SC430 Top problems
Pole Position
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 3,047
Likes: 626
From: AZ
This is the post by talwang (not you Bob) in the original thread that confused things... No worries though. As long as he gets his topped fixed
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 20
Likes: 2
From: CA
Hey guys, my apologies for the long delay on what happened with my top issue…
The great news is it is now all fixed and working like it always had since I bought it! 
So here is the semi detailed account of what it was that was causing the problem to begin with.
The silly part is the reason it stopped working is because of a small piece of tape I'd put on a pin to stop a clunky sound, and the tape had come off & gotten stuck against one of the switches! Go figure!I got that tip from here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...l#post10074626
Clunk sound fix:
“What fixed it for me was something i saw on here a long time ago, there is these two rubber covered "sticks" one on each side that enters these two holes the the top is closing. The two "sticks" stick out like sore thumbs out of the roof and on my car the rubber on the sticks was completely worn out which caused the clunking on slopes and driveways. You can simply tape it with really thin felt tape or some kind of other tape to replace the worn rubber. Hope this helps, it sure did for me”
And yep it definitely stopped the clunk, but then when the tape came off, well no more top up/down for me.
Guess I'll have to figure out where to get a replacement pin (anyone know where to start looking for that?) for the passenger side or try another piece of tape & know what the consequences could be if it were to come off again.
Another cool thing though is that my mechanic just purchased a killer scanner that covers all of the code IDs for Lexus as well as most any other modern car which is how he figured out what the issue was, as it turns out the dealer had given me the wrong codes to begin with (hopefully by mistake!) and once my tech figured that out he then pretty quickly figured out what the real problem was.
So now I only have one more issue which is finding a replacement power steering pressure hose as I have small leak and don't want it to get any worse, so yet one more search and rescue mission and I should be golden after that!!!
Whew! What a journey, can't wait for a nice non-stormy day to put the top down and take a long ride, oh yeah!!!!
Big thanks again to everyone here for all of the great suggestions and tips and tricks, loving this place lots!
So here is the semi detailed account of what it was that was causing the problem to begin with.
The silly part is the reason it stopped working is because of a small piece of tape I'd put on a pin to stop a clunky sound, and the tape had come off & gotten stuck against one of the switches! Go figure!I got that tip from here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...l#post10074626
Clunk sound fix:
“What fixed it for me was something i saw on here a long time ago, there is these two rubber covered "sticks" one on each side that enters these two holes the the top is closing. The two "sticks" stick out like sore thumbs out of the roof and on my car the rubber on the sticks was completely worn out which caused the clunking on slopes and driveways. You can simply tape it with really thin felt tape or some kind of other tape to replace the worn rubber. Hope this helps, it sure did for me”
And yep it definitely stopped the clunk, but then when the tape came off, well no more top up/down for me.
Guess I'll have to figure out where to get a replacement pin (anyone know where to start looking for that?) for the passenger side or try another piece of tape & know what the consequences could be if it were to come off again.
Another cool thing though is that my mechanic just purchased a killer scanner that covers all of the code IDs for Lexus as well as most any other modern car which is how he figured out what the issue was, as it turns out the dealer had given me the wrong codes to begin with (hopefully by mistake!) and once my tech figured that out he then pretty quickly figured out what the real problem was.
So now I only have one more issue which is finding a replacement power steering pressure hose as I have small leak and don't want it to get any worse, so yet one more search and rescue mission and I should be golden after that!!!
Whew! What a journey, can't wait for a nice non-stormy day to put the top down and take a long ride, oh yeah!!!!
Big thanks again to everyone here for all of the great suggestions and tips and tricks, loving this place lots!
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 20
Likes: 2
From: CA
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,213
Likes: 949
From: Fl
Hey guys, my apologies for the long delay on what happened with my top issue…
The great news is it is now all fixed and working like it always had since I bought it!
So here is the semi detailed account of what it was that was causing the problem to begin with.
The silly part is the reason it stopped working is because of a small piece of tape I'd put on a pin to stop a clunky sound, and the tape had come off & gotten stuck against one of the switches! Go figure!I got that tip from here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...l#post10074626
Clunk sound fix:
“What fixed it for me was something i saw on here a long time ago, there is these two rubber covered "sticks" one on each side that enters these two holes the the top is closing. The two "sticks" stick out like sore thumbs out of the roof and on my car the rubber on the sticks was completely worn out which caused the clunking on slopes and driveways. You can simply tape it with really thin felt tape or some kind of other tape to replace the worn rubber. Hope this helps, it sure did for me”
And yep it definitely stopped the clunk, but then when the tape came off, well no more top up/down for me.
Guess I'll have to figure out where to get a replacement pin (anyone know where to start looking for that?) for the passenger side or try another piece of tape & know what the consequences could be if it were to come off again.
Another cool thing though is that my mechanic just purchased a killer scanner that covers all of the code IDs for Lexus as well as most any other modern car which is how he figured out what the issue was, as it turns out the dealer had given me the wrong codes to begin with (hopefully by mistake!) and once my tech figured that out he then pretty quickly figured out what the real problem was.
So now I only have one more issue which is finding a replacement power steering pressure hose as I have small leak and don't want it to get any worse, so yet one more search and rescue mission and I should be golden after that!!!
Whew! What a journey, can't wait for a nice non-stormy day to put the top down and take a long ride, oh yeah!!!!
Big thanks again to everyone here for all of the great suggestions and tips and tricks, loving this place lots!
So here is the semi detailed account of what it was that was causing the problem to begin with.
The silly part is the reason it stopped working is because of a small piece of tape I'd put on a pin to stop a clunky sound, and the tape had come off & gotten stuck against one of the switches! Go figure!I got that tip from here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...l#post10074626
Clunk sound fix:
“What fixed it for me was something i saw on here a long time ago, there is these two rubber covered "sticks" one on each side that enters these two holes the the top is closing. The two "sticks" stick out like sore thumbs out of the roof and on my car the rubber on the sticks was completely worn out which caused the clunking on slopes and driveways. You can simply tape it with really thin felt tape or some kind of other tape to replace the worn rubber. Hope this helps, it sure did for me”
And yep it definitely stopped the clunk, but then when the tape came off, well no more top up/down for me.
Guess I'll have to figure out where to get a replacement pin (anyone know where to start looking for that?) for the passenger side or try another piece of tape & know what the consequences could be if it were to come off again.
Another cool thing though is that my mechanic just purchased a killer scanner that covers all of the code IDs for Lexus as well as most any other modern car which is how he figured out what the issue was, as it turns out the dealer had given me the wrong codes to begin with (hopefully by mistake!) and once my tech figured that out he then pretty quickly figured out what the real problem was.
So now I only have one more issue which is finding a replacement power steering pressure hose as I have small leak and don't want it to get any worse, so yet one more search and rescue mission and I should be golden after that!!!
Whew! What a journey, can't wait for a nice non-stormy day to put the top down and take a long ride, oh yeah!!!!
Big thanks again to everyone here for all of the great suggestions and tips and tricks, loving this place lots!
if it were me, I would consider one of these PS hoses...of course I would also compare to OEM.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...sure+hose,7320
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 20
Likes: 2
From: CA
if it were me, I would consider one of these PS hoses...of course I would also compare to OEM.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...sure+hose,7320
Pit Crew
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 188
Likes: 67
From: wa
My top had a similar symptom, the package rack/shelf behind the back seat wouldn't open and the top would stop 1/2 way through the process. The problem with mine was a motor that drives the package shelf. Mine was worse though, because it was intermittent but fortunately, I had persistent mechanics at an Indy type shop that finally found it. (I described it in a previous thread.)
Best of luck in your pursuit, keep us apprised.
Best of luck in your pursuit, keep us apprised.
I just test-drove a 2004 SC this morning and had a similar problem as above. The roof opened up just fine, but when closing the roof after the test-drive the trunk lid opened fully but the package shelf only flipped up about halfway (~45 deg angle, not close to the normal 90 deg) and the process stopped. Luckily this happened after my test-drive and not during when rainclouds were threatening.
So I pushed the Open button to put it back into full-open mode, pressed the Close button and the same thing happened. Told the salesman (this is a local dealer w/ mostly nicer, higher-end used cars) what was going on and after a few minutes of trying the only way to close the roof was to press/hold the Close button a second time after it stopped with the half-open package shelf. Many years ago my partner at the time had a 2006 SC and we never experienced any roof problems whatsoever.
While I research the other threads mentioned in this one, has anyone experienced this type of roof issue before? This SC was in very good shape overall, had lower-than-avg miles, had the color combo I like (black/black) and seemed like a fair price for the most part - except for this roof concern. But the thought of having a potential $5K+ repair bill coming soon doesn't appeal to me...
I have a 2006 RX400h that I've had since 2009 and it's been a great car - basically just routine maintenance. So that's why I looking for a good used SC as a second car to enjoy the summer weekends...
Lead Lap
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 416
From: Texas
Is the dealer open to a sale that is contingent upon their fixing the top first?
My situation was kind of the opposite, mine would fail on opening, so at least it wouldn't leave me in a bad situation (top down and threatening rain).
My situation was kind of the opposite, mine would fail on opening, so at least it wouldn't leave me in a bad situation (top down and threatening rain).
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,213
Likes: 949
From: Fl
(long time member, first time poster)
I just test-drove a 2004 SC this morning and had a similar problem as above. The roof opened up just fine, but when closing the roof after the test-drive the trunk lid opened fully but the package shelf only flipped up about halfway (~45 deg angle, not close to the normal 90 deg) and the process stopped. Luckily this happened after my test-drive and not during when rainclouds were threatening.
So I pushed the Open button to put it back into full-open mode, pressed the Close button and the same thing happened. Told the salesman (this is a local dealer w/ mostly nicer, higher-end used cars) what was going on and after a few minutes of trying the only way to close the roof was to press/hold the Close button a second time after it stopped with the half-open package shelf. Many years ago my partner at the time had a 2006 SC and we never experienced any roof problems whatsoever.
While I research the other threads mentioned in this one, has anyone experienced this type of roof issue before? This SC was in very good shape overall, had lower-than-avg miles, had the color combo I like (black/black) and seemed like a fair price for the most part - except for this roof concern. But the thought of having a potential $5K+ repair bill coming soon doesn't appeal to me...
I have a 2006 RX400h that I've had since 2009 and it's been a great car - basically just routine maintenance. So that's why I looking for a good used SC as a second car to enjoy the summer weekends...
I just test-drove a 2004 SC this morning and had a similar problem as above. The roof opened up just fine, but when closing the roof after the test-drive the trunk lid opened fully but the package shelf only flipped up about halfway (~45 deg angle, not close to the normal 90 deg) and the process stopped. Luckily this happened after my test-drive and not during when rainclouds were threatening.
So I pushed the Open button to put it back into full-open mode, pressed the Close button and the same thing happened. Told the salesman (this is a local dealer w/ mostly nicer, higher-end used cars) what was going on and after a few minutes of trying the only way to close the roof was to press/hold the Close button a second time after it stopped with the half-open package shelf. Many years ago my partner at the time had a 2006 SC and we never experienced any roof problems whatsoever.
While I research the other threads mentioned in this one, has anyone experienced this type of roof issue before? This SC was in very good shape overall, had lower-than-avg miles, had the color combo I like (black/black) and seemed like a fair price for the most part - except for this roof concern. But the thought of having a potential $5K+ repair bill coming soon doesn't appeal to me...
I have a 2006 RX400h that I've had since 2009 and it's been a great car - basically just routine maintenance. So that's why I looking for a good used SC as a second car to enjoy the summer weekends...
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,135
Likes: 276
From: CA - San Diego
There wasn’t something clear to me in explanation. To open or close the top the button must be pressed and held down during the entire cycle (unless you have a Luxlink installed). Or am I misunderstanding?
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,213
Likes: 949
From: Fl
“So I pushed the Open button to put it back into full-open mode, pressed the Close button and the same thing happened. Told the salesman (this is a local dealer w/ mostly nicer, higher-end used cars) what was going on and after a few minutes of trying the only way to close the roof was to press/hold the Close button a second time after it stopped with the half-open package shelf. Many years ago my partner at the time had a 2006 SC and we never experienced any roof problems whatsoever.”
Pit Crew
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 188
Likes: 67
From: wa
^^ sorry for not being a bit more clear. Yes, I pressed and held the button, just like we did with the 2006 many years ago. I'm not sure this dealership (non-Lexus) has a code reader but I'll call first thing tomorrow and ask (thanks for the suggestion!). I did read thru a few other threads about roof issues so am getting up to speed as quick as I can.
I downloaded the PDF someone else posted that shows all the error codes (B2501 thru B2554) so will hopefully be ready if the dealership does have the proper code reader...
Thanks to everyone w/ the quick responses!
I downloaded the PDF someone else posted that shows all the error codes (B2501 thru B2554) so will hopefully be ready if the dealership does have the proper code reader...
Thanks to everyone w/ the quick responses!
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,135
Likes: 276
From: CA - San Diego
Thanks for the clarification. Roof problem(s) can be tricky and potentially expensive depending on where the problem is. Or, like in this thread, caused by a reasonable action with a completely unintended consequence. The package shelf problem will be the motor, or a switch stopping the shelf before it reaches 90 degrees. The only way to really tell is with the DTCs. As you can see from the list they are extensive. They are also not stored codes, but active ones, meaning the code reader must be hooked up to the OBDII port when the failure occurs.
The other thing that I don’t understand, the dealer hasn’t run the top up and down before your test drive?
The other thing that I don’t understand, the dealer hasn’t run the top up and down before your test drive?
Last edited by VVTiBob; Mar 24, 2018 at 07:28 PM.
Pit Crew
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 188
Likes: 67
From: wa
But, the test drive was good, drove and handled very well. The other few items I noticed not working were the drivers side seat memories (passenger side worked), one fog light was out (easy fix), and some tiny paint imperfections (though acceptable for age of paint). Also one of the ML speakers appeared blown, which I would not have thought to check if not for this forum...so glad I'm doing my research!
I drove another one today that seemed just as fine mechanically and electrically, and cycled the top a few times which worked as expected. Downside was the interior was tan and not black and was showing some age. But I need to remember it's a 2002 so it won't be factory fresh! If I can get them to come down enough to make me ignore the interior color I might jump on it. Worst case is I enjoy it for a summer or two and sell it to move onto something else.
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,135
Likes: 276
From: CA - San Diego
That’s true, it is a 16 year old car. BTW fog light means dropping the bumper cover to get to the bulb socket. The battery on the first car could explain the roof problem. Any low power will affect the system.
Last edited by VVTiBob; Mar 25, 2018 at 07:24 PM.