First Time Land Cruiser Owner

[RND1]

I looked at a lot of New England LC's with the upper hatch handle rusted out. Seems to be a common problem in the rust belt. Just tackle one issue at a time and you'll have a solid LC that will last you a long time. Post up some pics of your new rig.

 

[mtn2roady]

Sorry to hear about all the issues your having, I'm with Sandroad. removng rust through mechanical means (wirewheeling) and treating/sealing will become a real problem for you if you dont address it soon, and doing these things is relatively cheap. I'm guessing your gas tank skid plate is also rotted as was mine. The skidplate is less important to you right now as is the straps holding it, which suspends both the skid plate and the gas tank. Id take a good look there if adding to the list. I replaced mine with a junk yard one for $100.

I've recently coated by hand my entire undercarriage in POR 15, if you need any advice shoot me a PM. send some picks of the worst spots as it will help people on the forum address whats moderate and severe.

 

[KYLandy]

Progress update:

Got the tilt motor replaced and the back hatch handle repaired. I got all of the E85 out of the tank and erased the codes but they came back after about 20 miles of driving. Next up will be to replace the O2 sensors. If that doesn't fix the P0420 and P0430 codes then I guess I will just have to accept that the cats really are bad and try to find replacements.

As for the AHC, I took apart the front driver's side height sensor and the copper brushes were corroded and one fell apart when I touched it. I have both fronts on order now and should receive them next week. I ordered what I thought were height sensors from Cruiser parts but they were just link assembly's with no sensors.

I've got the replacement CDL switch in hand but I need to order a 27 mm combination wrench to make the repair.

It's coming along slowly but I'm getting there. Will post updates as I make more progress.

 

[PADDO]

As for the AHC, I took apart the front driver's side height sensor and the copper brushes were corroded and one fell apart when I touched it. I have both fronts on order now and should receive them next week. I ordered what I thought were height sensors from Cruiser parts but they were just link assembly's with no sensors.

Did you go with the Dorman aftermarket potentiometers or did you need the complete OE assemblies?

 

[KYLandy]

I found the whole assembly's on eBay which include the potentiometers and they are new but were $200 a piece. I have some rust on the assembly's so I decided to get new.

 

[Traskew3]

Welcome! Feel bad for all the work but should be lots of fun when ur done! Hope u got a good deal!!

 

[LX470Mack]

Ditch the AHC, I have zero regrets about changing mine out for a Tough dog setup. Ok, well not zero. Sometimes I miss comfort mode. What I gained was the ability to corner really well at speed, no more pitch and yaw and sure and certain reliability. No more nail biting wondering if the AHC was going to pack up between pay cheques.

 

[KYLandy]

Ditch the AHC, I have zero regrets about changing mine out for a Tough dog setup. Ok, well not zero. Sometimes I miss comfort mode. What I gained was the ability to corner really well at speed, no more pitch and yaw and sure and certain reliability. No more nail biting wondering if the AHC was going to pack up between pay cheques.

Since the LC is new to me (3 weeks since I bought it), I have no reference for how well it rides with the AHC when it is fully functioning. Right now, the pump is disabled because I pulled the 50 amp fuse but I am really liking the ride. I am inclined to keep this truck all stock until I decide if I want to keep it. It will fetch a better price if it is fully stock. That way, any mudders out there can customize it the way they want or I can sell it to some wealthy family who needs a kid hauler and a grocery getter. I really love the truck but I'm not convinced that I will keep it forever. It's in fantastic shape with low miles despite the maintenance repairs I am doing. The interior is immaculate and the body is perfect with normal dings and small scratches. The rust underneath is somewhat concerning but it is just mostly surface rust. If I decide to keep it, I'll work on cleaning up the undercarriage and protecting the metal from further oxidation. I have yet to take this vehicle off road since the suspension is unpredictable but that will be the deciding factor once I get it there.

It has the original OEM brand Continental tires (not sure if they are the original ones) but I am thinking of putting either 275/70/R18 BFG KO2's or Goodyear Duratracs in the same size. I have a set of the Duratracs on my 1997 F350 DRW and I really like them. They are great in the snow and seem to work well in mud for a 2WD truck with LSD. The LC will be my DD, taking over that responsibility from the F350, so I want a decent A/T tire that is reasonably quiet on the road but performs well when things get sloppy. Eventually, if I decide to keep it, I'll make it into a more expedition capable rig so the DW and I can do some traveling, here at home and abroad.

This is my first LC and my first off-road capable vehicle so I am leaving myself an "out" if I decide it is not what I need. In the meantime, I would never sell a vehicle that had any problems so I am compelled to fix everything that needs repair. I also hate when there are broken parts and functions on my vehicles so I have to repair everything for my own peace of mind. I am compulsive like that. In the end, you can be assured that any vehicle you buy from me is 100% operational and fully maintained. In turn, that is what I expect when I buy a vehicle but I am frequently disappointed. It seems not everyone shares my need to having everything working like it should.

 

[bctlex]

Welcome! Good to hear another person from KY. I am in Lexington.

 

[KYLandy]

UPDATE:

So I have fixed everything on this list except the 12V power issue and the splash pan as of yesterday and wanted to provide some details on the outcome of the repairs and what was needed:

1. AHC - After purchasing a pump and both front height sensors, I replaced the front left side height sensor and it fixed everything. I cleared the DTC code which stated abnormal pressure in the system and everything works perfectly. The code was likely because the pump was running until it entered fault protection mode because the sensor was not sending a signal to the ECU about the height of the front LH side. I got Techstream working and it showed a negative reading in inches when the vehicle was in the High position. In a previous post, I noted that I had already taken apart the sensor and determined it was faulty. I ran the Active Tests and everything worked as is should. Vehicle height is 19.75" in front and 20.5" in there rear in the N position. The height adjusts quickly and confidently. Before, it would hunt because of the bad sensor and eventually go into fault protection. Did I mention the ride? Buttery smooth now that the AHC is working correctly. So far, I'm a big fan of AHC. I'll be hanging on to the pump and sensor I didn't need just in case there are future problems. Also, I will be doing a more thorough and extensive check on this system using Techstream in the days ahead.
2. Tilt Steering - Replaced the tilt motor and it works perfectly. Next, I will locate the setting for turning the automatic function off in Techstream to prevent unnecessary wear and tear on the motors. I have photos but no place to host them yet.
3. CDL - I bought a 27mm combination wrench and was able to get the switch out after many scrapes and cuts on my big man hands. It sure is tight in there and it took me awhile, a couple of hours, to get it out and then get a bite on it with the wrench to snug it up. Tested CDL switch and light comes on and VSC Off light comes on. I had already confirmed the CDL was engaging. I used this switch as a replacement and it works perfectly.
4. 12V power - haven't worked on this one yet. Will spend some time tonight looking into it. The Toyota tech said it is a fusible link, so I need to find that link.
5. Rear hatch handle - replaced missing black plastic handle but not the rusted posts it mounts to. Latch still works and I have the internal hardware to replace the rusted parts but took the easy way, for now. Latch mounted to posts securely so I am comfortable leaving it that way.
6. P0420 and P0430 codes - Replace both downstream oxygen sensors and it cured the problem. I erased the codes and they have not returned at all. Both O2 sensors were warped and had heat damage. Have photos and will post them once I get a host. Sure glad the cats aren't bad!
7. Front splash pan - With the money I have saved by doing these repairs myself, I am going to order the Slee front skid plate and install that when it arrives.

So far, I am BIG FAN of the LC! I love this vehicle and it is growing on me with every drive with its quality and performance. Thanks to all who helped with information and previous threads! I could not have done this without your help! Thanks to everyone who offered their removed AHC systems. I will be keeping the AHC, for now, until it starts aggravating me again. I'll assess it's full value to me when something really expensive needs replacing. In the meantime, I will be giving this system a lot of extra maintenance to help prevent any more problems.

I'll try to post of some nice photos now that I have some time.

 

[bctlex]

@KYLandy FYI. I believe you can just attach photos here without having a site for hosting them, unless that is what you want.

 

[KYLandy]

It will only let me post links to photos. I can't upload photos. I presume I need to have a certain amount of posts to be able to upload them.

 

[2001LC]

Try just drag and drop.

 

[aging fleet]

@KYLandy, glad it's starting to come together.

 

[mkivtdi]

pretty funny -- I just bought one the other day. I'm in CT and my rear gate latch is totally rusted off, too!

 

[KYLandy]

Photos of the old and new O2 sensors. You can see the warping!

 

[beedo34]

Photos of the old and new O2 sensors. You can see the warping!

View attachment 1352690

WOW. Just curious, did you get any catalytic efficiency codes? I got one of those codes the other day and I cleared it and it never came back. Just wondering from your experience what made you replace those sensors.

then again, my exhaust is probably coated in East Texas mud for the past two weeks and I've been too lazy to hose it off.

 

[KYLandy]

WOW. Just curious, did you get any catalytic efficiency codes? I got one of those codes the other day and I cleared it and it never came back. Just wondering from your experience what made you replace those sensors.

then again, my exhaust is probably coated in East Texas mud for the past two weeks and I've been too lazy to hose it off.

Yes! See Original Post about P0420 Code and P0430 codes.

I thought I had the problem fixed, too, but it came back 205 miles later (yesterday). Still working through the issue. See this thread for recent updates. I decided to cross post the results because this issue is of interest to several people.