Green LX470 building for adventure

[neilsen100]

Valve Cover Gasket, PCV Valve and hoses, Spark Plugs con't

New bolts with washers, 9 per side needed. Part number 90080-10330. Lined these up with with a bit of anti seize on the threads. Also prepared the small torque wrench with the 10mm socket and set to 6Nm

Toyota FIPG sealant is used. A small dab at the front where the valve caver gasket has a tight bend.

Dab up top

And a dab on the bottom.

Toyota FIPG sets up in a few minutes so having everything prepared for installation is important. As mentioned above, I did myself no favors installing the spark plug tube gaskets backwards on the driver side. Ultimately it worked out as I massaged the cover on using a bicycle tire lever. With the cover on, progressively tighten the 9 bolts at 6Nm

 

[neilsen100]

Valve Cover Gasket, PCV Valve and hoses, Spark Plugs con't

Driver side PCV on the earlier years is a simple press in. Getting the old one out was very difficult, as was the gasket. Ultimately the gasket (90480-18001) was destroyed when removing due to its age and hardness. All indications are this gasket is original. Also replaced the ventilation hose (12261-50050) which was cracking and foam covers (12235-50010 & 12236-50010) which looked rough.

Old grommet on the left, new on the right

New grommet and foam covers

New Hose and PCV

PCV and grommet installed

Cracking ventilation hose

 

[neilsen100]

Valve Cover Gasket, PCV Valve and hoses, Spark Plugs con't

Next was installing new spark plugs. Old plugs measured fine at 1.1mm but I chose to replace regardless. Checked gap on the new Toyota spark plugs and installed at 17 Nm based on comments of others here on MUD.

Based on service records and looking at the coil packs, some are still the original coils. Original part number is 90919-02230 and stands a little taller than the replacement 90080-19027 part.

Spark plug in cylinder #3 had some slight discoloration The coil was original and a bit more brown with a couple of cracks in the boot so I replaced it. No CEL and no indication that anything was wrong. Changed mostly because I could. Will keep the old one as a spare in the truck.

New coil in cylinder #3

 

[neilsen100]

Valve Cover Gasket, PCV Valve and hoses, Spark Plugs con't

This moved me onto the passenger side. Significantly easier just due to how much less is on that side.

Start with removing the air resonator held by two bolts (red circle) and the four hoses (green arrow). Also requires disconnecting the MAF sensor and loosening the clamps at the air box and throttle body.

There is one wiring harness that goes across the valve cover towards the front of the truck. A single bolt with a 10mm head can be reached from the underside. This frees up the harness to move out of the way.

Unclip wiring harness from coil packs, remove coil packs. Unclip harness from fuel injectors and other connectors at front (purple circles). Unbolt wire harness mount (green circle) and move harness out of the way. I zip tied it so I could work in relative ease. Please note in this picture I have already removed some of the valve cover bolts. I should also note that I leave the spark plugs in until valve cover is back on. This way nothing can fall into the cylinders.

At the back are two half circle shape inserts. The FSM says to remove, clean and reinstall with FIPG. On both sides I found white or grey sealant, not the black that I have. The half circles were not coming out so I left them but did clean off the excess sealant (green circles) with a razor blade.

Old FIPG. Cleaned off and replaced before reinstalling valve cover.

 

[neilsen100]

Valve Cover Gasket, PCV Valve and hoses, Spark Plugs con't

Underside of valve cover cleaned and new spark plug tube gaskets installed, this time the correct way. You can see from the picture where the gaskets slide over the spark plug tube. When correctly oriented, the wider part of the gasket taper is towards the engine making installation a breeze.

On passenger side all coils were original. Spark plug on cylinder #4 was a little discolored, as was the coil boot. I choose not to replace this coil but will instead just keep a spare in the truck. Having done this job I now feel very comfortable that I can change out a coil quickly in the field. All spark plugs replaced with OEM.

Also changed the passenger side ventilation hose, which was hard and cracked. Part number 12262-50030

New hose installed, reused the spring clamps. Other plugs and bolts all put back where they belong. Valve cover bolts torques to 6Nm. Spark plugs torqued to 17 Nm.

Resonator placed back on but not yet bolted. Time to hook up hoses. During the process I removed another hose that travels under the air resonator along the path of the purple arrow. From this picture I had to lift the resonator again and feed the hose. Other hoses line up easily.

Not shown but also done was cleaning the throttle body, replace air filter and clean MAF sensor. Since this whole project took place over months, battery was disconnect for plenty of time to reset things.

Happy to say that truck started up on the first try and sounded great. Did have a bit of smoke coming out from the passenger side, under the valve cover area. Seems that this was just residual oil which burned off after the first 15 minute drive down the highway. No issues since then.

 

[neilsen100]

Previous Owner Wiring

I was checking the fog light fuse found in the cab by the driver's foot and found two wires wrapped around factory fuses. Apologies for the out of focus picture, didn't check as I was taking it.

Extra non-factory items. Not excited. Traced thick wire to under the middle seat. Two other wires appear to be antennae, one running through the dash, the other back up past the rear most driver side window.

Removed and into the trash. This will be one of the few modifications that decrease weight, maybe I'll see a mileage improvement

 

[neilsen100]

Big Three Electric Upgrade

Like so many other things, relied heavily on those that went before me. For this I and ever so grateful to TheForger for outlining this upgrade in his post "The Big Three" Electrical Upgrade

I purchased the parts through Amazon which included
Selterm marine grade tinned copper lug 1/0 gauge 3/8" eye
EWCS 1/0 welding cable 10 feet
Fiberglass Heat Shield 15mm x 5 feet

I also used some 3/4" black 3M EPS-300 adhesive lined heat shrink.

Please note on the 3/8" eye lugs. These are perfect for the Slee supplied military terminals but are a little large for the factory ground bolts. I still used these lugs at every location because a) the 1/4" were not available at the time I ordered, b) I didn't want to spend the extra $$ for two sizes and c) I was looking to improve the ground, not optimize. Truthfully I have little "need" to do this upgrade as nothing has been problematic but I figured improvements are nice and this is a task that is new to me, but also very doable. I like learning while working on the truck.

First wire was the battery ground, made during the group 31 battery upgrade and switch to military terminals.

I did wait for the Fiberglass Heat Shield to do the two engine ground wires. Wire length and lug orientation was measured on the vehicle. Welding cable is relatively flexible, but it is still very thick wire. I use the Harbor Freight crimping tool.

You can see the stock compared to the 1/0 size

Used existing mount points for the rear most engine ground.

The forward engine ground I selected different mount points. Instead of the engine hook (red arrow) used by the factory, I used the bolt mount for the engine cover I no longer plan to use. On the body side I moved from the red arrow to the green arrow to allow room for another future project.

 

[Octous]

This is one of the best build write ups I’ve ever read. Keep up the good work.

I’m in the Bay Area as well if you ever want to go wheeling. My favorite spots are in Stanislaus

 

[neilsen100]

This is one of the best build write ups I’ve ever read. Keep up the good work.

I’m in the Bay Area as well if you ever want to go wheeling. My favorite spots are in Stanislaus

Thanks @Octous for the encouragement. Had lots to catchup on and post, but is fun looking through pictures and recounting the things I've done.

Would love to meet up but we moved to Utah. Stanislaus is one of our favorites but I don't miss the 5+ hours it took to get out of the Bay Area and into National Forrest.

 

[neilsen100]

Firewall Pass Through on Driver's Side

I redid some of the cargo area shelving to reposition the fridge to the passenger side of the vehicle as well as lower. A couple of reasons for this. First was to shift some of the weight over to the passenger side. The truck as a sever Cruiser lean with the gas tank, spare tire, fridge and me always on the left. Second, lowering the fridge lets it open completely without hitting the hatch. Previously we had to hold the top open to look inside, a tremendous oversight in my first go at things. Last, I needed more spare room for the jogger stroller now that we have a kid.

Moving the fridge also prompted me to reroute the wiring from the battery to the back. Previously I routed this from the engine bay, under to the driver's foot well, and through a grommet in the floor. From there it ran along the lower trim to the back. I wanted to keep the internal route but instead of under the truck I wanted to go through the firewall. I was inspired by Bretthn and followed his lead. LX470 Family Adventure Rig

I used the existing shelving wood and just recut and rearranged. No new materials needed. Circular saws are loud to infants so remember, safety is no accident.

Wood cut, fridge reinstalled, updating the wiring needed.

Making room for the drill in the engine bay requires disconnecting 6 wiring harnesses (blue circles)...

...and shifting the charcoal canister closer to the engine. For the charcoal canister remove 1 bolt (green circle) which allows the canister to lift up off its mount.

Plenty of space to line up a drill (purple arrow). I did find a good collection of mulch in the lower corner of the engine bay (yellow arrow). Now is a good time to grab and vacuum that up.

 

[neilsen100]

Firewall Pass Through on Driver's Side con't

Firewall insulation has a natural hole in it, this is where to drill using a 1-1/4" hole saw.

From the inside of the truck, above the dead pedal, is the matching point. You can see a threaded post in the center of your target. I did place a rag over the electronics to catch any metal shavings that the drill will cause.

Cut through

Deburring tool and Daystar Universal Firewall Boot purchased from Amazon

 

[neilsen100]

Firewall Pass Through on Driver's Side con't

Pull the firewall boot through from the inside to the engine bay...

...and then reinstall the charcoal canister with the mounting bolt (green arrow) and 6 wire harnesses (blue). No have an easily accessed pass through for the fridge wires and any future wiring projects.

 

[MattyO]

Previous Owner Wiring

I was checking the fog light fuse found in the cab by the driver's foot and found two wires wrapped around factory fuses. Apologies for the out of focus picture, didn't check as I was taking it.

View attachment 2025128

Extra non-factory items. Not excited. Traced thick wire to under the middle seat. Two other wires appear to be antennae, one running through the dash, the other back up past the rear most driver side window.
View attachment 2025130

Removed and into the trash. This will be one of the few modifications that decrease weight, maybe I'll see a mileage improvement
View attachment 2025131
View attachment 2025132

That was a hard mounted phone from back in the day! Mine had one too

 

[neilsen100]

That was a hard mounted phone from back in the day! Mine had one too

@MattyO how interesting. I figured it was a Lowjack of sorts. Glad to hear it wasn't but just from an age when cellular phones actually had cells.

 

[neilsen100]

"Pin 7" modification


Last year at HIH "the Ocho" I was encouraged to complete this mode. As I understand it from others, locking the center diff is not a requirement in many situations where low range is desirable or necessary. Running with the center diff locked makes turning more difficult and ads undesirable wear to the drive train. I can say after completing these simple steps and doing a quick test run on the street, the truck turns much easier in low range with the center diff open.

Pin 7 refers to the 7th position pin found on the connecting harness for the Transmission Control Relay. This relay is behind the glovebox on the far right (purple arrow). I followed the instructions found on the FAQ - pin-7 mod for 100 Series

First remove the glove box. With the glovebox removed you will see the Engine Control Unit (ECU). Large silver box held on by three screws (green arrows), two on top and one on the bottom. Please don't use a Philips driver, Land Cruisers are built with JIS fasteners. If you don't have a set, they are great to have. Joey sells them at Absolute Wits End.

FAQ instructions say to remove the wire harness plug at this point. I found that incredibly difficult. There is little space beneath the plug so...

...I choose to remove the Relay. It seems like the relay should come off the bracket it is attached to but I couldn't make that happen. Just one nut unthreads to release the whole bracket. This made since very simple.

 

[neilsen100]

"Pin 7" modification con't

Unclip the harness and you can identify the various wires going in. The one we need to disable is black with a blue stripe. Some just cut this wire which makes it easy. I have the pin removal tool so I opted to pull the pin/wire from the clip.

Before pushing the pin out I lifted the retaining piece. It is the raised plastic part in the photo. A dental pick helped pry it up.

Releasing Pin 7 from the clip on the left. Not shown are the needle nose pliers I used to gently pull the wire at the same time I was pushing.

Pin 7 is out. Wrap the pin completely in electricians tape so it can't contact anything metal. Then plug the harness back in, reattach the bracket, the ECU, the glove box and test drive. All works well.

 

[neilsen100]

Kaizen Foam for Center Console

Kaizen Foam has a more common following in the world of tool organization but works equally well to organize and prevent rattles in the center console. For those interested in geeking out a bit more, check out ToolBoxWars on instagram and see some amazing work from the mechanics of the bicycle industry.

Kaizen foam is constructed of multiple layers glued together, very similar to plywood. It comes in large sheets of various thicknesses. For this project I used the 30mm thick sheet. The foam, long nose marker, and cutting tool were all purchased from fastcap.com.

Start with a rough template from cardboard. Then trace with the marker and cut.

I choose to remove the console from the truck to make the project easier. Foam fits in snug.

Laying out items I want to store. For me having the 1UP-USA locks and mounting tool always in the truck was important. I know where they always are. SKS pressure gauge also would just rattle around the truck without a specific home. No more of that.

After tracing each item, cut the outline with a thin razor knife. Then peel up the correct layers of foam for each time so they fit snuggly.

Reinstall and enjoy quiet storage.

 

[neilsen100]

Leading up to HIH 9 I had a number of items I wanted to complete. It was a busy July

Powered coat sliders which had become very rusty after the first winter in Utah
Install new CB radio
Figure out a better way to access water
Install sound deadening in cargo area
Winch Install
Oil and filter change

I should have taken a before picture but didn't due to embarrassment. My rattle can spray job did nothing against the salt of the Utah winter. Since I drove it in the early winter and then parked the truck without washing, the salt had 4 solid months to do its thing. Fortunately the metal had very little flaking and getting a professional powder coating is all that was needed.

I used Full Blown Coatings in Sandy. They previously did the wheels on the wife's GX. once again, good service and fair price. Will be using them again.

Installed and ready to go

 

[neilsen100]

CB Install

As a birthday gift the in-laws got me a new Midland 75-822 CB. The previous two years at HIH I was using an older and chunky radio we got out of the FJ62. It worked fine but didn't have a great mounting place and the hand mic just floated around the cabin. I was excited to get something a little more elegant for HIH 9.

Midland 75-822 with the included remote antennae and 12v power attachment. FireStick microphone hang button. Motorola mobile mic hang clip.

To install the hang button on the CB open the CB up. Four small Philips head screws, three long ones from the back and one shorter one from the front.

Two additional silver screws are found on the bottom.

Will all six screws removed, carefully pry open the CB. Be aware of the power contacts found on the bottom. Also pay attention to the power/battery release lever which has a small spring you don't want shooting across the room.

 

[neilsen100]

CB Install con't

With the back half of the CB removed, drill a hole for the microphone hang button about where the FCC ID number is. You can see here the black screw threaded through the hole that has been drilled.

A touch of blue (242 or 243) thread lock used on the nut. Pictured here is the nut installed tight and then the remaining part of the screw is hacked off and filed down. Placing the hang button here and filing the bolt down ensures nothing is touching the CB internals.

Screw the back of the CB back together, paying attention to the power contacts and the release lever. Next is to mount the mic hang clip to the blank dash panel found on the right of the HVAC controls. Pictured here is the panel removed from the truck with the clip which will be attached.