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I tossed the steering damper on my 92 LS right after purchasing it.

More.... Combating HORRID dirty gym socks like odors. The internet page for the EED, Electronic Evaporator Dryer, is: http://www.airsept.com/eed.html Another device that might be helpful is a UV light source. For searching, the brand name is BIOZONE and the model is 50V.

Okay, here we go again... First, the odor is from the leavings and out-gassing of the microbes that constitute the "family" of mould and mildew. And second, ALL air conditioners have this problem to some extent. These microbes really like damp and dark places and thrive and multiply mightily when temperatures are correct, 60-70F, if I remember correctly. The problem has always existed in automotive A/C system but became much more prevalent when the type of A/C refrigerants was changed back in the early to mid ninties. The new refrigerants are less efficient so some way had to be found to make up for the loss in efficiency. The most commonly accepted method was to increase the density and complexity of the A/C evaporator. My 84 T-bird had an evaporator with approximately 4400 sq inches of cooling vane surface area, my 92 LS has over 10,000 sq inches. Remember that the total area of the evaporator could not be readily increased, think SPONGE. The second method also commonly selected to improve efficiency was to more thoroughly SEAL the vehicle such that the already cooled air within the cabin does not readily escape. Other than the obvious, good insulation and sealing makes the vehicle a LOT quieter, this actually has a secondary positive effect in that with less fresh air coming into the cabin the airflow that does enter will flow throught the evaporator vanes very S.L..O...W...L.....Y..... The longer a unit of air remains with the evaporator the COLDER it will become. On a humid day when you operate your A/C the air flowing through the evaporator will oftentimes be cooled to its dewpoint, the point at which moisture begins to precipitate out of the air. Cooling humid airflow is like squeezing a sponge, as the air is cooled its capacity for holding moisture is reduced. In this case it condenses out of the cooled air and onto the vanes of the evaporator. As each of these dropletts accumulate more and more mass their viscosity will be overcome by gravity and they will flow down the evaporator and out the condensate drain onto the roadbed. Remember that while the A/C is operating this is an ongoing process. So when you shut the vehicle down for the evening after a humid day there will ALWAYS be a thin film of moisture still clinging to the evaporator core. As the A/C plenum area warms during the shutdown period absent some sort of forced airflow the moisture will likely evaporate into the local atmosphere making the A/C plenum area VERY humid. Those microbes will now wake up, become very active, and FALL IN LOVE! When Lexus shipped my 92 LS they were already aware of the problem and so the evaporator in my 92 LS had a porus nylon film covering the vanes and these pores were filled with an anti-microbial agent, fungicide, at the factory. That worked very fine to keep the microbes at bay, but with continual use of the A/C day after day those frequent "washings" eventually washed the chemical from the pores and now I was left with an extraordinarily absorbent SPONGE. Here in the Seattle area our summer nights are not very conducive to the growth of mould and mildew, not typically warm enough. But let me tell you that the moisture left in the A/C plenum overnigh via this method can have a very frightening effect on you when the windshield suddenly fogs over completely about 5 miles down the road on a cool morning. In January of 93 I had become so afraid of driving my new LS that I parked it in the garage and didn't drive it again until the fall of 93 after I had figured out what was causing this effect and how to overcome it. I started religiously rolling the windows down slightly in the garage each and every night. Yes I know that this did not create and "forced" airflow, directly, through the system, and today I cannot tell you why or how it worked, actually, but that it did work. While I did have follow-on instances of sudden windshield fogging, none of them were due to the previous day's A/C operation. I don't at the moment remember the internet site, but I think if you search for "airsept" and "eed", it will pop up. The eed is a device that will run the A/C blower intermittently starting about 30 minutes after the vehicle is shut down. Apparently it takes about 30 minutes or so for the evaporator to rise from its normal operating temperature of ~33F to a level at which the thin film of mositiure will (might??) begin to evaporate. And then the idea is to use the pressure differential created by the blower motor to move the moisture laden air entirely from the vehicle. Another thing that seemed to help with my Lexus LS was adding 4 12 volt exhaust fans in the trunk below the shelf package. These fans are activated automatically with the system in defog/defrost/demist mode, or if I activate the rear windows defog heating strips. I can suggest a more instant but temporary fix. Remove the pollen filter, turn the system to fresh and mixed outflow, (dash & footwell, least airflow resistance) and the blower to HIGH with the windows open and then spray a can of lysol slowly into the system outside air intake at the bottom passenger side of the windshield. Leave the blower running for 10 or 15 minutes after the lysol is exhausted to purge the remaining lysol fumes.

Jaos, but search for grille, not grill, as in a Montana steak.

I have never experienced the effect you describe, rotors more prone to warping after turning. First car was a 56 Ford purchased in 61, newest experienced is a 92 LS400, turned rotors at about 30k, car is now at 94k. On the other hand with the manufacturers putting so much effort to improve MPG by lightning the vehicle there may well be rotors now out there in the market that are so light and thin that one turning makes them VERY much more prone to warping.

Since the pre-04(**) AWD RX is predominantly FWD anyway (absent front wheel slippage 95% of the engine torque is routed to the front) it is extremely unlikely any damage will be done to the driveline. I suspect there is no AWD RX owner that would ever even notice the difference if someone disconnected the rear driveline without their knowledge. The 04 AWD RX330 models are also predominantly FWD but without the aid of the viscous clutch used prior to 04. The 04 model would likely not drive any wheel(s) with the rear driveline disconnected.

With just the rear window(s) down basically you're setting inside a child's toy whistle. The effect is referred to as a sonic standing wave. Both my Ford station wagons had the same effect but luckily I could lower the glass portion of the tailgate slightly and kill the effect. Basically the wind flowing across the open window acts effectively the same as a child blowing air into a toy whistle, the volume of the whistle determines the frequency and his lung power the volume. Given the enclosed volume of the RX to the rear of the air entry point the frequency will be extremely low and at 70MPH the volume is definitely painful to one's ears.

AWD?? Options??

The transmission fluid temperature sensor is inop. The RX will not shift into overdrive until the fluid temperature has risen to some reasonably high level.

Well, first of all, you cannot use snowchains on an RX at all. At least not safely so according to Lexus. The rear tire and suspension clearance is too low to allow any type of chains to be fitted at the rear. Lexus' RX owners manual says to use snowchain ONLY on the front but a section in the very same manual then points out how likely this will make it quite easy to lose control of the vehicle. I added 1.5 wheel spacers and upgraded to 17x8 wheels and 235/65-17 tires on my 01 AWD RX right after I picked it up. The spacers allow me to safely use rear snowchains ONLY, which I have done on several occassions. I suppose I could use chains on all four but I haven't had the need yet.

With Lexus air suspension you can adjust the height sensor at each wheel to lower the car even more than the 80MPH point.

One of the things that sold me on my 92 LS was the monotone burgandy exterior. When I bought my 01 AWD RX300 it went directly to the paint shop to have the lower painted burnished gold to match.

Remove the screws behind the tool kit and then just be brave....

Ford ended up licensing the Prius hybrd design for the Escape.....

The exhaust from new cars has a strong chemical odor.

27MPG.....Down from early news of 37MPG.......????!! Combined..?

If you're talking high beam bulbs they will fail sooner with the DRL voltage. Something about operating halogen gas bulbs below design voltage causes the inside of the glass encapsulation to soot over.

Very likely the same as the Toyota Highlander uses, but any third party parts dealer can tell you if there are interchangable.

You have an intermittent rear brake light, and don't forget to check the high-mounted one too.

Looks are not everything.......... Damn good way to muddy your pant leg as you get into and out of the vehicle. RX and 4runner are low enough that for most of us actually making use of running boards is somewhat ackward. But if you like the looks then clearly you can afford the cleaning bills.

I suppose that would mean it would be a good idea to add a 12 voly cooling fan to force more airflow through the auxillary transmission fluid cooler. Anyone tried that yet? I would assume that those regularly hauling heavy loads are inordinately subject to transmission failures............

I bought my first car in 1961, a 1956 Ford. In all of the intervening time I have never changed out automatic transmission fluid as a maintenance matter. Typically drove cars over 100k miles with no indication of problems. This past weekend I did an oil and filter change on my 01 AWD RX300, 38k miles. In doing so I checked the transmission fluid, look and smell. Not normal red, more brownish, and smelled slightly burned. The RX has the trailer towing package, extra transmission fluid cooling heat exchanger, and NO trailer hitch. Just to cross-check, the 92 LS at 94k miles still has normal look and smell of transmission fluid. Is the RX torque convertor undersized for the load rating??

Gun barrel bluing.....

When you unplug the battery with the engine running the output of the alternator will go to infinity and BEYOND! No, seriously, the ability of the battery is act as a current sink, load, on the alternator is an integral part of the charging system. When you open the battery the result will oftentimes be huge high voltage spiking of the alternator output often resulting in blowing up multiple elctronic components. I'm not really surprised your engine quit the instant you opened the battery circuit. But I am surprised everything worked afterward. The first thing to do each time you have suspicions of electrical problems of this type is remove the battery terminals, engine OFF! And the clean and burnish the battery posts and the connectors and then reinstall. This procedure is a good one to follow each and every spring regardless.

Motor oil costs what? $1.00 Qt? Drive she said........