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smooth1

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Everything posted by smooth1

  1. So can you post the results print out? I would like to see what they have determined to be the improved geometry. I did mine, so i would like to compare and see what the differences are. I can post mine also for you to see.( If you wanna keep it fair. B) )
  2. So where is the pic of the after?
  3. I replcaed the liscence plate lights with 6 bulb LEDs, the glove box light, the trunk light, and added the footboard lights all in LED's from Superbright LED.com. There have been no issues with any of them. And it looks way cool. Everyone seems to like them.
  4. I could if you all had the meet in Miami :P
  5. 3m makes a great product called tar and adhesive remover that is clear coat safe. I get it from Griot's Garage, but I'm sure you can get it elsewhere.
  6. Well, heck, I sure don't feel bad now for not being able to help, you took it in, and they had it in front of them and coudn't fix it! LOL!! It is starting to sound more and more like a sensor issue. Have you checked the 02 sensors and made sure they were working and resistance was good? When the engine is first started when it is cold, the engine will briefly run for 1 or 2 minutes in open loop operation based on the "basic" idle mixture setting in the CIS Fuel Distributor/Air Flow Meter assembly and by the duty cycle programmed into the ECU, which may explain why when you first staart the car everything seems good again. Normally the basic idle mixture is set to be 0.6% to 1.2% Carbon Monoxide (CO) when the exhaust gas is measured up stream of the catalytic converter. Once the Oxygen (O2) Sensor warms up (Heated O2 sensor), the system will switch over to closed loop operation. This sensor is used to monitor oxygen levels in the exhaust and acts as a voltage supply that transitions high to low when the oxygen level is high (slightly lean above 14:7 to 1 air fuel ratio) and transitions low to high when the Oxygen level is low (slightly rich air fuel mixture below 14:7 to 1 air fuel ratio). The ECU uses this oxygen sensor signal to tweak the air fuel mixture back and forth close to the ideal 14.7 to 1 Air Fuel Ratio. With the fuel system in closed loop operation after the O2 sensor warms up, the O2 sensor voltage cycles up and down between ~0.1V and ~0.9V. At idle, the O2 voltage should cycle back and forth 1 to 2 times per second and when cruising, it should cycle back and forth ~4 to 5 times per second. This cycling occurs because the engine computer senses the O2 voltage and then changes the duty cycle going to the CIS Frequency valve (Mixture solenoid). If the O2 sensor wire is disconnected with the engine running, the ECU normally has a 0.450 V (+/- 0.050V) reference voltage on the ECU wire connecting to the O2 sensor. The ECU will switch over to a basic idle mixture setting (frequency valve duty cycle set to 50%) with the O2 sensor disconnected. You can temporarily disconnect the sensor and drive the car to see if the problem still exists. Or if you have the ability to test the sensors, then just do that.
  7. Hey rbyoung! Haven't talked to you in awhile. Hows the tug life been?
  8. I use an Auto XRay. They sent me the updates awhile ago, I haven't had any trouble. I haven't used it on my car yet either, so I'll have to get back to you on it. I'm trying to remember if I have had to use it on a CAN Protocol or not yet. But in any case, CAN protocol will be the new mandated protocol anyway, so you would have needed it anyway.
  9. LOL!! Just remember Sw, no more driving to PA at 130+ mph!! As your new H rated tires may start to become unstable.....
  10. But Florida has a Ethanol mandate now in effect. So do you attribute the lower fuel mileage to that or the octane difference?
  11. Which is why I stated: I am not familiar with the requirements on a 2006 RX400, but if you say it recommends 87 octane, then your ok, as using a higher octane then what is required is useless also. Only engines that need higher octane, or have knock issues, need to use higher octane. As for the fuel mileage, I would attribute the difference in MPG's to the way you drive during the summer vs. the way you drive in the winter as the major contributing factor. The manual doesn't "recommend" regular fuel, but it does state that 87 octane may be used. It goes on to state that higher performance will be available if higher octane fuel is used. The reason why I bring this up is that it is unlikely that following the manual would result in damage to the engine. Certainly, if no mention of 87 or 89 octane is included in the manual, but a specific requirement that 91 octane fuel be used, is, then pumping in lower octane fuel is asking for trouble. I beleive this would be due to the Synergy drive system. The engine never really sees WOT load conditions, where engine knock is the most dangerous. Instead it engages the rear electric motor to help with that, and under regular driving conditions would only use the forward electric motor to assist. I would imagine that in the RX 400h, fuel mileage takes lead design philosiphies over any aggressive timing and fuel maps. So I can easily understand that 87 octane allowance. Remember, we really can't compare a hybrid to a regular gasoline engine. Regular gasoline engines have to be mapped for full throttle conditions, which can greatly influence the intitial timing and map settings, whereas the Hybrid doeasn't really have to account for that. But even so, if I owned an RX 400h, and reading the owners manual, I would determine that 91 octane in this case might be the better choice. ( With no Ethanol in it if possible. )
  12. EnginePassion, I haven't read this whole thread, only this last page. Are you sure you don't have any pens or keys or anything in the door pockets or in the glove box that are doing the rattling? I have also noticed that passengers tend to not pay any attention to the seatbelt conntecor when they take it off, and it can get cocked between the seat and the pillar, hence bounce around on the pillar causing an annoying tapping when you rumble over some railroad crossings or some bumps. It's funny, I have a friend that owns a Bugatti Veyron, and he complains about the same issues and a few other things as well. 1.4 million dollar car! LOL!! then he jumps in his 2006 IS 350 and drives it to the office.
  13. I just noticed that I didn't address the other portion opf your post though. You are correct in that the stock ECU does change or adapt, but only by so much. The issue is that the lower octane could still ignite before the spark plug ignites it, which would still defeat any timing alterations, therefore preignition would still be occuring. The adjustments have more to do with temputures and maintaining Stoic A/F mixtures to maintain the cats. Remember, no amount of timing adjustment will ever create spark before TDC occurs.
  14. Wow, I'm impressed! Nice turn out again! The A05 race car is sweet! what class does he race in? Does he have a lap times and all? You guys are doing it right over there. Which is good, you know,,,we have standards. LOL!!!
  15. Very nice! looks way cool, chic! If you want, I can point you in the right direction for doing an LED replacement mod for the overhead dome light also. I used hyper white in mine, but they have all the colors and it's an LED, not a regular incandescent light so it looks crisp. It's much brighter than this pic makes it look.
  16. No, I don't think that is your problem as the MAS reacts to, not initiates throttle, which seems to be your problem. I would continue to look at the throttlebody. It has to be in there somewhere. If you start the car and pop the hood, reach to the back of the motor and blip the throttle with the throttle lever by hand. Maybe do a full pull with it and see how the motor reacts. If you still have the same issue, it has to be the throttlebody, or maybe fuel pressure regulator, or something along that line.
  17. This is a completely different scenario though. Mazda has been "barrowing" technology from Ford for many years now. And truth be said, the adaptability of the Ford ECU programs are much greater than Toyota, Honda and Nissan. I should include BMW and a few others, but to keep this short, the biggest "tuner" obstacle has allways been the ECU fuel mapping parameters in Toyotas and other Japanese mfgr's. I have a hand held "tuner" for Ford and Mazda made by SCT. ( Superchips, Diablosport, Hypertech and a few others also exsist) via my computer at home, I can datalog, and make timing alterations, A/F adjustments and even control my idle speed directly. In that one unit I can have a high MPG setting, a normal setting, and a performance setting. By plugging directly to the ODB II and pumping that info right into the stock ECU. Non of that is available for any Toyota, Nissan or Honda that I am aware of unless the ECU has been replaced by an aftermarket system such as AEM, Haltech or a few others that exsist. I wouldn't say that Mazda, Ford , or anyone else is more advanced or higher tech, I think it has more to do with the philosophy behind it.
  18. Which is why I stated: I am not familiar with the requirements on a 2006 RX400, but if you say it recommends 87 octane, then your ok, as using a higher octane then what is required is useless also. Only engines that need higher octane, or have knock issues, need to use higher octane. As for the fuel mileage, I would attribute the difference in MPG's to the way you drive during the summer vs. the way you drive in the winter as the major contributing factor.
  19. I can't send you a PM as you have elected to turn of that feature.

  20. I've been reading this thread and thought I would put some info up for everyone to consider. The AKI, (Anit-Knock index) or "octane rating" of a fuel ia an average of 2 different methods of computing the fuel's ability to resist engine knock. Regular unleaded as I am sure you are aware has an anti-knock index of 87 and Premium is in the 91-93 octane range. the higher the number, the more anti-knock protection the fuel offers. Engine knock happens when the fuel in the cylinder ignites by itself before the spark plug ignites it. The term for that is "pre-ignition". It can sound like marbles rattling in a coffee can , and it generally gets worse the harder you press on the gas pedal. Often times, due to the isolation and more advanced engineering, you probably can't or won't hear this occuring. But rest assured, it is. Knocking can indeed damage your engine because what is actually happening is the fuel and air mixture is igniting and exploding, pushing down on the piston before it reaches the top of it's stroke and is free to move downward again. Thus making the engine work against itself. This places large amounts of stress on certian engine components such as pistons, connecting rods and bearings. In some cases knocking can burn holes in pistons and cause head gasket failures. The reason for using a higher octane also pertains to the burn rate of the fuel. The higher the octane, the slower it will burn. this is because the fuel is less volatile, and requires more heat to ignite, thus offering more control during the combustion stroke. Your engine was engineered with this in mind. If the owners manual says use a higher octane fuel, then listen to what the good book says. You will almost allways see that requirement in higher compression higher performance engines. On another note, the "Premium" gasolines does not in itself make it any cleaner than regular gas to burn. Alot of oil companies would like you to believe that thier premium fuels have some special formula used only in thier premium fuels to help clean injectors, remove deposits, restore lost power, and even help with the dishes and clean the windows. the truth is the same amount is put in all thier octane fuels for standard commercial uses. Which brings me to my real point here. Sorry if the above is long winded. But what truly amazes me is that the real issue that effects us is the use of alcohol, ( Ethanol) in fuels. It's a much more complex question than which octane fuel to use. Alcohol/gasoline blends may make a car look better in an emissions test, but actually there is alot of debate on the pros and cons of using them, let alone mandating the use of them! As most emissions tests don't take into account that you car will burn more fuel in an ethanol blended fuel. On a per gallon basis, your car will emit fewer pollutants with Ethanol blended gasolines, but on a per mile basis you will burn more fuel, thus offsetting the emissions gain. Which is the more important factor as it just raised the cost of fuel with no benefit. For example, if you get 30 MPG's with straight gasoline, and 28 MPG's with a blended gasoline, for every 1000 miles you drive, you would use just over 2 additional gallons of gasoline then if you used straight gasoline. So, even if the Ethanol blend burned 5% cleaner, (they claim 3-5%), your still actually polluting more with the blended fuel as you burned an additional 7% to acheive that. Not to mention that Ethenol can degrade rubber components such as gaskets and hoses. Most mfgr's have addressed this though. But older cars may not be so well adjusted. I realize also we are talking very small %'s here. But, 2% here, 1% there, and your right back to spending the few pennies you think you may be saving along the way, and most people never add the cost of repair to the cost of fuel over the years. Did that head gasket blow for no reason? Did that catalytic converter just need to be replaced because it was just old and worn out? Why is that car not able to put out as much hp anymore? Hmmm, could it all be related to saving 2 dollars a tank on fuel?
  21. If the issue showed up afterwards, then most likely yes. I won't bother explaining how to re level the sensors, so when you take it in they can do that for you. When you call back, just tell them you would like to bring the car in for a full check up. You just want everything gone over for your own peice of mind. Maybe tell them how impressed you were with their services in the past and you would like to give this car to your son and before you do you want to make sure everything is in good working condition. ;) I'm sure they will welcome you in with open arms and some really nice complimentary soft drinks.
  22. If your talking about the defrost vents that blow the air on the windshield? Your SOL. The dash wll have to come out to acces those ducts. and even then it wont be that easy. You might wanna try this though, go to a pet store that sells aquarium supplies and buy about 6 or 8 feet of that clear tubing they use for air in the tanks. Then duct tape that to the end of a vacuume hose on your household vacuume. Turn it on and feed it down there and see if maybe you can grab it up with that? Just an idea. The clear hose is won't scratch anything and should be flexible enouph to manipulate around down there.
  23. I suspect the humming is just the tread on the tires making that noise. Maybe just find a grassy field at a church or school you can drive it on to see if it becomes quiet, which I think it will. The rearends on these cars are just about bomb proof, as I have several friends with an open differential and have put turbos on it pushing double the hrosepower thru them and have not had any trouble with them at all. And those that have the LSD rearend (Both tires provide power to the ground), have over 600 hp using the stock rearend with out troubles. The fact is the IS 300 is a really well built car. The motor is a 2JZGE with a 20 year performance history. It is one of the engines that defined Toyota.
  24. The stock system in the IS300 is a 2 ohm system. Most aftermarket stereos and speakers are 4 ohm systems. And the trigger on the amp to turn it on in the stock system runs on a 12 volt switch, and most amps use a 6 volt switch. that's why you generally end up with issues to deal with and it's better to just overhaul the system then try to patch a new one together.
  25. Hello, and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club! The lug size is 12 mm x 1.50 threads. I have 21133HTD as a part number. Might wanna try Discount Tire Co. or even the links posted here on this forum. I know you can get them from TireRack.com also. Make sure you specify what kind of lugnut you want like an acorn style, or acorn bulge, and if you want chrome or stainless steel. DO NOT GET ALUMINUM lugnuts.
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