popfs56

hey, newbie here...pls be gentle =)

okay, i just bought a 93 sc400 ELEVEN days ago...little less than 60k on it so i schedule the 60k service with my mechanic for next monday...and what happens?? i was at a stop light yesterday and all of a sudden i can feel and hear the engine loose power...it didn't completely stall or anything but it freaked me out enough to make me turn back home...the car felt like it was running on half power and the engine was making the kind of noise you expect to come out of a 20 year old jalopy. when i popped the hood i noticed some smoke coming from the engine. none of the check engine lights were on and the temp guage didn't read abnormal....i checked under the car and nothing was leaking...has anyone experienced something similar to this before??? I'm sending it to the mechanic tomorrow but i'd like a heads up on what to expect...just this summer i snapped the timing belt on my accord and pretty much kissed it goodbye so you can see why im REALLY freakin out here...i have this feeling that there's a higher force at play here that doesn't want me to have a car...

THE_CEO

wow get that thing to a mechanic asap!

CEO

BLK13X

Hi there, welcome to CL!

About the problem... did anything else stop working? Things like power steering, aircon etc...? Did you get a charging malfunction warning? (Dunno if that comes up on the USDM SC's but on the Soarers they do). Did the drivebelt snap???! (serious)

Jose

popfs56

nothing else stopped working...and no warning lights went on....drivebelt? is that the same as timing belt? i was told that if the timing belt snapped, the engine wouldn't start at all. or is the drivebelt the one in front of the engine...the serpentine belt? i know that one didn't break because i JUST changed it on sunday.

dayna *(^-^)*

indypwr

welcome to the club........and sorry to hear about your problem.
lost pwr? it cud be a lot of things. can you raise the rpm w/o any problem when parked or does it choke?
2ndly, any smoke coming out of yr exhaust? if so, head gasket cud be blown.
open up your radiator cap (when engine alrdy cold) and check for oil mix with the coolant....if you find oil,
that is a sign of a blown head gasket.

ill let you know if i can think of anything else.....

BLK13X

Hrmm fair enough... my serpentine belt snapped because of the idle tensioner bearing (seized up) and the friction caused the belt to heat enough to snap... in the city peak hr traffic... very embarrassing

The only other thing I could think of (in regards to the smoking) is the radiator top tank cracking (normal for it's age)... Hope you haven't got a BHG though!

Good luck with it all.

Jose

Bryan858

iTrader: (1)

Hmm, Check out what indy said and hopefully it is just the head gasket. If its making incredibly loud knoking noise you may have spun a bearing in your lower block... I had that happen a couple times in my supra with 2 different blocks. Well ok good luck buddy... Bryan

popfs56

hey guys, thanks for all the good advise...i wish i could tell you more but right now it's in the hands of my mechanic....BUT, he hasn't had a chance to really look at it yet...that's the one thing about taking it to someone who isn't the dealership...THEY TAKE SOO LONG....i mean, he knows his cars, (he used to work at the lexus dealership) and it's WAY cheaper...but man, instead of getting it back the next day you gotta wait a week...huuhhh....im really scared that its a major problem because he hasn't been able to figure it out yet...he said he wants to rule out all possible problems before he has to gut the whole thing...

-dayna

Vitmn R

I'm a Lexus tech and work on mostly SC's and IS's.. Seeing major problems with the SC300/400 models are rare.. 99% of the major problems I see are due to extreme lack of maintance and care.. Had a 94 SC400 with 176k miles and never had the 90k service done (t-belt biggest part of 90k) T-belt was nearly ripped all the way off.. I have seen some rare problems that were major issues, but weren't horrible costly to fix.. I think you may end up in better shape then you realize if everything goes well.. Before I came to work for Lexus, I worked on Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Ford, Mazda, Lambo/Ferrari, and about everything under the sun.. Lexus is one of the longest lasting, strong, trouble free cars out there.. I know a guy who has a 92 LS400 with 500,000 miles on it.. Yes it still has the original engine, trans, diff, and much more.. Just keep up with your maintance and services and whatever it other repairs it needs. Do that and you'll have a car that will last a very long time.. Atleast its not a RX300 or ES300 and you don't have to worry about the oil slugging up on you every 50-70k miles.. My SC300 has 128k miles and I didn't even blink at the miles when I bought it.. Lexus is a brand where as long as maintance is done on time, miles dont matter..
Kevin

popfs56

I got my car back this weekend and it was just the stupid ignition coil...i have no idea what that is but my mechanic said it was no biggie....*THANK GOD*....it was kinda wierd tho, my mechanic (in all his years) has never changed an ignition coil on an SC before...but he said that the lexus dealership here was stocked up on that part so he thinks it's not such a rare problem afterall...

hey kevin....you were soo right!!! all the things you listed as a plus for lexus, those are the exact reasons why i bought one...my dad has a 1990 LS400 and it runs sooo good, WAY BETTER than a lot of cars i've driven (all 1999 and up). im hoping my car will be with meeh for a very long time...as long as i keep up with the maintenance =)

*(^-^)*