Finally Bought my 2000 Land Cruiser but...

[Goldcountry]

I bought our 2000 in 2004 at 31k as a "Certified Pre-Owned" lease return from LA. Did the timing belt at 106k in 2009 +/-. The old one looked brand new. Replaced the belt with a Cont-Tech, new OEM idlers and water pump. Time to do it again now that it has 225k. Still lucky with the original trans, 4 quart drain & fills with Amsoil ATF every 2nd oil change. Still running strong. Had to replace the starter solenoid contacts at 70k. I will keep it and maintain it for the duration regardless of repair costs. The front seats & steering wheel need new covers. Finally disabled the sunroof links since it was stuck tilted up. Got it to collapse flat, sealed it with RTV, and disconnected the switches. Not many other issues. With it's age, it's somewhat cosmetically challenged, tree sap and scratches but I don't care, don't have to worry about scraping it thru the brush when off road. New front rotors 2 years ago, numerous sets of pads, somehow the rears wear out faster than the fronts, prolly from towing a 4500 lb. 20 ft boat all over the West. New tires and OEM shocks all around a few weeks ago. Could use new front CV axles any time now. Other than that, it's a great truck and I would be hard pressed to replace it for what it's worth. It's always cheaper to keep them vs. buying new. These things are tanks and were built to last forever.

So transmission fluid change every 2 oil changes? Is there some kind of fluid service list? I have really been wondering about my atf, ahc, and if there is any differential fluid. I would like a fluid changing program.

Also, i really need to figure out the cheapest easiest way to monitor my transmission temperatures. With the heat driving up the mountains, it would be nice if i knew when i was getting hot to pull over. I was driving my truck the other day with an Allison transmission with a big cooler on it. Not pulling anything. And i hit like 210f before i pulled over to let it idle and cool off. Usually I'm running at like 168f. It's a 2000ft climb in elevation to get to my house. I don't want to smoke my tranny because i don't know how hot is running.

 

[nspindel]

Everyone is going to say take off the running boards, but if your wife is like mine, you better leave them on. Since the TB is done, do the T's, find a hub cap, and address the peeling paint. Also, if you aren't going to use the hitch, you might want to pull that off before you back into someone and really screw yourself.

Some drunk rear ended me two years ago when I was stopped at a light. Her little sh.t box rolled right into my trailer hitch because her brakes probably didn't even have pads. Her front end was f**ked up and my truck didn't even have a dent. The impact of her vehicle (granted at low speed) literally had zero impact on that trailer hitch. I wouldn't pull it!