Ah. That would be the 25mm offset.
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- Thread starter
- #42
Below is where it's rubbing in the front wheel well. Is that a "heat gun" fix or something else?
Oh there. That’s a push the liner forward fix. you take out the three vertical screws, push the liner forward an inch or so (reuse the existing holes) then cut a slit and put the z clip back in for screw three. A couple write ups around, someone did it last week. and took a couple pics. 10 or 15 min per side
- Thread starter
- #45
Perfect! The pictures are worth a thousand words. I got one side done this afternoon and will do the other tomorrow.
- Thread starter
- #46
Ok, finished the front liner on the other side yesterday as well as the cabin air filter.
Also, got the AHC system flushed today using these perfect steps put together by @TLCLVR who apparently summarized steps put together by @PADDO, @FinallyGotOne! , @Darb @2001LC . Thanks to all the pioneers that had the courage to attempt the job themselves and then were generous enough of their time to document the process for the rest of us. The only challenges I had was bleeding the rear vales due to their location and remembering to remove the flashlight shining through the back of the reservoir. Fortunately, I remembered to remove the light before driving off.
Now, on to other 120K mile service items. Not sure about the Transmission fluid change (seems complicated) but may attempt the Transfer case, Differentials, Brake FLuid, Power Steering fluids myself. Also, not sure about lubricating the driveshaft but I'll do some research and figure out if it's something I wanna tackle. I know that not all of those items are not necessarily on the 120K service but I'm not sure when they were last done and I'd like to get to know how to do them and keep growing my confidence in my ability to perform my own maintenance.
Congratulations, and happy to have been of service! All these things you mention are fairly easy (if sometimes messy 
) jobs. I'm sure you are crawling the forums for info like I did, and that can be a bit of a rabbit hole, so allow me to save you some time based on my own experience and exhaustive research.
Go here for @MScruiser 's excellent video's on diffs.
forum.ih8mud.com
- Before you change your diff and xfer case fluids, order some magnetic drain/fill plugs. Get the 14mm bolt head drain plug (part # 90341-24016) for your front diff to replace the impossible to remove hex head bolt.
-Use Amsoil 75W-90 in your diffs and you'll never be disappointed.
-Use either the Toyota LF fluid ($$$$) in your transfer case or go with the excellent, fully compatible, and much less expensive Redline MT-LV. If you have the dealer do your transfer case fluid, they'll likely use Valvoline gear oil and you will end up wasting time, money, and frustration getting a recurring "stuck center diff light" diagnosed.
-Spend the extra time to remove and clean out the PS fluid reservoir when you flush the system.
Good luck!
) jobs. I'm sure you are crawling the forums for info like I did, and that can be a bit of a rabbit hole, so allow me to save you some time based on my own experience and exhaustive research.Go here for @MScruiser 's excellent video's on diffs.
FAQ - 200-series FAQ for Modifications, Repairs and Build Threads. Great place for new users to start
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for the 200/LX570 series tech section continues to be a work in progress. The goal is to have links in the below to other threads and tech articles. By having these linked, instead of pasting the text, the threads will remain live. The live threads can...
forum.ih8mud.com
- Before you change your diff and xfer case fluids, order some magnetic drain/fill plugs. Get the 14mm bolt head drain plug (part # 90341-24016) for your front diff to replace the impossible to remove hex head bolt.
-Use Amsoil 75W-90 in your diffs and you'll never be disappointed.
-Use either the Toyota LF fluid ($$$$) in your transfer case or go with the excellent, fully compatible, and much less expensive Redline MT-LV. If you have the dealer do your transfer case fluid, they'll likely use Valvoline gear oil and you will end up wasting time, money, and frustration getting a recurring "stuck center diff light" diagnosed.
-Spend the extra time to remove and clean out the PS fluid reservoir when you flush the system.
Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #48
Replaced my rear diff oil this morning with the help of the video by @MScruiser (thank you!) Good news is that it looks like the dealer did the job properly when the previous owner got it done at 60K. The oil looked very clean and barely any sludge on the magnet of the drain plug. Will move on the front later this week and praying for an easy drawing plug removal but cautiously optimistic.
One thing to note, not sure if it's specific to LX versus LC, but I needed nearly 4.75 quarts to fill the rear diff and it still wasn't quite dripping back out yet. It was right at the lip but had not run out yet. Specs say 4.39 to 4.49 qts. That may have gotten it within the 5mm of the lip that the specs say but I kept going to the lip.
I'm feeling even more confident that the previous owner took as good care of it mechanically as cosmetically. It looked brand new when I got it at 9 years/115K miles old. I was feeling guilty that I might not as good care of it but feeling much more confident that I'll actually take better care of it than any other vehicle I've owned simply because I feel like I can find out how to do pretty much anything on this forum and an endless group of folks generous enough with their time to document their methods and answer what may be stupid questions. I will endeavor to pay it forward.
One thing to note, not sure if it's specific to LX versus LC, but I needed nearly 4.75 quarts to fill the rear diff and it still wasn't quite dripping back out yet. It was right at the lip but had not run out yet. Specs say 4.39 to 4.49 qts. That may have gotten it within the 5mm of the lip that the specs say but I kept going to the lip.
I'm feeling even more confident that the previous owner took as good care of it mechanically as cosmetically. It looked brand new when I got it at 9 years/115K miles old. I was feeling guilty that I might not as good care of it but feeling much more confident that I'll actually take better care of it than any other vehicle I've owned simply because I feel like I can find out how to do pretty much anything on this forum and an endless group of folks generous enough with their time to document their methods and answer what may be stupid questions. I will endeavor to pay it forward.
- Thread starter
- #49
Got the front diff oil changed out yesterday. Fortunately, the drain plug came out with no stripping. I was a little worried because it was not budging but I finally broke her loose. The oil definitely looked dirtier than the rear so I'm curious if the rear had been changed in the past but not the front. I'll never know. I did replace the drain plug with the one that had a 14mm bolt head on it. Lexus part 90341-24016.
Moving on to the transfer case soon.
Moving on to the transfer case soon.
In case the transfer case ground is more trouble than its worth, totally possible to change with it tucked out of the way.
- Thread starter
- #52
Transfer case oil change completed today. Getting pretty comfortable under the truck now. I've been using ramps but using AHC to lift up the body helps a good bit.
Many thanks to everyone, especially @MScruiser for his videos.
Many thanks to everyone, especially @MScruiser for his videos.
- Thread starter
- #53
Took a closer look at my radiator today. I'm worried I have the beginnings of the dreaded crack leading to failure.
- Thread starter
- #54
Well, I've decided to go with the "patch and wait" approach to the radiator crack. Based on the fact that I'm not planning on any hardcore solo adventures to remote locations in the next year or so, I thought it would be ok to try the patch and see what happens. Perhaps I can add to the collective knowledge along with @FinallyGotOne! and see how long the patch will hold out if you catch it early. FYI, I used the JB Radiator & Plastic Tank Repair Kit and purchased it at my local Napa store.
I’ve got that kit in my rig. No crack yet but assuming one day I’ll see it and want to stop it early. I’ve considered prophylactic patching too.
Never heard of that but I'm going to give it a shot as a form of preventative maintenance on my 2008 LX. Or maybe like Grinchy, just keep the kit in my truck. Sounds like you are being very thorough and we can all learn something from your care and attention. Nice work! Looking forward to see your progress.
I'm curious. What did they do in the later model years to fix that problem? Did they just reinforce that area or implement a new radiator completely?
- Thread starter
- #59
Got my power steering fluid flushed out today. The biggest challenge was getting the return line off that dang super long connector. Can't decide whether to move on to flushing the brake lines (the easy, non-Tech Stream method) by just bleeding the lines at all four corners....or.....a tranny flush next.
Yeah, that return line is royal PITA!
The brake line flush was pretty easy. Just make sure you read the manual's recommendations and don't let the fluid level fall below min. It's easy to really screw it up if you do.
This bleeder bottle is really helpful, and if you keep some fluid in the bottle and hang it so the bleeder tube forms a U and the top of the bottle is above the bleeder, you won't have to worry about sucking air back into the system if you're doing a one-man job. Just remember to zip tie the tube to the bleeder nipple to keep it from popping off under pressure.
Amazon product ASIN B000W7F2GI
The brake line flush was pretty easy. Just make sure you read the manual's recommendations and don't let the fluid level fall below min. It's easy to really screw it up if you do.
This bleeder bottle is really helpful, and if you keep some fluid in the bottle and hang it so the bleeder tube forms a U and the top of the bottle is above the bleeder, you won't have to worry about sucking air back into the system if you're doing a one-man job. Just remember to zip tie the tube to the bleeder nipple to keep it from popping off under pressure.
Amazon product ASIN B000W7F2GI