![]() 08/05/2018 at 11:59 • Filed to: Lexus | ![]() | ![]() |
I’ve been hesitant to talk about it because I was waiting until it’s smogged and in my name. But alas, thats taking a while and oppos slow lately so heres a rundown of a $1350 sc400's issues.
I had about 250 miles of driving to get it home, with a mix of San Francisco 8pm Traffic and 150 miles of clear highway.
Important issues: It has an occational misfire so before I can attempt a smog I’ve got to do a tuneup which will consist of plugs and plug wire. Also The surge tank had a leak, thermostat housing was leaking, the coolant was wrong, pcv gasket was leaky, and the thermostat was an AutoZone part not an original.
Less important issues: Front tires have dry rot, driver side door panel is broken(The quintessential SC problem), rear seat is torn from sun damage, a.c. dosent work, Aftermarket alarm that goes off if you close the door too hard, chipping body filler, quarter panel damage, peeling paint, driverside pwr window is on its last legs, needs a valve adjustment(which isnt easy because it requires shims and timing belt/ cam removal), Lca bushings are on the way out(another common issue), bad tie rods, blown front shocks, drilled rotors, blinker dosent make noise anymore, and the front clip alignment is a little borked.
The good: I won’t feel bad about modifying an already beaten chassis, The rest of the interiors in acceptable shape, new waterpump, 12 disc cd changer works, Nakamichi stereo all works with excellent sound, sunroof(common but still good), all the engine bay cladding is still there, most of the car is neglected but not broken(for example the headlights are fogged over but not cracked), And.....IT STILL HAS IT’S OEM FRONT LIP.
The plan is swap the front suspension from the dead SC, fix all the motor issues, and attempt a smog At the least reputable shop I can find. Depending on how it fails I will buy 2 civic catalytic converters and have them welded up behind the light off cats(His Stigness throws computer across the room). It has out of state emissions setup so it may fail the sniffer because Ca got an extra cat, or the inspection because it’s not ca egr(but clearly it has passed before).
Aftermaket alarm tied into the ignition coil among other things
Then there’s the back registration because the tags were up in June, and the fact that the owner only signed the pink slip release once(and there are 3 spots). These are all mere details. Ill have more to say once the stressful part of getting it in my name is over.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 12:10 |
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Are you going to do the manual swap again, or was the transmission toasted in the fire?
Looking forward to updates!
![]() 08/05/2018 at 12:19 |
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Man ual swap is the main reason I bought another sc(sunk cost fallacy). It will get a new sc300 MC (pictured) instea d of the old Celica one that melted down. A shortened shifter bracket so eveything fits cleanly, a new braided clutch line, and an sc300 shift bezel instead of yoga mat.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 12:43 |
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How do you like the SC as a platform in general? I've thought about getting one of these as a daily someday. It seems like it's just got a lot of character but would be very nice for that task. I think it would fit in well in my stable of STi and Miata. I'd probably try to find a cleaner one for more money but your route seems way more fun. If you ever want help working on the car, I'm glad to lend a hand since I'd like to learn about it and I'm local anyways.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 13:19 |
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I don’t know where to start so prepare for word vomit.
I thought you lived in the la area, I’m up around humboldt.
Stock they are soft, quite, and Well appointed. The interior is not cheesy as compared to mercedes or BMW of the time, the rear seats are usable if your under 6ft, 23mpg on premium is the best you can ever hope to achieve, quite a few parts interchange with mk4 Supras, there are a few things(I can list them for you if you want) that will go bad on these cars with age, They can be made to drift or handle well but that’s expensive , the turbing radius is not good, the chassis is much lower than it looks, and its one of the safer cars of the early 90's.
Ov erall I like the chassis because of its exterior design, relative safety/overengineering, ability to handle significantly more power on stock components, no glaring reliabilty concerns, the fact that it’s the mk4 supras slightly older brother
As a car to keep stock just buy a nice one, spend a little more money shoring it up, and run it for another 100k.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 15:36 |
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I’ll be shocked if it fails the visual. It’s amazing how many cars I fail for obvious shit that have constantly passed before.
Is it a Federal car, or California with the EGR removed?
![]() 08/05/2018 at 15:41 |
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Its federal, I was reading somewhere on th e internet(so it must be true) that after 200k in it dosent matter if its a federal emissions in ca as long as it passes the sniffer.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 16:05 |
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Dry rot tires would be in the immediately serious category in my mind.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 16:09 |
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Normally mine too, but I already drove it home and I have new wheels im putting on. It worried me quite a bit to drive it on those tires but there were not any other options.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 16:18 |
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In the area is all relative lol. I constantly forget how big California is being from the east coast originally. Sounds like it gets similar mileage to my STi which is not great to say the least haha. I’d definitely be most interested in having it to eat up highway mileage with ease and just be a comfortable place to be. Both the Miata and STi do not really accomplish that task. I most certainly would want to find a manual one but would not be opposed to swapping one. It seems impossible to find one that is both clean and manual (for the sc300, I know the 400 was auto only in the us). Something RWD, with loads of smooth power, preferably 90s Japanese, and reasonably comfortable will end up my goals. Both this and the IS seem to be my best options but I like a coupe way way more than another sedan.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 16:23 |
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The car can have five miles on it, yet it still won’t matter if it’s a Federal or California car. Honestly, I don’t get where the internet gets these ideas.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 18:42 |
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So as long as it's emissions equipment is all functional and proper it won't matter if its ca or federal(given it passes the sniffer)? Or is it that it must be ca emissions in ca, no exceptions?
![]() 08/05/2018 at 19:54 |
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As long as all of the emissions components are there and functional, and it passes the sniffer, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Federal or California car.
The only time Federal or California comes into play is when it comes to what emission components are supposed to be on the car. So if the Federal version of your car didn’t have EGR but the California one did, then that matters because when the tech does the smog the machine asks whether it is a Federal or California car, and the state knows what the car was supposed to have and if the technician puts N/A under EGR, but he marked it as a CA car during the test, then he will be dinged for doing an incorrect smog.
But all you have to worry about it is that everything is installed and functioning properly.
But, when it comes to catalytic converters, you must install a CARB approved cat, even if the car is Federal. But as you well know most techs don’t check, so you can installs “incorrect” ones to pass the sniffer and no one will know.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 20:05 |
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Thank you, it seems stuff like this is impossible to get solid info on.
![]() 08/05/2018 at 22:38 |
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I know. You’d think it was brain surgery judging by the different answers you get from everyone.
Also, pro tip: if the car has the original cats you should be able to clean them out with an induction service with stuff from BG, or even a shit ton of seafoam.
Oh and I was going to ask, is the county/city you’re in only do smogs at change of ownership, or is it biennial?
![]() 08/06/2018 at 06:50 |
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Only smo gs at ownership changes
![]() 08/06/2018 at 09:41 |
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Fun story, when my sc400 was down a few cylinders I lost a race to a PT Cruiser. Was quite embarrassing/funny.
I’m just happy to see you got another one.
![]() 08/06/2018 at 11:29 |
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Ah. Well then I'm 99% sure there's no dyno test up there, so if the EGR is vacuum controlled you can check it yourself to make sure it's working and will pass the test.