Jung

Hi guys, I've got a 99' manual IS200 which recently has developed a problem where it becomes very hard to engage reverse gear from a standstill with the clutch fully depressed. First gear is notchy but reverse gear is definitely much worse. All other gears engage fine. Reverse gear engages more easily when the car is rolling backwards slightly. I did have a brand new Exedy HD clutch + Single Mass Flywheel kit installed in January this year and never had any issues until now. Could it be due to: -reverse gear synchros worn -leaky clutch master/slave cylinder -pressure plate? Any ideas folks? Anyone else experience this problem? Thanks in advance, Jung

Hey Tim, Just wondering what you did with your turbo 1G-FE? Jung

I got my BC's from JustJap at Kirrawee. I've heard bad things about D2 and Ksport. I personally never had any experience with them though.

Hi folks, I had the BC Racing BR coilovers installed about 20000km's ago in my IS200 and I'm very happy with them. Cost was $1300 and installation was $250. At it's softest dampening setting it feels just like the stock suspension. At the track you can crank it up to improve handling. I go to track days at Wakefield Park every couple of months so the versatility really suits me. As roadworia said above you can adjust the height exactly to how you wish which is an advantage when some lowering springs can make the front or back of the car sag which looks weird. The coilovers do have a shorter shock stroke than the factory shocks so they are more prone to bottoming out on really nasty potholes. There were other options out there (eg Bilstein+Eibach combo, Teins etc) but they were more expensive and I haven't heard a bad word about BC Racing yet. So have fun and I'll cya at the track. Jung

Things to look out for: 1) Valve stem seals - get someone to start a COLD engine while you look at the exhaust smoke. Does it blow a puff of black smoke which clears after a few seconds? If so then the valve stem seals are gone. Be aware if the seller has "warmed up the engine for you" before you arrive. 2) Ball joints - they wear out. When worn they will make a very loud squeaking noise when turning the streering wheel. If critical your wheel could potentially fall off! 3) Brakes - make sure the calipers haven't seized up. 4) Clutch + flywheel - these have a tendency to shudder on take off. Excessive shudder indicates abuse. 5) Power steering pump, water pump - make sure they're not leaking. 6) Rocker cover gasket - make sure it's not leaking oil. You may need to remove some of the engine covers to see this. 7) Shock absorbers - make sure they're not worn. Oily or wet looking shocks are dead. 8) Stereo - these CD decks are known to fail and pull and ERROR 3 code. 9) Electrical - make sure your heated seats + heated mirrors work. As with all cars make sure you check the oil to ensure it's not creamy (blown head gasket) and coolant (factory coolant is RED). Jung

Hey guys, I spoke to the guy at IS Motor Racing (in Rockdale?) and he's done the 3S-GE conversion before but he said the wiring was a challenge. Jung

Hi Adam, Thanks for your input. Just wondering what brand did you get? Was it Exedy? Heavy duty? Also, how responsive does it rev in neutral? Thanks! Jung

Hey, Glad to hear you guys had a good time! The track day I was going to attend got cancelled due to the weather but I've been quite sick lately so ultimately couldn't attend the cruise argh. How was the drive today anyway especially with the weather? It was raining pretty hard here in Liverpool!

Hey man, Could you please PM the price for the exhaust and the specs for the Tein coilovers please. Also do you have any intakes available? Thanks, Allen

Hey guys, I'm considering getting the BC Racing coilovers that Lex51s mentioned above but am concerned about the longevity of coilovers. What's the service life of coilovers compared to say a Bilstein shock+spring combo or KYB shock+spring combo? Most of the time the car would be used for driving around town with some freeway use but little track time. Thanks in advance, Jung

Hey thanks for the invite haha. But you'll have to put me down as 'pending' for the time being as one of my mates is organising a session down at Marulan Driver Training Centre on the same day! Jung

Hey guys, Is this cruise open to 1st gen IS owners? Feels kinda lonely having an IS200 haha

Hey guys, I hear clicking noises coming from the same area, behind the glove box, when the key is in the 'ON' position before I crank the engine. I was told that it may be the ventilation channels going crazy. Any ideas?

Cars from 2001 and onwards have manually operated mirror heaters. They turn on when you turn the rear demister on. These models will have 2 symbols on the demister button. Pre 2001 cars will ALWAYS have their mirror heaters on which may result in early failure. Post 2001 cars also have a different audio deck (CD slot on the top). They can still ERROR 3 though. I think they stopped using the chrome gear knob in the later year models?

My factory alarm had this problem where it would just go off randomly in the early hours in the morning (it happened twice). I read on the UK Lex forums that apparently our IS cars had an inherent problem with the internal roof sensor or something along those lines. As Tim mentioned above if you press the LOCK button twice it will disarm the internal alarm sensors in the car. Your blinkers will flash 5 times to confirm this. I always double lock my car when I park it overnight and the alarm has never randomly gone off since then.