Keaton's '03 LX470 Thread

[Trailguy]

Okay the rear cargo area had two of these:
View attachment 1855820

What the heck are these?

Upper headlight trim pieces.

 

[128keaton]

Upper headlight trim pieces.

Thanks. Got it all taken care of!

 

[128keaton]

Okay. I put in some new Weathertech liners since I got tired of dirtying my LX470 cloth mats. Gonna clean and sell. In pretty good shape, but the Weathertech mats will work better in the long term.

Installed the TOY45BT Bluetooth setup. Huge difference in audio quality and usability. The steering wheel buttons work just fine without the CAS-LEX cable.

Finally, replaced the hood struts since they were completely shot. Felt wrong having to hold up a Lexus hood with a 2x4.

 

[128keaton]

Ordered a Dome light from CruiserParts--hopefully I can get this to work well with my mangled harness.

 

[128keaton]

Installed the dome light this weekend. I had to tap out the threads for a larger M5 screw, unfortunately. Three out of the four holes were mangled by the overhead DVD installers. What a mess. I could not get the door circuit to work, so I'm planning to run a wire from the rear cargo area light for that functionality. Not perfect, but its what I got right now.

A couple of the velcro clips/brackets have become unglued from what I assume is extra pressure from the wires of the DVD "install". Has anyone successfully glued these back to the headliner? I'd like to pull the headliner to completely deroute any extra wiring from the DVD install and add my single ground wire, but I'm worried about pulling for fear all the adhesive will break.

When I installed the USASpec unit, I removed the rest of the DVD install. The audio was piped through the headunit with an FM transmitter. Laziest install I've ever seen.

Next weekend, I am attempting a full exterior detail to try to rid myself of some of the orange peel on the respray as well as the major bird poop spots. Then, its onto checking the shock bushings, wheel bearings, and ball joints. I'd bet $$ on the wheel bearings needing replacing or at least repacking. AHC fluid will be ordered soon to perform a full flush. Last confirmed flush was at 60k. At 226k now. Not expecting anything but pitch black fluid.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Installed the TOY45BT Bluetooth setup. Huge difference in audio quality and usability. The steering wheel buttons work just fine without the CAS-LEX cable.

Could you do a write up on this? Do you have more pics? Thanks!

 

[128keaton]

Could you do a write up on this? Do you have more pics? Thanks!

I did not take pictures. It is pretty straightforward.

1. Remove the dash vents (use a plastic trim piece remover, they pop forward)
2. Unscrew both shifter knobs (tight, but its just threaded)
   
3. Remove the center console shifter surround (pull up on the cupholder lid, it takes some force)
4. Remove the wood grain/plastic surround around the audio system.
   
5. Remove the 4 (think 4?) 10mm bolts securing the nav system in. The plug I believe was the far one on the passenger side.
6. Remove the plug and place the inline USASPEC cable. I ran the mic cable below the dash and up the A pillar
7. Remove the driver's side handle and the A-Pillar cover should pop right off. Run your mic cable.
8. Place the USASPEC box in a good spot. I put it above the shifter, to the left of the t-case shifter in the sound deadening area. You might want to wrap anything plastic in foam so it doesn't rattle. I don't think I did this and I get a small rattle over rougher roads.
   
9. Run the cables how you want, but I ran the main USASPEC cable behind the audio system.
10. Foam tape or whatever you want.
    
11. Reinstall everything. Ziptie cables to cables so things don't fall. I also ziptied my USASPEC cable to the harness.

One thing I have noticed is that when skipping tracks, the disc does not update, so the artist is stuck on the title screen. Not sure if that is a side effect of the lack of CASLEX cable or if its just the USASPEC box DIP switch settings... Haven't really investigated.

 

[thetoyotaman]

I’ve considered this as well as a backup camera.

 

[128keaton]

Just ordered AHC fluid. Total was around $71. Higher than I was prepared to pay (lol college budget LX470). This weekend, I plan to jack up the front suspension to check wheel bearings and tie rod ends.

 

[128keaton]

Well shoot. Driving to work today, I noticed that the ride did not really change between sport and comfort. Plus, 5 minutes after starting, my AHC kicked in at a light to raise the front (I park at an incline). Looks like I'm gonna be spending some time troubleshooting the AHC system as well this weekend. Fun. Fun.

 

[bamabrock]

Well shoot. Driving to work today, I noticed that the ride did not really change between sport and comfort. Plus, 5 minutes after starting, my AHC kicked in at a light to raise the front (I park at an incline). Looks like I'm gonna be spending some time troubleshooting the AHC system as well this weekend. Fun. Fun.

The leveling at a light is normal.

 

[128keaton]

The leveling at a light is normal.

Okay--thank you. Was slightly worried about that. Still learning and reading everything I can about AHC. Hoping the fluid flush is beneficial. At worst, its peace of mind and good long term maintenance.

 

[128keaton]

Crap. I did the L-N-H test today (finally) to see the health of my accumulators. 7 marks. Looks like we’re gonna be replacing these at some point.

If I adjust some pressures (t-bar) and flush, maybe I can get it back up to 8-9. If not, looks like I am in for some serious penny-pinching. This is a time where I wish my scholarship covered ALL of my classes lol.

 

[128keaton]

Finally flushed. Pretty sure it had PS fluid in there. The viscosity was way thicker than the new AHC fluid. The fluid was not super foamy. I think the DS rear accumulator is having issues.

 

[128keaton]

On the subject of the BT45, I found two DIP settings that worked great (without the CAS-LEX) with refreshing title on song change.

 

[128keaton]

Had a mishap in a parking lot that would not have been so bad if it weren’t for the previously done Bondo work. That much bondo is a no no! Massage the dents out then apply bondo in slightly crumpled spots to achieve a flatter surface. I barely scraped a bumper pulling into a very tight spot. I’m assuming the bumper corner pressed on the fender causing the bondo to crack. Great finale to a terrible week.

 

[jumptrader]

Hang in there! I know the feeling of a dent like that. Did something similar literally 1 week after buying a 2003 LX470. Took it to the shop to get a minor fix and it was around $400. Will address it properly in a few years.

Regarding the 7 marks. Mine also has the 7 marks but passengers have commented a number of times how smooth the car feels.. but perhaps they don't know how TRULY smooth the LX470 can get (I don't know either)? Is your ride smooth enough to not bother installing new globes?

 

[128keaton]

Hang in there! I know the feeling of a dent like that. Did something similar literally 1 week after buying a 2003 LX470. Took it to the shop to get a minor fix and it was around $400. Will address it properly in a few years.

Regarding the 7 marks. Mine also has the 7 marks but passengers have commented a number of times how smooth the car feels.. but perhaps they don't know how TRULY smooth the LX470 can get (I don't know either)? Is your ride smooth enough to not bother installing new globes?

Haha thanks man. I appreciate it. Long week of finding new housing, jumping back into classes, work, etc.

How smooth are the roads in your area? Also, was the test done from low to high?

Yeah it’s oretty bad honestly.

 

[jumptrader]

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How smooth are the roads in your area? Also, was the test done from low to high?

Yeah it’s oretty bad honestly.

San Francisco Bay Area, so roads are decent. Pot holes definitely hit hard and are uncomfortable. Speed bumps are soft enough when front wheels hit, but hard when back wheels hit. Road trips on major highways (to Tahoe or to LA) are smooth.

I'll need to do the test again and make sure I went from low to high.

 

[Balto1223]

Just ordered AHC fluid. Total was around $71. Higher than I was prepared to pay (lol college budget LX470). This weekend, I plan to jack up the front suspension to check wheel bearings and tie rod ends.

Where did you get the AHC fluid at?