scblackout

iTrader: (2)

A few maintenance questions:
1. I have 3 cell codes p0171, p030, p050 and after doing a lot of reading here, i know it's running lean with a few o2 sensor codes. Suggestions seem to start with cleaning the maf, however there is one maf that everyone says don't clean. I have a 96 and here is a pic of my maf.


Is this maf the type that is safe to clean with maf spray?

2. Found my first oil leak today, directly underneath the distributor. Seems to be a known problem?
Here is where I found the oil leak, though it's not much.


That is a little metal plate right below the distrubutor where you can see some oil.

Does this repair require a whole new distributor, or just an o ring, and how do I tell?

3. Front wheels for the car came with some bad curb rash, but being rota's and large enough to work with the supra tt brakes, I would like to keep them, but make them look a bit better.

Not even sure if wheels can be repaired like this, any idea?
Worst 'gash' is about 1/4 in deep and about 20" long.

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

92-95 SC's have what they call a "karman vortex Air Meter". You have a 96+, so you have a Hotwire type AFM/MAF so just shoot it with the MAF cleaner and let it dry. You should be golden. Another upside to 96+ on the SC's, they became OBDII 96 and up.

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

This. However the only real way to tell is to replace the o-rings and see if the leak persists. If it does, then the distributor itself is cracked and a replacement is necessary. I had a crack in my distributor so I had to replace the entire unit

Just like GSXMike says, you want to make sure the distributor is in the exact same position upon replacing it. You don't necessarily need to put the motor to TDC first, but you do need to ensure in some way that both the engine, and the distributor rotors are in the exact same spot upon replacement as they were before the distro was removed.

I simply attached a long breaker bar to the crank pulley and turned it until the bar was against the ground so I knew the engine wasn't moving, then I set a leveler on the rotor to measure the angle and took pictures. of the angle, then when I put the new distributor in (took 3 tries), I compared its position to the position of the old distributor by using a leveler on the rotor to ensure it was in the same spot.

Now, all of that being said, you could probably eyeball it if you're careful, as it's not that difficult to align the new distributor with the old distributor as the teeth mean there is a significant change in alignment if you're one tooth off. But we're all being so serious about it here on the thread because if yo get it wrong and hook it up incorrectly, you're timing will be off, and to get it reset you'll need a timing light, and most likely a trained professional to reset the engine timing which could cost a lot of money, not to mention time without your car. And with those kind of stakes on the table it really doesn't hurt to use a bit of over-kill and ensure that you're timing is in the exact same place once you're done.

But don't let that intimidate you, ^^the above was the first time I had ever touched a distributor or messed with timing and I did fine. It's really intuitive and obvious once you start working on it, but if you feel uncomfortable, theres no shame in having a friend there to help you.

scblackout

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the warnings. I plan on attacking the distributor, plugs, wires, etc this weekend. I'll follow the advice here and also hunt out a few videos to watch beforehand.