sdclique

Hey CL SC430 owners!

First off, thanks to everyone that has contributed such great information to this forum over the years. I've been lurking off an on for a while now and I've almost always found the information I was looking for within a couple searches. Hope I can contribute to the knowledge base as well. You guys rock!

So, I just recently made the drive out from Tempe, AZ to Long Beach, CA to pick up my first SC430! I couldn't be more happy, I really enjoy cruising around in the SC... it's such a nice car!

Here is a few (poor quality) cell phone pics to recap my trip and catch you guys up with my little bits of progress.

First pic as a new owner before grabbing some shrimp in LB:



Stopped by my buddies shop (who was nice enough to check her out for me before I made the drive) and said hi...



Then I took a lil drive over to Huntington Beach to watch the sunset:




Passed emissions back in AZ:




Some parts and cleaning supplies arrived:




Pulled the 6X9's and replaced them with some Alipines:





Tinted the windows and installed some Lexus logo projectors while I had the door panel off:




Next up is a good bath and wax, I haven't had a chance to clean her since the trip yet...




I pulled the emblems but seem to have a little 'micro-pitting' in the clear around the edge of where they used to be. Might take it to a body shop to see if they can buff it out, otherwise I'm gonna shoot the emblems with some 202 black and reattach. (Don't mind the dust - that's what happens when you drive through the desert, lol.)




I've already made plans for a subtle (static) bippu-inspired build. Although, I would first like to restore it back to perfect condition, or as close as possible.

I'd like to find some cheap gently used 06+ tails/uppers and harness next. Then, coil-overs and some nice wheels. I have a line out converter on the way to put a lil more bass in the back. But first back to addressing the little issues - trying to get the radio door button to operate. Hopefully it's as simple as reconnecting like I've seen in some of the other old threads. I will report back shortly!

Anyway, hope you all are having a good week, I look forward to chatting with you all in the near future!

Solman

WOW-you waste no time jumping on the modding and restoration bandwagon! Congrats! It looks great and we all know that great feeling when you first get your SC-like being in love. Enjoy and have fun. Not only is it top down fun but top up is a great coupe that doesn't feel or sound like a convertible and it is one of the most reliable cars on the planet. Now the fun begins.

IcEnPinKi

iTrader: (1)

Congrats man Glad you picked up the car finally! Have fun with it.

Harold57

Wow, you didn't waste any time getting down to business on the car (modifications & upgrades). Congratulations on your new ride and please do keep us up on your progress!

mandyfig

A welcome addition!!!

sdclique

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Happy to join the club!

By chance does anyone have a .pdf of both volumes of the factory service manual? I downloaded a .zip with a bunch of .pdfs that have most all of the electrical schematics - if anyone wants them let me know!

I am trying to fix the radio door switch but I can't locate the schematics for it in the pdfs that I have, perhaps I don't know what it is called. I tried cutting the zip tie and disconnecting and reconnecting the plug but not having any luck yet.





I can grab my mulit-meter and test for continuity... although, I'm not sure exactly sure what else I could try. If anyone has more suggestions please let me know.

This is the switch in question:


I pulled the A/C controls and it appears that the door is on the track as it should be, the LED isn't lighting up on the switch - although it has a few times in the past, however the door has never worked. I have also never heard any sounds from the motor area...

Thanks in advance!

chrisv78

When I had mine apart a couple of weeks ago when I installed the Parrott, I found reconnecting the switch connector trying at best. It is tiny and in a hard to reach even with small fingers location. It would be easy to bend a pin while reconnecting. I did cut the zip tie and that made it easier to reassemble thought. Mine needed a good cleaning to get the dark beer spilled by the previous owner on the console.

OBP

Welcome to CL, the best owners' forum anywhere. Black Onyx with Ecru ? It will look wonderful once cleaned, buffed and waxed. Admire your modding momentum so soon after you got the car. Remember to add LEDs to your mod list. Simple to do and it makes a real difference to the look.

sdclique

Thanks for the suggestions! I will give everything inside and out a nice cleaning asap!

Too funny OBP, here are a few of my recent purchases on eBay... should be here by the weekend - I will post some pics when I get them all in. I like to keep a unified light temperature all around so I think some super white LEDs will complement the HIDs nicely.

chrisv78

You might check this thread for an LED mod. It makes an amazing difference. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...r-battery.html

sdclique

Awesome chrisv78, thanks for sharing. I know the trunk takes a 194 and I'm using the same bulb in a couple other locations so I went with a pack of the 10 x 10smd 194's for now. If it's not bright enough I might follow your suggestion and get a Cree setup. I went with two of those super bright Cree leds for the back-up lights. I will report back with pics when I get them in and you guys can be the judge.

I also managed to rebuild the cup holders last night. Mine was sticking at the halfway point (it would come out of the console - but not unfold the rest of the way) so I took some pics while I fixed it. Hopefully it will help if anyone accidentally pulls the screws out that hold the spring mechanism like I did, lol.

First take the four screws off the backside of the center console.

This is where I messed up - I would FIRST just submerge the whole unit in hot water and then rinse it off a few times to get all the spilt coke/beer/grime out of it. I doubt anything would rust as most pieces are plastic, and those that move appeared to be well lubed.

But if you want to do it the hard way...

Re-close the wood trim so the cup holder is in the down position. From the backside you will find two screws that you can access through the back. This will release the wood-like trim.



If you want to release the springs you can pull the silver screws off the side - be aware it can be a bit tricky to put back in since the access area is very small. Some needle nose pliers might help to reinstall but I managed to just use my fingers.

Note: the spring needs to be wound forward past the underside of the cup holder. When you look inside you will see a small track that the end of the spring will slide in.


This is what it looks like when you pull it out. Not much to see...



The foam might even be able to be replaced or if your feeling adventurous perhaps you could make some templates and recut and reinsert your own.



I just pulled the foam out since mine was already a little torn on the inside.

Hope that helps, if you have any questions let me know and I will try my best to clarify.


I still can't get the radio door switch to work however... the LED is not lighting up, and I found out my multimeter's screen was broken last night. :-/ Does the litte green light being out indicate that the issue is at the switch? Can anyone help me troubleshoot this?

It appears that the harness goes to this box - then leads to to the motor from the harness on the right.


All points appeared to be soldered to the board securely.


Pins look good on both parts.



Should I try to get a junk yard switch piece? Is the switch just the little board or is it more likely that the fault is within the box that the button leads to (box in pic one)?

Thanks for everyone's input!

chrisv78

The green light actually a night light for the door switch. I can't remember if it is on all of the time or not. There is a good DIY on removing the radio though.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...-controls.html

You might want to take out the head unit and make sure the door is not binding and on the track. If you need a switch, I would bit the bullet and get a new one. Sewell Parts gives us a really good discount if you register as a CL member.

sdclique

Thanks chrisv78! Thankfully pulling the radio was a really similar process to removing the one in my SW20 and some of the other Toyotas I've owned in the past. I assumed the light was only for night - ie: when the headlights are on, but it was still not lighting up. I pulled the A/C control panel as shown in the first pic of the second series and operated the door manually - it seemed to slide on the tracks (two poles?) and didn't seem as if the motor had any abnormal resistance. I will pull the entire head unit and inspect closer tonight or tomorrow. The Sewell Parts discount seems to get the part (8493124030) down about a one or two dollars under most other online dealers - $82. Ouch... seems like a lot considering I am not sure that it is even the culprit.

chrisv78

you bet. You are going through a lot of the pains I did over time, but all at once. I found out that the switch was sticking (due to the aforementioned beverage) and some parts cleaner allowed it to move more freely. However, it still did not always work -- I propped the switch up with some tape to help it move a little better. After pulling the audio head, I was able to pull the switch all of the way out, and saw that it was really gummed up, so I sprayed the heck out of it. I really doubt that your switch is gone, but somehow since the circuit seems unresponsive there may be a short or something. Good luck.

sdclique

I think you are right chrisv78, I really doubt the switch is dead as well. However you said that you had to pull the head unit out to see that it was really gummed up? Are you referring to the box with the two harnesses connecting to it on top of the head unit? Is that the switch?

In my previous posts when I mentioned the switch I was referring to the small board held in my hand in the last few pics. The little black button on it seems to mechanically function as intended.

Also, I just realized I haven't checked any fuses yet. Is there one specifically for the radio door?

Thanks again!