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One day I’ll have to upgrade my little scan tool to retrieve live data streaming. Any suggestions about the best choice for general mechanics?
Thanks for the quick reply. Coolant temp is normal, at least with the gauge on the dash. I didn’t notice if it’s cooler than normal on the highway. The scan tool I have just shows codes, and there are no codes to read. You make a good point about weatherstripping. But that gusty noise happens even when there is no wind, which has me a little confused. I could be getting ahead of myself but it sounds like the fan clutch can’t disengage at highway speed, with sound caused by wind through the radiator meeting the resistance of a fan that can’t spin fast enough. I’m not sure how that works during a hot day when the clutch should be engaged. Is there supposed to be an automatic slip when wind speed exceeds fan speed? I’m feeling inclined to take it for a drive with the fan removed to see if the sound goes away. I think I could get away with that if I don’t have to idle long….
The one feature that I would find most valuable would be the ability to retrieve a history of my postings, so I can find them later and see what others have said. It would keep discussions active and open for those who don’t necessarily visit daily.
I appreciate and respect those guys willing to go through the effort of putting themselves out there, and I’ve learned a lot from all of them.
The only gripe I have is the ethical boundary when the author is plugging a product without disclosing his financial relationship with the company. You see product placement ads on TV all the time, and you can bet that youtube is next. The main reason I hate TV automotive programs is that they seem like one long infomercial.
A disclaimer as simple as a ‘brought to you by’ tag is all that is needed, from my perspective. With no disclosure of the financial relationship behind the scene, it raises questions about whether the review is accurate or motivated by unseen forces. Ultimately, with no disclosure, it is up to the audience to recognize an unbalanced review. The unique atmosphere of Youtube viewer feedback is also helpful for recognizing those controversial points. I often learn more from the comments/discussion than from the actual presentation.
Everybody has to make a living, and advertising pays for what would otherwise be very expensive presentation. As long as the reputation of the presenter remains intact, the audience will understand. A good way to maintain that reputation is to openly disclose external financial gain.
I’m sure many of us are interested to know what the problem was — don’t forget to update this thread when you get a solution.
Modern radiator caps are designed to ‘burp’ themselves. When hot trapped air causes a pressure rise, the big spring allows hot air to exit by way of the reservoir. The air then bubbles through the cold fluid in the reservoir, and from there it finds freedom. Then when the auto is turned off there is a second hidden spring in the cap that allows fluid in the reservoir to siphon back up from the reservoir into the radiator. Note that hot air escapes but cold fluid siphons back. That back-flow starts when cooling in the radiator creates a slight suction to open that second hidden spring inside the radiator cap. That cycle of fluid replacing air is intentionally designed, and is one of the coolest things about modern cooling system design. Once the system is purged of air, you will find less air escaping because there is less expansion with heat. Once air is purged from the system there is much more efficient cooling because under pressure the boiling point of the liquid is much higher. And also trapped air doesn’t transfer heat nearly as well, so when you first work on a cooling system it doesn’t work very well because of pockets of air inside the engine core.
What I’m saying is that it is NORMAL for the spring of the radiator to open when the vehicle is running, especially for a week or two after you work on the radiator. Unless your system is having other problems I wouldn’t worry….
I like the idea of a fixed resistor, as above. If you choose a one ohm resistor, then current is exactly the voltage drop across that resistor. However if you do that you need to remember that the resistor should be capable of significant power consumption (10 watt, 1 ohm resistors are in stock at most Radioshack stores). If the current is high I would turn it off quickly to avoid overheating wires/electronics down the line. An inline reversible circuit breaker would add a safety factor.
Thanks Jacobnbr1, I’m glad I checked back in to look for more replies. It sounds like you are a paramedic or fireman. I printed out your advice to keep in the glove box.
In some of the Lexus literature (on their website) they talk about a service plug, that you can pull out and so manually disable all the ornage wires. I looked for such a plug where a diagram from Lexus showed it, under the left rear seat, and it doens’t seem to be there. Maybe as you say, it is not available for this model. I guess pulling fuses is just as effective.
Thanks, Jacobnbr1!
I’m sorry, I should have said that it’s a 2008 Rx400h.
What I am hearing is that disabling the small battery should automatically disable the big battery, assuming those safety relays are functional. It sounds like I should be OK to work in the engine compartment, provided both posts on the small battery are removed, the key is not in the ignition or near the vehicle, and I’ve waited more than 10 minutes for capacitors to discharge. Of course common sense would steer a person clear of any orange wires. I thought there was a manual key somewhere under the back seat that manually disables the big battery near it’s source connections. Lexus should make this freely available to any people who need to know (firemen, emergency workers, etc)
I don’t know anything about software, except to know that it can be expensive. There isn’t a huge budget for this group, and so I’m happy to put up with bare bones functionalitiy in the interest of economy. I drive a 12 year old truck, and I don’t really care that it doesn’t have everything. I learned how to manually subscribe to topics that I contribute to, and that is the main point from my perspective.
The priceless part of this forum is all about the people, and only a little to do with software.
Is it safe to assume that the best place to attach an external oil pressure gauge is at the threaded access point for the oil pressure sending unit?
Presumably you have a timing strobe. Sometimes marks are hard to see until you set up the strobe, and then they are more obvious. Have you checked a Haynes manual for your car, to see where the marks should be? Almost all the old model cars had marks somewhere.
If you search “parasitic drain” on Youtube, you will find a couple of videos that I made describing how to investigate this, with a DVOM and a home made short detector. For sure, go to a hardware store and get a simple DVOM.
Looking at your above schematic, I would check the cigar lighter and latch lights for a fault. Last time this happened to me it was a coin dropped into the cigarette lighter — often it’s something goofy and simple. You can simplify the task if you can isolate the branch of the circuit it is affecting, but to do that a DVOM is critical.