AHC flashing “off” light. (1 Viewer)

[Slik]

2002 LX 470. Put the stock Land Cruiser Suspension in due to the AHC failure. Is the blinking off indicator by the height control just a simple matter of Removing a particular fuse? And if so which one please. Thanks

 

[jLB]

Maybe you should remove the 50amp underhood fuse, and the bottom two AHC ECU connectors...

AHC Removal - Fuses vs ECU

forum.ih8mud.com

Then again, what do I know...

 

[BullElk]

Not sure but perhaps the blinking "OFF" is the AHC shouting asking you "why, why, why" did you spend more money to replace me than to repair me. And no way to shut it up. Again...don't quote me but just perhaps.

 

[molonlabemike]

Not sure but perhaps the blinking "OFF" is the AHC shouting asking you "why, why, why" did you spend more money to replace me than to repair me. And no way to shut it up. Again...don't quote me but just perhaps.

I have know 3 rigs that had their AHC fail while on the trail. Thank you but no thank you

 

[Slik]

Not sure but perhaps the blinking "OFF" is the AHC shouting asking you "why, why, why" did you spend more money to replace me than to repair me. And no way to shut it up. Again...don't quote me but just perhaps.

The dealer quoted me an ungodly amount to repair the height control. I spent 450 or so on the Land Cruiser setup and it works great

 

[Slik]

Maybe you should remove the 50amp underhood fuse, and the bottom two AHC ECU connectors...

AHC Removal - Fuses vs ECU

forum.ih8mud.com

Then again, what do I know...

Thanks!

 

[Slik]

Man great video. Although many of you have probably already seen it.

Lx470 to Landcrusier suspension swap

 

[BullElk]

The dealer quoted me an ungodly amount to repair the height control.

Well yeah.... anything the dealer quotes is ungodly.

 

[ramangain]

I have know 3 rigs that had their AHC fail while on the trail. Thank you but no thank you

Functioning AND well maintained AHC?

 

[suprarx7nut]

I have know 3 rigs that had their AHC fail while on the trail. Thank you but no thank you

Brake failure is pretty likely in a 100. You could buy a simpler 60 or 80 series and avoid that failure mechanism.

If the system is maintained the risk of failure mid-trail is pretty remote.

The dealer quoted me an ungodly amount to repair the height control. I spent 450 or so on the Land Cruiser setup and it works great

If we were to correct your statement there, I think we'd say "The dealer *mis* quoted an ungodly amount..."

Functioning AND well maintained AHC?

Well it wasn't functioning when it failed now, was it?

 

[ramangain]

Perhaps the emphasis on "well maintained" was not stressed enough.

Functioning AND WELL MAINTAINED?

 

[molonlabemike]

Functioning AND well maintained AHC?

Yes. Why would you want another weak link on a rig? We go out in the sticks and I would be screwed if I was stuck in low like they were. Thankfully those were on easy trails. For the fire roads and mall AHC is great but for long term dependability it’s a weak link.

can it do hard core off road, sure there a guy who did the rubicon with it but it will not last. To each their own. I guess if it was so great more vehicles would run it off road

 

[Slik]

Funny the things people argue about. I like both of mine with AHC removed. I removed the under hood 50 fuse but I need to get under the drivers side and pull the plugs I guess. But everything is under an inch of ice right now. Hopefully next week.

 

[ramangain]

I'd (successfully) argue the weakest link on these rigs is the good ol' "chair to console interface" (me included), which is no fault of the rig itself.

 

[jLB]

I'd (successfully) argue the weakest link on these rigs is the good ol' "chair to console interface" (me included), which is no fault of the rig itself.

While I do love the 100 series, I do think that there might be a few “weak links” on the platform. For me, coming from the 80 series (which has its own weaknesses) the things that come to mind (before AHC or driver):

• Ignition rod.
• Steering rack.
• Electronic brake booster.
• Limited front suspension travel.
• Early front diffs.
• Starter location.
• Some ~2000 transmissions.
• Later model integrated navigation

Nonetheless, I do keep buying them, as they’re relatively small warts on an otherwise fairly robust platform, that I like very much.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Yes. Why would you want another weak link on a rig? We go out in the sticks and I would be screwed if I was stuck in low like they were. Thankfully those were on easy trails. For the fire roads and mall AHC is great but for long term dependability it’s a weak link.

can it do hard core off road, sure there a guy who did the rubicon with it but it will not last. To each their own. I guess if it was so great more vehicles would run it off road

More vehicles are running electronic adjustable suspension. Aftermarket and oem. I don't get that argument. Across almost all segments, electronically adjustable and hydraulic suspensions are increasingly common, aren't they? Hydraulic systems like AHC and the Mercedes system are hard to retrofit, given the infrastructure required (hard lines through the body/frame), so most aftermarket setups are far simpler and less capable electronic motors on top of the shock.

I can understand your sentiment if you also remove the electronic brake booster for the simpler and more reliable vacuum brake booster.

If swapping the often failing and completely debilitating electronic brake booster sounds a little extreme on the 100 I think you'll understand how I view AHC removal for anything less than a remote reservoir or coilovers swap. You're going out of your way to remove functionality to increase simplicity and reliability.

I think part of the allure of AHC removal is to "mod" with a "lift". If AHC came with an aftermarket brand shock label, it would be all the rage.

 

[molonlabemike]

More vehicles are running electronic adjustable suspension. Aftermarket and oem. I don't get that argument. Across almost all segments, electronically adjustable and hydraulic suspensions are increasingly common, aren't they? Hydraulic systems like AHC and the Mercedes system are hard to retrofit, given the infrastructure required (hard lines through the body/frame), so most aftermarket setups are far simpler and less capable electronic motors on top of the shock.

I can understand your sentiment if you also remove the electronic brake booster for the simpler and more reliable vacuum brake booster.

If swapping the often failing and completely debilitating electronic brake booster sounds a little extreme on the 100 I think you'll understand how I view AHC removal for anything less than a remote reservoir or coilovers swap. You're going out of your way to remove functionality to increase simplicity and reliability.

I think part of the allure of AHC removal is to "mod" with a "lift". If AHC came with an aftermarket brand shock label, it would be all the rage.

I think we both understand that on road and off road are different pertaining to their stress and demands. Sure lots of cars run hydro systems (most are switching to air which is worse) but most of those cars will not spend any time off road so that’s a mute point.

For your booster comment ok. I guess we’re cherry picking arguments here. Why stop there? The water pump and timing belt have issue? Should we replace those with air cooled? tires get flats should we switch to tank run flats? No. Removing AHC does nothing more then removes that weak. Removing the booster would result in the removal of the complete abs system and traction control. All upsides for keeping that in place. With AHC there are less pros then cons for a overland.

AHC fan boys get so made that people remove it and it’s laughable. Keep that stuff if you want but anyone who depends on their rig and expects a system to work and be easy to replace without relying on a hydraulic system should opt to go to a traditional static suspension system.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I think we both understand that on road and off road are different pertaining to their stress and demands. Sure lots of cars run hydro systems (most are switching to air which is worse) but most of those cars will not spend any time off road so that’s a mute point.

For your booster comment ok. I guess we’re cherry picking arguments here. Why stop there? The water pump and timing belt have issue? Should we replace those with air cooled? tires get flats should we switch to tank run flats? No. Removing AHC does nothing more then removes that weak. Removing the booster would result in the removal of the complete abs system and traction control. All upsides for keeping that in place. With AHC there are less pros then cons for a overland.

AHC fan boys get so made that people remove it and it’s laughable. Keep that stuff if you want but anyone who depends on their rig and expects a system to work and be easy to replace without relying on a hydraulic system should opt to go to a traditional static suspension system.

Are none of these intended to go off-road?

Defender
Trailhawk
LX570
GX460
G Wagon
Discovery

I think it's generally just a price question. Those systems are expensive to install. Is the target customer price sensitive? If no, hydraulic/electronic/air suspension is generally an option whether we're talking a sports car, off roader or luxury sedan. It's the high performance option. In the case of a used LX470, someone else has already taken on the expensive initial purchase. Maintenance is cheap and easy.

I'm ok with people removing AHC if they're educated on their options. Unfortunately, that's not always the case and folks come into it thinking AHC is incompatible with trails because it's hard to keep up and astronomically expensive to repair. That's just not true and I think it's worth making an effort to shift the tide towards a more informed community.

 

[Slik]

More vehicles are running electronic adjustable suspension. Aftermarket and oem. I don't get that argument. Across almost all segments, electronically adjustable and hydraulic suspensions are increasingly common, aren't they? Hydraulic systems like AHC and the Mercedes system are hard to retrofit, given the infrastructure required (hard lines through the body/frame), so most aftermarket setups are far simpler and less capable electronic motors on top of the shock.

I can understand your sentiment if you also remove the electronic brake booster for the simpler and more reliable vacuum brake booster.

If swapping the often failing and completely debilitating electronic brake booster sounds a little extreme on the 100 I think you'll understand how I view AHC removal for anything less than a remote reservoir or coilovers swap. You're going out of your way to remove functionality to increase simplicity and reliability.

I think part of the allure of AHC removal is to "mod" with a "lift". If AHC came with an aftermarket brand shock label, it would be all the rage.

Under 100k miles both my AHC and brake accumulator failed. The AHC was way too much for me to rationalize having it fixed so I went the land cruiser route. Not too pricey and I like it. Driving down the freeway one day I ended up in someone’s yard as my lx began beeping really loudly, ABS brake lights came on and then I lost the brakes. Between a sloped up hill abs the e Brake I was ok but I sure lost the brakes fast. Dealer put new accumulator in if I remember correctly. Been a few years ago. Surprised it failed with so few miles.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Under 100k miles both my AHC and brake accumulator failed. The AHC was way too much for me to rationalize having it fixed so I went the land cruiser route. Not too pricey and I like it. Driving down the freeway one day I ended up in someone’s yard as my lx began beeping really loudly, ABS brake lights came on and then I lost the brakes. Between a sloped up hill abs the e Brake I was ok but I sure lost the brakes fast. Dealer put new accumulator in if I remember correctly. Been a few years ago. Surprised it failed with so few miles.

It'd be interesting to see what they diagnosed and charged for the AHC fix.

Part of the recent shift in AHC sentiment is because we (mud community) have found excellent sources for genuine parts. Gone are the days of exorbitant dealer markups. That means, as of 2021, there's not really any part of the system that costs much to replace with new. We're talking 75+% off of normal dealer pricing on some big ticket items.