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.

 

I would change the transmission fluid first and go from there. If you are a girl and dont know much about cars, you should have taken it to a mechanic and pay them for a full check up before buying the car.

 

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.

 

Changing the tranny oil is just drain and refill. Unless you want the change the tranny filter then you must drop the pan.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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...

 

Is there a specific trans fluid that need to be used that I might need to get from the dealer? I know with Honda's, you need Honda fluid.

 

"Toyota T IV ATF"...

Recall being Mobil1 Synthetic ATF?

$5 + - a quart at Toyota... $9 + - at Lexus in CA (probably costs more in HI).

 

Great, thanks for the info, I need to change it soon.

 

I have a used tranny sitting in the garage.. Out of a 1993. I will do 150 plus shipping costs. If you need one,let me know. Thanks

 

I need a tranny for a 95 sc 400 ASAP!!!!!!!! ....email me at view_kid18@icloud.com