Hey all! New member, first time post. This forum has been incredibly helpful so far with my new-to-me 2003 Lexus LX470 I won on Bring a Trailer. 250k miles but still runs smooth and most importantly for rust-belter's like me - it's a completely rust-free southern truck. I bought it to replace my Tundra which has unfortunately rusted out beyond repair. Although it's very clean, it does have some mechanical and electrical issues I'm working though, the most serious of which is the AHC suspension.
I purchased service data from Alldata DIY, and I've read through many of the numerous posts here on the topic, but haven't quite found what I'm looking for. Thanks to the many helpful members here, I've determined that my globes need to be replaced so I've ordered 4 new OEM units from Impex Japan. My ride is harsh and bouncy, I only have 4 graduations of fluid change between high and low, and my fluid condition is poor. The parts look original to the truck so they're probably due for replacement. As soon as they get here I intend to go through all the steps in the "ABCs of AHC" post and get everything setup properly.
I'm confident that will greatly improve my ride quality, but what I'm not sure on is the "leakdown" problem I'm having. I always park it with the suspension in normal mode. When I come back to it several hours later, frequently but not always, at least the front is very obviously in low mode. The rear is a little harder to tell but I think it's also in low mode. When I start the truck it pumps right back up, but I don’t believe it's supposed to bleed down on its own. I first suspected a leak, but I'm not seeing any fluid on the ground and the tank doesn't seem to be getting any lower. The Alldata info indicates the issue is likely the control valve assembly, but I've learned their troubleshooting info is often incomplete. It basically just says either you have a leak or it's the control valve so it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Could the bad globes be causing this leakdown issue as well? Could it be a combination of bad globes and cooling of the fluid (it's been very cold out since I bought the truck)? Is there anything else I can test or check to confirm the cause of the issue?
Ideally, I'm hoping to figure this out before I do the globes so if I do need a control valve or something else I can replace it while I have things apart. That way I only have to do the ABC thing once since, frankly, it sounds like a pain. Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can provide!
I purchased service data from Alldata DIY, and I've read through many of the numerous posts here on the topic, but haven't quite found what I'm looking for. Thanks to the many helpful members here, I've determined that my globes need to be replaced so I've ordered 4 new OEM units from Impex Japan. My ride is harsh and bouncy, I only have 4 graduations of fluid change between high and low, and my fluid condition is poor. The parts look original to the truck so they're probably due for replacement. As soon as they get here I intend to go through all the steps in the "ABCs of AHC" post and get everything setup properly.
I'm confident that will greatly improve my ride quality, but what I'm not sure on is the "leakdown" problem I'm having. I always park it with the suspension in normal mode. When I come back to it several hours later, frequently but not always, at least the front is very obviously in low mode. The rear is a little harder to tell but I think it's also in low mode. When I start the truck it pumps right back up, but I don’t believe it's supposed to bleed down on its own. I first suspected a leak, but I'm not seeing any fluid on the ground and the tank doesn't seem to be getting any lower. The Alldata info indicates the issue is likely the control valve assembly, but I've learned their troubleshooting info is often incomplete. It basically just says either you have a leak or it's the control valve so it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Could the bad globes be causing this leakdown issue as well? Could it be a combination of bad globes and cooling of the fluid (it's been very cold out since I bought the truck)? Is there anything else I can test or check to confirm the cause of the issue?
Ideally, I'm hoping to figure this out before I do the globes so if I do need a control valve or something else I can replace it while I have things apart. That way I only have to do the ABC thing once since, frankly, it sounds like a pain. Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can provide!
