eatingupblacktop

I wonder if I should get some for my snowblower?

I'm pretty sure you can find them at just about any camera shop.

That's what it looks like from your pics. When I starting reading this thread, I originally thought that maybe your new hood was a "close but no cigar" repair from a similar incident that happen to you and they just didn't straighten it out enough to get it flush. From your pics the gaps seem ok. How does the rest of it (like at the front) line up?

As they say "if you're gonna blow it up, then blow it up reeel good". Listen 4.0, when you get to rebuilding it, take a couple of mill off the head to bump up the compression and see what happens with your new fuel mix. Nice to have a couple of extra 1uz's just hanging around. How do you find them anyway?

Talk about stinkin tires, I gotta tell ya about one of my capers. Had the aforementioned "stinkin tires" on my old mazda beater with a stick. Got stuck in the backwoods in a fair amount of snow only because I foolishly slowed down coming into a dip in the road where the snow piled up a bit higher than the rest of the road. Spinnin the tires with a back'n forth motion only made the rut deeper and slicker. No one around to give me a push. Soooo......got this brilliant idea.......put it in gear, get out of the car (it won't stall because the "stinkin tires" are just spinnin round'n round), leave the door open, get behind and push it myself. Once I get it going, I'll just jump in and take off. Good so far eh? Well I got the thing rockin pretty good. I gave it one final push with everything I had. It worked. Just as it left the rut, I slipped and fell in the snow. When I looked up with a face full of snow, I watched it cross the road in slow motion to the other side and into the ditch. The open door was waving to me as to say SEE YA. After that, hated that car until I got rid of it.

You mentioned that you had fuel leaking right after changing the filter. How much was in the tank then?

First time I've heard of a wheel that can't be balanced unless it's been banged or warped, or was manufactured out of round in the first place. Did he offer a reason why it can't be balanced? A wheel that's been previously balanced and has suffered no damage can only go out of balance because of tire wear. Usually the weights will take care of that unless the tire itself has something wrong with it. My suggestion - ask him to take a tire from a wheel that has been balanced and put it on the suspect wheel. Then you'll know for certain if the wheel is the problem.

When you turn the car off listen for a leak at the top of your struts under the hood. Also check the air lines to/from the components (compressor, height controller etc) for leaks. Look for bubbles as SK suggests.

"Same place same time", sounds like you're passing through the Twilight Zone? When you mention it drops out of O/D (normal on a grade and under acceleration) and you lose the noise, it could be because the engine is now revving higher and the tranny's running a different gear. What would happen if you ran the "Twilight Zone" in 3rd at the same revs you're doing when you notice the noise in O/D? Just trying to isolate the noise to either the engine or the tranny. Any chance it could be a resonating heat shield or something loose under the hood that tightens up when it heats up?

Have you checked your battery?

Celsior ;) You'd have to move to Japan! I'm not sure there would be a Celsior if there was no Lexus?

Point taken, and I agree, in order to maintain the warranty and get fair value at the end of the lease you have to do the scheduled service. That's not what I meant to say. I'm talking about a lessee who leaves the sunroof/window cracked when it's raining, or uses cheap/low octane fuel, constant hard driving, doesn't wash or rinse the car regularly especially in the winter when it's caked with salt, always parks under a tree where the birds have a target practice with his hood and roof, doesn't bother to vacuum the carpets or condition the leather, likes to know where the curb is everytime he parks, idles the car for hours in noonday sun with the a/c on full, etc. You see where I'm going with this. I'm inclined to think it's more likely that someone who has purchased their car will take better care of it for the day when they're going to sell it. A purchase is usually kept longer than the 2-4 year lease. A lot of potential problems will not show up until after the car has been traded in on a new lease. I think the attitude towards ownership is different in each case. I equate a purchase with pride of ownership and satisfaction in the condition of your vehicle. Lease, imo, often equates to a utilitarian disposable commodity much like a rental where as long as you don't ding it you don't have any responsiblity or motivation for babying the car. I'd rather buy a car from the original owner with documentation than pick up one that's just been turned in at the end of a lease no matter how well it's been serviced.

Well spoken monarch. You can add to that list, owners who typically turn in their cars at the end of their 2-4 year lease. Not much motivation there for taking proper care of the car. Not to mention drivers who drive the crap out of their cars. I remember slowing down for a railway crossing that I knew to be very bumpy, and watching this guy in his Sunfire just rip across 4 sets of tracks without slowing down at all (no brake lights showing). By midway across, one hubcap came flying off one wheel and I saw the tailpipe sparking as it hit the pavement (obviously having lost a hanger or two with this kind of driving) and he just kept on going. Can imagine what shape his struts, shocks, engine mounts, differential, etc. were in. Doesn't mean the car's going to fall apart right away, and with luck he'll unload it just in time for the new owner to empty his pockets after buying this beater. Abuse doesn't always show up upon inspection (some curbsiders are very skillfull at covering up problems), but it does catch up eventually.

Have you noticed any correlation between the humming noise and the vibration? You say after the car's been driven the noise goes away. If that's the case, rubber rings can't be the cause. Deteriorated rings stay deteriorated and I would think the noise would be continuous. Have you checked for any intake leaks that seal up once the engine reaches operating temp?

Well you'll certainlly have the right wheels for the trip. Just read about it. Congrats on getting the deal you wanted.

Nice link.

I'll nominate Pacific Route US #1. The stretch from L.A. to Point Reyes Park across the bay from SanFran. Found out before I did the route that locals do it travelling north only and take the interstate back. The reason? Going north, you're on the inside lane. Going south you're on the outside lane right next to the edge of the cliffs. Along the way, every so often, usually around one of the countless switchbacks, you see wrecks (some of them upside down) perched on the rocks at right about road level just before the long trip down. How they got there you can only speculate, but they sure make good sign posts about what can happen pretty quick on some sections of this road. I'll try and dig up a photo I have of one. Once you settle down and get used to the dramatic extremes of this road, you can appreciate the magnificent view of the never ending ocean expanse against the jagged cliffs. Many places to stop along the way least of which are Carmel, Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove. The best scenic road I've driven on States side. Here's a link that gives you a taste: http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2301/explore.html

I've been lucky to have driven some incredibly beautiful tours both in the US and here in Canada. Some of the roads are just plain scenic and make you relax and feel like you're just about flying. Others are hairy and have you gripping the wheel a little harder and sitting very upright with all your senses on full alert. They're adventures all. What roads have you driven that you would nominate as the best touring road in North America and what makes it "the best"?

Check the tension on your serpentine belt. Next, I would clean your battery terminals and make sure the connection is tight. If that's not the problem, check the voltage on your battery at rest/under load. Next I would check what your alt is putting out. If both of them are ok, I would test your cables. As to your p/s leak, check where it's leaking from. Could be that the leak misses your alt altogether. Nevertheless, I would get it fixed. PS: Forgot to mention to check all your grounds.

You mentioned he loosened the return line, then tightened it back up. Perhaps, the line was overtorqued or the thread might be stripped?

Great answer RF and I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one.

Wasn't sure where to post this? Thanks for sorting it out.

Thought I'd post what I think could be a fun topic. We all know how great Lexus vehicles are and how much we love our rides. But, what if there were no Lexus? What would you be driving today and why? Lets hear your preferences.

If everything was working before you had the replacement sunroof installed, then I would describe your problems since the installation to the mechanic who did the job and ask him to double check all the connections he made. Sounds like a wiring issue.

I'm sure you've already figured this out but, just in case you weren't thinking it, DON'T DRIVE THE CAR back to the mechanic with a fuel leak the way you describe it!