GX470 FAQ (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Feb 24, 2014
Threads
24
Messages
1,126
Location
NJ
Website
www.squashingrocks.com
GX470 FAQ

Please feel free to make additions or corrections as necessary. My goal is for this to evolve into a comprehensive go-to for newcomers to get the most common questions answered quickly.
 
Does anyone know what fuse would t be for the lights on the running boards on my 2009 Lexus gx470 because I took them off and I want to make sure that the wire that I had to unplug and cut has 0 power going to it.
 
Install some led lights on those plugs!!
 
What is the largest spare tire that will fit underneath?

I'm working through this right now..

I have 285/70/17 and same size spare, all relatively new tires but the spare is a mismatch so I won't be rotating it in.

I have the FJ-style hitch (cutout from center of bumper - which apparently makes the fit a little tighter compared to the weight-distributing hitch that hangs a little lower.

My 285/70/17 spare will just barely fit under the truck, cambered toward the passenger side, mostly deflated, with a ratchet strap pulling the front of it toward the hitch. But this only leaves ~1/4" room between the front of the spare and the panhard bar running right behind the rear axle. And I have to then worry about the deflation messing up the tire. I'm not totally comfy with this setup, and the width of the tire makes it hang down lower than I'd like.

I'm planning to pursue 2 different options with my local tire shop.. They are a good outfit who are willing to sell "take offs" and don't charge much to mount them. So they'll work w me to play around a little.

1. Buy a used 285/70/17 with 25-40% tread left. Might make the fit toward the panhard a little more comfy.

Or

2. Buy a used 235/85/17 (same 32.7" circumference but 2" narrower than the 285/70/17 I run on the 4 tires.) I figure it would tuck under better and would still get me home just fine. I like this idea best so far.

I've also considered a 255/75/17 or stock size 265/65/17 which are 1-2" smaller circumference. The forums seem to be split on whether a smaller spare is ok or will damage the drivetrain. Since we don't have limited slip diffs from factory I don't think it would be a big deal?? Unless the wheel speed sensors for the traction control would be confused -- but I figure in an emergency situation I could always pull the fuse for traction control and/or ABS to run a smaller spare until I made it to a tire shop..

My truck is a daily driver used for camping with moderate off road, but not extreme. So I'm a little hesitant to add a rear bumper carrier for ~$2k that will also make me have to swing the tire every time I want access to the rear (i use the rear door often for DD use with 2 small kids).

Here's a good resource for conversion from metric to inches to compare tire sizes Tire Size Conversion Chart - Metric to Inches - by Rim/Wheel Diameter

Interested to hear other thoughts / ideas..
 
Last edited:
I was able to fit a 33/1050 under my 1st Taco very easily so I have 5 full sized identical tires. I planned to do the same with this GX but am not home to look and measure for myself. Although I'll be waiting for the next payday to order everything else this would determine what tires I'll run and if I get 4 or 5 of the tires. So my research has dead ended until then.
 
I'm working through this right now..

I have 285/70/17 and same size spare, all relatively new tires but the spare is a mismatch so I won't be rotating it in.

I have the FJ-style hitch (cutout from center of bumper - which apparently makes the fit a little tighter compared to the weight-distributing hitch that hangs a little lower.

My 285/70/17 spare will just barely fit under the truck, cambered toward the passenger side, mostly deflated, with a ratchet strap pulling the front of it toward the hitch. But this only leaves ~1/4" room between the front of the spare and the panhard bar running right behind the rear axle. And I have to then worry about the deflation messing up the tire. I'm not totally comfy with this setup, and the width of the tire makes it hang down lower than I'd like.

I'm planning to pursue 2 different options with my local tire shop.. They are a good outfit who are willing to sell "take offs" and don't charge much to mount them. So they'll work w me to play around a little.

1. Buy a used 285/70/17 with 25-40% tread left. Might make the fit toward the panhard a little more comfy.

Or

2. Buy a used 235/85/17 (same 32.7" circumference but 2" narrower than the 285/70/17 I run on the 4 tires.) I figure it would tuck under better and would still get me home just fine. I like this idea best so far.

I've also considered a 255/75/17 or stock size 265/65/17 which are 1-2" smaller circumference. The forums seem to be split on whether a smaller spare is ok or will damage the drivetrain. Since we don't have limited slip diffs from factory I don't think it would be a big deal?? Unless the wheel speed sensors for the traction control would be confused -- but I figure in an emergency situation I could always pull the fuse for traction control and/or ABS to run a smaller spare until I made it to a tire shop..

My truck is a daily driver used for camping with moderate off road, but not extreme. So I'm a little hesitant to add a rear bumper carrier for ~$2k that will also make me have to swing the tire every time I want access to the rear (i use the rear door often for DD use with 2 small kids).

Here's a good resource for conversion from metric to inches to compare tire sizes Tire Size Conversion Chart - Metric to Inches - by Rim/Wheel Diameter

Interested to hear other thoughts / ideas..
Could you deflate tire to make it fit?
 
I deflated spare to 7psi and pulled most of the way up with factory spare cable. Then, ratchet strapped from bottom front of tire to frame rail toward back bumper.

Had to be shifted slightly toward passenger side to fit, but is still only 1/2" from panhard bar.

I've run a few hundred miles like this - need to crawl under and see if it is rubbing the spare or if ratchet needs to be tightened.

I still might try to go get a take-off (used) tire that's narrower or has a little less tread. Not sure.
 
Anyone have a "120 Repair Manual" in pdf format? I have one for my Tacoma and one for my Jetta. Just wondering if I'll have to pay the money and download one from a website.
 
I had mounted a set of 5 BFG AT K02 in 275/70-17. I can vouch that these will fit in the spare tire location...barely.

Clears the mounts for receiver hitch.
IMG_7135.JPG


Clears the air bag pump and the exhaust.
IMG_7133.JPG


IMG_7136.JPG


Touches the hitch all the way to the back.
IMG_7130.JPG


IMG_7138.JPG
 
Hey Folks,

I got 96 FZJ80 and wanted to trade it in for a 06+ GX470. Any words of advice? How reliable has it been? It will be my DD so not much off-road. Is it worth the bells and whistles or should I be looking for a 4runner instead? They all have 100k+ around here.

Any help would be great, Thanks.
 
GX is the same as the 4R (V8 AWD version) so the mechanicals are on point. I have to say, the GX has been pretty solid on the features too. Almost no issues in my years of ownership. I would also MUCH prefer to DD a GX vs. a 4R. Space, comfort, etc.
 
Hey Folks,

I got 96 FZJ80 and wanted to trade it in for a 06+ GX470. Any words of advice? How reliable has it been? It will be my DD so not much off-road. Is it worth the bells and whistles or should I be looking for a 4runner instead? They all have 100k+ around here.

Any help would be great, Thanks.

If you like the 4runner and don't need the amenities of the GX (3rd row, leather for easy clean-up with kids, V8 standard, AWD standard) and can find one reasonably priced, go for it. You also don't have to deal with the height control (although that's simple enough to take care of) and finding one without NAV.

I was initially looking at 4th gen 4runners w/ 3rd row and AWD under 100k miles but they were very rare in my area. The only ones I could find were priced way too high for me. I found that the GX was comparably priced or even lower than similar 4r's, better maintained and never off-road.
 
If you like the 4runner and don't need the amenities of the GX (3rd row, leather for easy clean-up with kids, V8 standard, AWD standard) and can find one reasonably priced, go for it. You also don't have to deal with the height control (although that's simple enough to take care of) and finding one without NAV.

I was initially looking at 4th gen 4runners w/ 3rd row and AWD under 100k miles but they were very rare in my area. The only ones I could find were priced way too high for me. I found that the GX was comparably priced or even lower than similar 4r's, better maintained and never off-road.
I've read a bit about the NAV but is it that bad? There are way more GX470s here than 4runners...under 15k with 120k on them anyway. It seems odd that they are so much cheaper. What's the catch? Is it expensive to repair/delete the air lift system? Could it be that the market is just uneducated and has no demand? I absolutley love my 80 and am dreading the day I say goodbye. It's given me nothing but reliable service and if the 120/Prado is anything like it than I'm sold.
 
The best part about not having NAV, is that you can add an aftermarket stereo. I added a Kenwood DNX893s
 
Nav isn't bad unless you use it.

I don't use mine, since the nav on my phone is so much better. If you aren't going to upgrade to an aftermarket stereo, it's not that big a deal.

GX beats the 4R in headroom, quietness, and interior. But the 4R rear hatch with the roll-down window beats the GX's side opening rear door any day of the week.

V6 4R is good, but the V8 is so much better.

Lots of former 80 owners in this forum. I loved my 80 but I could never go back to an 80 now unless it had a V8 swap.
 
I know a LOT of GX owners that are using steel balls mounted on either side of the factory nav (mount with sugru) then use metal mounts on a tablet and cover the factory nav. If that tells you anything about how good the factory nav is :p
 
Anyone have a "120 Repair Manual" in pdf format? I have one for my Tacoma and one for my Jetta. Just wondering if I'll have to pay the money and download one from a website.

I have found a few pages posted here and there, but not a complete manual. Looking like we will have to roll our own unless someone has an alternative.
 
Back in December, when I bought my GX, I also bought a CD on ebay with many of the pages of the repairt manual. I can't vouch for the completeness but I used the wiring diagrams to figure out the location of the suspension ECU and to fixe some minor interior things.

I'm going to dig into the copyright on it and see if I can post the whole lot on a web site. Probably not.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom