I'm Back - 2007 GX Baselining (1 Viewer)

[JMan5000]

Good morning - I had a 02' Land Cruiser with a rusty undercarriage named Lando Calrissian, and I got rid of it a few years ago....you guys helped me out a lot with that thing, and I appreciate all of your advice along the way.

I recently purchased a really nice 07' GX with 220K for $5,000...couldn't pass it up. It was a mall-crawler at first, and then a highway cruiser for an outside salesman after that...very well maintained. I'm in Wisconsin, and amazingly the undercarriage is in decent shape - minor surface rust at best with 90% of the black paint still showing...not sure how that was managed. My intentions are to use it for light hauling, winter, and hunting. It will probably see a yearly trip out west for western hunting, and it will likely pull a small trailer with a quad and coolers. Likely to see about 7-9K miles per year. It needs a new suspension, rims and tires (I'm not planning to lift it) and I've researched that enough to not ask any questions here, but the last timing belt was done at 90K, so it's been 130K on the current belt.

I'm getting that done with an Aisin kit, and then I plan to have all of the coolant hoses and T's replaced, along with whatever else my mechanic finds along the way. I've searched for a good baselining thread and couldn't really find anything...but I'm sure one exists, so could you point me in the direction of a good thread if it exists?

The idea of "while you're in there" comes up...so I'm thinking about replacing the radiator too (it's original). Anything else that's not very expensive that should be replaced for preventative maintenance?

Any feedback is appreciated - thanks again!

 

[HomersCanyonero]

For the cooling system…you pretty much have it all covered

My radiator was seeping and had pink crust back in 2017 when I bought my GX470.

I went ahead and changed the timing belt, pulley, water pump (Asin kit), radiator (Denso), Toyota t-stat, cap, and upper/lower hoses. Plus changed the drive belt and tensioner/idler pulleys.

I didn’t change the fan clutch.

I did this in 2017 and about 55k miles ago. No issues since then.

 

[Rhinofly]

Here are some things I did or am doing on my recent 2006 GX purchase. My timing belt and radiator had already been replaced less than 20k miles ago.

replace Belts and hoses
Lube the driveshaft
replace the sway bar end links and bushings (this is really cheap and easy)
Check the shocks for any fluid leaks, if so or if they are noisy, replace them
Check the CV boots to see if they are torn, if so replace the axle, or at least put in a replacement boot
renew oil in both differentials and the transfer case
check the brake fluid to see if it is dark, if so, flush it
check the air filter to see if it has darkened, if so replace it
verify that the windshield wipers are in good shape (mine were completely rotten when I bought the car)
verify the skid plates have all fasteners in place (mine was missing a few and one bolt was broken off)
check the brakes and rotors to see if any of that needs replacing
check the spare tire (mine was flat and cracked although it had never been used)
make sure your bottle jack is in place and functioning properly (and you know how to use it)

 

[JMan5000]

Great feedback - thank you both!
I'm looking for the part numbers for all of the other coolant lines besides the upper and lower radiator hoses...I'd sure like to replace those too. I'm just not sure exactly what to get yet. In my initial search I've come up with these two smaller hoses besides the upper/lower radiator hoses:

It looks to be three total hoses - am I correct? I also learned that the GX does NOT have heater T's...so that's good.

 

[stupidchicken03]

I picked up an 2005 470 with 191k miles this last Dec.

I had to replace valve cover seals when I bought it.
I just recently have to fix the shift mech pin/spring and bought the bushing for the shift selector. Links to everything in this post of my build journal

Builds - Chicken's GX

Stay away from USR (Unique style racing) headlamps. On my second set , less than a year and already peeling and foggy inside Damn that sucks! I got USR ones 2 months ago.. we'll see how they go...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Rednexus]

I used Gates hoses from mine. They were pretty inexpensive on Rock Auto and have done just fine over the past 2.5 years.

I'd also suggest doing a full transmission fluid exchange (with pan drop and filter change) and undercoating the interior and exterior of the underside and frame of your rig with Fluid Film or Woolwax.

 

[JMan5000]

Replacing the radiator sounds like a good idea, especially considering its age. As for other preventative maintenance, it might be worth checking the condition of the drive belts and hoses, as they can degrade over time. Also, inspecting and possibly replacing the brake pads and fluid could be a good idea for peace of mind, especially if you'll be hauling and towing. Good luck with your GX adventures!

Great info - thank you! The previous owner had the trans, and all diff fluids replaced recently, and the brakes are pretty much new all around. He claims that it consumes a tiny bit of oil between changes, so I'll need to investigate the valve covers to see if there's anything going on there. He also claims he used full synthetic for every oil change at 5K mile intervals. Overall, it's dirty as he definitely didn't clean anything before selling it, but very well maintained after reviewing the 2" thick stack of receipts he included from him and the person he bought it from.

I used Gates hoses from mine. They were pretty inexpensive on Rock Auto and have done just fine over the past 2.5 years.

I'd also suggest doing a full transmission fluid exchange (with pan drop and filter change) and undercoating the interior and exterior of the underside and frame of your rig with Fluid Film or Woolwax.

music to my ears hearing about fluid film-that stuff saves rust-belt Toyotas from disappearing. That’s being done this summer for sure. I’m glad that stuff is getting more popular…it’s truly a life saver for these vehicles.