Builds The Bare Minimum GX470 (1 Viewer)

[kbahus]

After my wife confiscated my 03 we decided it was time to find another to replace our well used and loved BMW 325xi Touring. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on another truck as we recently picked up the 03 GX so we set out looking for something reasonable. A black 2004 appeared on Craigslist and I watched as the price dropped and dropped over time. I eventually sent the guy an email and he sent some pics back of the undercarriage that showed it was in ok condition. I was not super excited about it but then he emailed a week or so later with a pretty low price so I decided to check it out on our way camping. What we found was a vehicle that showed reasonably well, had a clean interior, and drove down the road. It did have plenty of issues but I figured for the price I would be foolish not to give it a go. This thread is going to be used to document the wear and tear, various problems, and rust concerns that will come about from 242,000 miles of what I consider "the bare minimum" of repairs and maintenance. I am certain this truck has had nothing better than that for it's entire life.

The dash started out as a christmas tree of lights. Most cleared out but a few came back like the SRS light, and CEL. The level control was inop resulting in the most miserable drive ever. There was one area of rust under the left taillight, some rock chips, door dings etc, a headlight that is nearly new and one that is faded, bad hood struts, crappy tires, paint flaking off the wheels, and a few other things that I noticed before I purchased it.

Despite it's pitfalls I like it, it's pretty clean and the interior is way nicer than my 03. No silly navigation and no Mark Levinson so the stereo sounds good. There is no 3rd row seating in this particular GX which appears to give the rear much more storage capacity. There are little hooks where the 3rd row seat grab handles would be which are useful too. I actually wish my 03 was setup just like this one. The dark interior sharp too. Oh yeah, gotta head over the dealer and see if I can get the cracked dash replaced!

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[Ninja Cruiser100]

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[kbahus]

Now that it's home I was able to spend a little time with it today. I knew it had no service records from the seller and what I found on the Lexus Driver's website was just comical. It had been consistently serviced (oil changes) at the Grand Rapids dealer and was even recently there for various problems but the owner never fixed a damn thing. I don't know why he would take it in if he was not going to fix anything. Oh well.

I figured I better check the timing belt, I knew it was recommended by the dealer's records to be done at 118k so I had my fingers crossed someone did at an indy. Turns out I did not get lucky, the belt has to be the original as it's heavily cracked. My 03 has a belt with 100k on it and it looks excellent in comparison. The air filter was disgusting, the cabin air filter worse, power steering fluid black, brake fluid dirty, and the most interesting thing was the electric cooling fan was straight up missing! While in the engine bay I pulled a spark plug expecting oem Denso plugs but it looks like they were replaced at some point with NGK's. The radiator also looked to replaced at some point. So it has had "some" maintenance.

On to the lights on the dash. The SRS light turned out to be a B1153. A quick google search revealed TSB EL005-06 with the fault pointing towards a seatbelt latch assembly with an upgraded harness. Seems inexpensive at around $50 from the searching. That should be an easy fix! As far as the check engine light the only CEL codes that have come back are P0420/P0430. I am going to try some 02 sensor spacers and see if that takes care of it (fingers crossed). Dealer advised cats per records. TPMS light is on as well, I believe I can ground a wire to eliminate it. I want to be able to switch between wheels/tires with my 03 without hassle.

Next up is the inoperative ride height control. Dealer advised a new compressor. I need to get it on the lift and assess how bad everything is. My initial plan was to delete the rear airbags as I already have the springs but the silly rubber spring insulators are $65ish a pop. I may see if I can get the system back up and working potentially with some help from the mud members if anyone has take-off parts. Front suspension is also super loose but I need to lift it to asses.

 

[kbahus]

On to the body!

The first obstacle was putting on the new license plate. One of the screws was snapped off in the mount and the other mount was missing. This turned into a cascade of discoveries! I picked up some stainless bolts/nuts from the hardware store and pulled the rear door cover. Upon removal found the plastic around the wiper motor was pretty hot which I thought was not normal. Turns out the motor is fried and does not work so I just unplugged it for now as this is going to be lower on the priority list. The back panel where the license plate goes is all plastic and can't rust which is a nice feature. I fished out the broken mount in the bottom of the door, snapped off the other that had the broken bolt, and simply nut and bolted the license plate on. Upon shutting the door I realized that door does not close as nice as my 03. I could see visible wear on the striker and the door is definitely sagging a small amount. I then cringed as I remembered reading about Prado door problems and checked the inside seam. Crap, it's split at the seam just like the Prado does! I filled the crack with Fluid Film for now, not sure what to do with it really. I am going to try and adjust the door to compensate. All I can figure is something happened back there to force the door open pretty hard. Everyone blames the spare tire on the Prado doors, but maybe there is more to it such as letting it slam open that causes this. The extra weight of the wheel certainly wouldn't help.

The only rust spot on this truck is under the left taillight. I pulled it out to inspect and apply some Fluid Film. It was still solid so I going to attempt to repair it. I may grind it out and use Rust Bullet on it or maybe even take it to a body shop and get an estimate on that and repairing the seam on the door. I did make an interesting discovery regarding the rust and everyone should take note. Upon pulling the non-rusty side tail light for an inspection to make sure nothing was starting I discovered exactly what had caused the rust in the first place. There is a foam piece on the bottom of the tail light to keep it from rattling. This foam piece was wet to the touch and holding water against the body. One the other side this is exactly the spot the rust is found. Knowing what I know about rust I would suggest pulling those foam pieces off especially if you live in a rainy or salty environment! I pulled mine and the light is still solid with no rattles.

Fluid Film is my friend here in Michigan! More to come after I get it on the lift at work.

 

[kbahus]

I was thinking about the missing electric cooling fan and perhaps since this GX has no rear HVAC that the electric cooling fan is not something that would have originally been installed. Does anyone have another GX470 with no rear HVAC on this site? If so can you check to see if you have a fan?

 

[rstl99]

Interesting thread, thanks for sharing. I expect you got yours for a pretty darn good price.
My recently acquired '04 has half the miles of yours and has seen better maintenance by the previous owner and yet I still obsess about things on it that could bite me. Based on yours still running at 240K with minimal maintenance (which is a shame really), I think I need to take a chill pill and appreciate mine more!

What's the undercarriage of yours like, rust wise? I'm in the rust belt too and spent some hours underneath after buying it, getting rid of surface rust, accumulated dirt and sand in cavities, and applying rust proofing products. Some of the other ones I saw for sale up here (and similar year 4Runners) were quite badly rusted underneath, if not rust-proofed. Mine originally came from Texas and has spent some winters down south so has been spared the worst of winter-salt torture. But I find that work and products have to be spent to keep rust at bay underneath these Toyota-Lexus's. Not nearly as bad as the 60 series TLC's I used to own, but Toyota could do a better job of painting and protecting the chassis on these, for us rust-belt owners...

 

[kbahus]

It is not too bad under there for a vehicle that has spent it's life in Michigan. I have looked at tons of vehicles in the last year looking for a gem in the rough and never found one. All of the 100's I have checked out were heavily rusted to the point where I couldn't pull the trigger. The 4th gen 4runners I have seen tend to be pretty bad too. While I was at the Lexus dealer the other day they had a 4th gen with 150k on the clock for $13k, I took a look underneath and ran away; the rust had totally consumed everything under there! I have noticed that the rust is always worse on the rear section of the frame where all the salt spray gets deposited, mine is no exception. I have plans to do the Krown treatment to both of my rigs before winter or at least do a full Fluid Film application myself. I don't understand why Toyota does not improve their vehicles in the rust department especially after all of the frame recalls! Here are some pics the owner sent me before I purchased it:

 

[JLee]

It looks a lot better than my '98 Tacoma did in 2008!

There's something oddly satisfying about replacing way-past-due maintenance items on a new-used vehicle. I'd generally rather install fun parts instead, but it's a good feeling pulling a nasty part out and putting a brand new one in its place.

 

[rstl99]

I would hope that as rusty as our full-frame trucks Toyota trucks get after a while, it's still better than what the unibody SUV models might become (Rav4, Venza, Lexus RX) after 10-12 years of exposure to road salt etc. But maybe not...
Here's a few pics of the underside of my GX, before and after addressing some of the rust spots and getting a Krown treatment.
Hope I can keep rust in check over the next few years, driving it in the winter up here. Annual treatments by Krown help a lot, in my experience. I also drive a 1989 Cressida with almost no rust underneath, so it is possible. I always find it surprising how many 4Runner or LX/GX owners up here pay no attention to chassis rust-proofing, even though we have a lot of companies doing the spraying. A lot of people figure cars are meant to rust down there, so why bother...
On mine, I took down the engine splash shield and painted the rusty areas, and also took down the spare tire (probably never been dropped) and addressed rusty parts hidden under there.
Yeah, I'm a little obsessed when it comes to chassis rust, have had too many vehicles rot out on me over the years (70 Camaro, VW beetles and vans, Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, etc.). I envy the guys living down south who never have to concern themselves about this issue

 

[rstl99]

There's something oddly satisfying about replacing way-past-due maintenance items on a new-used vehicle. I'd generally rather install fun parts instead, but it's a good feeling pulling a nasty part out and putting a brand new one in its place.

I agree with you. Many times over the years I acquired neglected vehicles for cheap and derived pleasure and satisfaction in bringing them back to road-worthy condition, replacing parts as needed, scraping off rust and rust-proofing, only to sell them off eventually and give them a few more years of road life. Always a sucker for a forlorn vehicle sleeping in a driveway with an old "for sale" sign on it, though in later years I have become more "selective" in what orphans I bring back home. Less time and inclination for wrenching at my age...

 

[NMBruce]

looks like you need to clean and Por-15 the frame and parts

 

[kbahus]

@rstl99 In your pics I can see what looks like a nice wet film of the Krown stuff, but in the first few it looks like they didn't hit those areas? I am wondering if I can do a decent job on the lift at work with a sprayer and a bunch of Fluid Film, then I can be sure to hit all the nooks and crannies. I just worry about making a huge mess of the shop.

 

[rstl99]

The first couple of pics I uploaded is my truck as I got it (before the Krown treatment). I hosed down the undercarriage as best I could to wash off some of the accumulated sand and gravel (PO lived on a gravel road). Wire brushed some of the loose rust. Then the last 3 pics show examples of the truck after it was Krown treated, good coating of Krown oil everywhere. You'd probably do a decent job yourself if you have a lift and some Fluid Film. The rust develops in certain areas mostly, based on salt spray by the wheels during winter. So just try to wire-brush the worst areas, then go at it with the Fluid Film. Get into nooks and crannies, and try to get some inside the frame rails if you can (I ran a lot of water through mine first to wash off old sand and junk).
I had bought a Dodge pickup that was more badly rusted underneath, and after 2-3 Krown treatments it pretty well stopped rust progression. But I didn't drive it in the winter... Trick is to keep the rusty areas covered by the oily film (annual treatment) so that rust doesn't have a chance to keep growing. Rust needs oxygen.
I know some guys use POR15 but to me that's too much work, too messy, and POR-15 is known to flake off in many cases. I prefer oil-coating, and we have enough good products in the N-E to handle that.
Time will tell how mine does after driving in the winter and salt, but at least it has a fighting chance with products like Krown and Fluid Film. Costs about $120 to get it all coated underneath by the shop annually, which isn't a big cost compared to the damage that rust can cause to all kinds of things under there (including brake and fuel lines).
Anyway, didn't mean to hijack your thread with this chassis rust discussion, and for the southern guys this means nothing Good luck with the work getting yours back up to snuff!

 

[rstl99]

p.s. Try to brush and get a good amount of FLuid Film on the outside and inside of that frame around the rad (the one with the tow hooks attached to it). I've seen some 4Runners and GX's that had very serious rust going on there, rotted holes etc., and that wouldn't be fun nor cheap to repair if it got too bad.

 

[Sleepy]

Thanks for all the rust tips. Iowa not a friendly environment either. Where can I buy Fluid Film?

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I tried Fluid Film this past winter, but now I'm not so sure the risk of rust here in Colorado is high enough to justify putting up with the persistent smell of concentrated sheep sebum. Gah, that stuff is nasty!

 

[dnp]

We certainly have our share of issues, but when it comes to cars, man I'm glad we don't have to deal with ANY rust issues in the south! That would bug the crap out of me. It would take 100 years for a car down here to look like that underneath!

 

[JLee]

We certainly have our share of issues, but when it comes to cars, man I'm glad we don't have to deal with ANY rust issues in the south! That would bug the crap out of me. It would take 100 years for a car down here to look like that underneath!

That's a large part of why I moved from NH to AZ...then I ended up in NJ.

Can't win 'em all!

 

[kbahus]

I tried Fluid Film this past winter, but now I'm not so sure the risk of rust here in Colorado is high enough to justify putting up with the persistent smell of concentrated sheep sebum. Gah, that stuff is nasty!

I made the mistake of hosing down the inside rain gutters on the FJ40, it smelled like a nasty hockey locker room for months and still kind of does to this day which is a good year later. It also makes my eyes burn pretty good, but that is the price to pay to keep your stuff from returning back into the earth.

The nice thing about Colorado is it pretty dry, I never had too many problems even when they switched to magnesium chloride, but it would attack any exposed metal such as rock chips and such. My 80 looked new underneath when I sold it and it saw many years of Colorado winters. I am convinced that salting the roads is a political/money move on several fronts covered up in the name of safety. Both the auto industry and the salt industry are here in the region, it all makes sense in my head coming from outside of the midwest bubble.

 

[kbahus]

Managed to get the GX on the lift today, it is in decent shape under there and certainly better than many I have seen in the area, I am quite pleased to be honest. The worst is the front radiator support area as described by rstl99. While up there I checked out the suspension and found the culprit of the air spring problem, the passenger ride height sensor had seized and snapped the bracket off the control arm. I simply cut the hoses, pulled the bags and popped in the 4trunner springs I had laying around that came with the 03. Just a note for others, the 4runner springs are pretty soft for GX, I recommend buying something else as I am pretty close to the bump stops. When I put some spring insulators in it will raise it 10mm, but that still might not be enough.

While on the lift the biggest problems I noticed were all the shocks were wasted, the front inner cv boots torn, and the tcase has a very slight leak. Brakes are also going to be replaced and the parking brake is inop. I installed some 02 sensor spacers to hopefully combat the cat codes, we will see how that turns out. Here are some pics:

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