2007 GX 470 Issues (1 Viewer)

[chagx470]

Hello there, new member and just recently purchased a 2007 gx470 at 110k. I’ve noticed a few problems so far that I didn’t catch when inspecting before purchasing. Granted I’m no mechanic or well versed at cars. I can do the regular oil change, battery swap, tire rotation etc but nothing more than that.

I’ve noticed that the front left tire is slightly cambered in comparison to the other 3. This causes a slight pull to the right when going above 50mph. The left front cv boot had ripped and was just repaired.

At sharp quick turns the ABS seems to kick in and when it does the front left side at the wheel makes a loud buzzing sound. Don’t know if that’s normal as I don’t notice it on the right side.

Slight clunking noises (axles/joints??) when coming to a complete stop or when slowly accelerating from a complete stop. It’s different from the dull clunking caused by the splines and zerks needing grease.

Carfax showed no accidents reported at the time of purchase however the left rear bumper has a minor dent. Could this be a frame issue?

Help or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Rednexus]

Those are pretty common issues. The camber issue likely means you just need a front end alignment (unless a bushing or other suspension component is worn or damaged, which the alignment shop should notice). The alignment shop can also do a zero-point calibration which will hopefully fix the VSC/ABS engagement issue, which itself may be exacerbated by needing alignment. You can also do the zero point calibration yourself with a paper clip via the OBDII port.

Nine times out of 10, the start/stop clunking just means you just need to grease the driveshaft and U-joints (2 U-joints each in the front and rear joints, one grease zerk each on the slip joint in the front and rear drive shafts). If you have a grease gun none of them are hard to get to; I grease mine at every oil change.

The rear bumper is plastic, it's unlikely a dent in it extends into the frame at all. There is also a big styrofoam pad between the bumper plastic and the rear crash bar.

I'd suggest taking the GX to a reputable and competent local tire/alignment/suspension shop to have most of these issues addressed. It should just be a few hundred dollars.

Since you are new to GX ownership other items you might want to be thinking about include changing all of the other fluids (differential/transfer case/transmission/brake fluid) and a timing belt change (if it was not recently done). If the T-belt is original it's past due.

 

[chagx470]

Those are pretty common issues. The camber issue likely means you just need a front end alignment (unless a bushing or other suspension component is worn or damaged, which the alignment shop should notice). The alignment shop can also do a zero-point calibration which will hopefully fix the VSC/ABS engagement issue, which itself may be exacerbated by needing alignment. You can also do the zero point calibration yourself with a paper clip via the OBDII port.

Nine times out of 10, the start/stop clunking just means you just need to grease the driveshaft and U-joints (2 U-joints each in the front and rear joints, one grease zerk each on the slip joint in the front and rear drive shafts). If you have a grease gun none of them are hard to get to; I grease mine at every oil change.

The rear bumper is plastic, it's unlikely a dent in it extends into the frame at all. There is also a big styrofoam pad between the bumper plastic and the rear crash bar.

I'd suggest taking the GX to a reputable and competent local tire/alignment/suspension shop to have most of these issues addressed. It should just be a few hundred dollars.

Since you are new to GX ownership other items you might want to be thinking about include changing all of the other fluids (differential/transfer case/transmission/brake fluid) and a timing belt change (if it was not recently done). If the T-belt is original it's past due.

Thanks for your reply. I should have mentioned that I’ve taken the car to two different shops to perform an alignment and both shops said it’s not an alignment issue but neither wanted to dive into finding out why the camber is there.

The clunks are different from those of the driveshaft. I’ve already had those greased. It’s more of a tick tick tick clunk.

Thanks for explaining the bumper.

 

[rommelrommel]

Do you have a copy of the alignment specs to share?

 

[Rednexus]

You can also get clunks if the driveshaft is over-greased or under-greased. Mine hadn't been greased for a long time and clunked like crazy until I put literally 20+ pumps in the rear slip yolk. I then inadvertently over-greased it a few times as well, which also resulted in clunking as well as harsh engagement into reverse sometimes. The excess grease kind of worked it's way out and now it's not clunking at all.

The tick-tick-tick can also be exhaust manifold leaks, which are super common on these (and most apparent upon a cold start). Either way, if the shops you've been to aren't very supportive, you might be best finding a different shop (either Toyota/import specific or a good 4x4/suspension shop) to run down the issues.

 

[dovetails]

Thanks for your reply. I should have mentioned that I’ve taken the car to two different shops to perform an alignment and both shops said it’s not an alignment issue but neither wanted to dive into finding out why the camber is there.

The clunks are different from those of the driveshaft. I’ve already had those greased. It’s more of a tick tick tick clunk.

Thanks for explaining the bumper.

Is the ticking noise when you're driving, or when you're idle during start up?

 

[white_lx]

I’ve noticed that the front left tire is slightly cambered in comparison to the other 3. This causes a slight pull to the right when going above 50mph. The left front cv boot had ripped and was just repaired.

At sharp quick turns the ABS seems to kick in and when it does the front left side at the wheel makes a loud buzzing sound. Don’t know if that’s normal as I don’t notice it on the right side.

These two could be related. A worn wheel bearing might result in a lot of play and if there is enough play, you could loose the wheel speed signal. You can inspect the wheel bearing by jacking up the vehicle and feeling for play in the wheel and also by spinning the wheel (while ignoring noise from the rotor/pad rubbing).

 

[chagx470]

To update: I just dropped it off at Toyota for an inspection and diagnosis of the issues. The tick sounds are when I am creeping to a stop or from idling to slow acceleration. Toyota said it can take a day or 2 before they get back to me. Mind you, there are no lights on the dash except for the tpms sensor light

 

[chagx470]

After spending $190 for a diagnosis and my 470 sitting three days at the shop (toyota was not able to diagnose anything) the service advisor who wasn’t very helpful informed me that all they need to do is an alignment. I told her I did not want to do an alignment because the last two didn’t help resolve the camber. I also told her that the cambers are a bit out of spec because the previous mechanic said the car drove worst when things were to spec and actually drove better when out of spec. I asked if there was anything else they could check like bearings, LCAs/UCAs, or suspensions. She said she will have the mechanic take one more look. She calls me and says all they can do is an alignment, fix the camber of that specific wheel, maybe rotate the wheel and then test drive again. I asked her that if I did the alignment and camber again can she guarantee that it will fix the camber and she said YES, however the car will need to sit over the weekend until the tech can take a look on Monday making it 7 days total since I dropped it off. Come Monday I call them since I hadn’t heard back all morning only for her to tell me they did 3 alignments and can’t get the left front to spec so the camber is still there. They suspect that the UCA is an aftermarket part and can’t confirm if it’s still the OEM (how do they not know)? They quoted new left UCA and adjusters at $1000. I let her know I’m disappointed because she’s basically telling me what I told her about the alignment and that she said the camber would be fixed. She took $40 off the total cost of $350. I will attach the tech’s comment and the final alignment they did. Any help?

 

[dovetails]

Man i'm sorry, that really sucks. Do you plan on upgrading the suspension regardless? If so, why not just do that + get new UCA's with it? Might as well swap the entire assembly.

 

[chagx470]

Man i'm sorry, that really sucks. Do you plan on upgrading the suspension regardless? If so, why not just do that + get new UCA's with it? Might as well swap the entire assembly.

Yeah it sucks. The car pulls even more now than before. I do plan on putting a lift kit on it so definitely would swap the entire assembly. It just won’t be a priority for now.

 

[dovetails]

Yeah it sucks. The car pulls even more now than before. I do plan on putting a lift kit on it so definitely would swap the entire assembly. It just won’t be a priority for now.

Note that Ironman4x4 has 25% off lift kits this holiday season! Big savings.

 

[fjc-man]

When looking at those measurements, think about this. Typically a vehicle will pull / drift to the side with the most positive camber or the side with the most negative caster. Yea, I could believe it “drifts” to the right.

 

[Red470]

Sorry to hear of these frustrating ghost issues. They suck. In regards to intermittent what I thought was rear clunking I couldn’t find the issue until…. I had my nephew and brother in law sit in the back seat and rear area. It wound up being the sunroof assembly. There are some write ups on it somewhere with tightening the track cabling all the way up to replacing the whole 2000 dollar shabang.

 

[BlackCat]

How can a shop not see that you have one side that has negative toe and one side that has positive toe (both out by a lot) and that’s probably your issue over camber.


.30 toe on left front and -.30 on the front literally has your wheels pointing right. No wonder if wants to go that way. The truck will always also want to go to the side with less caster too. So toe, caster, and camber are out, clearly indicating the truck will want to go right. Can they not get it into spec? Are the cams seized on the lower control arms?
It would also be wise to cross rotate the front tires to rule out tire pull if it still pulls after a competent person aligns it.

 

[chagx470]

I think at this point there is a part that is toast and needs to be replaced. No one can seem to diagnose the issue but just from driving it daily I can tell something is definitely broken lol

 

[FrontRunnerChris]

I have a lot of weird noises here and there, but Sometimes it goes away, sometimes I turn up the music. Sometimes I go "Damn I should fix that like...right now"