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I wanted to share some observations based on my experiences with Valvoline's European Vehicle 5W-40 in three separate applications; a '18 Mitsubishi Pajero 3.8L V6 (6G75), a '10 Toyota Camry 2.4L L4 (2AZ-FE) and my '05 Lexus RX 330 3.3L V6 (3MZ-FE). All three vehicles had regular oil changes...

Anyone who knows me will know I'm a huge fan of full-size American anything, and while I'm lucky to have one of the last full-size American sedans, I've always had a thing for Suburbans going way back to childhood. The boxy Seventh Generation was in and it was a beast; sheet metal thick enough...

Although quite a bit less than KBB Value for a similar vehicle in Southern California, there was still a minor premium on it locally and just couldn't let it go. 2005 RX 330 AWD with 55,314 km (34,571 miles), all original with the exception of the battery, tires and wipers. Factory paint, zero...

Looking to get a pair of front struts for a 2018 Honda Pilot. The factory units started leaking with 28,000 miles and they cannot be replaced under warranty because the vehicle is USDM and currently outside the U.S. Looking online, the only option appears to be OE: 51611-TG7-A01 (passenger) and...

I recently replaced the water pump, radiator, all cooling system hoses, coolant reservoir and cap on my Grand Marquis as part of a cooling system upgrade. Although the system was clean and rust-free, I still flushed it out and did a citric acid flush, followed by a thorough flush and back flush...

My ancient Honeywell thermostat died on me, and I decided I would get with the times and replace it with a Google Nest Thermostat. I have a York commercial rooftop unit with a single cooling option and three wires, so I installed it according to the configurator in the Nest app: Yellow to Y1...

This is a Fram Tough Guard TGA3945 for the 4.2L equipped GMC Envoy that went into service on 01/29/2022 and was replaced yesterday after 2,160 miles. I tend to replace air filters pretty regularly, in this case when the OLM hit 75% and I did a simple drain and refill of the engine oil. You also...

On Thanksgiving Day, I replaced the factory oil pressure sensor on my GM 4.2L L6 that had 227,462 km (142,164 mi) on it, because it would intermittently show no oil pressure on the idiot gauge and cause the check gauges light to illuminate. The replacement was an OE GM part (12635957) that was...

The factory Motorcraft AC compressor on my Grand Marquis failed last year, and I revamped the entire system in July with the following components: Compressor: Denso 471-8106 (Korea) Compressor bolt (forward): -N806184-S437 (United States) Compressor bolt (rearward): W705858-S301 (United...

After 27,000 miles the Michelin Latitude Sport 3 (255/60R17 106V) tires on my Envoy are pretty worn. They are pretty decent tires, but it seems longevity is not one of its strong points; even with regular rotations (and road force balancing if required) every 6,000 miles and maintaining the...

Vehicle in question is a 2018 Pajero/Montero. Got some new Yokohama shoes put on, and the TPMS light appeared straightaway after installation; I was told I need do a "relearn" and performed the procedure outlined under "TPMS Reset" in the owner's manual. Unfortunately, that hasn't done anything...

This is a bit of a weird one. 2001 Grand Marquis with manual HVAC controls; in any of the positions where air should be directed through the air vents in the dashboard (Vent, Norm AC or Max AC), it starts off in defrost mode, directing air flow to the windshield. If this was a constant vacuum...

Been MIA for a while, since I was home on vacation and being a huge fan of full-size GM SUVs, this is what I got to drive. The variant I had was a 2021 Suburban Z71 with the 5.3L V8 and 10L80 transmission. This is a very smooth drivetrain, but for better (long term ownership) or for worse...

Vehicle in question is a 2001 Grand Marquis with vacuum operated automatic parking brake release. Never had a problem with it, but the parking brake did not disengage completely the other day, when the transmission range selector was moved to the Drive position. I had to use the parking brake...

It's gotten pretty hot again here recently; 100°F at 06:00 hrs, and usually in the 118°F-125°F range by the time I get off work around 16:30 hrs. The 4.2L L6 in the Envoy has a 195°F thermostat, which is alright during the cooler months of the year, but does make for some cringe worthy moments...

First time doing a front end job on Lexus LS430; this particular vehicle is a 2005 with ~38,000 km (23,750 mi) on the clock, but time and extreme temperatures have taken their toll on the bushings. A friend inherited the vehicle from his grandfather, and it remains a garage queen. Looking at...

Got off work last night only to realize my left rear tire was sitting flat on the Grand Marquis. These are brand new 245/45ZR18 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 050+ UHP tires with barely 1,500 miles on them, so naturally I was pretty disappointed because they made a heck of a difference over the Goodyear...

My Envoy is equipped with a GM 8.0" 10-bolt rear axle and a 3.73 (RPO GT4) ratio. Lately, I've started noticing some faint whining/howling at highway speeds, which goes away if you cut the throttle/disengage cruise control, so I'm going to have it professionally rebuilt. While I'm going to...

Earlier this month, I started doing some work on the cooling system in my Ford Explorer. To access the area where the thermostat housing sits on the 4.0L Cologne V6, I pulled the alternator off, along with the aluminum bracket (passenger side). I got big bear hands and it makes my life easier...

Other than a front end job (including front/rear shock absorbers and sway bar links/bushings) in June 2008, I haven't done any work to the suspension on the Pajero/Montero - that was a little over 160,000 miles ago. After doing a lot of research into what works well and ordering a ton of parts...