Build COS80's 1997 LX 450 Build Thread

[Broski]

Those aren’t antique they’re prehistoric

 

[Broski]

The new cans suck. If those are salvageable they’re worth it.
Do you have the old school nozzles for those cans if so they’re gold.

 

[COS80]

I don't have nozzles. I bought shake siphons instead. I think I'm going to spend some time on trying to get a clear photo of the interior to send to KBS for some feedback. I'd hate to scrap them, but getting chunks of crap in my gas tank is a non starter.

 

[baldilocks]

Yes. The other one is stamped 78

Well, in both cases I’d be considered a relic.

 

[Broski]

Well, in both cases I’d be considered a relic.

You are a relicwho knows what that makes me
I can tell you that I graduated high school in 1977

 

[COS80]

I guess we can grab the cans and all go to the Ponderosa for the Early Bird special.

 

[COS80]

I managed this photo, and sent it to KBS. They told me I should set them up with a fan for four days, and then poke at the bubbles with a coat hanger - if they feel solid, they'll be fine, but if they're soft, they're going to fail. Fingers crossed....

 

[COS80]

I just checked on the lining, and it looks like they're going to make it! The bubbles have mostly disappeared, and those that remain feel hard when poked with a welding rod. I'm going to leave them on the fan for another two days, since the coating is so thick in those spots, just for an extra measure.

When I started the fan, so much off-gassing was expelled that it stunk up the entire house (not just the garage). I'm going to suggest, to KBS, that they update the instructions to include using a fan, in situations such as this, as well as to try to meter in the lining until you have just enough to cover, as opposed to using the entire contents and not being able to get it back out. I think both of these, known from the beginning, would have yielded a better result.

 

[91FJ80FD]

Those aren’t antique they’re prehistoric

I think I have eaten MRE's that where about the same age and did not die!

 

[COS80]

Today I removed all the overly-bright, flickering LEDs the PO installed in the dash, and returned to stock. I still have the shifter to do, but that can wait for another day. Good riddance!

Thanks to @Kernal @RavenTai and @Japan4X4 for their support in getting this job done.

 

[COS80]

Finished the job today. What a PITA! The cover for the shifter had to be disassembled to remove the LED, because it was larger than the hole, dropped through from above and pressed into the bulb holder. The PO really wanted this LED! It was perhaps the worst of the bunch, though - flickered like crazy. Again... good riddance!

Thanks to @AATLAS1X and @RFB for posts that were helpful in getting the shifter out of the way.

 

[COS80]

Here's the parts list for my triple locked 97 LX. This is all the cluster bulbs, the ignition switch, and the shifter backlight. Climate and other switches were all still stock bulbs.

Item

1 X 90981-11018 BULB, POSITION INDICATOR LAMP 12V 1.2W W/O SOCKET 240yen X 1

1 X 90339-04014 CAP, POSITION INDICATOR LAMP 160yen X 1

1 X 90981-11014 BULB, INDICATOR LAMP 14V 1.4W 200yen X 1

2 X 90981-11018 BULB FOR DIFFERENTIAL LOCK INDICATOR LAMP 240yen X 2

1 X 90981-11018 BULB FOR CENTER DIFFERENTIAL LOCK INDICATOR LAMP 240yen X 1

9 X 90072-02005 BULB, TRANSMISSION INDICATOR LAMP 14V 1.12W 360yen X 9

1 X 90072-02006 BULB, TRANSMISSION INDICATOR LAMP 14V 1.12W, GREEN CAP 380yen X 1

1 X 83120-60010 BULB, COMBINATION METER, NO.1 14V 2.0W 930yen X 11

11 X 83120-60020 BULB, COMBINATION METER, NO.1 12V 1.4W, W SOCKET 390yen X 4

4 X 90010-06006 BULB, COMBINATION METER, NO.1 12V 3.4W, W GREEN CAP 430yen X 3

3 X 90010-06007 BULB, COMBINATION METER, NO.1 12V 3.4W, W SOCKET 360yen X 1

1 X 81850-60530 LAMP ASSY, INDICATOR 1510yen X 1

I ended up not using 81850-60530, which is the wire for the ring around the ignition switch. I just replaced the bulb.

I could have done this for a fraction of the cost, because all the LEDs were removable from the factory sockets, except for the shifter group in the cluster. I ordered all the holders so I only had to do the job once, and I didn't know what I was going to find.

 

[COS80]

Today I began a fairly major, multi-part project, over a year in the making. This project will be agonizingly slow, as I can still only work for a few hours at a time, and then I have to rest for the rest of the day, very much unlike what I'm used to: taking vacation and working 10+ hours a day and knocking it right out.

1. Crimp all power cables, which I assume are all soldered, like the one I redid a while ago, and which caused my "Pink Floyd Light Show on the Slee dual battery minder.
2. Replace all coolant hoses.
3. Replace all vacuum hoses.
4. Rebuild parking brake and replace stretched parking brake cable.
5. One more upgrade to be discussed, in detail, at a later time.

Right out of the gate, I've run into an issue. I removed both batteries and boxes today, and then started on breaking into this mystery hobby box mounted on what I assume used to be the mount for the charcoal canister (which was relocated, by the PO, under the driver's side floor). It's got all these relays that I can't easily trace, because they disappear into the fender well. The PO was better at wiring and electrical than most, as he actually labeled stuff... I expect ACR means "Automatic Charging Relay", which is the proper name of the BlueSea battery isolator. What I don't understand, at all, is why there would be a box of relays for what's basically a relay, so I'm this -->| |<-- close to ripping out the whole system.

 

[COS80]

I am changing this gasket (on top of the t-stat housing) but I can't get a scraper in there. Anybody have an idea?

I do have 16119-66020 GASKET, THERMOSTAT GUIDE, which I'm pretty sure goes behind this part, which I'm pretty sure is 16127-66020 Plate, Water Pump Thermostat Guide. The problem is, I don't see how it comes off, and I can't find it in the FSM. I'd like to try CRC gasket remover, but nobody has it.