ctj954

iTrader: (1)

just got my 1993 sc400 and it needs a little work, had a friend look at it and he said it sounds like the valves are tapping or something, is this common on these cars, it it hard to fix, what can i do to fix it wanna make sure car is running good before i paint it and dress it up

ihiryu

iTrader: (7)

Nice post, I'm glad you've got your priorities straight.

Anyway, these motors are known for tapping, out of the three I've had they all made a clicking noise, and it seems more apparent in the left (driver side) bank.

It's cause they are hydro lifters, and they tend to do that. Shouldn't be any real harm. After all these years, i finally gotten a head job done, and the ticking went away.

v8soarer91

its the shims that need replacing.

and you might need to buy up to 32 of them at around $7-$10aud each

ctj954

iTrader: (1)

yeah its on that driver side, he said the same thing its nothing harmful but other than that the car runs great thanks for the help i'm gonna look into getting it taken care of .

ihiryu

iTrader: (7)

Yup, that's what it was, the shims. The machinist told me that the shims are sized differently and needed to be measured. And that it was a PITA lol

MMCtuner

In the service manual its explained that the tapping noise while idling and low revs it's because of the TRAC system. No shims or valves problem. Enjoy your SC

DA51

A bump-up..
When I purchased my 1992 SC400 in 2001 it had 99,000 miles, 9 yrs old and still had the original Timing belt so I took it to Lexus. They replaced the Belt and checked valve clearance. They found 3 Valve spring buckets worn on their sides and replaced them. One bucket was full of sludge.
The previous owner followed Schedule B for oil changes (7500 mi). The Valve covers had a heavy coating of Varnish, too. The Oil needs replaced sooner. I follow Schedule A (3750 mi). I keep thinking about throwing in Mystery Marvel oil before an oil change. Loosen up some sludge.