W201 sweden

This issue is not important. At all. Like, number 8 from the BOTTOM of the "important things" list... But still, please - bear with me. The acronyms OE and OEM show up frequently when you surf the car forums. AFAIK, they refer to Original Equipment and Original Equipment Manufacturer - which is not the same! For instance, in the Mercedes or SAAB (my "main pets") world, OE shocks can be the very specific Bilstein model used on the Sportline or Turbo cars in the factory. However, ALL Bilstein models are OEM, since they come from the OE supplier. The same goes for batteries, plugs, rims, filters, engine and brake parts etc. In this forum, it seems most people refer to Lexus OE parts as OEM, which sometimes makes me confused? In the Lexus family, there are not many OEM parts available, is that why? Most stuff comes as OE or from some OTHER supplier, it seems? Regarding MB, the supplier often has other customers beside MB, and you can find alternative versions and dealers for many, many parts. If someone feels this is important enough, please comment... :) /Alexander from Sweden

Hi guys! What do you think of my new avatar - a flag? Please note! There is NO reward for figuring out what country it is from... :D Regarding the oh-so-low profile from the Scandinavian countries since the embassy burnings etc. in the middle east, I thought I'd balance it by making some Swedish PR in this very friendly region instead! :) /Alexander from Sweden

Hello! Some additional information: When the engine has reached normal running conditions, the mixture (and thereby fuel consumption) is calculated from the oxygen in the exhaust. The ECU reads the voltage from the Lambda sensors, and tunes the fuel correspondingly to acheive Lambda = 1. This means, that if the signal from the MAF is a bit off, the ECU will automatically compensate (as far as it can). (Many cars have a "window" of +/- 30% or so in the Lambda regulation loop, allowing for tolerances in fuel composition and pressure, fuel nozzles, MAF tolerances etc. On some Mercedes, the ECU tolerances where too narrow, setting the "check engine" light for no appearent reason. To correct this, we had to replace the ECU's.) But during warm up, heavy load or acceleration etc. the input from the Lambda sensors is ignored, in favour to (wrong preposition?) MAF input. Long rant , but the point is: During for instance a long cruise at moderate speed, a slightly "off" MAF does not affect mileage. Performance and "driveability" will however drop. /Alexander from Sweden

Oh, I'm impressed! That certainly is one of those tools that separate the men from the boys... ;) Gives some extra "cred" - not that you need it. I've used similar models and yes, once you have it, you really appreciate how it simplifies brake bleeding, fluid exchanges etc. If you get one to the right price - go ahead. Here is an example of a lesser model, but the price is only about $35. Lesson in swedish, anyone? /Alexander

This time I will try to stay on topic... ;) Why low water level can stop the heater from working: If the water level goes down, air will enter the system. The air will form bubbles that sit on "high points" in the system. IE, if there is a pipe shaped lika an upside down "U", (the oppostie of a "water lock" under the sink) there will be some air in the highest point. When you start circulating the coolant, water level will rise in the pressure side of the U-bend. Coolant level will rise, until it is high enough to flow over the peak, and drop down on the other side. Circulation starts, although a bit randomly (exp?). If the system water level is too low, local level in the pipe will not rise high enough to initiate a flow => no heating in your case. If you have a steady circulation of pressurized, "air-bubble" free coolant to that U-bend, the air trapped in the pipe gets "washed out" little by little. The case with the heater core is similar, but there can be a twist to it. If the design is such, that there is a closed cavity in the core, which extends higher than the highest points in the outlet, one more thing happens. The air bubble in the core is basically "floating" on top of the water surface in the core. As the pressure in the cooling system builds up, the small bubble in the core will shrink (PV=nrt anyone?). This means the water level in element will rise, to the point of fully "occupying" the exit hole. That makes it harder for the small bubble to "reach" the exit opening and float away. The next time the coolant pressure is down, the air bubble expands again, (although not reaching its previous size) and some more air easily "escapes" - with a slight sound. So, the heater core can (and will often) have a bubbling sound during warm-ups (and only then) for some days after a draining/refilling of the system - dependent of your temperature and driving conditions. So it's normal. As a consequence of this - if you suddenly start to hear a bubbling sound after start up, you can suspect you have got a leak in the system. These factors are dependent on specific design, so some cars exhibit these symptoms, while other don't. Thanks for reading all the way down here. :) /Alexander from Sweden

wwest, I think you are comparing apples with oranges here. Without getting into physical properties of different fluids, like... A cooling system should not be compared with an overheated fuel line in the summer. That one actually boils, which is not the case in the heater core! That one is closer to bleeding a brake line. A good, steady pressure will push the air through the lines, as the air can reach the highest point in the system at the end of the line. There is no actual boiling or vapour lock. That CAN happen, but normally only with a blown head gasket or similar problems. I recently changed the heater core in my MB, and it took several days until the bubbling sound from the heater at start up was fully gone - which is normal. By the way: Also almost all diesel engines will EVENTUALLY evacuate the fuel lines, the air bubbles WILL go with the flow, not sooner but later... ;) /Alexander

Welcome, RDM! I also joined this community recently, and I'm impressed by the friendliness and level of know-how each time I get here... :) /Alexander from Sweden

Hope I did not misunderstand your question, RFeldes: A sealed (and pressurized!) cooling system will eventually end up almost free from air pockets. If you just circulate water long enough, air will follow the stream, and end up in the expansion tank. As the air trades place with the water, water level will drop. This can continue even after several running hours - hence the "topping up" you have to do after a complete flushing of the system. But since the water pump is fairly low in the system, there is little risk to trap air inside it. But on some BMW:s, the cylinder head is actually the highest point in the cooling system. (sic!) Such a design is very senitive to trapped air, and I guess that is a contributing factor to all the cracked heads on those cars... Hope that answers your question? /Alexander from Sweden

>sigh< All these bushings and struts... Oh, what's wrong with a conventional rear axle + mcPherson in the front... ;) Is there any guide or schematic drawing, where I can sort all the components out? I mean, with the part number for each item. I need to do a wheel alignment in the future, and I WILL have to replace some of the links = $$$ /Alexander from Sweden

DDiller@SEWELL.com customer.service@sewell.com /Alexander

With all respect, I beg to differ on a couple of points stated. A partly blocked fuel filter will not affect your MPG. At all. A partly blocked air filter will not affect the MPG, unless it's REALLY bad. However, these parts have a great impact on engine POWER! B) Since efficiency in a gasoline engine is so low, it really pays off to minimize the power needed to propell the car. In moderate speeds (below some 50 mph), friction between tires and road surface contributes alot to total energy loss. = MPG.... Selecting the a certain "low roll resistance" tire can give you a real saving - perhaps 5% or so. During the -80's, some european car manufacturers equipped their cars with these tires. The slightly higher price paid off several times, thanks to real life fuel savings. A narrower tire (205/65 in stead of 225/60) will also save some fuel. I think an incorrect wheel alignment can give you slightly increased fuel consumtion (2% or so?), due to the drag. Also check that the brake pistons/pads retract fully! A somewhat dragging brake means real MPG loss. Good luck!

More information... Since my previous post, I have also sent an e-mail to Sewell's customer service - with the same result: An automatic reply about an e-mail delivery problem, and a couple of days later, a message about server xxx not responding. I do not blame any person - the inital reply from the company was very nice. I believe there has to be some technical problem? I did not order the parts (but I intend to), but I asked for a quotation on hood struts, transmission mount, weather strips and a RH rear view mirror glass. /Alexander from Sweden

Lexus Looker said: That would really be something... Good luck with the tires! /Alexander from Sweden

Hehe... actually it sounds very nice! Just make sure to park at a safe distance from sloppy drivers/parkers. You don't want THAT car sitting in the garage with a dent in the door - unless you can still sit in the rear seat as the mechaic is repairing it!

Regarding the Michelins sold and made in Europe, I must say they are every bit as good as you say. I've never heard about ONE defective tire from that company. They are not always top ranking on every parameter, but as a whole, you will not be disappointed with them. I recommend them to anyone. It is a shame the tires are almost twice the price here, though... Contis are from and for Germany, with it's super smooth roads. I find them to be very noisy when driven on the rougher Swedish roads.

I recommend you search the forum... :) You probably have some "microbiological activity" in the AC evaporator. Common "problem" on many cars. /Alexander

RFeldes - please stop! LOL! I knew I there had to be something with a person choosing that avatar (mini-mini-van...) ;) But I did check out some other post regarding the FRONT seat belts, and it seems Europe and US have different seat belts. You have an automatic belt tensioner as you switch on ignition? We don't. Probably the length is also different? Blake918 (who also has a -95 LS) can use the rear seat belts in his car, probably couldn't in mine. I'm approx. 6'2" / 175 pounds, and as I said, there is not a lot of excess belt when I've buckled up. (Same on left and right side.) Guess Lexus inteded rear quarters as a "KIDS ONLY" area in Europe... ;) Guess that makes me one... :P /Alexander

Blake, don't you find the actual seat a bit short? I do. If you compare to other roomy cars, many have longer sitting surface, giving better support for the thighs. If you think you could benefit from it, it is possible (at a reasonable cost/effort) to modify the back rest, so it "sits" further back compared to the seat. (Like, in some cars the height adjustment just raises the seat, not the back.) That way, you would keep the original attaching points of the seat and floor, getting more space and a "longer" seat. Hope it's possible to understand the idea? /Alexander

OK - thanks! Seems like they are not defective - just, ehhh... bad? :) /Alexander - who prefers front seat anyway... B)

I got the impression Sewell is a good source for Lexus parts, so I e-mailed them. Someone called Darrel Diller replied that they DO ship to Europe (yes!), and that I should specify what parts I needed. So I did, but after almost two weeks, all I 've heard from them is an automatic response telling me about a communication problem in their server??? Anybody here that has more information? Are they still in business? /Alexander from Sweden

In my -95 LS 400, the both rear seat belts behave... hmmm...let's say "strangely"... <_< If I pull one out to buckle up, it works ok. When fastened, I let go of the belt, and it spools up, so the slack disappears - work fine. But if I then try to bend forward, and need some of the excess belt, that just went back on the spool (?), it stops. So, it blocks the belt without any external force being applied to the belt mechanism. Pulling really slow makes no difference - I have to unbuckle and redo the whole procedure. BUT - if i use very little of the belt, (enough to fit a child) it works OK. Belt goes in and out in a normal way, adjusting to movement of a small person. Also the rear belts seem surprisingly short. I am normally built - although rather tall (6'2") - but there is not much excess belt when I've buckled up. A slightly larger person could not use the rear seat belts. Is that normal? Best regards, Alexander from Sweden

Hello guys! Regarding the clock in the dash; check out the Maseratis! They had a VERY ornamental (think "slightly vulgar") center dash analog clock long before the Infinity. link: http://www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk/alfieri04.htm best regards, Alexander from Sweden

Hello SKperformance! Perhaps I was not really clear - I wondered if the french Michelin company has done like many other companies, and opened factories in US. This to avoid protective toll appplied by US on imports. Nissan was very early with a full assembly factory in UK to get around EU tolls. Perhaps it would still be cheaper for me to import french tires from US? B) M+S tires are mandatory in Sweden since some years, and studded tires are allowed during the winter. Anyhow, most people has always used winter tires, so the law did not make that much difference. /Alexander

LOL, ok when I read my own post today I feel a bit blunt... I sure meant no offence, even if it sounded harsh. I've seen some pretty horrifying things done by careless drivers, when I was working as a mechanic, so I guess that's why tend to overreact. Thanks for "OK:ing" me. I think the people on this board are great, and I hope not to upset anyone - at least not unintentionally... ;) My Lexus? No stuck doors here! ;) Runs very good, has some things on the "To Do"-list. I do not feel disappointed at all, just a bit detached/uninvolved (?). I think it is changing for the better, though. But the qualities of the car really shines through, and I do feel it's a good car! I'll get back with a full report when we have had some more kilometers together. :)

For you Michelin users: Are your tires made in France, Germany, US or elsewhere? Strangely enough, some european brands seems cheaper in US than via discount internet shops in Europe? In a normal Swedish tire shop, the 225/60-16V-rated Michelins are well over $220 each. :cries: Replies greatly appreciated! /Alexander