MauiUZJ
Gotta have duct tape...
So this is my first post, and my first UZJ100. So far I am feeling a bit like it is a mixed bag.
Body is great, other than scratches on the running boards, a missing LEXUS emblem, and a few superficial finish blemishes. First owner babied it, and kept it in a garage. Second owner wheeled it up on Haleakala Ranch, and all over the mountain, until the AHC failed.... He paid $1850 for a local suspension shop to "do their best" at making it ride at about the level of Norm. on the AHC. Replacement suspension feels very stiff to me, on the small country roads around home on the north shore of Maui. Uncomfortable compared with my last LC, an FJ80. The IFS Handles nicer on the highway than the SFA, and the road feel around smooth corners is excellent, but moderate speed (25-35) over poor paved road surfaces is uncomfortable.
The new (to me) Truck has OME Nitro-charger Sport shocks all around, OME 1" medium duty coils (865's I think) in the rear, Factory torsion bars up front. Unfortunately front torsion bars are 25.5mm, so they are softer than the LC 28.89mm, and the OME's at 31mm, etc.
TB's are either re-indexed or just cranked up, to clear the 33's.
Ride height measurements are roughly 20" front, and 22" rear.
I will get better measurements and measure droop
on some level pavement soon.
I thought I had better check tire pressure to make sure they weren't too high. They were all 27psi...
Hate to think what the ride would feel like at 40psi....
I knew this Lexus was in need of considerable maintenance before buying it, however it was the only UZJ100 in the state for less than 10k. For starters it had failed rear u-joint, a failed alternator and a dead undersized battery the same size as my wife's previous RX300 calls for. It leaks Oil at the valve covers and the oil pan. Sway bar bushings are dead, & one is half gone. Right CV has a torn inner boot and makes noise under moderate acceleration and cornering. Turns out the original Timing Belt was roughly 108K overdue.... Thank GOD the rear u-joint failed & they stopped driving it when they did....
I replaced the Alternator, Aisin Timing Belt Kit w. the water pump, tensioners and the front main seal. I was working outside on muddy grass and the weather began to shift for the worse, so I put it back together without changing the cam seals, or valve cover gaskets, or spark plugs I had on hand while I was in there. I Will need to change the radiator soon as I can see stress cracks on the top that are just beginning to seep, but for now I slit the inner gasket of the cap to run the cooling system at 0psi, to minimize stress on the cooling system until I can install an aluminum radiator, thermostat (I only put a FAIL-SAFE Thermostat by MotoRad into cars my wife will drive), the main hoses, and all the heater hoses etc. next round....
I need to keep this truck on the road as much as possible and minimize down time as it is the new family DD, & adventure truck. As the new all around family vehicle it needs to be comfortable for all passengers, especially my wife. She tolerant of Land Cruiser suspension tech having grown up with an 82 Hilux, and as a former owner of an FJ60. She even put up with me dragging her and our 2 girls 6000 miles across North America and back in the FJ80 summer of 2015.
I think the current ride height has put additional strain on the front drive train and caused the torn CV boot/ failed axle. There are some dead looking bushings on the front diff, so i am guessing the driveline clunk is mostly in the front. I am going to pull the front driveshaft and run it CDL Locked, in "2wd" with the just the rear Posi for a week or so to see what it would feel like with a part time 4wd kit. Also I think this will help me narrow down if the drive line clunk is in the front, rear, or both. One day i plan to do a front diff lock to prevent failure of the 2 pinion front diff, and add traction at the same time. Bet replacing
I have read through a half dozen threads so far, and I am still not sure what is the right setup for us. We are generally running stock and light (5400lbs according to the registration), but everyday onroad (read small East Maui country road) conditions on Maui can be rigorous, and all winter we have extreme weather to drive through, then in summer we have hurricanes. I have had to cross deep standing water, traverse downed trees, and mudslides, just to get home on a bad day. Any given nice day we may go ramble down some gnarly jungle mud trail to visit a waterfall, or wheel across old lava to get to a remote beach, or go the back way to Hana across mile of washboards. Once my friend who sold me this LX replaces it with a LC100, I hope to ramble up on the mountain with him.
I am unsure as to plan to upgrade the current lift with a diff drop kit, SPC UCA's, OME front torsion bars, and a new set of fox 2.0" shocks all the way around, so that I can get them re-valved if needed.
I like the way the current setup looks, although it is a little high in the rear at the moment. I thing about 1" rake would be better. Will the OME springs and TB's be OK with Fox's ?
I know stock Landcruiser springs and stock LC height would be OK with the wife. A set of OEM or KYB shocks would give good on road ride, but for these to work I need heavy bulky used parts that are unavailable on island....
Got to get it riding better as the first priority for the wife. this was supposed to be her vehicle, but as of yet she is shaking her head....
Body is great, other than scratches on the running boards, a missing LEXUS emblem, and a few superficial finish blemishes. First owner babied it, and kept it in a garage. Second owner wheeled it up on Haleakala Ranch, and all over the mountain, until the AHC failed.... He paid $1850 for a local suspension shop to "do their best" at making it ride at about the level of Norm. on the AHC. Replacement suspension feels very stiff to me, on the small country roads around home on the north shore of Maui. Uncomfortable compared with my last LC, an FJ80. The IFS Handles nicer on the highway than the SFA, and the road feel around smooth corners is excellent, but moderate speed (25-35) over poor paved road surfaces is uncomfortable.
The new (to me) Truck has OME Nitro-charger Sport shocks all around, OME 1" medium duty coils (865's I think) in the rear, Factory torsion bars up front. Unfortunately front torsion bars are 25.5mm, so they are softer than the LC 28.89mm, and the OME's at 31mm, etc.
TB's are either re-indexed or just cranked up, to clear the 33's.
Ride height measurements are roughly 20" front, and 22" rear.
I will get better measurements and measure droop
on some level pavement soon.
I thought I had better check tire pressure to make sure they weren't too high. They were all 27psi...
Hate to think what the ride would feel like at 40psi....
I knew this Lexus was in need of considerable maintenance before buying it, however it was the only UZJ100 in the state for less than 10k. For starters it had failed rear u-joint, a failed alternator and a dead undersized battery the same size as my wife's previous RX300 calls for. It leaks Oil at the valve covers and the oil pan. Sway bar bushings are dead, & one is half gone. Right CV has a torn inner boot and makes noise under moderate acceleration and cornering. Turns out the original Timing Belt was roughly 108K overdue.... Thank GOD the rear u-joint failed & they stopped driving it when they did....
I replaced the Alternator, Aisin Timing Belt Kit w. the water pump, tensioners and the front main seal. I was working outside on muddy grass and the weather began to shift for the worse, so I put it back together without changing the cam seals, or valve cover gaskets, or spark plugs I had on hand while I was in there. I Will need to change the radiator soon as I can see stress cracks on the top that are just beginning to seep, but for now I slit the inner gasket of the cap to run the cooling system at 0psi, to minimize stress on the cooling system until I can install an aluminum radiator, thermostat (I only put a FAIL-SAFE Thermostat by MotoRad into cars my wife will drive), the main hoses, and all the heater hoses etc. next round....
I need to keep this truck on the road as much as possible and minimize down time as it is the new family DD, & adventure truck. As the new all around family vehicle it needs to be comfortable for all passengers, especially my wife. She tolerant of Land Cruiser suspension tech having grown up with an 82 Hilux, and as a former owner of an FJ60. She even put up with me dragging her and our 2 girls 6000 miles across North America and back in the FJ80 summer of 2015.
I think the current ride height has put additional strain on the front drive train and caused the torn CV boot/ failed axle. There are some dead looking bushings on the front diff, so i am guessing the driveline clunk is mostly in the front. I am going to pull the front driveshaft and run it CDL Locked, in "2wd" with the just the rear Posi for a week or so to see what it would feel like with a part time 4wd kit. Also I think this will help me narrow down if the drive line clunk is in the front, rear, or both. One day i plan to do a front diff lock to prevent failure of the 2 pinion front diff, and add traction at the same time. Bet replacing
I have read through a half dozen threads so far, and I am still not sure what is the right setup for us. We are generally running stock and light (5400lbs according to the registration), but everyday onroad (read small East Maui country road) conditions on Maui can be rigorous, and all winter we have extreme weather to drive through, then in summer we have hurricanes. I have had to cross deep standing water, traverse downed trees, and mudslides, just to get home on a bad day. Any given nice day we may go ramble down some gnarly jungle mud trail to visit a waterfall, or wheel across old lava to get to a remote beach, or go the back way to Hana across mile of washboards. Once my friend who sold me this LX replaces it with a LC100, I hope to ramble up on the mountain with him.
I am unsure as to plan to upgrade the current lift with a diff drop kit, SPC UCA's, OME front torsion bars, and a new set of fox 2.0" shocks all the way around, so that I can get them re-valved if needed.
I like the way the current setup looks, although it is a little high in the rear at the moment. I thing about 1" rake would be better. Will the OME springs and TB's be OK with Fox's ?
I know stock Landcruiser springs and stock LC height would be OK with the wife. A set of OEM or KYB shocks would give good on road ride, but for these to work I need heavy bulky used parts that are unavailable on island....
Got to get it riding better as the first priority for the wife. this was supposed to be her vehicle, but as of yet she is shaking her head....
