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Texasoil

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  1. B and B Suspension LLC. is once again trying to educate the LX community. There is STILL counterfeit AHC fluid in Toyota's supply system, though number of reports we see is way down. We urge LX owners to convert their vehicles to DEXRON VI instead of using AHC fluid when changing the oil. We have developed a simple method for 'cleaning up' a contaminated system which is field proven to work extremely well. We see 'someone' is offering 'new OEM' accumulators from Japan on EBAY for significantly LESS than Dealers here pay for them. Obviously those are NOT 'Genuine' and are either stolen, replicas (counterfeit), or ?? They did not come out of Toyota's system. We do not know if they are 'good' or not. I will buy a couple and examine them. In the meantime, we WILL MATCH the price of those 'undocumented' parts on request. We will adjust our pricing if we find those parts are competitive quality and legal supply. We are still seeing a few (very few, <5 the world over) vehicles having multiple failures of our parts. Every case thus far of repetitive failures have been in a vehicle that has/had serious contamination undisclosed to us and the owner has not complied with our clearly stated requirements they 'prove' the AHC system IS clean and STAYS clean after our parts are installed. Our 'Water Reaction ' test for contamination is fast, easy, and foolproof. Our 3 year product warranty does not cover contamination caused failure. However, when the Owners are 'up front' with us about contamination, clean up the system and show it remains clean, we usually provide replacement parts at "our cash cost" price. A couple of former Customers have chosen to try and blackmail us (threaten to post bad experience) on this and other forums unless we GIVE them new parts. When a Customer reports a failure and we we see they failed to furnish the Water Reaction test results as required, we still try to do what is right. If they refuse to perform the W.R test etc. of the oil in the 'failed' system, we do not 'roll over'.
  2. You describe flat accumulators . Please send me an email (kebowers47@gmail.com) and I will send you the diagnostics and help you resolve the problem
  3. We suggest you advise your Insurance about what you have done. Without the AHC, they may decide not to insure it as the emergency manuvering characteristics do not meet the certification requirments of the NTHSA. Some companies are OK with owner mods, many others will not insure vehicles when the safety features have been degraded.
  4. Alternative suspension fluids. Safe Substitutes for Lexus / Toyota AHC Fluid The Automatic Height Control suspension of the LX-470 and LC-100 series vehicles uses a very low viscosity hydraulic fluid (AHC fluid) that is a highly refined petroleum based shock absorber fluid. AHC fluid is expensive (+/- $45 for a 2.5 liter can or about $20 per quart.) Many owners have asked if there are suitable substitutes that are not as costly. The cost of AHC fluid is trivial in the overall scope of owning and maintaining this class of luxury SUV. Generally speaking, Owners should use the lubricants and fluids specified and/or supplied by the Manufacturer. However it may be desirable to use an alternative fluid if it improves performance or durability. The process of identifying suitable substitutes is not clear-cut. There are many factors that should be considered. Among these are: Viscosity—does the substitute result in similar ride characteristics Temperature range is it suitable for both the low and high temperatures a vehicle may encounter—like from Los Angeles to Ski Country in 4 hours Wear Protection—the tiny hydraulic pump will wear out quickly if the substitute fluid does not have excellent wear protection characteristics Compatibility with the 'rubber' components like accumulators and hoses Japanese manufacturers typically specify Japanese lubricants and fluids unless U.S. laws REQUIRE they also approve suitable fluids supplied by others and typically available to vehicle purchasers. AHC fluid is a Toyota only product that does not quite conform to Industry specifications. However, there ARE products manufactured by others that do more than satisfy the important characteristics and in some cases greatly exceed those of AHC fluid. Castrol LT Hydraulic Oil Part No. 4019 ISO grade 15, Mil-H-5606 – RED aircraft hydraulic oil—may give stiff ride in low temp AMSOIL Shock-Therapy 5 use Shock-Therapy 10 if stiffer ride desired John Deere Low Viscosity Hy-GARD (TY22035) Pentosin hydraulic suspension fluid—the original petroleum based one. IF using the newer 'synthetic' Pentosin product, all the old fluid must be purged and flushed out because the 'new synthetic' fluids are not miscible with the great performing petroleum (oil) fluid with decades of great performance in the real world. We STRONGLY suggest Owners test each new container of AHC fluid purchased to check Water Reaction Test and reject/return to Seller any that do not yield Excellent test results. We are very surprised at the widespread incidents of this defective/counterfeit AHC fluid in the Toyota supply system. We have proven repeatedly that real ,GENUINE pink AHC fluid does yield Excellent Water Reaction test results. A more rigorous water separation test is part of the Toyota specifications for the AHC fluid.
  5. B and B Suspension LLC has invested a lot of time and money to determine the cause for multiple and repeated accumulator failures on the LX-470 / LC-100 vehicles. We have furnished new parts at no cost to customers immediately when any failures were reported--not waiting for deposits or return of the failed parts when we were not certain of the cause. These same parts were and are performing quite well in other (non-AHC) services. We finally were convinced that contamination of the AHC fluid was the root cause of the failures. Our uncertainty was heightened when even customers who thoroughly flushed their systems had repeated failures. We had not suspected 'new, right out of the can' AHC fluid as the culprit in most cases. That was an error on our part, and it cost us dearly in net out of pocket expenses for replacement parts, shipping, and in some cases total refunds. Even so, reported failures were substantially less than 10% of customers in fiscal year 2010 (Aug 2009 to Aug 2010) We now are convinced defective and/or contaminated AHC fluid was the direct cause of many of the in-service failures. The 'final nail in the coffin' is that since we began requiring Water Reaction Test photos with all reported failures, all the failures were in seriously contaminated systems. Also there has not been even a single failure since August 2010 in customer systems shown 'clean' by the Water Reaction Test. The evidence has confirmed contaminated AHC fluid as the cause of the rash of failures. Thus far, 75% through FY 2011, there has not been a single in-service accumulator failure in systems shown clean upon installation. We have not had a single in-service since we began requiring a clean Water Reaction Test before installation for warranty coverage. We apologize to the Customer community for our overlooking possible contaminated or defective 'new AHC fluid' as the potential cause of these failures. The cause was not B and B parts; it was/is defective AHC oil or contamination introduced into the system reservoir by ???. We ask forgiveness for our oversight and pardon for the failures--as they were not caused by us or our parts.
  6. As an example of the ill informed customers we have had and deal with-see below. We have many GOOD water reaction tests from customers all over the world clear water layer--very slight haze in the oil layer. These are with both original straw colored oil, and the new 'pink' AHC fluid. GENUINE pink AHC fluid gives good-excellent Water Reaction Tests. SOME 'stuff' supposedly right out of new cans purchased from Dealer, and in at least 3 cases--reported to us by Lexus Service Managers--the new 'stuff' gave horrible results on the Water Reaction Test. The horrible results proves the 'stuff' IS NOT the correct AHC oil. AHC oil DOES NOT have any detergents. Hydraulic oils NEVER have detergents, never have, never will, not needed. Hydraulic oils MUST have good water separation characteristics so any water/condensation can be safely drained from the sump on the reservoir. Multiple unit failures ARE ALL caused by contamination in the AHC system. We 'suspect' a bunch of 'bad' AHC fluid (counterfeit, msfilled, or?) got into and is still in the Dealer's supply system. Since we have started last August requiring contamination testing prior to installing our parts, --no more failures with new customers--none. Our world wide sales volume is growing quickly. The contamination problem is not limited to the US, but has appeared in the UK, Spain, Portugal. We STRONGLY recommend Owners promptly test their AHC oil for contamination. We also strongly advise similar quality testing of each new can of AHC fluid purchased BEFORE leaving the Dealership. If it fails, demand a refun d or replacement, and test the replacement too. We KNOW GENUINE stuff tests very good to excellent.
  7. NEVER machine are warped aluminum cylinder head unless the warpage exceeds the allowed amount significantly. The reason is : The camshaft and bearings MUST be parallel to the crankshaft AND in a perfectly straight line. When a generic machine shop grinds off the high spots from the 'block' side to straighten it, the thickness along the head is now uneven and the distance from the crankshaft to the camshafts will be uneven along their length when the head bolts are tightened. This will, depending on where and how much metal was removed, lead to camshaft breakage and engine destruction. To properly resurface aluminum overhead cam cylinder heads, all the valve guides and other fixtures on the top side must be removed and the TOP side resurfaced exactly parallel with the new block side. This is not done usually as it is VERY costly and time consuming--and a good used cylinder head or a factory re-manufactured one will be lower cost. Good luck you are going to need it.
  8. maybe it IS a squeaking belt? Using a mechanics stethoscope or even a short length of garden hose you can 'listen' along each valve cover to see if the noise is coming from a particular area.
  9. A failing 9 year old (2011-2002) paint job is not going to be 'warranty replaced' by anyone. Some colors just do not last as long under the bright California sunshine and L.A area 'smog.' IF it had started peeling in 3-4 years possibly.
  10. The photos sent to B and B clearly show significant contamination in the fluid. The water layer should be crystal clear and the oil layer transparent, but with some haze---AND should cleanly separate within 5 minutes at room temperature. We have been CONSISTENT in our communications. We have tested AMSOIL 5 and it does give GOOD test results when not contaminated. This owner did have a Seriously contaminated system, which we discovered after 3 complete sets of accumulators had failed ( 2nd and 3 sets furnished at NO COST) and Customer was advised it would likely take 2 or 3 flushing cycles following the protocol we suggest to get it clean. So, the results after 1 cycle are much better, but significantly short of Good. And it's Our fault???? I am having the same problem I went through 3 sets since april 28 2010 and this time he tried to blame my fluid that he said I can use then he said he did not say i could use it Did the water test said he seen worse once i sent the email to him staing he said i could use the amsoil fluid #5 then he switched saying it was the fliud is contaminated I have no idea I am so sick of spending $300 each time i have to change these over ( labor and 3 cans of fluid ) i would have been better off getting the oem's and having them installed every time i have them installed i make sure they flush the system atleast through 2 cans of total fliud and use the third to drive the vehicle with either way I have no choice but try another set and see what happens if this set fails after all this I will just switch to shocks springs as in the land cruiser or may just got that way now have to think it over but i am most likely going to springs and shocks and be done with this crap all together has anyone else switched the set up let me know how it worked out for you thanks
  11. We have previously provided digital copies of Water Reaction Test results for known genuine Toyota (Lexus) AHC fluid. The water layer remains crystal clear, the oil layer gets 'hazy' as expected with the water contact (it will clear in a few days or on heating), but there is no scum or 'cuff' at the interface between the two layers. Hydraulic fluids and shock absorber fluids like AHC DO NOT contain any detergents. They contain anti-wear, anti-foam, anti-oxidant and viscosity index improver additives. The fluids do not cause deterioration of nitrile or 'Buna' synthetic rubbers, which will last more than 20 years without showing any deterioration and only minor swelling. There are several very similar products made by Several major oil companies which match or exceed the performance of AHC in industry standard qualification tests. We are developing a list of such product and plan to complete that this month. We have been told verbally directly from 3 different Lexus Service Managers they got bad test results on AHC fluid from freshly opened cans. We asked for samples from those containers, but all 3 demurred. Other cans gave Good test results. We asked if all the test parameters were followed and were told Yes. We do not have any further information on this subject. We DO KNOW genuine, uncontaminated AHC fluid yields Good test results. Using distilled water and CLEAN glass containers is important. Soap residue or dissolved solids in the water can cause a 'cuff' to form.Cleaning up a contaminated system need not be expensive and can be done in the driveway with some patience. We will post our suggested protocol,which has been well tested and proven 'in the field' by Customers.
  12. B and B Suspension LLC offers the follow for consideration in response to the negative comments recently posted by a short handful (less than 5) former customers. 1) We normally ship using FedEx ground since it is economical, reliable, and prompt.. We WILL ship overnite (air express) if a customer requests and agrees to pay the extra cost--both for FedEx and B&B. The party claiming he paid for overnite and 'got 6 day' is untruthful. We have FedEx reports proving that untruth. We are awaiting payment from that person for the extreme compassionate discount to $200 total cost, including shipping, of a replacement set for confirmed contamination destroyed set. Try to do a good deed, be very compassionate and get stabbed in the back. We don't want people like this as customers. 2) Other parties have expressed dissatisfaction about early failures of our accumulators. These are the very few exceptions to the excellent performance and life of our parts. We were pulling our hair out trying to determine what was wrong--why were >90% of Customers not having any failures, and <5% were having Sets fail, and even replacement sets fail in a few days!!! or weeks. Why? We finally proved in mid 2010 that contamination of the AHC was the cause for ALL multiple unit failures. There were a few single unit failures, less than 1% of parts sold. We stopped providing free replacements no questions asked shipped same day as we had been doing. We began requiring testing of the AHC fluid by the Water Reaction Test (included below) and found contamination in ALL the systems where more than a single accumulator of ours had failed. We suspect contamination may have caused the original OEM parts to fail. Service Techs do not usually test the AHC fluid for contamination. Even slight amounts of brake fluid and some windshield washer fluids will cause the accumulator diaphragms to fail quickly. 3) It seems today some people expect someone else to 'take care' of them and fix everything. Most Customers respond honorably when contamination of the AHC fluid is found and we advise them the failed parts are not covered under those conditions. We have been discounting replacements 50% from normal price to those unfortunate souls--which is a whole lot more than any other parts supplier would consider. However, a small number get angry, yell, and scream, and say we should have advised them to test the system for contamination, and somehow it was our fault, pay them for the labor, fluids and give them new parts free, or refund all their money or all of the above--OR they' will post negative comments, call the BBB, denigrate our products and even threaten personal harm. ' We take such blackmail attempts and harmful threats very seriously and have referred a few to the FBI for investigation and prosecution. Some of those inflammatory and false negative comments are posted on this forum. The posting parties may be under investigation right now--we do not get any feedback after we file the complaint with the FBI. The FBI will just show up with a federal warrant for their arrest. B and B Suspension LLC promptly evaluates all warranty requests---if a single unit has failed---a free replacement is usually shipped at our cost that same day. We always want the failed part back quickly so we can learn what caused the failure. Reports of multiple unit failure will trigger a request the Customer test the AHC fluid and Email us the photos. Usually the contamination is immediately detected and clearly obvious to the Customer. We want the Customer to perform the testing so they can see the results themselves. Sometimes we hear " Contamination is not possible, I am the only one who......," and we have to remind the Customer--how it got contaminated is not really our concern--only the condition of the AHC fluid---contaminated or not, and how it got that way is not a question we can answer. Water Reaction Test B and B Suspension LLC AHC FLUID WATER REACTION TEST 1) Purpose; AHC fluid is very light colored highly refined low viscosity petroleum oil. Its appearance is (prior to new fluid from 2009 on) light greenish to light straw colored, clear and transparent. New fluid sold from 2009 on is dyed a light red/pink in color to distinguish it from other products. The similarity in appearance to brake fluid, many windshield cleaner concentrates, and un-dyed ethylene glycol antifreeze concentrate has contributed to many instances of service personnel using these similar appearing fluids to top-off or refill the AHC fluid reservoir. Unfortunately, the 'new color' is nearly identical to that of 'environmentally safe, non-toxic or RV water system antifreeze—propylene glycol) All of these common contaminating fluids are very detrimental to the 'rubber' components in the AHC system. The diaphragms separating AHC fluid from high pressure Argon in B&B Suspension accumulators are made from a special 'Nitrile' compound formulated to retain flexibility and strength from -40 to + 180 F. These parts flex with every tiny bump and road roughness and thus are repeatedly stressed where they bend. The common contaminants mentioned above are VERY DETRIMENTAL to the diaphragm because they dramatically increase cracking from repeated flexing. Even very low contamination levels, barely detectable by this rough test, can reduce accumulator life by 75% or more. This 'Water Reaction Test' is designed to quickly show if any significant amount of brake fluid, methanol, propylene or ethylene glycol are present in the AHC fluid where an accumulator failed unexpectedly. Note this contamination may have caused failure of the original accumulators before the present owner acquired the vehicle. Many Owners have experienced repeated failures of Dealer installed OEM accumulators following known system contamination and accumulator failure, even though 'the system was flushed with new AHC FLUID EACH TIME.' Draining the reservoir and refilling with fresh AHC oil, then flushing to the accumulator bleed screws leaves nearly 75% of the old oil and contamination in the struts and main pressure accumulators. 2) Test Procedure; Prepare 3 glass pint jars with lids by thoroughly washing with detergent and then thoroughly rinsing to ensure all detergent residue is removed . Ideally the final rinse should be with distilled water. From the right front accumulator bleeder, catch approximately 4 ounces of the old AHC oil into one of the clean glass pint jars—BEFORE ANY ACCUMULATORS OR FLUID ARE REMOVED. Then into another clean jar, catch a similar 4 ounce sample from the right rear bleeder. Add two (2) ounces of distilled water to each jar with the samples. Cap and then vigorously shake both jars for thirty (30) seconds to thoroughly mix the oil and water and then place the jars on a flat stable surface and allow them to sit and settle. After they have settled for 30 seconds, take color photographs of each bottle, then again after 2 minutes , and again after 5 minutes. Take the photos close enough to clearly show the interface between oil and water layers. EMAIL all 6 photos to kebowers47@gmail.com and kvnedbow@gmail.com. Note: Depending on the vigorousness of the shaking, a very fine emulsion may form which may take several hours to fully separate, even for the new fluid. However, even very fine emulsions of uncontaminated fluid and water will show thickening clear layers within 5 minutes.
  13. Settle down folks. Ya'll trying to brain surgery on a gnat with a backhoe. There are a great many things that will conspire to cause an electric gauge like that on the LX-470 oil pressure be unrepeatable and a poor indicator of reality. First there is the pressure sensing element , that converts the actual oil pressure into a resistance that varies with pressure. Then there are the electrical connections to that precise?? sensor. Then ther eis the actual voltage applied across that precise? sensor to produce a current flow (milliamps). Then there are the connections in the wiring harness and finally those to the indicator unit. The indicator may be either an electromagnet type or thermo-electric type. Thermo-electric ones show more steady readings (which some people prefer). Electro-magnet ones, like the meter in a VOM, are quick acting. Either type can be inaccurate or poorly calibrated. Or the sensor may not meet the calibration requirements. MECHANICAL oil pressure gauges run a tiny copper tube from the engine oil gallery to the back of the indicator, which is a bourdon tube ( a curved flattened tube that straightens out as pressure is applied) which is geared to the indicator. They also may be inaccurate. For example, in the MBZ V-8's , normal cruising RPM oil pressure is 75 psig, limited by an oil pressure relief valve that sprays on the cam chains. Idle speed of 600 rpms, hot, with 10 W 30 may indicate 15 psi or less. Increasing speed to 1500 rpms should show a pressure increase to 30-40 psi, while 2500 rpm should 'peg' the gauge (5 Bar-75 psi) BMW 6 cylinder engines may have hot idling oil pressure of less than 5 psig when in good condition. Using the electrical oil pressure gauge as a 'normal reference' is OK, but it is not accurate or precise enough for anything else. If you really want to know the 'real' oil pressure, buy and install a Good mechanical oil pressure gauge (+/- $100 + labor) . For what it is worth, MBZ scientists determined that incidences of low oil pressure caused engine damage were so few that it was costing many times more to have even an oil pressure warning light--so they discontinued in on their 'C' class---the first car they ever designed to a price target. Customers were shocked, and demanded a warning light. Feedback was lack of the warning light communicated extreme cost cutting and 'cheapness'. Don't sweat it.
  14. We strongly suggest you test the AHC oil for contamination. mileage and age are too low/young for first accumulators to go out. See the attached 'water reaction test.' Shocks on the LX NEVER wear out. There is nothing but oil and a chrome rod in them. All the dampening is in the multi-position computer controlled valve in the steel casting to which the strut accumulators mount. The suspension travel is limited by gas remaining in each accumulator. When the 'shock' is compressed, the oil has to flow into that accumulator, otherwise no travel, no bump absorption. A leaking strut is highly unusual unless a) its accumulator is shot, or B) the AHC oil is badly contaminated and is eating up the seal (and others in the system) AHC FLUID WATER REACTION TEST-rtf no photos.rtf Clean-up Contaminated AHC system-rtf.rtf
  15. When one is carrying additional weight, the AHC system has to increase the hydraulic pressure to support that weight. Even at Normal height, the accumulators get squished by as much as 1000 psi additional pressure, which greatly reduces their bump absorbing capability. For permanent weight conditions B and B can supply higher pressure pre-charge accumulators so you will have full suspension travel available again. If variable weight loads are the situation, one can add adjustable air bags to the rear end, and increase their pressure when weight is added to keep the AHC pressure down to normal Normal levels. Please see the attached description of this design limitation issue. MEASURING PRESSURE IN THE ACCUMULATORS-rtf.rtf
  16. B and B Suspension experience the last 2 years has shown tremendous increase in Contaminated AHC oil. We do not believe our data is representative of the universe of LX-470's, but is likely to represent a much larger share of 'repeat failure' vehicles. Typically these have had the original OEM accumulators ALL fail nearly together, and replacement at Dealers (under warranty or 'good will) usually, then the 2nd set of OEM units also fail together again, and this time no Dealer 'deal.' These folks come to us and do not share their previous experience, and we did not think to ask for tests of the system oil. This lead to still more failures sometimes, depending on contamination levels. We now require 'good' test results before we validate any warranty. Photo of 'typical multiple failure AHC oil' when tested for contamination is attached. Unfortunately, until July 2010 we had not analyzed failure pattern due to lack of enough data. We determined then: 1) Repetitive failures-whether OEM or B&B 95%? likely caused by contamination in the AHC oil. 2) Multiple unit failures coincident in time >95%? likely caused by serious AHC oil contamination. 3) Simple drain, flush to accumulators,install new part, refill removes, at most 40% of contaminant in the system and new parts highly to fail in short time. 4) Following the protocol suggested in the attached file WILL remove>90% of the contaminant. 5) the Water Reaction Test, also attached, WILL detect low and high levels of contaminants. 6) Some contaminants (windshield washer concentrate) are likely to lead to failure of the tiny hydraulic pump. Dealers will replace entire reservoir etc. assembly costing $2300, when only the Pump subassembly ($285 +/-) needs replacing. Total cost difference of $2500! Clean-up Contaminated AHC system-MSword.rtf Clean-up Contaminated AHC system-RTF.rtf
  17. I am not able to identify this alleged purchaser. 'purchased 3 sets of' is outright falsehood. His AHC oil is probably seriously contaminated is he really has '4 month life'
  18. Why didn't he check the fluid in the system for contamination before installing new parts? Contamination 'hides in struts and main accumulator if they are not repeatedly flushed and drained. IF contamination level is minor, simple drain and refill MAY be adequate. There ARE MANY cases of multiple repeat failures with OEM accumulators, and a FEW with B&B units. Forensic analysis shows contamination as probable cause for all multiple unit failures and many single unit failures. Simple drain, refill will not remove 60%+ of the contaminating substance.
  19. Why did they fail? CONTAMINATION, severe contamination damage was discovered when the finally returned parts were examined. See attached photo
  20. It seems as if many of the 'replaced with OEM and they failed and Dealer won't warranty them' find B&B, do not advise us of the vehicle history of accumulator failure, install our parts in a contaminated system without thoroughly cleaning it out--AND then our parts fail too-----and somehow this is supposed to be OUR fault? That is why we now require contamination testing of then current operating fluid before we will sell parts, and also testing 1 month after our parts are installed to ensure the system really is clean. Attached is photo of the typical Water Reaction test result from such a customer
  21. This is a very hotly debated topic, with very little fact discussed. How long you intend to own the vehicle is a factor--if you are looking for 100,000 miles out of an engine, use a premium 10W 30 synthetic and never change it again, just changing the filter every 10,000 and adding new oil as needed. The engine will probably last 100,000 miles. IF however, you want to never worry about engine failure from lack of lubrication or wear for at least 300,000 miles, change it according the Severe Service recommendations and the engine will most likely still be in near new condition at 300,000 miles. If your driving patterns are like those of most people (numerous short distance trips around town, suburbia, less than 50 miles), that is SEVERE SERVICE in the language of oil change intervals. Change the oil and filter at least as frequently as the Owners Manual recommends for Severe Service.If there is ever so much crud, dirt etc circulating in the engine as to load up the oil filter between oil changes, it is toast anyway. Use premium quality oil and AIR filters, and 'clean-up your engine' gasoline if you want long life from the engine. Some brands that are heavily advertised are no better, or even inferior in wear protection. Valvoline premium oils are proven to provide superior wear protection (400% better in extreme test conditions) and longest engine life. That is FACT. 'Synthetic' is not a useful term for the 5W and 10W oils anymore. Almost all the molecules in 5W and premium 10W oils are so close to identical as to be identical twins or closer--whether made from ethylene (like Mobil 1 was) or refined from petroleum (as most 'synthetics' are today.) The ADDITIVE PACKAGE is the key difference between brands and in-the-engine performance. ALL major brands provide excellent wear protection and engine cleanliness if changed often enough and high quality fuels and filters are used. Auto manufacturers have been crusading for lower levels of key wear protection additives (ZDDPT) to protect emission catalysts from deterioration due to the engine burning more oil than was normal in years past. The new 'low friction' i.e. 'more fuel efficient' new engine designs have less friction from piston rings and valve stem seals and more oil escapes into the combustion chamber. The Owners Manual recommended 5W-20 and 5W-30 oils may lose up to 20% by volume and still meet the oil specifications. That means 'burning' a quart or more of engine oil every 1000 miles is 'Normal'. The metal containing additives (ZDDPT is the main one) tend to decrease the performance of emissions control catalysts (which laws require warranted for 100,000 miles.) Some engine designs are very dependent on the ZDDPT wear protection, and have demonstrated camshaft failures in less than 30,000 miles with one of the most heavily advertised 'synthetic' engine oil. The Lexus LX engine is not one of these 'needs lots of ZDDPT' designs-but---? In summary, the LX-470 engine is long lived and not 'sensitive' to ZDDPT wear protection levels. It does however require excellent deposit and wear control if it is to last past 100,000 miles. Use of premium quality fuel, air, and oil filters is highly recommended. Use of premium quality 'clean-up your engine' advertised fuels is required. Changing engine oil at least as often as Severe Service recommendations is also highly recommended. Replacing coolant every two years or less is also required (forget the 5 year, or 'lifetime malarkey). Brand of oil? Almost all the 'premium quality' engine oils will help ensure very long engine life. I personally do not use Mobil-1 because the engines in my automobile engines need a higher level of extreme pressure wear protection than it provides.
  22. Attached are photos of contamination caused accumulator failure
  23. go to this forum and learn about repetitive failures with Dealer parts and installation http://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/223258-ahc-accumulators.html
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