jaycee26

I have a 96 SC300 and my fuel gauge just died on me.

I need a shop repair manual for this car or some good advice to help me track down & hopefully repair this myself.

I was doing a regular highway speed and the needle just dropped off. Could this be a fuse?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

JC.

1stLexus

I doubt its a fuse if your other guages still work. If you have a multimeter, find the fuel sending unit wires where they come out the tank and so if you have an resistance or voltage there. you might have to take out the fuel pump assembly to test it. The ohm's should change as you move the float up and down.

If that is fine, make sure the wires are not shorting out on anything. then turn your attention to the guage if you have not found the problem yet.

jaycee26

Thanks for the reply ......

Unfortunately, I don't have the tools and facility to raise the back end of the car [I live in an apartment building with crappy rules] in order to remove the sender unit or any other such devices tucked away under the car ... in fact, I was under the car as much as I could fit to try locate where the wires reach the tank ... no luck. The diff/rear axle were in the way to see anything.

I guess I will have to take it to a shop and speed about $80 to potentially have a wired plugged back in!!!!!!!

Thanks again ... appreciate your response.

JC.

eericn

Hey jaycee let us know how it goes at the shop if you go. My light went out over the summer and i have not had time to get work done on that. i am also scared at whet i might find. If the gauge is broken it was like a $200+ part (it was awhole ago that i got the price it may have been more but no less). and at the rate i go thought money fixing little things on the lexus, that can wait. Yuo know those light that light up the AC and heating buttons are $14 apiece. I woul dlike to hear what you find out about your gauge.
ethan

jaycee26

Ethan, I sure will let you (and the rest of the readers) know how I get on.

I know now after checking the fuses that is cannot be a fuse ... one fuse controls quite a few gauges, and since only the fuel gauge doesn't work, it cannot be that.

Of course, without the place to work on the car, I cannot tell what it may be. I could go to our regular service shop and get them to look at it, but I think I'd prefer the Lexus techs on this one.

Strangely enough, ever since i received the car on Friday, things are starting to add up.
Fixing the drivers seat [basically just replacing a bolt holding the seat to the bracket/track] took Lexus 1.5 hours @ $80 per hour. You do the math.
Another case of lack of faciltiy and tools ... I could have saved myself $120 otherwise!!

Well ... I am going to take hte car to the shop tomorrow (Fri), so i will post on the weekend.

JC.

jaycee26

Well ... my car is now in the shop and it has been diagnosed with sending unit failure.

Btw, the shop it is at is not a Lexus facility. I took it to my local mechanic. I have had good experience with them in the past with my previous car.

The sending unit is going to cost me $184-and-change+tax. Not sure what the labor will be, but they are usually pretty quick at getting the work done.

Well ... I will reply when I get my car back. Should be sometime late tomorrow as Lexus are taking their sweet a$$ time getting the part to my mechanic, and say they can only deliver a part some time tomorrow in the morning.

Later.

eericn

thanks for the update. I hope that is the problem. Lets us know how it goes.
ethan

jaycee26

Ok ... I had the sending unit job done at my local mechanic.

I am happy that my fuel gauge works again.

Also, I received an email late yesterday from Keith@lexuspartsmall.com in response to an enquiry I placed about the cost of a sending unit for the 96 SC300 (and also the bulbs for the center console AC/Stereo).

He quoted me $94.15 for the sender and $5.97 for AC illumination bulbs (bulbs apparently not available for Stereo illumination).

I paid $109.59 for the sending unit and $75 labor (1.5 hours) plus tax.

So ... now I am just waiting for the next thing to break! I hope it doesn't happen too soon.

Jason.

PS ... I found a place selling repair manuals for a 96 SC300/400 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Expensive though! $299+$25 shipping! I am going to the place on Monday to check them out.