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Common but nuanced SC/old Lexus issues for new owners
Little thread sharing some of the things I've learned in my 2 years of ownership with a '98 SC300!
Hopefully something like this can help someone looking for answers, because as reliable as these are, they do show their age in some odd & even stifling ways.
First & biggest thing that I have seen go bad with these if you're buying a used one is the ECUs. It's both a blessing & a curse to know that the ECU can cause a lot of issues on these, because on one hand, you can reliably refer to the ECU if you're finding issues that don't make sense, but on the other, ECU issues can be pricey to deal with. Make sure if you're looking to buy one but see that it maybe has a check engine light or seemingly random issues, that it's not the ECU being a piece of junk! I had an intermittent P0121 code when I bought the car, & the throttle would die at seemingly random intervals. The issue ended up being the ECU & the actual harness. The capacitors on the motherboard of the ECU have a nasty tendency to burst & pretty much explode all over which can cause random issues.
Next & very specifically, if you have issues with the power steering system on ANY of these older Lexus', check the power steering air control valve. The part number is 17630-16040 & these have little rubber gaskets inside of them that, when they get old & brittle, start to let power steering fluid through & into the intake. It can cause white smoke on startup & even on acceleration in more severe cases. If you see white smoke coming from the tailpipes, don't panic. The symptoms I experienced facing this issue were excessive loss of power steering fluid without any obvious leaks, & white smoke on startup -- eventually on acceleration.
The door cards on either door are also quite normally not in great condition. I blame this both on their design AND people's lack of care when disassembling this car. Make sure you take just a little time to look up things you don't know before you break something in these, because it gets expensive & annoying to deal with crappy interior stuff in this car on top of other things.
Other than that, the only issues I currently face with this vehicle are due to it's age & previous owners' lack of maintenance. I daily it & even installed the original head unit
Nice that you shared your 2 years so far experiences but there is a lot to discover and this site has very extensive information to educate and inform the members of this community.
The picture of your car depicts an older style front bumper cover than a ‘98 should have. Did you purchase this as is?
Nice that you shared your 2 years so far experiences but there is a lot to discover and this site has very extensive information to educate and inform the members of this community.
The picture of your car depicts an older style front bumper cover than a ‘98 should have. Did you purchase this as is?
I actually bought it with a '98 spec front bumper, however it had been resprayed God knows how many times & the paint was SUPER thick but chipping all over.. it looked like my car had acne 😭
So I bought that front bumper for $100 & sold the old one. My original idea was to keep this car completely original & just restore it but I think it might be nice to eventually get a nice paint job, some new wheels, & a nicer more modern front bumper.
I know there's no shortage of info but when I was specifically looking up P0124 & the like, I couldn't find anything, & when I had issues with the power steering system I didn't find out about that vacuum control valve until I actually typed up a thread & took a video, so I figured maybe if someone has the same problem as me they can find this & know exactly what to check for
Common issues with older Lexus or SC models include suspension wear, leaking power steering systems, and aging electronics. Regular maintenance and inspections can help avoid major repairs.
Common but nuanced SC/old Lexus issues for new owners
