Build Grizzly Clint's 2010 GX460 build

[GrizzlyClint]

So chalk up another Optima red top battery dying in under 3 years. Bought mine December 2022 and I just had to replace it yesterday. It would be fine driving but over night it would drop just below 12V (11.7-11.9V). Ended up getting my full value out of it for warranty ($300) so I came out ahead. Got one of the extreme batteries at O'Reilly's with 750 CCA and almost $90 in a cash refund. It was a nightmare trying to find what I thought was a paradisic drain overnight.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Ok folks, I ordered replacement heated glass and one motor actuator assembly, and I'll begin my passenger side mirror repair sometime this week or next weekend. I really need the cap covers but I just don't have the time to wait since I need this all done by Halloween before I set off on my ~5,500 mile road trip for the first half of November. I'll get the covers, another replacement motor actuator, folding gears, and the rest of the mirror components for both sides so I can finish the rebuild on one side and do the full rebuild on the other side after I get back. I'll also be a good time to install some additional LEDs in the mirrors (puddle lights and red/white strobes) with both mirrors disassembled.

When I get back I'm going to replace the sequential turn indicators with these below. I got the "clear" lens versions but alas UV has oxidized on these as bad as my headlights.

Amazon.com: L2R for Lexus GX460 2010-2020, LX570 2013-2020 Side Rear View Mirror Indicator Blinker Repeater Dynamic Turn Signal Light LED Replacement Exterior Car Accessories 2pcs : Automotive

Buy L2R for Lexus GX460 2010-2020, LX570 2013-2020 Side Rear View Mirror Indicator Blinker Repeater Dynamic Turn Signal Light LED Replacement Exterior Car Accessories 2pcs: Turn Signal Assemblies & Lenses - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

On another note, I'll also be doing a headlight restoration for the last time on these headlights and will coat them with a ceramic coating and I hope that'll last me a while because I'll be working on my redneck science solution in 2026. @r2m knows what I'm planning. If all goes well I'll make two copies so someone **cough** can 3D scan it for possible reproduction.

 

[r2m]

On another note, I'll also be doing a headlight restoration for the last time on these headlights and will coat them with a ceramic coating and I hope that'll last me a while because I'll be working on my redneck science solution in 2026. @r2m knows what I'm planning. If all goes well I'll make two copies so someone **cough** can 3D scan it for possible reproduction.

As I clear my through from the hearty cough from your post, I don't have a 3D scanner, only printers. Scanning is a whole different ball game with decent hand held scanners costing upwards of $2k. I've always had to reverse engineer anything I wanted to copy. Carefully measuring every little nook and cranny of a part.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

As I clear my through from the hearty cough from your post, I don't have a 3D scanner, only printers. Scanning is a whole different ball game with decent hand held scanners costing upwards of $2k. I've always had to reverse engineer anything I wanted to copy. Carefully measuring every little nook and cranny of a part.

I hope I can find someone who can scan it. Lol

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Operation side mirror repair is complete.
Operation side mirrors restoration is incomplete and pending.

To replace the motor actuator assembly, you won't need to do much. It is pretty straight forward.

To remove the mirror glass if it hasn't been knocked or broken off please refer to GX*Bob's video here.



Here are three pictures with references circled. The one thing I don't have is how to separate the two halves of the motor assembly.


The color index is below for instructions.

Red: If your mirror fell off and or broke off with the assembly here is how to remove it from the mirror. Use a curved or 45º angle pick to get under the tabs and gently and slowly pull out. They should pop.
Yellow: Gently pull the rubber grommet off side to side the wires and expose the connector. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE CONNECTOR PINS! The pins are not in the middle of the socket, they sit off to one side slightly.
Blue: Use a pick with one hand and gently pry to lift up the clamp on this end then gently use another pick to one by one move the wires out from under the clamp. Trying to do too many any they will bunch up. There is very little space and wire slack here to work with.
Purple: With the above (white) taking these screws off will give you a little more slack.
White: If your motor is separated whether it is broken or you took it apart these are the screws that mount it to the metal bracing of the mirror core.

Tips:
1. I strongly recommend using longer screw drivers and bits (PH1 and PH2) to give you more precise control and reach.
2. It is vitally important to ensure the rubber grommet is fully seated, water intrusion here will fry the motor assembly as the circuit board is right behind this white plastic cover (the one with the three silver screws circled in purple).
3. Take your time and just know the outside cover will break a tab or two if your vehicle is older and or has lived in a hot environment. This plastic is the most brittle plastic on the whole vehicle so far that I've noticed.
4. Don't forget to plug in the little black connector and two loose wires for the defroster before reseating the mirror glass.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Also, restored the headlights and applied some Hybrid Solutions ceramic coating for the last time. They're not perfect but it does look much better.

Products used:

1. Blue masking tape...duh.
2. 3M Headlight restore kit.
3. Hybrid Solutions ceramic coating.

3M Headlight restore kit:

Amazon.com: 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008, 1 Kit : Automotive

Buy 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008, 1 Kit: Headlight Restoration Kits - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Hybrid Solutions ceramic coating:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XYPS3PS?tag=ihco-20

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Hit the 200k milestone. Went to see The Devil's Tower and I almost turned over 200k when I rolled up with the kid.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Back from the trip (yesterday), about ~700 miles shorter than I had intended. We ran behind leaving and I ran behind throughout the trip and since my time was limited I couldn't afford to run over on days. I lost close to 16 hours total from various things both intended and unintended.

Needless to say the GX performed flawlessly even with its high mileage. The only caveat to my fantastic trip is Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska are garbage states with no redeeming qualities. My apologies to anyone from these wretched places. My gas mileage suffered the worst it's ever been in these three states. i averaged 12~13 mpg in these places. This added two additional fill-ups beyond my calculations for the whole trip. Even Wyoming with it's insane winds fared much better at 15~16 mpg. One "trick" I implemented in these states was to run in Sport 5th so the cruise control would stop going from 6th to 4th constantly. This helped tremendously with headwinds. The whole trip was a tick under 17 mpg. I had ~300lbs of payload which I'm sure didn't help.

I almost hit about two dozen animals, so a lot of the driving was white-knuckling it (at night). One of these incidents was a herd of elk... My cheap Nilight lightbar and ditch lights saved our lives easily a half dozen times over. One instance was the largest elk I've ever seen, absolutely insane how large he was. It would of absolutely of totalled the GX and sent us both to the hospital or the morge if we had hit it at highway speeds.

 

[Rednexus]

. The only caveat to my fantastic trip is Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska are garbage states with no redeeming qualities.

If you just stick to the interstate, those states are terrible . Nebraska though the Sand Hills is actually really cool, as are the Kansas Flint Hills and some other areas near the CO border. IA is corn country, but the NE corner along the Mississippi River is quite hilly/scenic.

I-70 in Kansas is mostly mind-numbing. I-80 in Nebraska isn't great but is much better than I-70. I-40 in OK/TX is better than both. But, off the interstate, the plains states do have some redeeming qualities and legitimately nice people. I've gotten to know in my almost-yearly crossings to head to the Rockies our the Southwest (or both).

 

[GrizzlyClint]

If you just stick to the interstate, those states are terrible . Nebraska though the Sand Hills is actually really cool, as are the Kansas Flint Hills and some other areas near the CO border. IA is corn country, but the NE corner along the Mississippi River is quite hilly/scenic.

I-70 in Kansas is mostly mind-numbing. I-80 in Nebraska isn't great but is much better than I-70. I-40 in OK/TX is better than both. But, off the interstate, the plains states do have some redeeming qualities and legitimately nice people. I've gotten to know in my almost-yearly crossings to head to the Rockies our the Southwest (or both).

I refuse to travel I-70, I only go I-80 when I'm making my southern trip. I'm sure the people are nice but so far I've been quite a bit around Nebraska and Kansas on and off interstates and I just don't really see a whole lot of interest. The far Western part of Nebraska right before you get into Wyoming has some elevation change which is okay I suppose. That was the first time I was in Iowa however, so the first impression was...let's just say expected lol.

 

[Rednexus]

I refuse to travel I-70, I only go I-80 when I'm making my southern trip. I'm sure the people are nice but so far I've been quite a bit around Nebraska and Kansas on and off interstates and I just don't really see a whole lot of interest. The far Western part of Nebraska right before you get into Wyoming has some elevation change which is okay I suppose. That was the first time I was in Iowa however, so the first impression was...let's just say expected lol.

We cut from the Black Hills down to Grand Island on NE 2. The Sand Hills were surprisingly interesting - miles and miles of rolling hills, cattle ranches, and lakes. And, almost zero traffic . I'd recommend it if you ever need to cut down from 90 to 80 in the future.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

We cut from the Black Hills down to Grand Island on NE 2. The Sand Hills were surprisingly interesting - miles and miles of rolling hills, cattle ranches, and lakes. And, almost zero traffic . I'd recommend it if you ever need to cut down from 90 to 80 in the future.

Maybe I'll give it a go next time I'm in Nebraska.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Decided to change out the lightbar for a lower profile and longer one. It definitely throws more light horizontally and seems to have a better distance throw.

I'll try and get a better picture when its dark. I do have both ditch lights and the main light bar on the same switch though, so it won't be a true representation of just the light bar.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Maintenance incoming. Water pump could go longer but we've got a long trip planned for March so it's better I do some preventative stuff. Nice it lasted ~205k miles.

 

[r2m]

Maintenance incoming. Water pump could go longer but we've got a long trip planned for March so it's better I do some preventative stuff. Nice it lasted ~205k miles.

If you've got the money and the time before your trip, absolutely!
We did the same before heading up to Tahoe for the holidays.
It gives a comfortable feeling knowing everything is spot-on before pulling out of the driveway for a road trip..

 

[GrizzlyClint]

If you've got the money and the time before your trip, absolutely!
We did the same before heading up to Tahoe for the holidays.
It gives a comfortable feeling knowing everything is spot-on before pulling out of the driveway for a road trip..

Absolutely. Anything using coolant is top priority.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Yep, the only thing touching coolant that hasnt changed are the hoses and the dealership keeps saying they are good for a long time yet.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Yep, the only thing touching coolant that hasnt changed are the hoses and the dealership keeps saying they are good for a long time yet.

That's awesome. My hoses have maybe ~25k miles on them? I really need a transmission cooler put on.

 

[Hiluxforever]

That's awesome. My hoses have maybe ~25k miles on them? I really need a transmission cooler put on.

I covered that with my CSF radiator. I dont tow or haul. Just wheeling and commuting.

I also have the severe weather package or whatever so I have the secondary electric radiator fan for auxiliary cooling as well as the third row cooler which has used as ab auxiliary radiator while I was dealing with my cooling system issues. I think its a big reason I didnt cook my heads.
Plus constantly watching coolant temps in torque pro.