Used a heat gun and a hole punch to open up the bleed tube a little bit, as soon s it stops raining here in Pensacola I’ll see if it fits better on the bleed nipple.
LX570 AHC “Basics” - Added as sticky thread for AHC Issues (17 Viewers)
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Just took her out for a test drive, definite improvement to the ride. Glad I did the flush first vice spending the money on globes until I have to. Glad the fluid I bought looked good and is performing. Used about 4.5 liters.
Great to hear! My five liters of fluid should arrive today or tomorrow. I'm going to attempt the drain and fill this coming weekend. What did you use to break the rear bleeders open as it is a really tight fight in there.
I had a few 10mm wrenches, I used the shortest one and fished around for the best angle. I also sprayed with penetrating oil a few days before. If I was to do it again I would invest in one of the extra short wrenches, it would be worth it. Mine wasn’t hard to open from a tightness aspect.
I’m prepping the vehicle for my AHC fluid drain/fill this weekend. I attached a pic of behind the right tire of the AHC filler/filter/reservoir. First question, to confirm, the red arrow is pointing at the filler neck filter, correct?
Second question, the tube I circled in yellow that seemingly connects directly to the filler filter, has anyone used this to refill the reservoir?
The area is wet because I was pre-cleaning it in preparation.
Second question, the tube I circled in yellow that seemingly connects directly to the filler filter, has anyone used this to refill the reservoir?
The area is wet because I was pre-cleaning it in preparation.
Red arrow points to the cap for the filler neck, there is a filter inside of there that I removed with needle nose pliers and a little reverse (outward) pressure. I believe the other part you are asking about is a breather/air relief vent thing. Sorry for the lack of proper nomenclature. I don’t know if you can fill through the part in question.
The white cap twists off with a quarter turn In 2 seconds and there is plenty of room to insert a tube into the filler neck. There is really no reason to mess with the breather tube. There is question lately on whether to remove the filter. If you don’t, filling will be very slow. It’s pretty slow without the filter in place. In light of the AHC fluid issues, My plan will be to pour the fluid into a container I can inspect before putting it into the reservoir.
I bought one of these from Wally World.
Amazon product ASIN B000EH4UXM
I bought one of these from Wally World.
Amazon product ASIN B000EH4UXM
Ok, so it sounds like those two hoses are breather hoses - good to know. I’ll leave them alone.
Does that Flo tool screw on to the top of the 1 liter AHC fluid bottles? If so, that looks like a life saver!
Finally, I’ve read through all of the AHC threads and am aware of possible fluid contamination (ugh) but have also read about a 5th accumulator near the muffler that maybe should be bled and bled when the vehicle is in High mode? Anyone have any thoughts on that?
Does that Flo tool screw on to the top of the 1 liter AHC fluid bottles? If so, that looks like a life saver!
Finally, I’ve read through all of the AHC threads and am aware of possible fluid contamination (ugh) but have also read about a 5th accumulator near the muffler that maybe should be bled and bled when the vehicle is in High mode? Anyone have any thoughts on that?
Yes it does, and has a valve to regulate flow, which you will need. I found you can lay the bottle on its side on top of the tire, and let it drain that way.
Definitely inspect the fluid, to this point it has meant near instant death to the AHC pump if you get the bad fluid, although 2 of the people that replaced their pumps believe that possibly if they had cleaned out the reservoir and the inlet pump filters, they may have been able to salvage them.
The accumulator is on the inside of the drivers side frame rail, basically under the driver seat I think. There are two shields there, I believe it’s under the one with 3 bolts holding it on (the other has 4). I ended up pulling both because I couldn’t see which one and guessed wrong. The accumulator has a capacity of almost 1L according to the FSM, so if you are trying to do a full flush, you definitely want to drain that. The accumulator is for assisting the pump in lifting the vehicle faster, so after you drain it, the first time you go to lift after draining, the pump won’t get that assistance. The FSM doesn’t say much about bleeding the accumulator. I personally would do it first, if for no other reason so that later on I didn’t accidentally dump its contents into all the clean fluid I just introduced into the system. The accumulator is normally closed off to the rest of the system, but during a lift it opens and can provide fluid to all 4 corners. So I’d hate to have everything bled and clean then do a L->N before I had bled the accumulator and load the whole system with old fluid.
It’s a simple job. My advice is to take it slow, never drain more than 10-12 ounces of fluid in one go from a bleeder. Once you’ve removed that much fluid, close bleeder and start the truck back up to let it level back out. (Note: the truck shouldn’t lower when you drain the accumulator and you can drain that dry in one go) Turn off, then bleed again until fluid looks clean. Then move on to the next corner. Obviously don’t let the reservoir get low. I do FL, FR, RL, RR, but honestly I’m not sure it matters. I think the FSM only specifies to do the front first and then the rear. There is only one hydraulic tube between the pump and the accumulator/leveling valves, so the demarcation point is actually near the accumulator and not at the pump, so starting “furthest from the pump” like what most people say seems a little arbitrary.
Normal rules apply, I’m not a mechanic and have only had my LX for 6 months. But I have read the FSM description of the AHC system multiple times. I probably have slept in a Holiday Inn Express before, but not last night.
Thank you for all that, LX in AR! I’ve only had mine about the same time, 6 months.
So to be clear, do the “5th accumulator bleed” first? And does it matter which mode its in, N or H?
So to be clear, do the “5th accumulator bleed” first? And does it matter which mode its in, N or H?
For the accumulator, height setting won’t matter, and yes, I would do it first. I would bleed from N. If the truck does not auto relevel after you start it back up, I’d “jostle” that corner to get the sensors to wake up. Also, don’t forget all the rules about getting the truck to lift. All doors must be closed, don’t have the AHC off button selected. Something else to try in a pinch (if it doesn’t raise) is to put vehicle in Nuetral (transmission) and put the parking brake on. Release the regular brake, then “jostle” if it still hasn’t leveled. Not sure any of that is necessary, just stuff I have found that helps it go up sometimes when it hasn’t. Usually that’s in the case of actually doing a N->H rather than just letting it level. But also, those steps are part of the height sensor and height offset settings adjustments from the FSM which are designed to get the truck to N (height) before you start making adjustments.
Also, it’s best to have tech stream available if you can. In case you get any AHC codes. If you get one, don’t panic. Just turn the truck off and restart. I would do that a few times before I panic. A lot of the AHC codes are self resetting on a restart, so if it’s something that resolves itself you will be good.
Also, it’s best to have tech stream available if you can. In case you get any AHC codes. If you get one, don’t panic. Just turn the truck off and restart. I would do that a few times before I panic. A lot of the AHC codes are self resetting on a restart, so if it’s something that resolves itself you will be good.
I plan on doing my AHC fluid change tomorrow so I ran and bought one of the Hopkins Flo Tools above at Autozone ($5). That will be a lifesaver.
To continue my prep for the fluid change and familiarize myself, I pulled the filler filter just to see. There was something encrusted/hard sitting at the bottom of mine!
Needless to say, I carefully removed it and cleaned the entire filter before reinstalling. WTH, huh? I don’t have record of my fluid being changed before so not sure if this was been in there since 2013 or amassed over time?
To continue my prep for the fluid change and familiarize myself, I pulled the filler filter just to see. There was something encrusted/hard sitting at the bottom of mine!
Needless to say, I carefully removed it and cleaned the entire filter before reinstalling. WTH, huh? I don’t have record of my fluid being changed before so not sure if this was been in there since 2013 or amassed over time?
I had similar stuff in the filter, considering I have an ‘08 I just assumed the filter was doing it’s job.
Well, I did it with zero issues! This was my first time and it took, including set up and clean up, about 4 hours. As others have said, I could probably do it in 1 hour next time. Here is an overview of my experience:
I bought my 5 quarts of AHC fluid, Toyota part # 08886-81221, from McGeorge Toyota a couple of weeks ago (August 2021). Before I used them, I poured them into a glass container and inspected (I did not filter them). All 5 quarts were clear with no bubbles or haze like some others have seen so I proceeded. I did lower my spare tire and did put a flash light on the back side of the reservoir to illuminate it which was a HUGE help and it stayed on for the entire 4 hours!
Next, I did remove most, but not all (didn’t want priming issues later), of old fluid from the reservoir with a hand pump. With the little hose included with the pump, I was able to snake it all the way down into it by twisting the hose at certain times.
Then, with the filler filter in place, I added about 1/2 quart of new fluid, stopped and pulled the filter and inspected for debris or white globs of stuff. Thankfully I found nothing and emptied the rest of the quart. This brought it OVER the max fill line by quite a bit which I was fine with. I knew after I was all done if it was over full, I could suction some out. I put the filler cap back on.
As recommended by other forum members, I started with the “5th accumulator/bleeder” which is under the drivers side 2nd row passenger area. I could not break the 3 heat shield bolts free but I could see the bleeder and could get a wrench to it so I cracked it first, with the vehicle in N and let it drain into a tub. Then I started the vehicle and I could hear the pump do its thing. The vehicle did not move up or down, it was just refilling the 5th accumulator.
Then I added more fresh fluid to the reservoir, once again over the max full line by a good margin, and did the front left bleeder. Like others have mentioned, this system is under a good bit of pressure. The hose on the bleeder slipped off and fluid hit me in the face pretty hard. Thankfully I had safety goggles on so I ran inside and washed my face and all was good. I then double checked to make sure there was plenty of fluid in the reservoir and then started the vehicle. It did its thing and the pump ran for almost a minute and everything leveled out perfectly and the pump always had the same sound.
I then added MORE new fluid to the reservoir, above the max full line, and did the right front. Started with no issues. Added more fluid and did the left rear. Started, no issues. Added more fluid and did the right rear. Started, no issues. I still had about 1.5 quarts left so I added more fluid and did the left front again and then the right front. I ended up running 4.5 quarts through it when all was complete.
I then started it and went to H, then N, then L, and finally back to N. Zero issues or noises. I then went for a drive around the block and down the freeway again with zero issues. I did some more H and L at stop lights and no issues. Later that evening we went to a friend’s house and took the car and zero issues. I even trailered the boat to the lake and it kept everything level.
I would say the old fluid was dirty but it wasn’t terrible. I did this partly because I’m a fan of preventative maintenance and while my rig has always been dealer maintained, I couldn’t find record it was done and I can say it was probably not. But I also did it to alleviate some jitteriness It has when going over bad pavement. I can feel it in the steering wheel and in some cases, feels like the vehicle shifts left or right when going over bad bumps. Unfortunately, after about 50 miles on the new fluid, it has not seemed to help. I’ll get some more miles on it and see if anything changes. But, I’m still glad I did the fluid exchange.
This forum was a huge help in this process. If you attempt it, extract most of the old fluid from the reservoir and keep the filler filter in place when adding new fluid.
I bought my 5 quarts of AHC fluid, Toyota part # 08886-81221, from McGeorge Toyota a couple of weeks ago (August 2021). Before I used them, I poured them into a glass container and inspected (I did not filter them). All 5 quarts were clear with no bubbles or haze like some others have seen so I proceeded. I did lower my spare tire and did put a flash light on the back side of the reservoir to illuminate it which was a HUGE help and it stayed on for the entire 4 hours!
Next, I did remove most, but not all (didn’t want priming issues later), of old fluid from the reservoir with a hand pump. With the little hose included with the pump, I was able to snake it all the way down into it by twisting the hose at certain times.
Then, with the filler filter in place, I added about 1/2 quart of new fluid, stopped and pulled the filter and inspected for debris or white globs of stuff. Thankfully I found nothing and emptied the rest of the quart. This brought it OVER the max fill line by quite a bit which I was fine with. I knew after I was all done if it was over full, I could suction some out. I put the filler cap back on.
As recommended by other forum members, I started with the “5th accumulator/bleeder” which is under the drivers side 2nd row passenger area. I could not break the 3 heat shield bolts free but I could see the bleeder and could get a wrench to it so I cracked it first, with the vehicle in N and let it drain into a tub. Then I started the vehicle and I could hear the pump do its thing. The vehicle did not move up or down, it was just refilling the 5th accumulator.
Then I added more fresh fluid to the reservoir, once again over the max full line by a good margin, and did the front left bleeder. Like others have mentioned, this system is under a good bit of pressure. The hose on the bleeder slipped off and fluid hit me in the face pretty hard. Thankfully I had safety goggles on so I ran inside and washed my face and all was good. I then double checked to make sure there was plenty of fluid in the reservoir and then started the vehicle. It did its thing and the pump ran for almost a minute and everything leveled out perfectly and the pump always had the same sound.
I then added MORE new fluid to the reservoir, above the max full line, and did the right front. Started with no issues. Added more fluid and did the left rear. Started, no issues. Added more fluid and did the right rear. Started, no issues. I still had about 1.5 quarts left so I added more fluid and did the left front again and then the right front. I ended up running 4.5 quarts through it when all was complete.
I then started it and went to H, then N, then L, and finally back to N. Zero issues or noises. I then went for a drive around the block and down the freeway again with zero issues. I did some more H and L at stop lights and no issues. Later that evening we went to a friend’s house and took the car and zero issues. I even trailered the boat to the lake and it kept everything level.
I would say the old fluid was dirty but it wasn’t terrible. I did this partly because I’m a fan of preventative maintenance and while my rig has always been dealer maintained, I couldn’t find record it was done and I can say it was probably not. But I also did it to alleviate some jitteriness It has when going over bad pavement. I can feel it in the steering wheel and in some cases, feels like the vehicle shifts left or right when going over bad bumps. Unfortunately, after about 50 miles on the new fluid, it has not seemed to help. I’ll get some more miles on it and see if anything changes. But, I’m still glad I did the fluid exchange.
This forum was a huge help in this process. If you attempt it, extract most of the old fluid from the reservoir and keep the filler filter in place when adding new fluid.
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I had a similar result after driving the LX for a while. Although I do think my ride improved, it wasn’t as big of a change I was hoping for. I’ll probably still do the globe change in the next six months or so. Overall I’m happy I did it because it was overdue and it helped me get to know the system better. Hoping globes gives a great return on investment as @tbisaacs indicated he experienced.
Where are you going to get the gloves? Heard good things about Impex in the 100 section. There’s always PartsOQ too.
eBay JDMplanet has them for sale. Make sure you go to the sellers site on eBay and search for the best deal on the globes.
Inspected my fluid tonight in anticipation of doing a flush this weekend. 2013 with about 93k miles, I've owned since 86k. The service history at 60k states "REPLACE ACTIVE HEIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM FLUID (IF EQUIPPED)", and I have no other indication it was actually done, so I fully expected reservoir to be empty or filled with a dark fluid. It actually looked pretty good, this is in L:
It's actually been riding not as smooth as I expected lately, both in small jittery bumps, and larger floaty bumps, which also led me to suspect bad fluid. I'm wondering now if I should also do the accumulator globes at the same time. I imagine there's no way to test a globe without removing them first?
It's actually been riding not as smooth as I expected lately, both in small jittery bumps, and larger floaty bumps, which also led me to suspect bad fluid. I'm wondering now if I should also do the accumulator globes at the same time. I imagine there's no way to test a globe without removing them first?
Even if you removed there isn’t much to inspect. I did my globes at ~115k. It’s probably something you should consider soon.
