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How's it going Club Lexus, I'm new to the forum. I recently picked up a 1999 SC300, absolutely love the car. It's definitely a big upgrade for me coming from the Nissan S-Chassis.
How's it going Club Lexus, I'm new to the forum. I recently picked up a 1999 SC300, absolutely love the car. It's definitely a big upgrade for me coming from the Nissan S-Chassis.
Nice looking SC. That thing is low! Did you relocate your wiring harness under the driver-side fender well?
Hello, Im new to Club Lexus bought a 1998 SC300 about 8 months ago for my son. Trying to learn some things about the car and possibly may sell in the near future.
Here's my '92 sc400, 158k miles, has complete service history and all original records Current issues:
Clutches are going bad in transmission
Nakamichi stereo is distorted and cuts out
Rear end leaks a little
Power steering hose leaks
Yesterday picked up a 1992 SC400 with 129k miles in MA. The body is in great shape, except for few 'color fading patches' on hood & couple of other places. Interior is 8/10 with a 6" seam opening in driver seat. Minor issues - rear view mirror barely hanging, radio not working etc. Seller said there as a minor radiator leak. Driving home is 150 miles (live in CT). Filled 1.5 cans of 50:50 anti freeze mix, but, had to buy 4 more cans on the way with tmp needle approaching red and smoke coming out of engine bay (anti freeze is splashed all over the front - radiator area). Noticed 'timing belt done' sticker at 105k... thank God.
2.5 hour drive took 5 hours, but, finally reached home. Going to take it to my indy next Mon. For now, just enjoying the site of the car at home
Hwy guys, I'm new here I just register to this wealth on information due to having bought a 1992 sc400 as my new project, as I paid 1000$ you can bet I now have a wackload of issues with the car all fixable by me; here I start ( as a side note car was trailered as the safety had ran out)
1. idle; holy **** starts fine but then it warms off (out of the choke if you want to call it that (1000rpm)) and revs at 200-700rpm bouncing all over the place.
The previous young owner had no idea what it was and he told me it was the fuel filter being clogged. I have lots of knowledge about cars and I know its sensor related (maybe vacuum ) noting to do with fuel filter clogged with ice or condensation or whatnot but the fuel filter was 19.99CAD at crappy tire and they had one in stock so bought it anyway. Since I generally don't wrench on cars in the winter it will be replaced in the spring.
2. Heat; I have no heat in the car its winter FFS and the display is full of condensation so I cant really see what its saying or what mode I am in, nice right
3. Brakes; previous owner told me that this car was notorious for having spongy brakes and that he bled the whole system( abs included ) and am thinking he never did or did a poor job I will fix that super quick in the spring there's nothing I hate more than spongy brakes. I will replace the flex lines ( probably original)
with braided lines and check pads for wear, I know it cant be just pads wear but the fluid is at the top level line and I don't see leaks, is there a special way to bleed these things ? ( referring to GM abs block that has to be dealer bleed with a ****ing machine)
4. driver window motor; he said the motor was blown and he had a replacement that came with the car (was on back seat) so that will be tended to in the spring to as I am a smoker and always open the window. The window switch also don't work on my side as the mirror adjustment ****
5 the stock radio wont turn on nakamichi (horrible spelling don't know but start with NAK....)
6. Moon roof; its winter I am not touching that in case it wont close back up. So far unk if its working right
7 the anti theft (or anti-start) is working properly as I guess I did something wrong and wouldn't start the day I brought it so I search and reset the thing
8. Body ; is in fair shape for being 24 yo and a maritime car, some body work is required to pass safety in the spring no biggie here
so far are the obvious problems.
got question now I will be reading this forum for answers
1. I bypass the VSV still no-heat... what to check next?
2. My idle; most common problems?
3. Brakes; see above Q?
4. Do I have to drop the fuel tank to access the fuel sending unit I want to drop a walbro 255
those are my main 3 issues to fix so I can drive the car
I will put the following parts on it just so I can say it isn't stock
walbro 255, sitting in the shed so why not,
tires and rims
body work and fix the rattling can mat black
hid light coz factory sucks donkey **** ( seeing in the dark is good!!)
any info is welcomed
btw I have lots of experience with those 87-92 rx7 and vacuum and sensors, efi ...
Been lurking for a little while here since buying my 1994 SC400 with 180k just recently, but figured I'd officially join since you all have been a huge help already while getting acclimated to my new ride. I've always been a Mazda guy and more notably you can find me on the interwebs under "steelwagon6" on the Mazda6 forums, but I just recently sold my VW GTI MK6 to return to a japanese car that I can actually work on myself and have fun with too. She's a little rough around the edges, but I've spent a decent amount of work getting her street legal since buying her and plan to clean her up more over the next few months to get the kinks worked out soon. Notable features:
- Super classy, rattle-can Primer white paint
- Custom catless exhaust with high-flow Magnapacks
- Tein Coilovers so I an ride low, but still feasibly get around in Boston
- Smoked Taillights and Black Headlight housings (likely will be switching back to chrome though soon)
Things planned:
- New seats (the leather seats are great, but have big tears in them)
- Restore the window trim and B Pillar back to black (already proving to be a bit of a project...)
- Replace burnt out bulbs in Dash
- Fix the cassette player/restore interior trim
- Figure out the exterior paint situation and fix some minor body issues
So far I've done a bunch of little things like new wheels/tires, replace things like fender liners & trunk struts, fix leaks, and just plain hose the thing down since it was pretty messy when I got her, but we're making good progress. Overall runs great, loads of fun, and way more reliable than my GTI already.
How she sits currently:
Earlier photo midway through swapping the wheels it came with:
Hello everyone, I've been a long time lurker and I feel now is an appropriate time to make a post here lol.
I'm currently a freshman in college and acquired my 1994 SC400 with about 70k miles on it as a hand me down quite a while ago. No modifications besides wheels and interior is in poor shape, I have a restoration in plan for it but will take the course of several years. Someday when I get the speed up with progress, I'll start a build thread.
Currently, the SC is giving me a problem which I feel is probably the ECU, still currently diagnosing. The search bar and Google have definitely pointed me in the right direction, but so many scenarios and so many solutions that different people had. I'm trying to go as far as I can without starting another troubleshooting thread.
Can't smog because I have a Code 25 CEL, intermittent idle regardless of engine temp, driving frequency. Lately the car has been sitting in the driveway most of the time (battery connected) due to expired tags. Earlier this year, my alternator had went out (due to a previous PS pump leak) and the car sat for about a month with a dead battery and alternator. I'm thinking that the time it spent sitting discharged triggered leaking caps and it just got worse over time? Hopefully I can get her back on the road legally soon.
Hiya guys, new member to CL but I've read through a couple diff threads to do some personal research on Lexus-specific cars. Big fan of Toyota/Lexus. Last car owned was a riced out '99 Solara, but that lifestyle is behind me now. Over a month ago I finally had the chance to jump on an SC400 purchase after months of shopping around. (apparently these beautiful vehicles are somewhat of a rare model to find here).
She has been garage kept, full maintenance, 96k miles, abused/destroyed speakers & sub (last owner loved their music LOUD. Will need to replace), flawless body, and in a gorgeous Lexus 'platinum metallic' colour. Purchased for a just a tad over $6k. Only personal addition so far is the car show related bumper sticker in the side window, and a much-needed power steering flush.
Cons:
All issues are radio related. Need to fix the trunk CD player (cause unknown, might be a fuse), speaker/sub replacement, and antenna has been bent and non-retractable (see pics).
Nonetheless, drives like a dream. Mechanically perfect (knock on wood). I've wanted one for a long while now and it feels good to be behind the wheel of such a stylish and powerful ride.
Truly a pleasure to be here with you all. I'm going to have fun learning how to tame this beast, and maybe I'll get the chance to add some of my future personal findings as well. Club Lexus all the way!
To start with , we have a thread that is a compilations of different threads that is worth going through and can help you answer many of your questions.
So after lurking here on and off for years (been an sc dreamer for a while) I've decided to finally step in and say hello.
Around 6 months ago I bought a 1992 DWP SC400 for a whopping $700. Threw a fresh ignition coil on it and drove away.
Considering a build/restoration thread to document my exploits, but so far it's been fun! I actually did the LS400 brake upgrade tonight, but the guy who was supposed to pump while I bled didn't show. Anyone wanna come pump a pedal for me??
So after lurking here on and off for years (been an sc dreamer for a while) I've decided to finally step in and say hello.
Around 6 months ago I bought a 1992 DWP SC400 for a whopping $700. Threw a fresh ignition coil on it and drove away.
Considering a build/restoration thread to document my exploits, but so far it's been fun! I actually did the LS400 brake upgrade tonight, but the guy who was supposed to pump while I bled didn't show. Anyone wanna come pump a pedal for me??
Get about 3ft of clear tubing that will fit on to the bleeder valve and seal, then route the tube up (i go through the coil of the springs), then back down into a bottle that is partially full of brake fluid. Open the valve, get into your car, and bleed the brakes by yourself. When you press on the pedal you'll see the air and fluid leave the caliper into the tube, then when you release the pedal it'll suck the fluid back in while the air escapes to the top. The fluid in the bottle is to prevent even more air from getting sucked back in.
This is a picture of me testing it against my pneumatic brake bleeder. My air compressor didn't flow enough air to use the pneumatic bleeder, so I did it the way I always have.
12-09-16, 06:37 AM
What's up world!!!
Over a month ago I finally had the chance to jump on an SC400 purchase after months of shopping around. (apparently these beautiful vehicles are somewhat of a rare model to find here). 
I've wanted one for a long while now and it feels good to be behind the wheel of such a stylish and powerful ride.
