Doh! - Air in Suspension Fluid on 2000

[hkeller]

Our 2000 LX 470 is my wife's daily driver. God only knows what she does to this thing. I took it out last week and the ride was awful. It literally felt like I was riding in a vehicle with no shocks. At each bump in the road, it would bounce two or three times before settling down. When I changed the comfort setting from comfort to super comfort, he LX went down to its lowest height setting and the AHC "OFF" light flashed. (The manual says that if the system has a fault the vehicle should return to the normal height setting and the "OFF" light will flash. However, I could not get the LX to raise to the normal setting.)

When I opened the hood, the fluid in the suspension tank was emulsified, like it had been through a high-speed blender. After sitting for a day, the fluid cleared a bit and the system began working as normal (I did disconnenct the battery).

I have ordered new fluid and plan to bleed the system and replace the fluid as per the service manual. However, that is just treating the system, not curing the desease. I would like some input, if you'all have any, as to what may have casued this. The LX rides as good as new now, but it was mighty scarry at the time this happened. I have heard too many horror stories about the costs to repair these things.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Toylexmods]

Hey, what about mileage, service history and location of your LX? The fluid in the AHC does need flushed per the maint schedule. Also, it would help to cycle the height from low to high once or twice a month. That should get the accumulators flushed with fluid from time to time.

BTW, if your in a cold belt of the country....do you hear any abnormal engine knock when you start the truck cold?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[hkeller]

Dave, Thanks for the reply. The LX has 48,000 on the odometer. We bought it with 34,000 miles on it. As best I can tell from the Lexus dealer service history, the car was serviced regularily by the dealer. We live in Virginia. The week this happened was one of the coldest on record. Maybe a valve stuck. Maybe this stuff is like brake fluid and absorbed moisture and the cold had some effect on it.

Regarding the engine noise, ours has none at all, even on those very cold morings. I run Mobil 1 5w-30.

 

[Augie]

I hope nobody filled it with washer fluid. I heard that is a common mistake happend at oil change place.