wwest

Every vehicle I own, or have owned since the early ninties, has or had a MAF and the later ones with MAF & IAT. I have never been tempted to use a K&N but were I to do so the following would become a part of my clean and re-oil procedure. I would build a fixture which would allow me to, out of the vehicle, force airflow at a significantly high level through the filter for a sustained period so as to wick "surplus" oil out of the filter. That's what I would do before actually installing it and thereby prevent, hopefully, contaminating my MAF/IAT sensors with an oil coating and subsequence dirt buildup. But then the question arises as to how much life, efficient "oil-aided" air filtering life, would be left in the K&N with so little oiling left once I install it.

With a 911 sitting in the driveway, I bet not for long! B) The 911 is "reserved" for special days, not very many of those here in the Puget Sound area, it's a late '01 and the odo currently indicates ~20,000. And of that 2500 was in Europe, 3,000 from east coast POE to Seattle and another 3000 from Daytona to home. But then it does get 25 MPG cruising.

Take a look at your LS engine's torque curve. My guess is that for the clear majority of us non-boy-racer types we spend most of our driving time with the engine operating well down on the HP or torque curve. At that point on the curve by what percentage does HP/torque differ for premium fuel vs regular...?? Virtually NONE...??

"..Sounds to me as if the original setting was too rich..." But not due to the carburetor's metering jet(s). Remember that the gain in "performance", engine HP, with the "stacking" of the intake filters was nothing less than dramatic. So something other than the metering jets being too large had to be "in play". With metering jets that LARGE you wouldn't have wanted to lite a cigarette anywhere close by.

"..coolant replacement..." WHY...? When....? Test the Ph of the coolant and if need be the freeze point but otherwise leave it in the car. I replaced the original factory coolant in my '92 LS400 after 12 years and 110,000 only because it began to look a bit murky, not because it wasn't still fully functional.

For the 3 or 4 LS400's and one RX300 that I have taken beyond 60,000 miles they got, DIY, an oil and filter, cabin air filter, and a quite thorough looksee at the brake/ATF/PS/coolant and that was THAT. If you have a hot tub/spa then you have the means to check the Ph of the coolant and you can purchase an inexpensive bulb/gauge instrument for checking the coolant freezing level. Mobil 1 six pack, $30, Lexus oil filter, $15 (don't actually remember), cabin air filter, $5 (3M furnace air filter fabricated into THREE cabin air filters)...$50..??? The ATF was changed out, twice, in my '01 AWD RX300 at about 40,000, since upon my fluid check at that point it smelled burned and appeared dirty/contaminated. Twice, since at first I didn't know about the ATF in the diff'l that has to be drained separately. But it would have probably required two drain and refills anyway to gey more/most of the burned and contaminated ATF out. Now approaching 70,000 miles and it looks as if the ATF will need to be drained and refilled before 80,000. Finally had to drain and refill the factory coolant in our '92 LS after 12 years and 110,000 miles. It still "measured" okay but looked a bit murky.

None, absolutely NONE...!!!

Ebay...

If the day comes that I have to chose between my Grande Latte and premium fuel I'll be driving Prius FIRST...??

What year and current mileage...??? Most common long term, high mileage, failure mode of an alternator is the slip ring brushes, a $3-5 DIY item. A bargain even if you hire a mechanic to remove/reinstall(***). Early models had a "soft" metal for the slip ring contacts on the rear of the shaft and on mine ('92 LS then at 110,000) the slip ring brushes were only half gone but the slip rings were so worn that the steel shaft itself was showing. *** There will be those "here" that will argue that like needlessly replacing the water pump along with the timing belt (since you're in there anyway) it would be best to buy the rebuilt alternator. But then "rebuilt" might mean as little as steam cleaning and a $3.00 set of new slip ring brushes.

Four things are not likely. Do you mean to imply that 3 things are....?? I can accept that. It's obvious the engine simply wasn't getting enough air flow through the stock air filter system, Yes, in comparing the before and after engine performance improvement sequence it would also be my guess that the OEM intake path was somehow blocked, flowing over the exhaust manifold, the air filter you discarded was horribly clogged most likely do the added header and free flowing exhaust. No, given the RANGE of the improvement there simply HAD to be something more. "free-flowing exhaust..." Removed a failed/plugged catalytic converter...??

On the other hand if you live or drive in an area that requires AWD, REAL functional AWD, the relatively poor reliability and low FE of an X5 or an X3 might well be your best investment.

Easy question to answer... The servomotor has an integral position feedback, a "potentiometer", variable resistor. With the connector disconnected from the servomotor/FB use a voltmeter to check if the servomotor drive voltage is still varying back and forth. If it is the problem is elsewhere, other wise the servomotor's internal position FB is questionable. If it is only the passenger side reheat/remix servomotor doing the "clicking" then other than the servomotor assembly itself the passenger side solar radiation sensor is "suspect", next on the list. Thanks for the prompt and informative response! Another piece of info I forgot to add is that the noise will stop after being on some apparently random amount of time (i.e. I haven't resolved what that amount of time may be associated with, which may point me to the radiation sensor?). Any hints on what wire does what in the cable feeding the servo? There are five feeding the device - white, blue, pink, purple, and red/orange (I'm guessing from memory at the moment). I don't have the LEXUS EWD pub but have the other 3 volumes. I'll hunt through them to see if there are wiring identifications. Solar radiation sensor? Sheesh. Any intell on that you can provide would be great, too. R, Wm The entire EWD, absent the "theory," is in the back of one of the standard Lexus shop/repair manuals.

99% of the time, for most of us, the throttle plate itself is the MAJOR OBSTRUCTION to intake airflow. If you drive with a consistently wide open throttle, enough to justify the K&N, then you might as well use the K&N since you'd soon be headed for an engine overhaul anyway and "debris" coming through the "freer flowing" K&N simply will not matter.

"...Or was something wrong, VERY wrong, with your engine to begin with....??" Something you may have overlooked, actually three things. 1. Carburetor.... Whereas an OBDII, MAF/IAT equipped engine will automatically adjust, correct for a freer flowing intake, a carbureted engine might very well show a performance advantage, with your "CAI", especially at higher throttle openings. 2. Air Filter...You installed two BRAND new air filters when you "lifted"the lid, perhaps since the old one was completed clogged/blocked..?? 3. Bird's nest...somewhere in that intake duct...?? 4. HOT intake airflow...That intake duct undoubtedly has two intake paths, one for fresh, cool, intake airflow, and a second, typically vacuum motor selected, that pulls HOT intake airflow in over the exhaust manifold. Vacuum motor stuck in HOT intake position..?? 5. Some combination or even All of the above...??

What....??? Why would there be more than one drain petcock..???

Sorry, I assumed "vacuum" meant in comparison to the high side pressure. not an actual vacuum. The low side should never be lower that about 40PSI of positive pressure. A vacuum would indicate a blocked EPR or expansion valve. The early LSes used an EPR, Evaporator Pressure Regulator, to quiet the "hiss" and other noises made as the refrigerant expands into the evaporator volume, or so they told me. The EPR is mounted right at, next to, the firewall in the low pressure line leading to the compressor intake. I have had at least two instances over the years that resulted in the A/C not working. The first of these while traveling over the continental divide outside of Helena MT and the second in the Mountainous are of northern CA near the OR border. Both, seemingly, have to do with high altitude operation. I recovered, in both instances, but turning the system off for a brief period, long enough, one would expect, for the evaporator to thaw out were that the problem. But since I always had good system air outflow I'm pretty sure the evaporator wasn't frozen. I suspect the EPR was. I have often seen, observed, many times over the years, the compressor intake line that crosses under the front of the condensor covered with 1/4" or more of ice/frost. The only way that can/should happen is that some of the refrigerant cooling capability is reaching this area. IMMHO the only thing responsible for that would be the EPR and given that conclusion the brief inoperative periods I experienced was most liekly due to a frozen, LOCKED, EPR valve. EPR valves are more typically used on systems with multiple evaporators, say minivans with front and rear A/C, to prevent one evaporator from "stealing" all of the cooling capability.

Rather than spend $250 for a new CD apply that same amount toward the purchase of a >$400 PORTABLE garmin w/Bluetooth. You will NOT be disappointed.

The RX300 used, uses, a VC mounted, connected, across the two output shafts of the otherwise fully "open" center diff'l. There is a delay time involved, always, in a VC "stiffening" upon differential F/R wheelspin rates, otherwise the VC would cause driveline "windup" during a turn, especially a tight turn. The onset of VC coupling, enough for changing the F/R torque biasing form 95/5 to about 75/25 is about 10-15 seconds measured on a 4 wheel dyno. 75/25 seemed to be about the maximum level we could get without beginning to worry about compromising the VC's operational life. Lexus admits, willingly, that although the early advertising indicated the RX330 series also had a VC, it does not. They are yet to make the same admission for the RX350 but then I'm still working on that. The VC in my '01 AWD RX300, in reality, has little real practicality. TC, even in my '01, quickly applies the front brakes and dethrottles the engine (EFI fuel starvation for the RX300, no DBW) the very instant wheelspin/slip, FRONT wheelspin/slip, is detected. That's likely why the VC has now been dropped altogether across the entire Toyota/Lexus F/AWD product line. Absent owner knowledge, being somehow aware of how to disable TC, and thereby allow enough of a duration of wheelspin/slip to occur the VC would/will never become functional anyway.

Easy question to answer... The servomotor has an integral position feedback, a "potentiometer", variable resistor. With the connector disconnected from the servomotor/FB use a voltmeter to check if the servomotor drive voltage is still varying back and forth. If it is the problem is elsewhere, other wise the servomotor's internal position FB is questionable. If it is only the passenger side reheat/remix servomotor doing the "clicking" then other than the servomotor assembly itself the passenger side solar radiation sensor is "suspect", next on the list.

The "job" of DRLs is to allow oncoming drivers to see you at the longest distance reasonable in marginal light conditions. Conditions wherein your own forward vision does not require headlights, dusk, dawn, or shadows. The high beam assembly/reflector has the most correct distance focus for that. Their brightness is reduced, typicially, via having the two bulbs along with a voltage dropping resistor in a series circuit. That results in a bit less than 6 volts each and that often results in shortening the life, "usefull" life, of halogen bulbs. Dramatically so in some cases, as little as 12,000 miles in the case of my '01 AWD RX300. BTW, my '01 RX is now equipped with 3 watt Luxeon LEDs with forward focussed collimator lens each side within the headlight assembly in the forward facing street/parking position. The european car makers are now using, since at least '01, a small 6 watt halogen bulbs mounted "stratigically" in each HB reflector. The ones in my '01 911/996 have been replaced with LEDs.

If you want a 'useable' fog lamp, get some 'white' fog lamps. Yellow lamps are great for letting someone else see YOU, but, for YOU to see someone else. . . white fog lamps are best. No, there's more to it than that. Anyone who has ever snow skiied in marginal light conditions at night, or in foggy conditions (fairly common on the slopes) can tell you how dramatically goggles with a slight yellow tint are as an aid, virtually a REQUIRED aid, in terrain definition. I always use AW, All Weather, Fog bulbs. Call me old school. . . o.k., I'm a dinosaur. . . . I want to see down the road. I can miss something that I can see. I don't trust other drivers. Especially in and around Washington, DC, where I drive! "old school".. OLD SCHOOL...!!! I'll be 68 next month and still consider life as a learning experience, THROUGHOUT. If you own an asian origin vehicle, or regretably now many newer US ones, you may need to revise the fog light control circuit so that when fogs are really needed you can use them without interference from the low beams.

Sounds as if the reheat/remix vane/door is stuck in the full heat position. Luckily on the 91 you can check for that pretty easily. The same servomotor that drives the reheat/remix vane/door has a push/pull cable attached that also drives the HOT coolant flow valve open/shut. Have someone cycle the control from max cool to max heat while you watch the actions on the hot water flow valve in the engine compartment at the top center of the firewall. The water valve does stick and if so you can make a temperory fix by simply slipping the cable off of the valve and then tying the valve off in the closed position. As "cooling season arrives I always try to remember to tie the valve off into the closed position until cabin heat is more consistently needed in the fall, resulting in a dramatic improvement in A/C cooling efficiency, especially when used along with recirc (NEVER use recirc in heating mode). This procedure will also improve FE somewhat.

I would like to think than should this "truck" actually reach production the comfort/space/seats in the front will be replicated in the second row. The folks I transport in the second row are not to be considered 2nd class citizens.

This is crazy...! Have you noticed that over the past ten years or so that while the interior space of trucks and SUV remains about the same the exterior body panels, doors, fenders, etc, look as if an explosive was placed inside and then set off...?? Now look at this new Toyota, look familier...?? Ford F-150 used to be a nice reasonably sized PU as was the Explorer as an SUV, not they look, are, HUGE in comparison. IMNSHO Honda should do a Ridgeline on the Ford Ranger wheelbase/frame.