Well I guess the Lexus dealer was not joking about my Distributor leaking, how bad does this look?

 

Looks pretty bad to me and don't forget the leak is on top of the Alternator. The alternator/generator is the source for your electrical system and maintain the battery at it's optimum output.

I know you just bought this car at below KBB value,so this is the answer why it's below KBB value. I've read all your posts in here and I feel bad for you about your frustration. I recommend take the car to the trusted independent shop and fix one problem at a time or Toyota dealer.

I say fix that distributor o-ring first(the cheapest one), and don't worry about the valve cover gaskets yet. The bushings, the shocks, and some another stuffs can wait.Good luck.

 

Yeah I just bought the O ring, cap and Rotor from Advance Auto which I will be doing Tuesday, with help from the DIY on here. I'm toying with picking up a timing light as well just to make sure its good to go.

Really the only issue with the Suspension is the Strut other than that all seems to be good, I just want to change the bushing because of the mileage.

I just wish I could find a DIY for the valve cover gasket for the SC300, I found one for the LS400, but nothing for the 300.

If this is the most I'm going to have to do to a car with 170+ on it I'm happy . I mean most cars barely last 100k without any MAJOR problems, the SC has a few minor ones in comparison to others.

 

Did I ever tell you how stupid some people at the auto parts store are? So yesterday I went to Advance Auto to pick up some stuff to fix my distributor. So I bought the cap, rotor and o Ring and from the minute I walked in and talked with the guy benind the counter I had a bad feeling. I ask him for a distributor cap and rotor kit......he tells me that they dont sell them together. Well that is bull because they said it is available in store according to their website, so after informing him that he was dead wrong I finally found a different associate that had half of a brain.........or so I thought.

Well now I have my cap and rotor now I need to get the gasket. So I ask this guy for the O ring for the distributor........boy was that a mistake. The look on his face was like I just asked him the meaning of life, he had no idea what I was looking for. So after explaining what it was he still had no idea what it was. I tried calling it everything in the book and describing it 10000x different ways and the dude was oblivious, he then grabs his manager who told me that they do not sell o rings seperate. After explaining to him that it to is on their site and they do sell them he then looked in the computer and grabbed one off the shelf and said it would work.

Now onto today, I'm about to go and rip out the distributor, but something told me to double check everything. Thank God I did because the o ring was WRONG!!! WWAAAYYY to big.

Does anyone know what size O Ring the 97 SC300 takes because these guys have no idea what the hell they are doing and I really dont want to go back their without knowing the size exactly.

 

Just go to Lexus and get the right part and be done with. If I say 1.25" o-ring the guy at the auto parts still don't know and give you the wrong one. You may end up leaking more oil and the distributor o-ring only cost a few bucks.

I'd merge your thread together because it's the same topic about distributor leaks/o-ring.

 

Thank you for the info, my only issue with getting it from Lexus is all the toyota and lexus dealers around here have to order it and the only day I have off is tomorrow then I work 17 straight days , that is why I was checking local. I wonder if I should just get a kit of them, becuase it seems like getting the exact size is almost impossible. Even when i call the dealers they would not tell me the size.

 

I have that distributor o-ring sitting around for a 2jzge in case mine starts to leak. I'll measure it for you.
Looks to be a tad under 2" outer diameter.


Outside diameter


Inside diameter

 

YOU ARE THE MAN!!!! thank you very much, now just to figure out if I should get a 1 5/8 ring or a 2" one.

 

The pics may be a little bit off, but I measured it again and the results are:

Outside diameter = 2"
Inside diameter = 1.75"
Ring width = 0.125"

 

Just order it from Sewell or Pembroke Pines Lexus. You can do it all online, its under $2.00, and its OEM.

 

Wow I just had to pay $14 for the Distributor Cap gasket and The distributor o ring at the local dealer

I wish the caps that Advance Auto sells would come with the gasket but it does not