Yes. The 2 pinion, going back to the 80 series, is adequately engineered for its applications. The 4 pinion is inadequately engineered for its applications, specifically A-trac.
Take it back, not even a close call. The price is too high and it's not the right vehicle for you in the first place. These vehicles are not economically viable unless you're going to do most of the work yourself.
My snugged down gaskets have been good for 6 years now. I'm hoping to get 10 years out of them, at which point I will snug them down again. I'm planning to replace the gaskets somewhere in the 2035 to 2040 timeframe.
I just completed the process on a totaled Mercedes, rather pleased with the result. They lowballed me a bit, I threw out the number that I wanted and we ended up roughly splitting the difference. It took about two weeks and I actually got the money one day after I signed the settlement. They...
I've been watching this and other forums for a long time and what I avoid is the opposite - anything after 1999. The overwhelming majority of front diff failures are 4 pinion - because of atrac. Also do your research on rogue VSC, very scary. The Land Cruiser / LX sweet spot is 1995 to 1999...
I'll put together a list of unique 06-07 and VVT problems. It's quite a list. Zero of these problems exist on the 98-99s. It's amazing how many 06-07 problem threads we have on this forum giving the limited number of vehicles that sold new in the U.S. I think the A team engineers were...
2 pinion failures are very rare, going back to the 80 series. You, like many others, have been duped by a mud myth. 4 pinion are way more common - because they were under engineered for A-trac.
That only scratches the surface of what 98-99s don't have - that some people love. They are basic, durable and easy to maintain. By comparison 06-07s are pretty much a dumpster fire.
Nice thread on the subject - DIY: Telescoping Column Motor Removal/Repair - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/diy-telescoping-column-motor-removal-repair.610648/
If they wanted a Land Cruiser in the U.S. they should have just brought in the 70 series with cloth, no sunroof and a stick shift. The vehicle was ready to go. It would have sold well at roughly this price point.