ranma21
Supporting Vendor
Checked my 11 201 at 79k miles and it was fine, checked again yesterday at 82k miles and guess what?! The cracked has started at the same spot no leak yet but I am sure it will let go soon!
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*Extreme Conjecture Below*
I wanted to see if I could ballpark the failure rate of the radiator through the use of the information on this forum and the internet as well as narrow down the timing of the failures. On this thread alone, the following users have had radiator failures/ cracking (complete with model year and miles listed are as of the event date):
I checked the 3rd gen LX 570 section on clublexus but wasn't able to find any failures.
Replacing the starter is not a technically difficult task. It does require many extensions and universal joints. It's really just a pain to get to, as the header has to be removed and there isn't much space between the block and the frame.
The radiator is super simple read the thread on suggested tips to make it easier. Toyota left access holes for the mounting bolts.
My conclusion? Check your radiator once you reach higher miles and replace as needed. If you want to do preventative maintenance and replace it, go for it. Whatever brings you peace of mind.
That was a lot of info to get to such a simple conclusion but hey, I compiled that data so figured I would post it so it wouldn't go to waste.
*Extreme Conjecture Below*
I wanted to see if I could ballpark the failure rate of the radiator through the use of the information on this forum and the internet as well as narrow down the timing of the failures. On this thread alone, the following users have had radiator failures/ cracking (complete with model year and miles listed are as of the event date):
@jclarke450 - 08 at 166K miles
@INTP - 08 at 143K
@NetJunky - 09 at 135k
@BTUMAN - 08 at 94K
@MEMCruiser - 08 at 185K
@Softride62 - 08 at 110K
@DSallean - 08 at 129K
@thechief24 - 08 at 112K
@Markuson - 08 at 81K
@mreedbmwm3 - 139K
@TexAZ - 08 -
@ranma21 - 11 at 82k
I was able to find two additional cases of radiator failure in another 200 section thread.
@Utahsteve - 08 at 100k
@Fahad -
Number of Failures:
14 total failures, 10 were 2008 model, 1 was 2009, 1 was 2011, and 2 unknown. All are Land Cruisers except for the 2011 LX 570 despite them using the same radiator. This could be because the 200 section is mainly LC owners. I checked the 3rd gen LX 570 section on clublexus but wasn't able to find any failures.
Mileage of Failures:
Failures occurred at an average of ~123,000 miles with a standard deviation of ~31,000 miles (numbers only take into account vehicles who's mileage at the failure was recorded). All are believed to have occurred within the last two years.
Failure Rate:
There is no way a good baseline for failure rate. The MUD population is too small and there is no way to accurately count the number of owners of the 08-11 model year. This thread shows 71 currently owned from 2008-2011 (How many 200's on ih8mud). Assuming all MUD owners input their info (which didn't happen and is a bad assumption), this puts the failure rate at ~20% (take with a Land Cruiser-sized grain of salt)
Mine is a 11 LX570, not a LC. So me make the 1st one on the list, yeah!!!!
Thanks for the heads up, the posting has been updated to reflect this.
Congrats (or should I say, condolences) on having the dubious honor of being the first LX
Would it be a good idea to create a sticky thread that tracks failures like alexinWC posted above? I have a '09 LC with 96k miles with a water pump that is seeping. So far my radiator looks fine.
Agreed, that would be great. I just had the dealer take of pic of my '09 radiator that I just purchased today. It looks good, but it appears these things can look great one days, and crack the next.
View attachment 1403235
It won't be cracking any time soon when new. The pattern has consistently been something that takes time. By most accounts, that weak point tends to crack anywhere between 70k-130k on a new truck. In my case, it happened at 81k, but my 200 is 9+ years old.
The pic of my radiator above is the '09 with 73k miles I just purchased. It does look new, but it's 8 years old.