sound quality that was initially there. I have replaced a stereo before in my older car, but there seems to be more work needed as far as wiring things up and using the proper amplifier to get these working again. What would be the best way to go about looking for what I need to do in order to restore it?

Thanks!

Bgw70

welcome CL…if it were me, I would leave the head unit installed and focus on the speakers since they are a common problem but usually can be fixed with minimal effort.

there are several threads on speaker repair but your best bet is to pickup the repair kit after you determine what speakers can be repaired and what speakers need to be replaced.

you will need to remove the door, backseat and backseat side panels to access the speakers. Then test each one from a known good source, like a home stereo or another known good location in the car.

speaker repair thread
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...er-access.html

speaker repair kits

https://www.simplyspeakers.com/lexus...fsk-sc430.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114168092746

OEM radios on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...radio&_sacat=0

Jsarv

Thanks for the quick reply! The speaker repair thread will be very handy when I get the chance to dive into getting a better look at these speakers. However, some of them don't work at all with the current pioneer head unit. I'm not sure how I would test each speaker once I get each individual one out of the car, what would be the best way to individually test them? What equipment do I need to plug each speaker into in order to test them?

Additional note: To me, the way the audio currently sounds, it really sounds like the aftermarket headunit was installed without the proper amplification, or there are wires crossed somewhere. Do you think that would be possible to do? What do I need to check for to confirm that the aftermarket headunit was installed properly for the audio in the car?

Raven01750

A visual inspection of the speakers and amp is your next step. Our system uses a "Pioneer" head unit with the Mark Levinson name, retractable door, Audio Controls on the steering column (which are not listed in my 2002 Lexus factory electrical manuals), the amp in the trunk, six speakers plus the sub. It also communicated with the Retractable Top ECU if I remember correctly.

"IF" you want to "restore" your system, then you need a "newer" head unit (P6846 is the last iteration I think) from ebay. "With the door", you shouldn't pay more than about $350 for a later model one in good shape. The AMP in the trunk is $200 more if it was changed out. The speakers are the question though. ML speakers are not your average impedance compared to regular off the shelf stereo's as well as the amp. They are 8 ohms instead of four. If the AMP was not changed out with the head unit to match the impedance of new speakers, then changing the speakers with aftermarket i.e. four ohm, could cause a problem with the amp. Other than that, if they are OEM, you will need to refoam them all most likely.

If they changed the whole system, (head unit, amp and speakers) then you have to play a bit of a long game on the OEM speakers because commercial four ohm stereo speakers are not the norm. New they are ridiculously expensive and no one in their right mind would pay that. Use the auction site, still not cheap but much better than new price. Get the whole set from a salvage if you can. I bet if you offered them five hundred, they would jump on it. But that's only a good deal if you get all of the speakers. If not, then it's a matter of time for you could pick them up piecemeal for a reasonable amount.

So, for easily less than $1000.00, you CAN restore your system. A lot less depending on what OEM components are still there and your patience level in waiting for the right part at the right price.

What do you get? You get a great sounding system. You get your original stereo controls on the steering column back. You get the roll up door. And you get a system that looks OLD and Dated. No backup camera, no bluetooth, etc. I personally wouldn't have it any other way... :-)


Paul