1994 sc400 trans problem
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1994 sc400 trans problem
I just bought a older Lexus SC400. When I test drove it, the car was fine. I drove it home about 4 miles and let her sit overnight. The next day when I tried to drive it and she had a very long delay from when I put her into reverse or drive. It seemed fine once she warmed up and had been shifted a few times. Today it will not engage at all. No reverse or drive. I feel her shift hard into reverse but when you rev it the wheels don't turn. When You put it in drive you feel nothing except for when all the way down to 1 and then you feel a little jolt but still no movement.
The fluid looks red but smells slighlty burnt? She is on a slope so I am having trouble getting the exact fluid level.
Please Help same the old girl!
Any info is greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance.
The fluid looks red but smells slighlty burnt? She is on a slope so I am having trouble getting the exact fluid level.
Please Help same the old girl!
Any info is greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by hawaiigo; 08-08-11 at 07:00 PM.
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Thanks for your advice. Does change the fluid mean bring it to an oil change place for a flush or drop the pan myself and change the filter and gasket. Any details will be greatly appreciated.
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Make sure its at the full level on the dipstick because a low level can prevent engagement. And also if you're having major slippage issues with a transmission its highly recommended that you DON'T change the ATF. The only thing helping your valves stick and build pressure is the thick gunk thats currently in there, putting clean fluid will just make things worse.
Sorry to say it but your sc's tranny is most likely shot.
Sorry to say it but your sc's tranny is most likely shot.
#6
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Doesn't sound good. Had the same indications and then the transmission was shot at 180,000 miles. I'm original owner or this 1992 SC400 and has received every required maintenance. Replaced transmission at $3000 at Lexus dealership.
#7
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As has been mentioned, changing transmission fluid is not going to help your problem, though ensuring you have enough is definitely a requirement... the level should be checked with the car running, and just prior to checking, run the shifter through all the gears manually, then put it back in neutral (or park) and check the level... if you are checking the level with the car off, it will read higher than it truly is...
the good news is that if there is something catastrophically wrong with the transmission, those things are a dime a dozen and a competent technician can replace one in about 4 hours, maybe less if he's done one on an SC before and has the right extensions to get to all of the bolts for the trans to engine...
It looks like there is someone selling reman'd units for $365 plus $100 shipping, including a 6 month warranty... not a bad deal at all... you could probably find a used one with a ton of miles for $250 or less if you have the time to wait...
Back to the original issue at hand here - lots of things can cause the trans to not engage like that, but none are very easy fixes... One last thing - you feel it clunk into gear, which is usually a good sign, but nothing happens - have you looked under the car for something obvious like a coupler on the driveshaft that has torn apart or a u-joint? Aside from that, it really does sound like a low fluid issue... If you can't get the exact level because its not on level ground, just add a quart of Toyota TII or TIV fluid and see what happens - at this point, you aren't going to do any more damage...
the good news is that if there is something catastrophically wrong with the transmission, those things are a dime a dozen and a competent technician can replace one in about 4 hours, maybe less if he's done one on an SC before and has the right extensions to get to all of the bolts for the trans to engine...
It looks like there is someone selling reman'd units for $365 plus $100 shipping, including a 6 month warranty... not a bad deal at all... you could probably find a used one with a ton of miles for $250 or less if you have the time to wait...
Back to the original issue at hand here - lots of things can cause the trans to not engage like that, but none are very easy fixes... One last thing - you feel it clunk into gear, which is usually a good sign, but nothing happens - have you looked under the car for something obvious like a coupler on the driveshaft that has torn apart or a u-joint? Aside from that, it really does sound like a low fluid issue... If you can't get the exact level because its not on level ground, just add a quart of Toyota TII or TIV fluid and see what happens - at this point, you aren't going to do any more damage...
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1992, 1994, atf, failure, filter, good, lexus, maintainence, mobil, replacement, reverse, sc400, schedule, transmission, video