MilesA

Re-man axles are kind of a crap shoot. Convenient, but I'd rather go the rebuild route. I guess I'm old-fashioned that way.

It reminds me of something else. In digital telephone systems, they actually inject artificial noise into the signal you hear, because otherwise there would be dead silence when people were not speaking. People would think there was something wrong with the phone. This is known as "comfort noise". So, we are being faked out to make us feel better.

Good info so far. There are a few tricks if you have not done this job before. I remember cursing a lot the first time I did it. Here's a few tips: -Getting the coil packs out of the way can be difficult on the rear two cylinders. Once you've removed the 10mm retaining bolts, you can rotate the coil packs 180 degrees making them slip out more easily. You don't necessarily have to remove the wiring harness from the coil pack -- the wiring harness is a bit fragile so it's less likely to break if you just leave it attached. -The combo of spark plug socket, u-joint and short extension is just the right length to reach the spark plug and leave room to attach a ratchet. A low-profile ratchet helps give you more room to work. -Don't over-tighten. The spark plugs thread into fairly soft aluminum. Use the torque specs above or tighten each plug by hand and turn no more than an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn until firmly seated. -Some people recommend using anti-seize on the plug threads. NGK advises not to use it. The plugs already have a coating on them to prevent seizing.

Konis with stock 3.6R springs might give you a ride that is close to stock, but more controlled. The adjustable feature is helpful. Konis are inserts in the front, but installation is really not bad at all. The best way is to use a pipe cutter tool for a clean cut, but a sawzall with a fresh blade works OK with the strut secured in a vice. Koni rear shocks are a direct replacement.

Yes, they are.

I'll let you know when my new 2005 LGT dashboard gets here. It was starting to show the problem, so I took the car in just before the deadline. The service people told me they were ordering a new dashboard, but it could take up to six months to get here based on what they have seen. It is not as bad as most of the pictures on here, though.

Hard to type EyeSight® on those itty bitty phone keyboards...

You've got to be kidding me. Oh, wait, maybe you're not.

OK, thanks. Spelling, right, I'm surprised they were able to get a trademark on that. Marketing people often misspell things on purpose.

What I think he wanted to know is, the default behavior is "on" when ignition is switched on, is it possible to change the default to "off"? I'd like to know myself, in case I have EyeSite on my next car. There are plenty of situations where EyeSite is not desirable (many of them enumerated in the owner's manual). Instead, he gets hit with a bunch of commentary. Just answer the question if you know the answer, seems reasonable even if you don't think it's a good idea for YOU to change the default. IMHO.

Wow, I'm enjoying watching you do this project. Thanks for all the pictures and info. Good luck.

Congratulations, Hammer Down, that is really impressive. With your amazing oiling system and driving most of the miles on long highway trips, I wonder how far she'll go? Are you planning to carry on and discover the limits?

I don't want to ruin the fun by going into Dr. Science mode, but... For #1, the temperature of the roadway can be cooler than the temperature of the air a few feet above, meaning you should be wary of ice when the temperature of the air is close to the freezing point. This is especially so for bridges and overpasses, that can ice up before the rest of the road. For #2, I always interpreted these "miles to go" numbers as rough estimates. The display only shows approximate range and does not try to imply these numbers are exact.

Should not hurt anything except gas mileage if you want to experiment. Or perhaps try another brand of synthetic 5W30 and see if it makes a difference.

Obviously, it should be replaced. That's why I said temporary. As in, until he can find the part. Tough crowd. If you have ever seen a vehicle burn up from a fuel leak (VW Bus, anyone), you don't want to chance it.

Do you think it's possible to fill the crack and temporarily repair it with epoxy?