LX570 AHC Globe/Accumulator Replacement (5 Viewers)

[lx200inAR]

Hey @AnyMal, any details on your patented burp procedure? About to swap globes in the next week

@AnyMal yes please in depth on the burp! I just got my globes in as well

(I'll preface all this with the fact that I'm not a hydraulic engineer, this is just some random guy on the internet's take on how the system works)

I believe it amounted to making sure the rear was higher than the front and doing a few L to H cycles. Honestly, i can't imagine this does anything. The system is under extreme pressure, so I doubt a slight change in elevation would change much. Also, the system is held under pressure starting about a foot in front of the rear axle on the drivers side, not at the pump, so lifting the pump to a higher height isn't doing anything. And lastly, the highest points in the system are at the top of the shocks, so you aren't really changing high point in the system with a slight incline.

All that to say, I think it is definitely a good idea to do some L to H cycles to help get any extra air out of the system, so it certainly can't hurt. If air had managed to get into the system and was dispersed throughout the fluid, then exchanging even partial amounts of fluid with fluid from the reservoir that doesn't have air in it would be an improvement. Doing this multiple times will eventually get most of the air out.

If removing fluid from the high points of the system works, as in gravity affects where the air accumulates, then just using the bleeders at each corner should be fine. When you release pressure opening the bleeder, the first thing that moves is the shocks compressing and pushing fluid from the shock back towards the bleeder. This means those high points at the tops of the shocks are getting cleared out back to the bleeder with the fluid from the shocks.

 

[AnyMal]

@AnyMal yes please in depth on the burp! I just got my globes in as well

AHC fluid goes, in, AHC fluid goes out. You cant explain that.
JP. Yall are lucky though my first day online in months!

The way ive done it is simple.
Park on a decline in N with the parking brake on so AHC is not locked up.
Drop to low, raise to high.
Repeat.

I am fairly confident this bleeds the system just as well doing it at the accumulators.
The only thing i would caution is that there may be so much air in your system that the “5th” pressure accumulator will throw a fault.
But you can just delete that code, restart the car and it will be just fine. Air is not really gonna hurt anything in there.
If the pumps run and pressure doesnt build, ECU will quit trying and not damage anything.

The only wild potential problem might be reverse un priming the pump? But i dont believe its valved or piped that way, thats what the 5th is mostly doing in between things. Not sending pressure back towards the pump on the way down.

 

[32cls6speedmt]

Oh snap. @AnyMal ia back. Back and better than Ever.

 

[chapba]

(I'll preface all this with the fact that I'm not a hydraulic engineer, this is just some random guy on the internet's take on how the system works)

I believe it amounted to making sure the rear was higher than the front and doing a few L to H cycles. Honestly, i can't imagine this does anything. The system is under extreme pressure, so I doubt a slight change in elevation would change much. Also, the system is held under pressure starting about a foot in front of the rear axle on the drivers side, not at the pump, so lifting the pump to a higher height isn't doing anything. And lastly, the highest points in the system are at the top of the shocks, so you aren't really changing high point in the system with a slight incline.

All that to say, I think it is definitely a good idea to do some L to H cycles to help get any extra air out of the system, so it certainly can't hurt. If air had managed to get into the system and was dispersed throughout the fluid, then exchanging even partial amounts of fluid with fluid from the reservoir that doesn't have air in it would be an improvement. Doing this multiple times will eventually get most of the air out.

If removing fluid from the high points of the system works, as in gravity affects where the air accumulates, then just using the bleeders at each corner should be fine. When you release pressure opening the bleeder, the first thing that moves is the shocks compressing and pushing fluid from the shock back towards the bleeder. This means those high points at the tops of the shocks are getting cleared out back to the bleeder with the fluid from the shocks.

Oh snap. @AnyMal ia back. Back and better than Ever.

He’s not back until an argument starts jkjkjk @AnyMal

 

[jflow88]

Yes, abnormal pressure at pump. I would clear it and the pump would whine and trigger the code again. I tried more bleeding and letting the pump run, each time the system worked less and less down to nothing.

Anyone interested in what happened next, here it is.. took the pump assembly out, flushed it best I could moving fluid back and forth, running it in forward and reverse, put it back in and ran into the same pressure codes, surrendered and had it towed to the dealer, they told me it was a sensor error. “Inspected data list and found the left rear side height sensor to be more than .8” difference between the rest of the ride height sensors, which doesn’t allow the system to work. Adjusted the left rear ride height sensor to the middle of the adjustment bracket. Data list now shows all ride height sensors to be within .4” of each other. AHC is now working as designed, given vehicle has oversized tires compared to stock.” They added fluid and bled the system, charged me $200, had it fixed within 24 hours of me calling in.

This is crazy to me as I have never done a sensor lift, the car was riding level before, I didn’t come anywhere close to this sensor while doing the accumulator service. Seems coincidental? Ride is still much better than before but feels a bit rough, I bled it myself this AM and found no bubbles. The dealer wasn’t a nightmare, prob my best experience with them ever. I doubt I will cowboy with the AHC again.

 

[AnyMal]

Anyone interested in what happened next, here it is.. took the pump assembly out, flushed it best I could moving fluid back and forth, running it in forward and reverse, put it back in and ran into the same pressure codes, surrendered and had it towed to the dealer, they told me it was a sensor error. “Inspected data list and found the left rear side height sensor to be more than .8” difference between the rest of the ride height sensors, which doesn’t allow the system to work. Adjusted the left rear ride height sensor to the middle of the adjustment bracket. Data list now shows all ride height sensors to be within .4” of each other. AHC is now working as designed, given vehicle has oversized tires compared to stock.” They added fluid and bled the system, charged me $200, had it fixed within 24 hours of me calling in.

This is crazy to me as I have never done a sensor lift, the car was riding level before, I didn’t come anywhere close to this sensor while doing the accumulator service. Seems coincidental? Ride is still much better than before but feels a bit rough, I bled it myself this AM and found no bubbles. The dealer wasn’t a nightmare, prob my best experience with them ever. I doubt I will cowboy with the AHC again.

So did i tell you or did i tell you?
Are yall finished or yall done?

AHC sucks for things like this, it is OVERLY restrictive because its design envelope tolerates nothing but a perfect factory setup.
Its dumb basic system and i hate that i cant have more control over it.

Post in thread 'My Hail Mary - need help diagnosing this shimmy / vibration'
My Hail Mary - need help diagnosing this shimmy / vibration - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-hail-mary-need-help-diagnosing-this-shimmy-vibration.1317989/post-15146903

For anyone reading, AHC ECU does not care about us. The sensor values are highly interrelated, so im posting this for visibility.
Ive done all the work and posting on AHC ad nauseam and whenever I login, its nothing but more threads about problems with it.
Sorry if im raving about it, its just that theres a lot of people i have on ignore, that will waste a lot of your time.
Probably the same folks having you pull pumps out etc, bleed for five years, and tell you dont need to worry about rear geometry.
Its all hogwash.

 

[AJLaz]

Anyone interested in what happened next, here it is.. took the pump assembly out, flushed it best I could moving fluid back and forth, running it in forward and reverse, put it back in and ran into the same pressure codes, surrendered and had it towed to the dealer, they told me it was a sensor error. “Inspected data list and found the left rear side height sensor to be more than .8” difference between the rest of the ride height sensors, which doesn’t allow the system to work. Adjusted the left rear ride height sensor to the middle of the adjustment bracket. Data list now shows all ride height sensors to be within .4” of each other. AHC is now working as designed, given vehicle has oversized tires compared to stock.” They added fluid and bled the system, charged me $200, had it fixed within 24 hours of me calling in.

This is crazy to me as I have never done a sensor lift, the car was riding level before, I didn’t come anywhere close to this sensor while doing the accumulator service. Seems coincidental? Ride is still much better than before but feels a bit rough, I bled it myself this AM and found no bubbles. The dealer wasn’t a nightmare, prob my best experience with them ever. I doubt I will cowboy with the AHC again.

I'm having this same exact problem currently and I'm praying that this will be my fix.. funny thing is I've seen multiple youtube videos (mostly in Arabic) where they are tweaking these values after AHC work when getting this error, but I couldn't figure out exactly what they were doing until your comment

 

[TeCKis300]

So did i tell you or did i tell you?
Are yall finished or yall done?

AHC sucks for things like this, it is OVERLY restrictive because its design envelope tolerates nothing but a perfect factory setup.
Its dumb basic system and i hate that i cant have more control over it.

Post in thread 'My Hail Mary - need help diagnosing this shimmy / vibration'
My Hail Mary - need help diagnosing this shimmy / vibration - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-hail-mary-need-help-diagnosing-this-shimmy-vibration.1317989/post-15146903

For anyone reading, AHC ECU does not care about us. The sensor values are highly interrelated, so im posting this for visibility.
Ive done all the work and posting on AHC ad nauseam and whenever I login, its nothing but more threads about problems with it.
Sorry if im raving about it, its just that theres a lot of people i have on ignore, that will waste a lot of your time.
Probably the same folks having you pull pumps out etc, bleed for five years, and tell you dont need to worry about rear geometry.
Its all hogwash.

To be fair, that is the nature of forums to discuss issues, problems, etc. Any system will require maintenance and repair, and AHC is not unique in this regard (while being many times more reliable than any aftermarket system and more capable than the LC basic suspension). Things don't get highlighted in forums as much when they work.

IMO, AHC works beautifully stock. What you've created now and the shortcomings you might be dealing with is an animal of your own creation. It's not representative of everyone's experience.

AHC is working beautifully here and I couldn't be happier. Work with the system as it was designed with parameters we can tailor and change. Working against it and trying to adjust it with knobs that are not there is futile.

 

[AnyMal]

To be fair, that is the nature of forums to discuss issues, problems, etc. Any system will require maintenance and repair, and AHC is not unique in this regard (while being many times more reliable than any aftermarket system and more capable than the LC basic suspension). Things don't get highlighted in forums as much when they work.

IMO, AHC works beautifully stock. What you've created now and the shortcomings you might be dealing with is an animal of your own creation. It's not representative of everyone's experience.

AHC is working beautifully here and I couldn't be happier. Work with the system as it was designed with parameters we can tailor and change. Working against it and trying to adjust it with knobs that are not there is futile.

I’ve broken my ahc because others have problems?
Ill pass on this one. My system is perfect.

 

[TeCKis300]

I’ve broken my ahc because others have problems?
Ill pass on this one. My system is perfect.

Maybe I'm reading things wrong but the tone of your posts sure seems like you're frustrated with the system and all its design flaws?

 

[AnyMal]

Maybe I'm reading things wrong but the tone of your posts sure seems like you're frustrated with the system and all its design flaws?

Of course im frustrated with the POS system?!?

I am at the low ceiling hospital parking lot yesterday fighting my height control every time i get to 9 mph with a line of cars behind me.

Its dumb, and whats dumber than that is pretending like it doesn’t have major flaws. Like a lot of what happens on mud, a place i cant take too seriously because the trucks are flawless. Aside from my lemon…

Again teck, i like you, but im not having this conversation.

 

[AnyMal]

Of course im frustrated with the POS system?!?

I am at the low ceiling hospital parking lot yesterday fighting my height control every time i get to 9 mph with a line of cars behind me.

Its dumb, and whats dumber than that is pretending like it doesn’t have major flaws. Like a lot of what happens on mud, a place i cant take too seriously because the trucks are flawless. Aside from my lemon…

Again teck, i like you, but im not having this conversation.

And plus @TeCKis300 , while you typically know well what you are talking about, you DO like the cybertruck… so thats like -1000 points in credibility

 

[sixt5]

I apologize for not reading through 23 pages but does replacement of globes fix the abrupt height change at 65 mph?

I'm maxed out on sensors. 295/70/17

 

[nwfl4runner]

I apologize for not reading through 23 pages but does replacement of globes fix the abrupt height change at 65 mph?

I'm maxed out on sensors. 295/70/17

No that happens on purpose and globes don’t impact it

 

[trudd]

I apologize for not reading through 23 pages but does replacement of globes fix the abrupt height change at 65 mph?

I'm maxed out on sensors. 295/70/17

In my experience, new fluid helps smooth out those transitions.

 

[chapba]

I apologize for not reading through 23 pages but does replacement of globes fix the abrupt height change at 65 mph?

I'm maxed out on sensors. 295/70/17

Haven’t swapped my globes yet but after a flush the movement was smoother/less noticeable but I don’t believe if ever goes away as the tail drop at 66 is an intended function.

 

[NKP Garage]

I apologize for not reading through 23 pages but does replacement of globes fix the abrupt height change at 65 mph?

I'm maxed out on sensors. 295/70/17

The drop is by design from the factory. But the abruptness is not. Globes and fluid flush help smooth all the transitions out. I don't notice the transitions at all on mine.

 

[JR YORK]

In my experience, new fluid helps smooth out those transitions.

What year is your rig? Accumulator globes are filled with Nitrogen.When I bought my 15' the ride was bouncy over transitions and uneven pavement. I replaced all 4 accumulator globes with new fluid. Made a noticeable difference. I wouldn't expect those globes t o provide the same function after 8 years. Eventually that gas will start to leak out. 2 out of 4 of mine were compromised on just the right side. Worth swapping out.
You can tell by the fluids I pulled out. Between black and chocolate milk on the bad side, you can see why 8-9 years of driving took a toll. The fluid should be redish when new. It's not hard to swap them out yourself. Just a little time consuming. Pulling the armor off was the biggest pain because of the front single bolt hidden up top. Remove front bracket from running boards to make your install much easier. Good luck!
☆Cost for 4 globes coming from Japan - $500 on eBay. Cost for original Toyota AHC fluid (2 x 2.5L) - $90. Total cost less than $600. Total cost at Lexus.......I've heard between $3,000 -$5,000. I saw a post for almost $7,500. Insane for the amount of work it takes and parts.

 

[highfructose]

I apologize for not reading through 23 pages but does replacement of globes fix the abrupt height change at 65 mph?

I'm maxed out on sensors. 295/70/17

New globes will likely soften the transition…as the abrupt change is likely due to a lack of damping…damping slows down the bump.

 

[arnott1t]

Hey all. Had some issues with my globe replacement and could use some help/advice.

We bled all 4 globes down
Swapped all globes
Topped up fluid in reservoir
Started truck.
Multiple time trying to get vehicle up. Took a long time but finally moved up. Got into high but wasn’t behaving like normal.
Fluid was always kept in reservoir above
Min.
In a few occasions we lowered the truck and it dropped sorta normal.
Now the “check ahc surtem” code is up and won’t let me lift eh truck.
Truck is low low.
Bled all corners down to try and get back to square 1
Still won’t let me. Just shows the error message and that’s about it.

I’m betting the code is set and won’t clear? No pump action at all now.

Next steps ??