LX570 AHC Globe/Accumulator Replacement (30 Viewers)

[NKP Garage]

Has anyone else had problems with intermittent ride quality after changing globes? I swear, it rode like a cloud for a day or so afterward, and is somewhat inconsistent now.

After it gets bouncy again, I bleed a little bit from each corner. Around an ounce at most. There have been a few small air bubbles, but nothing insane. Feels like it that made a difference one time, but again - it's inconsistent.

I cycled from N -> L -> H -> N once and some comfort felt restored. I'm not quite sure what to make of this.

When you bleed every now and then, are you getting air bubbles? If you, are you may have a leak somewhere that is introducing air into the system.

 

[slowgreen]

When you bleed every now and then, are you getting air bubbles? If you, are you may have a leak somewhere that is introducing air into the syst

Has anyone else had problems with intermittent ride quality after changing globes? I swear, it rode like a cloud for a day or so afterward, and is somewhat inconsistent now.

After it gets bouncy again, I bleed a little bit from each corner. Around an ounce at most. There have been a few small air bubbles, but nothing insane. Feels like it that made a difference one time, but again - it's inconsistent.

I cycled from N -> L -> H -> N once and some comfort felt restored. I'm not quite sure what to make of this.

My personal experience after bleeding and globes and bleeding it again almost 2 cans total was that subsequent fluid bleeds only had bubbles in the US passenger side rear bleed valve (the one near the AHC resivoir).

 

[trudd]

My personal experience after bleeding and globes and bleeding it again almost 2 cans total was that subsequent fluid bleeds only had bubbles in the US passenger side rear bleed valve (the one near the AHC resivoir).

Interesting. I'm now back to a bumpy ride. Haven't tried bleeding again today. It's disheartening to have had the perfect ride for a bit, only for it to revert back to a similar ride quality I had with the busted globe.

I'm going to do a full fluid swap using the methods published on this thread. I'll have 7.5L of fluid on hand - should be enough!

If a full fluid swap and diligent bleeding doesn't fully solve the issues, I'll probably bail on the LX.

 

[trudd]

When you bleed every now and then, are you getting air bubbles? If you, are you may have a leak somewhere that is introducing air into the system.

I want to think the air bubbles are leftover from installing new globes.

Are there common areas that let air into the system, without also losing fluid? I don't believe I'm losing fluid elsewhere.

 

[LX Cruiser]

I want to think the air bubbles are leftover from installing new globes.

Are there common areas that let air into the system, without also losing fluid? I don't believe I'm losing fluid elsewhere.

Yeah, you might have a leak somewhere. Did you put new O-rings on the new accumulators?

Or it might just be that there is more air is trapped somewhere in the system than you previously thought, and you’re seeing problems as that air moves around in the system. Just thinking out loud here. Sorry to hear about your issues.


I haven’t had time to do mine yet. Not sure if I’m going to bleed a bit just to replace the globes and then start a full bleed process just to ensure all the fluid is out. I have 3 cans of fluid as well, so we’ll see whenever I get some time to do it.

 

[trudd]

New o rings? Nah. Globes came with o rings already installed. Lubed them with fluid as advised. I ordered the add’l washers too, but the general consensus is that they weren’t needed.

I’ll do a full fluid swap this weekend. Honestly, I wonder how much crud is still floating in the system from the destroyed globe.

 

[AnyMal]

Well, after sitting on my replacement globes for 9 months, I finally replaced them today. And boy, I wish I had done it sooner. 2009 LX w/ 164k miles on the clock. I've owned it for 2.5 years, since 137k.

I discovered a total failure of my rear driver-side globe.

I did a visual check on removal and could see the metal diaphragm on the first 3 globes. On the last one, it was a black hole. So I grabbed a pencil and could feel the collapsed diaphragm on the bottom of the globe. Wow. Take a look at the red circled reference mark. It was nothing more than a bowl full of AHC soup.

View attachment 3264300

As it goes, the car now rides like a dream. I had previously replaced the fluid last summer, which helped the ride a bit. I had no idea what I was missing. It eats up the bounces when driving over the nearby railroad tracks. I'm not exactly sure when the diaphragm collapsed, but the ride quality has certainly degraded casually over the last ~5 months.

Other notes from the job:

• the rear passenger globe spewed AHC fluid everywhere upon removal, despite being double bled per @baktasht 's video. It was the only globe that did that.
• definitely get the 6-sided 21mm socket. Even then, I nearly stripped the bolt on the last globe. So glad I didn't use a 12-sided socket.
• Going from Low to Neutral is taking a long time. 30+ seconds long. N to H is quick. Previously L to N was a fast process. Hopefully this speeds up over time.
• even my wife noticed the ride difference.

I can't thank @baktasht enough for his videos! His Redarc brake controller installation video was equally helpful. And thanks to everyone else for sharing their experiences. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I got to play the part today!

That rear driver is the LX weak spring side that fatigues the quickest from higher pressure (lean comp by ahc). Also its usually the first shock to start weeping.

Good data, thanks for the pencil testing!

Will be doing mine in a year or so. Early, but im a stickler for ride quality.

 

[AnyMal]

New o rings? Nah. Globes came with o rings already installed. Lubed them with fluid as advised. I ordered the add’l washers too, but the general consensus is that they weren’t needed.

I’ll do a full fluid swap this weekend. Honestly, I wonder how much crud is still floating in the system from the destroyed globe.

Do a few lowering procedures on a decline, where air can get back out of the system in the right direction too. Towards the resi breathers. I had a bit of air recently that i didnt feel like buying more fluid to purge and it did the trick.

You want to raise to H on flat, and then lower on a decline.

 

[slowgreen]

That rear driver is the LX weak spring side that fatigues the quickest from higher pressure (lean comp by ahc). Also its usually the first shock to start weeping.

Good data, thanks for the pencil testing!

Will be doing mine in a year or so. Early, but im a stickler for ride quality.

You know this is off topic but I've been wondering if I shouldn't replace both my springs with either two left or two right to level it out since it seems to sit lower on the driver side rear. The shorter spring is a bit cheaper and the longer one is in and out of stock on partsorq.

 

[AnyMal]

You know this is off topic but I've been wondering if I shouldn't replace both my springs with either two left or two right to level it out since it seems to sit lower on the driver side rear. The shorter spring is a bit cheaper and the longer one is in and out of stock on partsorq.

First mod i did, still haven’t fully written it up. Yes, every single LX leans to driver. Its an easy peasy job.

If you’re carrying weight, two talls, if your not, two shorts. If you plan on sensor lift, again two talls.

If youre in TX ive got two shorts with your name on em.

 

[jdo748]

Is AHC fluid hygroscopic like brake fluid or is there any other reason I shouldn’t use an old open 2.5L of fluid? I did a flush last year and have about ~20% of a can left that I could use in addition to some new cans.

 

[TeCKis300]

Is AHC fluid hygroscopic like brake fluid or is there any other reason I shouldn’t use an old open 2.5L of fluid? I did a flush last year and have about ~20% of a can left that I could use in addition to some new cans.

The fluid is largely composed of mineral oil. Possibly has some minor proprietary additives and viscosity modifiers. Mineral oils are hydrophobic, meaning it doesn't absorb moisture and will actually repel it. As such, they generally have a very long if indefinite shelf life.

 

[trudd]

Alright. Ride quality is back to bumpy in the rear. I'm dealing with some warped rotors in the back, so I dropped it off at my guy to deal with the brakes and asked him to take a look at the AHC as well. He has experience doing fluid exchanges, but nothing hardware related. He's loosely familiar with the system.

He said there were a few AHC related codes, but unfortunately they all went away when the tech cleared a steering sensor code he thought was unrelated. They didn't write them down beforehand :/ It still rides rough after the codes were cleared.

Recap: '09 LX w/ 164k. Southern truck, no rust.

• I swapped all 4 globes a month ago. Rear Driver was busted.
• Ride was incredible for a few days. I could feel the active suspension at play. The smooth ride was occasionally disrupted by air bubbles, which I bled and good ride seemed to improve.
• Did a fresh fluid exchange a week later and continued bleeding. This was after the hard ride returned. L/N/H still works great, everything transitions smoothly. No sudden bumps/dips/resets after a hard brake. At this point, I can rule out bad fluid.

Nevertheless: The ride is back to bouncy, especially in the rear. I can't imagine one of the new globes failed already, right?

What is my next move? What should I ask the mechanic to check out before I grab the truck tomorrow?

• I have OBD Fusion with the AHC/Toyota expansion pack on my iPhone. I haven't yet recreated the dashboard that I've seen @lx200inAR post, so I don't have data to post yet
• I will go ahead and order a techstream cable to have on hand

 

[NKP Garage]

Alright. Ride quality is back to bumpy in the rear. I'm dealing with some warped rotors in the back, so I dropped it off at my guy to deal with the brakes and asked him to take a look at the AHC as well. He has experience doing fluid exchanges, but nothing hardware related. He's loosely familiar with the system.

He said there were a few AHC related codes, but unfortunately they all went away when the tech cleared a steering sensor code he thought was unrelated. They didn't write them down beforehand :/ It still rides rough after the codes were cleared.

Recap: '09 LX w/ 164k. Southern truck, no rust.

• I swapped all 4 globes a month ago. Rear Driver was busted.
• Ride was incredible for a few days. I could feel the active suspension at play. The smooth ride was occasionally disrupted by air bubbles, which I bled and good ride seemed to improve.
• Did a fresh fluid exchange a week later and continued bleeding. This was after the hard ride returned. L/N/H still works great, everything transitions smoothly. No sudden bumps/dips/resets after a hard brake. At this point, I can rule out bad fluid.

Nevertheless: The ride is back to bouncy, especially in the rear. I can't imagine one of the new globes failed already, right?

What is my next move? What should I ask the mechanic to check out before I grab the truck tomorrow?

• I have OBD Fusion with the AHC/Toyota expansion pack on my iPhone. I haven't yet recreated the dashboard that I've seen @lx200inAR post, so I don't have data to post yet
• I will go ahead and order a techstream cable to have on hand

Check every part of the system for leaks. If you see a drip anywhere, spray with brake cleaner and dry with a rag, then check for leaks again in a week. The air bubbles are either coming in from a point that is leaking, or you may just have air trapped still that needs bleeding.

 

[trudd]

@baktasht - thanks. I think at this point I can rule out air bubbles (though I thought that seemed like a problem in the past).

I did another bleed just before taking it to the mechanic. No bubbles and no difference in ride quality. The tech also did a bleed today - no bubbles and no difference in ride quality.

The only part of my process I might call into question is that I think the car was in Low mode the last time I bled.

 

[radman]

I just helped a houston homie replace his globes last weekend. Incredibly easy and straight forward.

I've become a believer in bleeding while the rig is on and doors closed.
- bleed corner until suspension drops.
- close bleeder and wait a few seconds until AHC pump kicks on and begins replacing fluid (and raising).
- Repeat until desired... as long as you're making sure the tank is full of fluid.

 

[lx200inAR]

@baktasht - thanks. I think at this point I can rule out air bubbles (though I thought that seemed like a problem in the past).

I did another bleed just before taking it to the mechanic. No bubbles and no difference in ride quality. The tech also did a bleed today - no bubbles and no difference in ride quality.

The only part of my process I might call into question is that I think the car was in Low mode the last time I bled.

Just spit balling some ideas here, Might be a good idea to check the accumulator that was failed. Especially if it now riding similar to before you changed them out. Possibly whatever caused the previous failure accomplished the same thing to the new one, assuming old age isn’t what caused the original failure. I.d check for codes in AhC ECU again as well. Maybe you have a failed valve actuator at one of the rear corners.

 

[lx200inAR]

I just helped a houston homie replace his globes last weekend. Incredibly easy and straight forward.

I've become a believer in bleeding while the rig is on and doors closed.
- bleed corner until suspension drops.
- close bleeder and wait a few seconds until AHC pump kicks on and begins replacing fluid (and raising).
- Repeat until desired... as long as you're making sure the tank is full of fluid.

I definitely agree, or at least doing one corner and then restarting and allowing to fill back up (which I doubt technically is any different). When I swapped my globes, I restarted and let truck raise back up with each corner.

 

[trudd]

Just spit balling some ideas here, Might be a good idea to check the accumulator that was failed. Especially if it now riding similar to before you changed them out. Possibly whatever caused the previous failure accomplished the same thing to the new one, assuming old age isn’t what caused the original failure. I.d check for codes in AhC ECU again as well. Maybe you have a failed valve actuator at one of the rear corners.

Yea I like where you’re coming from. Would a failed accumulator valve cause additional stress to the globe?

I have a tech stream cable arriving tomorrow. Time to deep dive into all the existing AHC/techstream thrrads.

I’m sure whatever codes they cleared will pop up again. I didn’t think to check for hidden codes on OBD Fusion before taking it in.

 

[trudd]

I just helped a houston homie replace his globes last weekend. Incredibly easy and straight forward.

I've become a believer in bleeding while the rig is on and doors closed.
- bleed corner until suspension drops.
- close bleeder and wait a few seconds until AHC pump kicks on and begins replacing fluid (and raising).
- Repeat until desired... as long as you're making sure the tank is full of fluid.

Is there consensus on if I can do a “live bleed” with the AHC fluid reservoir open and the car is running?

Can you bleed from Low, or is Neutral better?