sc400bufny

I'm going to start off by saying hello and thank you ahead of time for any help I get from you guys. I'm gonna get to the good stuff right away because it's pretty meaty. Car is a lexus sc400 94. I will happily clarify everything and anything you guys need to diagnose this car.
1. Car wont start. I took the battery out and charged it albeit not for a very long time and put it back into the car. Electrical somewhat works, the dash lights up, no check engine light (of course after replacing the battery), washer fluid light, and oil light are lit. Steering wheel adjustment motors still work suprisingly. Nothing else besides the dash, steering wheel adjustment, and salon lights work. Power seats dont move. Turning the key used to bring a clicking noise, supposedly the starter, but the battery is still VERY low on charge so I'm trying to rule out starter problems as much as possible, but when the key is turned to ignition all electrical dies immediately and wont start again.
2. Transmission was in neutral, I shifted it into park and now its stuck there. I tried to apply the brakes and put it back but it's not moving whatsoever. I dont know the cause of this.
3. I know sc400s are notorious for the power steering pump leaking onto the alternator so I checked it out. Power steering pump seems to be coated in 2cm or so of black gunk but the alternator doesnt show any signs of this. Alternator looks to be just old with weathering.

thanks again for any input you guys give me! It's my first time posting on this forum also.

vipsoarer

First and foremost, you will need a working and charged battery. If previously you were getting clicks from the starter but not actual turning the motor over you dont have much of a charge. After charging for a few minutes you now have some low power items (dash lights) working but not large power consumers (seats, starter, etc) you need to continue to charge and verify the battery is in good condition with a voltmeter. Its a big battery and will take some time. Alternatively you can pull the battery and have it tested at Autozone or someplace similar and they will even charge it for you.

If the trans wont shift, there is a button by the shifter with no markings that is by the shifter, this is the emergency shift interlock. You should be able to find more information about this in the manual. Either way, you should be able to put your foot on the brake, push the button in and shift to any of the gear selector positions. I cant remember which years have the button on the trim piece or there is a cover with what looks like a hole for a flat head screwdriver to fit in. If you have the later, put a flat head in and pry the cover out. youll see the button to push in below that. Hence the verify your owners manual. Being in park or neutral should allow the car to start, but not reverse, 4,3,2, or low gears.

For the alternator, that could be the cause of what is causing the battery to have an issue, but the problem now wont be an alternator issue until you get the car started. aka get a working battery or charge yours and test to make sure yours is still good.

good luck

sc400bufny

vipsoarer

The black gunk is not normal as it means something is leaking somewhere. Tracing where the leak is coming from will be a task but can be done by tracing what looks wet and where that stops. These cars are known to have power steering pumps that leak over time so dont be alarmed if it happens to you.

sc400bufny

sc400bufny

Update: ran down to autozone and picked up a new oil filter, mobil 1 high mileage/performance full synthetic 5w 30, and CRC MAF sensor cleaner. Car still starts up, but dies on idle so I'm planning on cleaning the MAF sensor to fix this, because FP in the car was upgraded by a previous owner and is still fresh. When running the car there's white smoke when revving, I'm going to buy a new intake gasket and head gasket set to fix this. If anyone knows what the possible cause of the smoke could be please let me know!

vipsoarer

Congrats on getting it to start. White "smoke" could be a couple of things. First is if it has sat for a while, there can be quite a bit of condensation created when it warms up. If it is cold outside it can do the same thing, both are nothing to worry about. The one to worry about is if your oil looks like chocolate milk or your coolant looks cloudy and not clear. That would indicate water and oil mixing which could be head gaskets or radiator damage.

sc400bufny

How can I check the coolant? Also I took the battery down to autozone to get it fully charged overnight and I’m going to pick it up today. I decided against cleaning the MAF with the CRC because I did some research and found out it’s a Karman Vortex sensor so using the CRC on it would destroy it. I bought some throttle cleaner and am going to clean the EGR, throttle body, and the IACV today. I checked the transmission oil and engine oil today but both seemed literally pristine. I’m starting to think this may be a transmission issue, but I will see if cleaning the EGR and the IAC tomorrow will fix the smoke..

sc400bufny

Update! Got a new battery into the car, and I couldn't be happier! All electrical works now, including sunroof, radio, windows, and even the car phone! The car can now sit in idle just fine after I kept it revving at 1k rmp for a couple minutes. Seems like the IAC and computer figured themselves out. No more white smoke either. Turns out it WAS just condensation. I even managed to drive the car around a teeny bit. My boss was very happy with me fixing the car up, because he was planning on junking it it doesn't have plates on it right now but my boss said we'll strap some dealer plates to it and take it for a proper spin as soon as we can. I'll keep everyone on here posted about any progress, but it may be a while because I caught a nasty stomach bug and was in the ER yesterday.