Just bought a 2021 LX and considered selling my 03 LX … (1 Viewer)

[cumusc7477]

but after a flurry of calls from my “For Sale” sign, I decided to keep the 03. It needs the suspension changed out to regular shocks (“AHC delete”, I am told), I think. Also needs power exterior mirrors fixed where the power in & out will work again, allowing them to lock when out. It, however, is certainly driveable and I may wait until next summer when I turn 70 to do these repairs since my monthly cash flow will increase dramatically due to starting social security and ending the payment on expensive life insurance policy. I have an appointment at “Trollhole” Cruiser specialist near Greenville, SC in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate. It also needs a couple of other small thing like glove compartment repair & cup holder tightener replaced. I have taken good care of it. Service every 3500 miles & timing belt changed every 90 k miles. It was previously owned in the South so no rust, etc. it has 221 k miles & had 90 k miles when I purchased. Some leather repair on driver’s’ seat scheduled for September. I’d appreciate any advice on suspension work & side power mirrors as well as any other Cruiser/LX specialists in the upstate of SC. Thanks.

 

[FxFormat]

What exactly is the suspension doing? If it's just really bumpy, bouncy, then good chance you'll just need to replace the accumulators/globes and you're good. The only way i'd yank out AHC is if the lines are so rusted they ruptured, other than that, AHC is and should be repaired.

 

[hickuptruck]

You made the right choice.

Both are stellar, sure the 200 beats out the 100 on paper in every aspect, but there are intangibles on the 100 that are from a different era of Toyota.

 

[cumusc7477]

What exactly is the suspension doing? If it's just really bumpy, bouncy, then good chance you'll just need to replace the accumulators/globes and you're good. The only way i'd yank out AHC is if the lines are so rusted they ruptured, other than that, AHC is and should be repaired.

Thanks. I know nothing about these things. It is bumpy/bouncy but tolerable. I will keep your advice in mind. Thanks again!

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks. I know nothing about these things. It is bumpy/bouncy but tolerable. I will keep your advice in mind. Thanks again!

Unless it's extremely rusty, there's nearly no chance the system needs to be deleted. That's the lazy way out that costs more and yields a worse suspension ride.

There's tons of good info on the system and how to do the basic/easy/cheap maintenance that's almost always neglected (because of massive, widespread ignorance). If you need any help, there's a growing army of us around here helping to grow the knowledge base for AHC and help others get their system sorted out efficiently - from both a time and $ standpoint.

 

[cumusc7477]

Unless it's extremely rusty, there's nearly no chance the system needs to be deleted. That's the lazy way out that costs more and yields a worse suspension ride.

There's tons of good info on the system and how to do the basic/easy/cheap maintenance that's almost always neglected (because of massive, widespread ignorance). If you need any help, there's a growing army of us around here helping to grow the knowledge base for AHC and help others get their system sorted out efficiently - from both a time and $ standpoint.

Thanks, suprarx7nut. Where should I start? By taking it to the Cruiser mechanic I mentioned & trust their diagnosis? I’m not like most of you on this forum & know nothing about auto mechanics. I’d appreciate any advise. Thanks again.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks, suprarx7nut. Where should I start? By taking it to the Cruiser mechanic I mentioned & trust their diagnosis? I’m not like most of you on this forum & know nothing about auto mechanics. I’d appreciate any advise. Thanks again.

I published a video with a cheat sheet that walks you through most of it. It requires very little in the way of mechanics. It's all about measuring.

If you want to take a very easy and quick pass at learning more about your globes, you could do the gradation test. This should be done after setting pressures (a more involved process), but I think it's still valuable if the car reliably moves from H to L. This tests your globes (the main wear component of AHC) and only requires a flashlight. Start the car and note how many ticks of the tank the fluid level changes from L to H. 7 is too few and means the globes are dead and need replacement. That's a very common cause for harsh ride in an AHC vehicle and is easy to fix. Costs $650-1500 through most reputable online dealers. Local dealers will offer insane price quotes of $4-5k for this, but they're out of their minds.

Anyways, here's the video. Ask away on here, but do yourself a favor and read a little on here first. There's a great summary thread. ABCs of AHC or something like that. Give it a read.

 

[cumusc7477]

Unless it's extremely rusty, there's nearly no chance the system needs to be deleted. That's the lazy way out that costs more and yields a worse suspension ride.

There's tons of good info on the system and how to do the basic/easy/cheap maintenance that's almost always neglected (because of massive, widespread ignorance). If you need any help, there's a growing army of us around here helping to grow the knowledge base for AHC and help others get their system sorted out efficiently - from both a time and $ standpoint.

Thanks, suprarx7nut. Where should I start? By taking it to the Cruiser mechanic I mentioned & trust their diagnosis? I’m not like most of you on this forum & know nothing about auto mechanics. I’d appreciate any advise. Thanks

I published a video with a cheat sheet that walks you through most of it. It requires very little in the way of mechanics. It's all about measuring.

If you want to take a very easy and quick pass at learning more about your globes, you could do the gradation test. This should be done after setting pressures (a more involved process), but I think it's still valuable if the car reliably moves from H to L. This tests your globes (the main wear component of AHC) and only requires a flashlight. Start the car and note how many ticks of the tank the fluid level changes from L to H. 7 is too few and means the globes are dead and need replacement. That's a very common cause for harsh ride in an AHC vehicle and is easy to fix. Costs $650-1500 through most reputable online dealers. Local dealers will offer insane price quotes of $4-5k for this, but they're out of their minds.

Anyways, here's the video. Ask away on here, but do yourself a favor and read a little on here first. There's a great summary thread. ABCs of AHC or something like that. Give it a read.

Again, many thanks for sharing this with me. I will watch & read when I have some spare time. I am so glad I joined this forum. Any other pointers, like the power side mirrors, would be appreciated as well.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Again, many thanks for sharing this with me. I will watch & read when I have some spare time. I am so glad I joined this forum. Any other pointers, like the power side mirrors, would be appreciated as well.

I'm unsure on the mirrors. Haven't dealt with any misbehavior on those. A little more info of what it's doing (or failing to do) might help trigger some ideas from folks here.

 

[ramangain]

but after a flurry of calls from my “For Sale” sign, I decided to keep the 03. It needs the suspension changed out to regular shocks (“AHC delete”, I am told), I think. Also needs power exterior mirrors fixed where the power in & out will work again, allowing them to lock when out. It, however, is certainly driveable and I may wait until next summer when I turn 70 to do these repairs since my monthly cash flow will increase dramatically due to starting social security and ending the payment on expensive life insurance policy. I have an appointment at “Trollhole” Cruiser specialist near Greenville, SC in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate. It also needs a couple of other small thing like glove compartment repair & cup holder tightener replaced. I have taken good care of it. Service every 3500 miles & timing belt changed every 90 k miles. It was previously owned in the South so no rust, etc. it has 221 k miles & had 90 k miles when I purchased. Some leather repair on driver’s’ seat scheduled for September. I’d appreciate any advice on suspension work & side power mirrors as well as any other Cruiser/LX specialists in the upstate of SC. Thanks.

You may be able to disassemble the mirrors yourself and troubleshoot. The drive gears may just be stripped.

 

[apdxyk]

AHC is a very desirable feature for an elderly person and the globe swap can be cheaper than the questionable spring kits. Good luck!

 

[cumusc7477]

The mirrors will close when I push in the close button but makes a loud “pop” when doing so. Then they will only open if I manually pull them out. However, when I manually open them they aren’t locked open so they will blow in when I drive at higher speeds. I feel like it’s either a computer or electrical glitch because occasionally, but rarely, they will close without the “pop” and will then open as they should. However, this “fixed” condition is only temporary.
Hope that made sense. Thanks for any insight on this matter as well. You have certainly helped give me some direction with my suspension system.