mikeb

BMW 3.0l turbo diesel (535d) has a sequential set up with different sized turbos. Perhaps it doesn't count through - being a diesel and all...

Or "spline drive"? But definitely not Torx.

What about this place: http://www.h-i-d.co.uk/products1.shtml £310 inc VAT. I have no affiliation to them, or ever bought from them myself, just found them by googling.

They told me red is for older cars and green is for newer ones. I asked which one was better and they told me they wouldn't say! More like they don't know themselves. I bought red, as that's what my car (celica) had from new.

Could be down to the non return valve in the oil filter. I guess you will have been through several over the three years. The valves are notoriously unreliable, so some filters will let the oil drain back more quickly than others. This could also be affected by using different grade oils. As long as it goes out within 4 or 5 seconds max, I wouldn't worry about it.

You could always get a cheap multimeter that does frequency measurement. Maplins have one for £15, they might even do some cheaper ones. No guarantees on accuracy though, but being digital they ought to be pretty close.

If one turbo is 'worn' more than the other, then it will present a slightly different resistance to the exhaust flow. It will still drop exactly the same pressure as the other turbo, but flow will be not be identical to the other one. The overall effect will be that combined pressure at the manifold will be slightly lower due to flow being slightly reduced. In case you understand basic circuit theory, here is the electrical analogy again: The voltage drop across both of the resistors is always 1.1v. If they are the same resistance then the current will divide equally. If they are different, for example R1 = 1 ohm, R2 = 2 ohm, then twice as much current will flow through R1 than R2. The voltage however, remains the same across both. It can't be different as each side of both resistors is connected together with wire. Just like both turbos are connected together with pipework. I think everyone else on here agrees that when both turbos come online, the pressure across them is equal. There is nothing to debate, we are just trying to explain it to yourself.

Spot on! I was just thinking the same. For anyone who understands electronics a simple analogy can be made with a pair of resistors. Imagine two resistors of equal reisistance, wired in parallel. The voltage drop across them (equiv. to pressure) is the total voltage drop. The current thorugh them (equiv. to flow) is half of the total flowing in the circuit. Reisistance is the electrical equivalent to the flow resistance of the turbos. Both turbos are identical geometry, so both turbo's present the same resistance to the exhaust flow (ignoring any small pressure losses due to pipe work), the gas flow must divide 50/50. You can't say each turbo makes .55 bar giving a total of 1.1, just like each resistor won't drop .55 volts to make the total 1.1V. Both turbo's must generate equal pressure (i.e. 1.1 bar). Each one will cause 50% of the flow, which is added to make the total flow.

I had a rad re-cored. Was fine for 13 months (had a 1 year guarantee), then started leaking from the joint. Drove the car in to the place to show him the leak. First thing he said was 'your head gasket must have gone and the rad cap must be faulty'. Took the rad in for them to recrimp with new seals etc. He pressure tested it and found it was leaking at well under 1 bar. Anyway, when he got it apart he found the cause was the plastic end cap had cracked and split on the face to the core. I argued that they must have caused it when the crimped the new core on, or that the paint they had used made the plastic go brittle and crack. In the end he got me a new radiator at cost price, as it was only just out of warranty. I am talking Celica rad, not Supra. Just assumed they might have the similar plastic top and bottom caps.

Poor/faulty earth to the bulbs in the dash, which are earthing through the speedo instead, maybe?

Remember that leaving the car idling at the end of a journey (especially a thrash), leads to heat soak throughout the engine bay - the turbo's might be cooling down, but the rest of the engine will be getting hotter. The best solution is to drive your last 1/2 mile or so without using any boost. I know that's a challenge for most of you lot though...

Toyota 4Life coolant is used neat, not diluted like normal antifreeze. It's better than most other antifreeze and it lasts for ages. I left mine in for 12 years before I changed it, and it didn't look bad when I drained it (not that I would recommend going that long).

Maybe when you leave the car in Leeds someone 'borrows' it and takes it for a good thrashing! Carl0s, your mpg figures from earlier in the thread seem pretty good anyway.

Well I am getting about 30-32 mpg on a tank of mostly motorway stuff. It too, would only do 18 mpg around town! Sounds like a Supra wouldn't be much worse than my current car then.

Sorry to bring this subject up again, but I am seriously considering swapping my Celica for a Supra. I know it is probably a case of 'If you need to ask, you can't afford it', but can I realistically expect to get high 20's to 30 mpg on the motorway? My journey to work and back is 25 miles each way, and it's all motorway (except for a mile at each end). I am capable of driving like a grandad most of the time! If I do get a Supra it will be a UK 6 speed, incase that makes any odds. A lot of people on here have said that they can get 300 odd miles from a tank of fuel. I beleive the tank capacity is officially 80 litres on a UK spec, but how much do you find you need to totally fill up? For example, my Celica has an official capacity of 60L, but I have never managed to get more than 46L in it, even when the light has been on for 20 miles.