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Even though the PDF says it's applicable to '98 LS/GS/SC models?
Yes. They all share the same wireless door lock programming routine.
I'll see what I can find as far as vacuum and cooling. I will tell you that it seems that the vacuum lines predominantly control the acid system, which is mostly under the intake.
Yes. They all share the same wireless door lock programming routine.
Oh, I thought you were saying those instructions are not applicable to our system. I see what you meant now.
I'll see what I can find as far as vacuum and cooling. I will tell you that it seems that the vacuum lines predominantly control the acid system, which is mostly under the intake.
That makes sense. The main difference I've noticed is the non-VVTi places the vacuum and coolant lines up top and mostly hides the electrical, while the VVTi places the electrical up top and mostly hides the vacuum and coolant lines. I've never been a fan of engine covers, but the aesthetics of the hose routing are a bit lacking with it removed. All those formed hoses fit together like a jigsaw puzzle to squeeze under the cover.
That intake resonator box is ridiculous, but it's central to the vacuum hose routing. I'm sure the size is tuned, but the shape looks to be whatever they were able to wrap around stuff in that space.
That back left corner (pass. side firewall) where the earlier cars had the charcoal canister intrigues me for a small vent. My '94 hood vent behind the radiator won't work because the VVTi intake & TB is right there, and it would have to be super shallow to drop into the space in front of them. A raised vent, i.e. rearward scoop, might work but probably wouldn't look right. That back corner, though... It probably wouldn't be as efficient at heat dissipation and aerodynamics, but it's one of the few spots free of any concerns about water runoff.
Something I noticed the other day, the chrome of the '97+ tail lights isn't nearly as annoying with non-chrome wheels. I still prefer the '95-96 tails, but I can tolerate the newer ones now that the wheels have been swapped for something more appropriate to the car.
I finally get a SC with nice paint, and it doesn't make it even 2 weeks before getting keyed. It's not super deep -- looks like a kid dragged a stick along the length of the fender or something -- so hopefully it'll buff out. That didn't take long to remind me of my peculiar appreciation for strong running cars with rough exteriors.
If you can't feel the scratch with your fingernail, then it should be able to polish out. I'd recommend you give this car a good detail. The DWP paint looks amazing when it is thoroughly cleaned and cared for.
Yeah, it's not deep enough to feel with the fingernail. It's more annoyance than damage. It's a 5' wavy line that goes under the side mirror and along part of the door, so there's no way someone's purse accidentally rubbed against it in a parking lot or something.
That Diamond White Pearl truly is blinding in the sun! It might be one of the few colors that outshines a DeLorean. Mazda has a Brilliant Black color. Maybe Lexus should have named DWP Brilliant White instead? Then again, that might not play well in today's political climate...
At least some of the car has been resprayed at some point. I can only see indications of it around the fender lips and front bumper area (was in some sort of frontal accident), so I'm not sure how extensive the touch up was or if it was a full re-paint. They did good work, it seems. I cleaned it up pretty good when I first brought it home and planned to wax it after another scrubbing, to preserve the nice paint as long as possible. I need to order some DWP touch up paint for a 2" long, fairly wide scratch on the pass side. Other than that, it's the closest to show-worthy I've ever had! What goes into your detailing endeavors? I'm not much of an ace when it comes to presentation stuff, so I'm sure your methods are better than mine.
BTW, I started looking into your Eternity key recommendation and will most likely be ordering one of them. MyLParts.com (CL vendor) said they can cut it to my VIN with me sending over ownership records, so no need to make a full day trip of visiting a "local" dealer. They raised the semi-concerning possibility of the ignition lock cylinder not being original to the car, in which case the VIN-cut key wouldn't match. That seems pretty unlikely to have ever happened, though, since the door and trunk locks would have been replaced, too. I'm waiting to hear back if they can compare a photo of my Master key to whatever their VIN-based cutting system stores to rule out that slim possibility.
That Diamond White Pearl truly is blinding in the sun! It might be one of the few colors that outshines a DeLorean. Mazda has a Brilliant Black color. Maybe Lexus should have named DWP Brilliant White instead? Then again, that might not play well in today's political climate...
Brilliant white is the name of a BMW color.
Originally Posted by t2d2
At least some of the car has been resprayed at some point. I can only see indications of it around the fender lips and front bumper area (was in some sort of frontal accident), so I'm not sure how extensive the touch up was or if it was a full re-paint. They did good work, it seems. I cleaned it up pretty good when I first brought it home and planned to wax it after another scrubbing, to preserve the nice paint as long as possible. I need to order some DWP touch up paint for a 2" long, fairly wide scratch on the pass side. Other than that, it's the closest to show-worthy I've ever had! What goes into your detailing endeavors? I'm not much of an ace when it comes to presentation stuff, so I'm sure your methods are better than mine.
My detailing process is a bit more extreme than the average person since it is a hobby of mine.
The process basically goes something like the list below, but everyone has their own preferences.
1. clean rims, and tires
2. Spray down the entire car to loosen any dirt and debris
3. Wash the car from the roof down (save the lower panels for last since they're usually the dirtiest.
4. clay the car
5. wash the car again
6. look for areas that would require compounding
7. polish the car
8. IPA wipe down to remove an oil and residue on the paint to provide the best possible bond
9. apply a nice wax/sealant/coating to the paint
10. touch up and detail work (tire dressing, window smudges...)
If you really want to learn, then I would recommend heading into the detailing section of this forum. Zach, one of the moderators, does a great job of doing detailed write ups explaining the basics. An example of his write up: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...ml#post9518897
Originally Posted by t2d2
BTW, I started looking into your Eternity key recommendation and will most likely be ordering one of them. MyLParts.com (CL vendor) said they can cut it to my VIN with me sending over ownership records, so no need to make a full day trip of visiting a "local" dealer. They raised the semi-concerning possibility of the ignition lock cylinder not being original to the car, in which case the VIN-cut key wouldn't match. That seems pretty unlikely to have ever happened, though, since the door and trunk locks would have been replaced, too. I'm waiting to hear back if they can compare a photo of my Master key to whatever their VIN-based cutting system stores to rule out that slim possibility.
I've heard of shops cutting keys based off of a photo of a key before, so hopefully they'll be willing to compare it for you.
Thanks for the detailed detailing tips. Everyone seems to recommend the clay bar. I really need to give that a try. Edit: Mostly, I hate cleaning, though. And with all the trees overhead, nothing stays clean for more than a few minutes, so it always seems like wasted effort. One good push before getting it waxed would be worthwhile, however.
Originally Posted by Blkexcoupe
Brilliant white is the name of a BMW color.
Why am I not surprised?
I've heard of shops cutting keys based off of a photo of a key before, so hopefully they'll be willing to compare it for you.
Yep, that's exactly what I mentioned to them in hopes of there being an option to visually compare. I don't know if those cut-by-photo setups do a comparison, though. They're scanning a template in, basically, and getting a finished product back. So, there's no guarantee that the dealer VIN-cutting method shows them ahead of time what the finished product will look like. It would make sense that it does, but there's not really a logical connection between the two methods.
Thanks for the detailed detailing tips. Everyone seems to recommend the clay bar. I really need to give that a try. Edit: Mostly, I hate cleaning, though. And with all the trees overhead, nothing stays clean for more than a few minutes, so it always seems like wasted effort. One good push before getting it waxed would be worthwhile, however.
A clay bar is a great detailing tool, especially if your car has never been clayed before. It is amazing how much contamination can be removed from your paint.
This is an example of what a clay bar can do, the entire bumper was black after a car wash. This was from years of running a straight pipe exhaust.
I hear that comment about detailing the car being a wasted effort since it gets dirty again so quickly, but the most satisfaction will come from the next time you wash the car. The car will be a lot easier to clean if everything is properly protected. Dirt should wipe off effortlessly with minimal scrubbing and the water can just be blown off.
Something that most people never consider is that oem quality paint is one of the more expensive things on every car. OEM quality paint cost thousands to replace regardless of what car it is, so why wouldn't you put in some effort to maintain it every 6 months or at least once a year?
This is an example of what a clay bar can do, the entire bumper was black after a car wash. This was from years of running a straight pipe exhaust.
That's definitely impressive. A clay bar in my hands might get it halfway there, which is still quite impressive.
I hear that comment about detailing the car being a wasted effort since it gets dirty again so quickly, but the most satisfaction will come from the next time you wash the car. The car will be a lot easier to clean if everything is properly protected. Dirt should wipe off effortlessly with minimal scrubbing and the water can just be blown off.
Oh, I agree, it's just that: a) I hate cleaning more than pretty much anything in the world, and not just cars, and b) everyone says that about it getting dirty again right away, but few people have our relentless combination of high pollen levels and pine sap mist. I'm not exaggerating when I say the car will only be clean for minutes. This is the first light colored car I've ever owned, and boy does it show dirt.
Something that most people never consider is that oem quality paint is one of the more expensive things on every car. OEM quality paint cost thousands to replace regardless of what car it is, so why wouldn't you put in some effort to maintain it every 6 months or at least once a year?
For sure. I plan to protect the paint as best I can, but keeping the protected layer spotless isn't likely going to happen. Just gotta get it as clean as possible before protecting it.
I found this little surprise today while taking off the door panels and window trims to swap in my LS400 inner handles and brace up the back sides of everything for longevity:
I'm guessing the driver's mirror got smashed at some point and they couldn't find a dimming one, so they put in an earlier mirror and hacked up the wiring to work. Now I know why the driver's side mirror doesn't seem to auto-dim with the others!
Of course I would have a spare auto-dimming passenger mirror in white...
No, my tweeter isn't missing. The passenger door Nakamichi had a partially torn surround, so I swapped in my custom 5.25" 2-way enclosure and did an A/B comparison. The Nak definitely has clearer, brighter highs, but the 5.25" Infiniti easily trumps it in the mid-range. (It's also 1 lb 6 oz lighter per door.) So, I swapped out the driver's side, too. I'll probably have to also swap the rear speakers with my pod-less 6.5" setup to balance the tonal quality.
I found this little surprise today while taking off the door panels and window trims to swap in my LS400 inner handles and brace up the back sides of everything for longevity:
I'm guessing the driver's mirror got smashed at some point and they couldn't find a dimming one, so they put in an earlier mirror and hacked up the wiring to work. Now I know why the driver's side mirror doesn't seem to auto-dim with the others!
Of course I would have a spare auto-dimming passenger mirror in white...
No, my tweeter isn't missing. The passenger door Nakamichi had a partially torn surround, so I swapped in my custom 5.25" 2-way enclosure and did an A/B comparison. The Nak definitely has clearer, brighter highs, but the 5.25" Infiniti easily trumps it in the mid-range. (It's also 1 lb 6 oz lighter per door.) So, I swapped out the driver's side, too. I'll probably have to also swap the rear speakers with my pod-less 6.5" setup to balance the tonal quality.
I wish all I needed was a mirror :-P
I found out today I need a new RH exhaust manifold and front exhaust pipe...oh the fun in finding those 2 items for less than a small fortune...
I found out today I need a new RH exhaust manifold and front exhaust pipe...oh the fun in finding those 2 items for less than a small fortune...
Sounds like a great excuse for new headers!
I was thinking today, only 2,418 '98-00 SC400s were produced. Being a 16+ year old car, I imagine 20-25% of them are no longer on the road. That means there's only about 2,000 of them out there. At least the ~500 of them that met an early demise offer themselves up for parts, such as your shell, but it's a pretty limited pool of parts to draw from. Good thing we've got the GS400 and LS400 for some parts compatibility.
I received some maintenance parts from Rock Auto today. Nothing immediately needed, but might as well stock up on a few things on clearance. The Fel-pro #61281 TB gasket's box said it's for '98-03 2UZ 4.7L engines, so I searched to double check it's the right one. (It seems to be.) While doing so, I ran across this page:
That's by far the best non-VVTi vs VVTi comparison I've seen yet. It's specific to the LS400, but I didn't see anything that doesn't look applicable to the SC400. I particularly liked the breakdown of what all the throttle control motor does, replacing the functionality of the IACV, TRAC butterfly, and CC actuator of old. Drive-by-wire makes a lot more sense in that light.
It reads like a technical sheet from Toyota, rather than someone's summary. Good stuff, whatever the source. Edit: Actually, it says Lextreme down at the very bottom.
07-23-16, 08:30 AM
It's not super deep -- looks like a kid dragged a stick along the length of the fender or something -- so hopefully it'll buff out. That didn't take long to remind me of my peculiar appreciation for strong running cars with rough exteriors.
Mazda has a Brilliant Black color. Maybe Lexus should have named DWP Brilliant White instead? Then again, that might not play well in today's political climate...
