So I know this thread is from a while back, but the jumping worked on my 2003 sc430 for about 2 days then both lights along with my CEL came on and the jumping is not working anymore. Any ideas what's wrong?

 

So the lights are an indication something is wrong with your car. The Check Engine Light (CEL) is the main indicator. The VSC light come on anytime your CEL light comes on to make it more obvious there is a problem.

This paperclip trick only fixes a problem that is present after scanning your car for Error Codes.

If the Check Engine Light is on, you will have to go to an auto part store and ask them to read your codes. They usually will do it for free. They will also tell you the most common problem that causes that code, but you can always come back here and double check if that code is common on the SC430

 

When the CEL (Check Engine Light) turns on, the VSC lights will turn on eventually, you will have to erase the fault code via a Scanner. If the VSC lights turn on by themselves, use the VSC Light re-set tool (or a scanner can clear it too) as clearly mentioned above.

 

So initially I had done a inspection test and afterwards the VSC and vsc off lights came on, after reading this thread I did the jump and they turned off for a couple of days then both came back on along with the CEL light that was not on before. I will take the car by a auto parts shop and see if they can tell me what the code is. When I tried jumping it again none of the lights went away so it might be something more. I'll let u guys know when I find out.

 

So I went to the auto parts store yesterday and had a scan done. Code C1201 (engine control system malfunction) plus several p codes (evaporative emissions system faults showed up. In the 17 years I have had this car I have never had the CEL or the VSC lights ever come on so it can't just be a coincidence that they came on right after an inspection scan. Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

 

I would try a hard reset, unhook the battery, wait a minute or 2 and then hook up again. Good luck.

 

you didn’t tell us the p codes but they might be related to broken vacuum lines...

look at this thread...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...d-p0446-2.html

 

The P codes are P0441, P0442, P0446

 

Yup Evaporative Vacuum Line issues...fighting a P0442 now on my RX330. It comes back every 50 miles...

 

When my son's 2005 SC had the VSC/VSC Light Off light came on we tired the paper clip reset and it did not work so he took it to the dealership and it turned out that a vacuum line had came off. Plugged it back in and the lights went out. Check for a line off under the hood.

Dennis

 

Read the post BGW listed. It is a very common problem. Make sure you replace all the hoses or else you will be getting a code every week (As you replace each bad hose with a good hose, it puts more pressure on the old hoses causing them to crack)

ONCE YOU FIX THE PROBLEM AND CLEAR THE VSC LIGHT, you can use the paper clip problem. The paperclip only fixes one problem. It fixes the error code you get after you clear the other codes with an OBDii scanner. (You even get the error code when you use Toyota's proprietary software (Techstream) to clear the code)

As far as the non P code you got, I am slightly worried. It is possible you messed up your car's computer by jumpering the wrong pins. A couple of those pins have voltage running through them. If you jumped one of those pins to one of the computer pins, you could have friend your computer. Hopefully disconnecting your battery and resetting all the car's computer will solve the problem, but it is a lesson why there is arisk to the paperclip method if you are not paying attention.

 

If it is a hose that has come loose, be sure to check out your motor mounts. When the mounts go bad, the engine will shake more and will shake the hoses loose (a known problem). If you feel vibration (more than what should be normal) when you're sitting there at idle, most likely you need to replace your engine and transmission mounts.

As Daryl alluded to, there are better ways to clear the errors other than a paper clip. I'll spare you a lot of the background reading on this but here are two posts that will help: one a "VSC light off tool" and the other an adapter to add to the Techstream to prevent it from causing the error light.

Post # 4
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...c430-help.html

Post # 62
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...2-0-4-a-5.html

 

Thanks for this post Harold, I must have missed it when it came out the first time. What a great idea.

 

I wonder if I could buy one of these and then open up the head and disconnect the wire, instead of making my own with the pin disconnected

 

Yes, you can do that, sort of. IIRC, there is no wire, just a pc board. But if you'll go back a bit in that thread, you'll find Retroplay's suggestion of removing a resistor in that connector. I didn't want to make changes to the unit in case I needed to use it for an application where the CAN bus was required, so that's why I made the adapter. But you can go in and remove the resistor that Retroplay suggested and accomplish the same thing. It will just be a bit more work to restore it.

I believe that it was posts 38, 39 & 54.https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...2-0-4-a-3.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...2-0-4-a-4.html

Oh and also, the way I made the adapter, it can be used to reset the lights also by tying a couple of wires together or putting a switch on it to short those two pins. (I opted for twisting wires together since I didn't have a switch ready at the time of the build.) Then again, if you're only going to build it for the reset capabilities, just build the one that BGW posted, it's much easier and better suited for a reset tool.