ArmyofOne

enjoy it? i have to shovel it...id rather it be summer!

Yeah...i think the pix will say it all...cars are in pix for proportion... Look at this tree in my front yard... There is a total of 200 inches so far that has fallen this year, with a total of 265 just to our south on an area called the "Tug Hill Plateau"...known nationwide for its record snowfalls. No other region in the nation gets more snow that Tug Hill.

No its def not diesel, you would hear it. its running rich, a good mechanic/gearhead can hear that too. as well as smell it if they are on location. Seems to be very hard to drive as well. Looks like its frisky in the backend.

Im gonna say do it NC...and heres a few reasons. WHen i was living in fort worth prior to my army days. My neighbor had a Q45L. You CAN NOT change the sparkplugs without removing the engine. They are under the valve covers, and the valve covers are blocked by the vacuum system, the intake and all these other things. I have NO idea why they put spark plugs under the valve covers, but they are there. My friend asked me how to change them, i told him to call his dealer. They quoted him $2200 for R&I of the engine and $150 for the new plugs. He about died. It burned oil after 90K, and didnt like to start in the 40 degrees and below range. Also, the interior was HORRIBLE. the leather was torn and raddy, the dash was cracked, the car wasnt taken care of, but that wasnt his fault, he bought it used. The spark plug replacement was going to cost more than he paid for the car. SO he caved and bought something new. I believe it was (ironically) a GS300. So if it were me, i would skip the painful expensive and somteimes daunting learning process and just go with the lexus, and a good aftermarket warranty for $900 or so. no payment and enjoyment for years to come. But have you also considered the Honda Lineup? an 06 civic EX-L (looks like mine) gets 40 mpg hwy, has leather and is pretty much bullet proof. or if you need bigger, an Accord, while smewhat ugly is again, bulletproof. and with economy ratings pretty good for a midsize car too. Oh, and the 2 colors i would never own in the north are white and black. Black because you cant keep it clean, and lexus black has no clearcoat, thus no salt protection, and white because you cant keep it clean and i have this thing about white cars+white snow+stupid people who dont pay attention while they drive.

in a 1997, Toyota T-IV or Royal Purple MAX-ATF are the ONLY fluids that should be used.

Hi Mike: I don't want to assume too much, but if you were trying to break the bolt loose with the timing belt still on (which is how you should do it), then no, you couldn't damage anything....... AS LONG AS THE CRANK AND BOTH CAMS TURNED IN SYNCHRONIZATION because the timing belt was still in place. Sorry....... Cam locks are devices that clamp onto the back of the cam sprockets and keep them from moving when the belt is off. The lifters will cause the respective cam to find it's natural point of least spring pressure. That will probably not coincide with the alignment marks on the block (Crank) and heads (Cams). If the springs/lifters shift the cam while the belt is off....kiss, kiss $$$$. A lot of people will say you don't need the locks., I'm not one of them. Unfortunately, locks are not real common & they may be hard to find. as long as you were turning by hand, then even if the belt wasnt on, its likely that you didnt damage anything. These engines have Iron valves. Very hard to bend by hand. If you were using an impact, air or otherwise, the outcome would be different.

They are about $112 a piece, but The goodyear assurance comfortread is the QUIETEST tire i have ever had....and i have had alot.

Happy 2009! After 2 glasses of 1952 Chevas Regal Bordeaux, and some Crown Royal XR, I'm not sure how i'm able to type this! Im sure i will regret it in the morning! Seriously, LOC has had a great impact on my life...Steve, Bren, Blake, Stevie, and Alan...If it hadnt been for some of the life lessons, I wouldnt be able to talk to you today. Happy New Year LOC!!!!

Well here is all the presents, about half of them from my wife and I, for my wifes sister's family, (husband, wife, Daughter 8, son 3, other daughter 9mos). Crapy cellphone pic was taken at my sister-in-law's place. My wife and I did our christmas already, but there wasnt much that was wrapped, our gifts to each other were pretty big this year (she got a Wii, and some games around thanksgiving and some other stuff), i got lots of good stuff too! I love watching children tear through the wrapping...one of the best things about christmas is the kids:thumbup: Unfortunately, my wife and I cannot have children without IVF, so a family may not be in the cards for us. Anyway, Lets see some family christmas pix! Oh and srry for the bad cellphone pic, will get a better one today before the kiddos destroy everything LOL!

How is this for a white christmas: I have lived at Fort Drum since late 2005...and let me tell you...i have NEVER seen so much snow, and i lived in anchorage alaska for a very long time. Reeeeally missing that AWD now... and just for comparo, I'm 5'8" tall.

filled up in syracuse today for $1.90 a gallon...got here (80 miles or so north...) and back to $2.05...but by the end of the day it was $2.01. Should be under $2 tomorrow!

I dont think you have to pay anything extra to have a car LEAVE the US....thats why car theft of exotics is a pretty big business. Like in Gone in 60 seconds...if you can get them on the boat and out of US waters in 24-48hrs, you will be in the clear. Many people come from south america to the US (wealthy people) to buy BMW, Mercedes, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Audi and Lexus every year.

Batman has to downgrade to...a Dodge Stratus SXT: What you see here is a last gen Dodge Stratus...quite possibly one of the worst cars ever made wiiiiiiiith: Chrome strips on every seam, those stupid fake fender vent/grill things, a FAKE roof scoop, FAKE hood scoop, BATMAN decals EVERYWHERE, a gigantic rear wing, a HUGE coffee can on the back, AND to top it all off, an Automatic Transmission. Wow...some people...at least lower it and tint the windows dude...do something that really matters. And for anyone wondering, this was taken at my wifes office. I was there to get something out of my other car that i needed and BOOM! there it was, like a black knight!

Its very possible, but MUCH easier to take it all out at once. The transmission can be removed from old and put on new engine easily...It isnt heavy.

the rust protection from ziebart is not just a gimmick, it really works. It does have to be reapplied every 4 years minimum, but its reccomended every 2. Were I you, I would get a, literal, beater. SOmething relaible that costs only a few thousand, and park your nice cars in winter. As far as the mazdas tires, go for the Comfortreads man, im telling you, for road comfort, there is not a better tire. Ask to see one at your local tire store and then push down on it. You will see why.

Today, I drove pass the AAFES Gas Station (uses HESS gas) here on fort drum on my way to work at 0900hrs (9AM) and regular was $2.23/gal. at 1700 hrs (5PM) i drove home, and it was $2.13 a gallon! HOLY CRAP $.10 in a day! Thats Awesome! I wish we were below $2. that would be awesome.

NC-Being that i live in the heart of salt country, take the following advice from me my friend: 1. When driving your car in winter, ALWAYS take it to a touchless car wash with an underbody sprayer once every 2 weeks minimum. This will wash the salt away. 2. Keep wax on the paint as often as you can during the warmer months, that way in the winter, your covered. 3. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, drill holes in the paint or let exposed rock chips remain exposed. Exposed metal becomes rust FAST. I have seen a hole rust through a rock chip on a rocker panel in 1 winter. 4. INVEST the $500 or so and have your vehicles undercoated. It is a coating similar to Rhino Liner that is sprayed on the bottom of your vehicle. Any part that doesnt heat up, gets this coating. Check this out: http://www.ziebart.com/rust_protection.php 5. Do not park in a heated garage in winter. As much as you might want to, a car thats left outside will not rust nearly as fast. Road salt does not become corrosive until it comes in contact with water. Water multiplies its alkalinity by...ALOT. So no heated garage, if you must park in a garage, turn the heat off in there. Overlook the heated garage when looking for a home and invest the money you save in a remote starter for your car instead. 6. Do not drive closely behind people. keep a MUCH further distance than you would in dry weather. This is not only safer, but better for your car's finish. 7. Invest in a "Clear Bra" to prevent rock chips. Remeber, Bare metal or primer=rust in as little as 2-3 weeks. 8. Drive in the "ruts" on the road. Follow the same path on the roads as all the other cars have been traveling. the surface will be generally smoother with less debris. 9. If your car doesnt have mudflaps already...dont invest in them. They are a waste. Remember, Holes drilled in your body are a bad thing. And the ones that dont require holes drilled will rub against your finish, or fly off the first slush/salt/muck puddle you drive through. 10. Do not brush against your car, especially when its dirty. and finally i have to reiterate WASH WASH WASH as often as you can!!! Even the Wax at the touchless car wash is better than none at all!

DUDE!!! you have to come up to watertown and see me, hell, Ill meet you in rochester NY! Stay out of the salt!

OK... good news y'all. Its official... that .1% chance, well i got it. It is a benign tumor. Comfirmation labs were negative for high white cell count as well as other things. The sonogram and other tests will tell for sure, but its 99.999% certian that it is benign. My misdiagnosis was a result of a false positive of: A) being "sick" with an upper respiratory infection-hence elvated white cell count. B) I conducted a heavy workout a day prior to the labs the first time. This released excess amounts of protein from muscle damage into my bloodstream, which also ended up as waste in my urine. So, the cancer specialist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center called me and after reviewing my labwork and my previous CT scan and MRI, he told me the tumor is benign.:woot:

Ahh, my friends, no news is good news in this situation, and i have heard no news just yet. I have blood in my urine (as is evidenced from the labwork...twice) and I just had a sonogram this morning. The radiologist has to look at it and get back to me. (this is sure trifiling, how can you take so much time when dealing with cancer) and to top it all off, at 149,010 miles, the alternator is out on my cavalier. I'm just having loads of luck LOL. Thanks for the best wishes. I find it helps most to just be normal and not even think about it from day to day...

It will cause a gel...and my 1990 ES had long life. most likely a valve cover gasket and/or cam seals.

Im going to agree with smooth. but give 'er a look. dont just sit here and wait for answers that may never come. Some people on this board dont have mechanical experience, and rather than screw you up they would just not rather post. Your car is beautiful (if the one in your avatar is yours) dont give up on it! Go pull a few plugs and tell us if there is fuel on them. if so, you have a bad distrubutor or coil (i think its distibutor on the 1jz.) EDIT: Holy *BLEEP*!! You are in Auburn!? My wife was born there. Im stationed up at fort drum. If you can get her up here (or wil pay for my gas) I'll come down there and take a look for you! Im only about an hr away.

It was found that I had a tumor on my left kindey in late august/early sept. You can read about it here I thought I would inform and update the club. I went for a lab workup last friday. The lab came back (i was just informed today) with Medium amounts of blood, and high amounts of protein in my urine. My white blood cell count was extremely elevated as well. So the diagnosis thus far is Cancer. The tumor has grown 2.5mm in the last 30days (it was initially thought to be softball sized, but the second CT scan revealed it was much smaller, approx 5.5mm. It grew over the course of the next month to 7.5mm). More needs to be known about the mass to make a definitive diagnoses as to what type of cancer. I have scheduled a sonogram and another CT scan for 20 november. An MRI is also in between now and then. I go on monday (the 17th of november) for a second lab workup to confirm the first lab. Now for the good news out of all of this: Im going to be fine. The tumor is on the top of my left kidney, 7.5mm in diameter (and growing). The Cancer specialist I saw today said according to the CT scan that discovered it, the tumor does not appear to be attached to the kidney very well yet. The cancer is NOT life-threatening, career-threatening, or even Kidney-threatening yet. It can even be removed from the kidney without removing the kidney itself. There are 2 treatment options so far...Chemo/Radiation, and Surgery. Thus far im thinking im going to opt for the surgery. Only drawback here is that if they miss even 1 cancer cell, the cancer will return. The Chemotherapy comes with downsides too, like being constantly sick, not able to work or really do anything for 6-8 months. I will not be discharged from the Army at any time for this illness unless I want to be. Perogative of being a cancer patient...If i elect to "get out", they will do so without a fuss, because then Tricare doesn't have to foot the bill for the care (which could end up costing...ALOT). That said, only a fool would get out of the Army in a case like this, because getting health insurance while you have cancer would be next to impossible, and one would have to foot the bill for copays, etc. I have none of that with tricare. The care provider bills tricare directly, no money ever exchanges from me to the care provider, unless its for the care of a dependant (spouse or child). So, while I am not dying...DO expect me to be extremely sick over the course of the next few months, minimum.

We had a Soldier die on fort drum, in the back seat of this HMMWV. He was a Sergeant First Class. A dump truck (lots of construction on post) came a around a corner to fast and whacked the truck...Prayers to the family. This truck came to my motor pool where it was deemed my job to "total out" or in military terms, perform a codeout. It requires compiling a list of all the damage to the vehicle and prices of replacement parts. the frame was TORN in half at the impact site. :SHOCKED: Please drive careful y'all. :(

Im in the army, gotta love job security! LOL. I do however, wish you the best NC, if you need anything at all, you know where to get ahold of me.