Of all things, I’d unplug that license plate light bulb instead of adding a brighter one..
My new find... 1999 LX470 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TEXAS 57
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- #42
We have to have them in Texas. I didn’t have one at all. The LEDs were laying around.
These sheet metal pieces had some surface rust due to spills in the console so I hit them with Ospho (phosphoric acid) and shot them with a quick coat of paint.
Top sides
Bottom sides
After Ospho
After paint
I have also finished recovering the speaker grills. I need to pull the rest of the door panels, clean the window tracks (they are all slow probably due to dust in the grease and felts).
It’s been slow going due to us preparing our house to put on the market (installing doors and decluttering and painting). I hope no one wants to see the garage.
Selling a house, raising kids in diapers and doing all this to a 100. You are the man!
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- #44
I removed the driver side panel and vacuumed, dusted and 409 cleaned the metal insides of the doors. The Land Cruiser door panel does not have the cut out for the seat memory buttons. I need to figure out what to do there. Any insight would be helpful.
LC panel in the front / LX in the back... for now.
I used Meguires PlastX Polish to clean up the control panel switches. They were filthy and came out real nice. My faux wood is actually imprinted into the plastic switch bezel instead of the stick on laminated woods I see on most of these.
The Eagle Eyes black headlights came in yesterday as well. Should look good against the black paint and add a more aggressive look in the parking lot at at Saks Fifth Avenue for their next sale. Lol.
LC panel in the front / LX in the back... for now.
I used Meguires PlastX Polish to clean up the control panel switches. They were filthy and came out real nice. My faux wood is actually imprinted into the plastic switch bezel instead of the stick on laminated woods I see on most of these.
The Eagle Eyes black headlights came in yesterday as well. Should look good against the black paint and add a more aggressive look in the parking lot at at Saks Fifth Avenue for their next sale. Lol.
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- #45
Had a few hours this weekend between yard work, house showings and kids naps so I decided to get the front door panels done. I changed my initial plan since I needed to mount the seat memory panel on the driver door panel. I was going to have to utilize that part.
I decided to venture where I have not been before and start taking the door panels apart. I thought they were glued and pressed together but actually, they are merely stapled together. I undid the staples and separated the pieces:
There are pushnuts that hold the wood trim to the panel so I cut those off with a Dremel (the LC panels do not have these). The pleated leather is mounted to a metal frame and simply has fold over tabs (same as the LC).
You can also see the extra insulation pads and a foam tape strip around the perimeter. These were on the LX but not the LC. That’s the extra you get when purchasing a Lexus.
The armrest comes off with several screws
Completely disassembled
So I choose the best parts and put it back together. I did not want to keep the LX leather grab handles and opted for the more rugged LC handles. I broke one of the pushnut studs so I ran a short screw in the first one in this pic.
I decided to venture where I have not been before and start taking the door panels apart. I thought they were glued and pressed together but actually, they are merely stapled together. I undid the staples and separated the pieces:
There are pushnuts that hold the wood trim to the panel so I cut those off with a Dremel (the LC panels do not have these). The pleated leather is mounted to a metal frame and simply has fold over tabs (same as the LC).
You can also see the extra insulation pads and a foam tape strip around the perimeter. These were on the LX but not the LC. That’s the extra you get when purchasing a Lexus.
The armrest comes off with several screws
Completely disassembled
So I choose the best parts and put it back together. I did not want to keep the LX leather grab handles and opted for the more rugged LC handles. I broke one of the pushnut studs so I ran a short screw in the first one in this pic.
- Thread starter
- #46
I kept the entire LC panel on the passenger side and moved the LX wood and pleated leather over. I took the LX insulation and spray glued it into place.
I had some extra foam tape from a previous project so I used that around the border to keep the quiet factor of the Lexus
Done passenger side
Installed driver side
I also scrubbed all the window scrapers and felts with soap, water and a toothbrush. I also cleaned the rollers and roller channels and regreased them with spray Lithium. Windows roll up and down much quicker now in the front.
I had some extra foam tape from a previous project so I used that around the border to keep the quiet factor of the Lexus
Done passenger side
Installed driver side
I also scrubbed all the window scrapers and felts with soap, water and a toothbrush. I also cleaned the rollers and roller channels and regreased them with spray Lithium. Windows roll up and down much quicker now in the front.
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- Thread starter
- #47
On Saturday, after the kids went to sleep, I decided to tackle these buttons that are inoperable on the ac control panel.
I pulled it apart to see if anything was obvious and nothing jumped out except I could see where the buttons that worked had a small, almost oily, imprint where the control board button made contact with the plastic finger button. The ones that did not work did not have that imprint.
I took the disassembled unit back to the truck and plugged it in. Every button on the control board worked. They must not be making contact. (Main culprits were the “Auto” and “Rear” Air buttons.
I took it back in and cut pieces to fit to add a little more “reach” to the plastic finger buttons. (I did this to all of them and it did not work).
EDIT: I TOOK IT BACK APART AND TOOK OFF ALL OF THE "EXTENSIONS" EXCEPT THE 2 THAT WERE GIVE ME ISSUES (LARGE AUTO BUTTON AND REAR AIR BUTTON).
This shows all of the Zip Tie pieces glued on but I took them all off as stated above.
I also cleaned out these ac vents real good with soap water and a brush.
All back together and every button works as it should. Very nice.
I pulled it apart to see if anything was obvious and nothing jumped out except I could see where the buttons that worked had a small, almost oily, imprint where the control board button made contact with the plastic finger button. The ones that did not work did not have that imprint.
I took the disassembled unit back to the truck and plugged it in. Every button on the control board worked. They must not be making contact. (Main culprits were the “Auto” and “Rear” Air buttons.
I took it back in and cut pieces to fit to add a little more “reach” to the plastic finger buttons. (I did this to all of them and it did not work).
EDIT: I TOOK IT BACK APART AND TOOK OFF ALL OF THE "EXTENSIONS" EXCEPT THE 2 THAT WERE GIVE ME ISSUES (LARGE AUTO BUTTON AND REAR AIR BUTTON).
This shows all of the Zip Tie pieces glued on but I took them all off as stated above.
I also cleaned out these ac vents real good with soap water and a brush.
All back together and every button works as it should. Very nice.
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- Thread starter
- #48
It seems like this is such a common issue. This upper latch is broken. They had a horrible fix that barely worked.
I found a latch on eBay in beige so I got it. This is from a Lexus ES300. I use a skinny electronics style Phillips screwdriver to get those little half hidden screws out. The reupholsterers did not glue the halves back together but I will.
What a waste of hardware and time... glad it’s fixed correctly now. The beige latch matches perfectly.
I found a latch on eBay in beige so I got it. This is from a Lexus ES300. I use a skinny electronics style Phillips screwdriver to get those little half hidden screws out. The reupholsterers did not glue the halves back together but I will.
What a waste of hardware and time... glad it’s fixed correctly now. The beige latch matches perfectly.
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- #49
St Patty’s Day!
We got an offer on the house today...
That means I need to start tying up some projects. I put the entire interior back in (dash, seats, consoles, etc... It’s nice to see it back together again and even better... everything works!
We got an offer on the house today...
That means I need to start tying up some projects. I put the entire interior back in (dash, seats, consoles, etc... It’s nice to see it back together again and even better... everything works!
- Thread starter
- #50
I had the day off today because my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins were in town so I took advantage of last night and got some work done.
I pulled the air box, MAF, intake lines (my first venture under the hood in this one). Filthy. The throttle body needs a deep clean, air filter looks decent and the bottom of the air box was awfully dirty.
The intake, not being my objective, I yanked the broken OEM headlights and park lights.
I then tested and installed the eBay Eagle Eyes headlights. Everything worked so I installed them. I wired the Halos and LEDs to the parking light circuit.
Parking lamps on.
We took the kids to the dentist this morning so I drove behind my wife so she could tell me if they were blinding. They had a closely equal cut on a nearby fence and she had no complaints so they will do for now until I have time to properly align them.
Walking out of the dentist, I saw this and it looked so good I had to take a pic.
I fiddled around with AHC a little with Techstream and it lowers but can’t get it to go into high. It does return to Normal when driven but not when sitting. High setting does not work at all.
I also notice my alternator doesn’t seem to be putting out excellent voltage all the time right now. I have a spare Denso unit so I will install that soon. I hope the one that is on it is a Denso so I can rebuild it.
I pulled the air box, MAF, intake lines (my first venture under the hood in this one). Filthy. The throttle body needs a deep clean, air filter looks decent and the bottom of the air box was awfully dirty.
The intake, not being my objective, I yanked the broken OEM headlights and park lights.
I then tested and installed the eBay Eagle Eyes headlights. Everything worked so I installed them. I wired the Halos and LEDs to the parking light circuit.
Parking lamps on.
We took the kids to the dentist this morning so I drove behind my wife so she could tell me if they were blinding. They had a closely equal cut on a nearby fence and she had no complaints so they will do for now until I have time to properly align them.
Walking out of the dentist, I saw this and it looked so good I had to take a pic.
I fiddled around with AHC a little with Techstream and it lowers but can’t get it to go into high. It does return to Normal when driven but not when sitting. High setting does not work at all.
I also notice my alternator doesn’t seem to be putting out excellent voltage all the time right now. I have a spare Denso unit so I will install that soon. I hope the one that is on it is a Denso so I can rebuild it.
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Beauski100
SILVER Star
Hope all is well. Still a fan of the lights? Looking into Eagle eye for my rig. thx and I appreciate the thread!
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- #52
So far so good. I do a lot of "in city" driving in Houston so our roads are pretty well lit up. The lights have a definite pattern on the road as compared to the factory lights which seem to scatter more but it doesn't affect me. I have yet to try them out in the sticks but the high beams are bright. They came loaded with all the bulbs and I did not swap them because I wanted to see the factory output before any changes.
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- #53
I am still here... just looking for houses every weekend. I have found time to get a little work done. I pulled the Roof Rack. Cleaned it up and painted it. I wasn’t going for a professional finish I just wanted the scratches and gouges covered.
It seems the free roof rack I got is from a later year 100 and has 3 mounting points and is longer so I could not use it.
Anthracite Plastidip with Glossifier
Rustoleum Auto Black
All the pieces...
It seems the free roof rack I got is from a later year 100 and has 3 mounting points and is longer so I could not use it.
Anthracite Plastidip with Glossifier
Rustoleum Auto Black
All the pieces...
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- #55
Here ya go.
Black CCFL Halo Projector Headlights RH + LH For 1998-2007 Lexus LX470 Black CCFL Halo Projector Headlights RH + LH For 1998-2007 Lexus LX470 | eBay
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- #56
This past weekend, I tackled the alternator. Of course, you need to remove the lower radiator hose, overflow reservoir and replace the Heater Tees so I drained all the coolant including the drain cock in the block.
Remanufactured Denso unit
Go to remove the overflow tank and see this:
And this:
This came out of the bottom of the reservoir. Chunky...
It has a new radiator in it and I know why.
I opened up the top of the radiator and hose and flushed with the hose as much as I could. I also shot water on to the thermostat and down into the block and let it all drain again. I filled it up with water and drove it around with both heaters on and got it hot. Came home and drained it. Rinsed and repeated two more times until the water ran clear. I then drained it all, cleaned out the reservoir and hose and refilled with good stuff.
Also, pulled off the old Heater Tees. Saved this one just in time. There was no tension between the hose and the broken Tee. I had to pull the hose of the plumbing on the motor and clean out the broken parts out of the hose. Luckily, no chunks fell into the system.
Remanufactured Denso unit
Go to remove the overflow tank and see this:
And this:
This came out of the bottom of the reservoir. Chunky...
It has a new radiator in it and I know why.
I opened up the top of the radiator and hose and flushed with the hose as much as I could. I also shot water on to the thermostat and down into the block and let it all drain again. I filled it up with water and drove it around with both heaters on and got it hot. Came home and drained it. Rinsed and repeated two more times until the water ran clear. I then drained it all, cleaned out the reservoir and hose and refilled with good stuff.
Also, pulled off the old Heater Tees. Saved this one just in time. There was no tension between the hose and the broken Tee. I had to pull the hose of the plumbing on the motor and clean out the broken parts out of the hose. Luckily, no chunks fell into the system.
- Thread starter
- #57
The good stuff. I am still burping the system but it looks so clean now. I am curious about the water pump condition.
Look at that throttle body!
Nice and clean now with a toothbrush and FI Cleaner.
Finally, got to the main purpose of the day and changed out the alternator.
I also cleaned out all the intake tubing and MAF sensor and added a new air filter.
After doing this the truck was idling at 1900-2000 RPM. My guess is they were compensating the dirtiness by adjusting the throttle cable... the adjustable nut was on its last couple of threads. I readjusted the cable back down where I was idling around 800 RPM. I will fine tune after the tune up.
Also, doing all this fixed an issue. When sitting in Park idling, if I rev’d it up, when the RPMs came back down it would die. It doesn’t do that anymore. Hooray!
Look at that throttle body!
Nice and clean now with a toothbrush and FI Cleaner.
Finally, got to the main purpose of the day and changed out the alternator.
I also cleaned out all the intake tubing and MAF sensor and added a new air filter.
After doing this the truck was idling at 1900-2000 RPM. My guess is they were compensating the dirtiness by adjusting the throttle cable... the adjustable nut was on its last couple of threads. I readjusted the cable back down where I was idling around 800 RPM. I will fine tune after the tune up.
Also, doing all this fixed an issue. When sitting in Park idling, if I rev’d it up, when the RPMs came back down it would die. It doesn’t do that anymore. Hooray!
For the AHC, have you tried a switch that you know works? Mine stopped going into high setting. When I’d push the switch to high, the indicator light wouldn’t even blink on high like it’s supposed to. I got a switch from another mud member, pulled mine and installed the new one. Now it works perfectly. Maybe you’ll have the same luck.
2001LC
SILVER Star
You're doing excellent work. Your door panel conversion was one I've wonder if could be done. Nice job!
Coolant gunk looked nasty. Someone may have used a few cans of stop leak. They may have even poured one directly into reservoir. I don't ever like using tap water in coolant system, nor a chemical flush. Exception is when stop leak added (bad stuff). In those I've used BG coolant flush. Flowed by distilled water flushes, repeating until runs clear.
Anytime I see any issue with coolant system, including new radiator. I inspecting ever inch of head gasket, early on in a restore.
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- #60
Thanks. I agree completely. I should have mentioned after washing and running with city water I did the last flush with 3 gallons of Distilled Water before draining and refilling with Toyota Red and Distilled. I don't want to risk Dielectric Corrosion from the inside. I also took my shop Vac, reversed to make a blower, and blew the water out of the block and radiator...
While the Belt was off, I had too much spin in the Idler and Tensioner Pulley Bearings. One or both also squeak a little.
Anyone know the Replacement Bearing #s?
I would prefer a Timken or NSK, maybe a SKF...
