Need advice with an used (my first) TLC
- Thread starter bhashwat
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- #43
It's made for us guys between 5'10 and 6'0"
Are there adjustments that can be made to fit someone who is.... say... not between 5'10 and 6'0? It seems like the adjustments using the adjustment buttons do not help much for someone who is 5'5.
I don't really know, I would just deflate it and run without the lumbar sticking you in the wrong place. You might start a new thread with this question, I'm sure someone might have the answer. Good luck.
Congrats on your new ride. The LC is a fantastic traveling suv. Mileage is a drawback, but not for the capabilities it has.
I suggest you go to a dealer and test out an LC and try its seat. Check out the info in its owners manual. Yours should have all the same adjustments. It sounds like something is not working for you. It is a 10 way adjustment seat. The lumbar should be able to be reduced all the way or moved out to where it can be uncomfortable for some. Pick the level that fits you best. Both My wife and I (5'2 and 6'2) have found good settings. In the LX it has memory and I just push my button, but in the LC we did our adjustments each time we drove.
I suggest you go to a dealer and test out an LC and try its seat. Check out the info in its owners manual. Yours should have all the same adjustments. It sounds like something is not working for you. It is a 10 way adjustment seat. The lumbar should be able to be reduced all the way or moved out to where it can be uncomfortable for some. Pick the level that fits you best. Both My wife and I (5'2 and 6'2) have found good settings. In the LX it has memory and I just push my button, but in the LC we did our adjustments each time we drove.
Congrats on the "new" LC!
When I first test drove my "new" '99 LC last spring, I could hear wind noise as well. My first highway drive that noise turned to a whistle at times - there was a definate gap on the driver side of the windshield somewhere. Had a local glass company re-caulk (some kind of black silicone stuff) the left windshield post. No difference.
Took it back and a second guy removed the dash and used a spray water bottle all along the inside bottom of the windshield, then blew compressed air from the outside. Sure enough he found a 3-4 inch section that wasn't sealed properly. He sealed it and now there is no windshield noise!
Try taking it to a good auto glass place and check it out for you. It cost me $50 I think it was for them to do this - well worth it!
When I first test drove my "new" '99 LC last spring, I could hear wind noise as well. My first highway drive that noise turned to a whistle at times - there was a definate gap on the driver side of the windshield somewhere. Had a local glass company re-caulk (some kind of black silicone stuff) the left windshield post. No difference.
Took it back and a second guy removed the dash and used a spray water bottle all along the inside bottom of the windshield, then blew compressed air from the outside. Sure enough he found a 3-4 inch section that wasn't sealed properly. He sealed it and now there is no windshield noise!
Try taking it to a good auto glass place and check it out for you. It cost me $50 I think it was for them to do this - well worth it!
- Thread starter
- #48
I will have to get another master key from CDan for ~175 bucks (with remote buttons). Painful... but must be done.... Or maybe I should settle for one valet key and a second master with no remote buttons. That does not seem like a bad idea......
- Thread starter
- #49
90K service plan:
This weekend, I am going to flush/change all fluids to get a baseline. I will use synthetic fluids where possible - front and rear diffs, transfer case, tramsmission, radiator and engine oils (am I missing any?).
I have been given an estimate of $400 to get all this done. They are charging me 60 each for the front and rear diffs, 90 for the tranny flush, 70 for the coolant flush, 60 for the transfer case and 60 for the synthetic oil change. I would try to be a DIYer, but not now - it is coooooooooold. Unless any of these is so blatantly easy........ And yes, I have never done any of it before, but would like to........
Next month, I will get the timing and serpentine belts, the water pump, radiator hoses and the spark plugs replaced. Then I think I should be good to go for quite a while.
This weekend, I am going to flush/change all fluids to get a baseline. I will use synthetic fluids where possible - front and rear diffs, transfer case, tramsmission, radiator and engine oils (am I missing any?).
I have been given an estimate of $400 to get all this done. They are charging me 60 each for the front and rear diffs, 90 for the tranny flush, 70 for the coolant flush, 60 for the transfer case and 60 for the synthetic oil change. I would try to be a DIYer, but not now - it is coooooooooold. Unless any of these is so blatantly easy........ And yes, I have never done any of it before, but would like to........
Next month, I will get the timing and serpentine belts, the water pump, radiator hoses and the spark plugs replaced. Then I think I should be good to go for quite a while.
Don't put synthetic in your transmission and don't do a transmission flush. Just do a regular transmission service with Toyota transmission fluid. Also you don't need to change the plugs until you get to 120K miles. When you do the anti freeze us the Toyota antifreeze.
Most of these fluid changes are pretty easy and only require basic tools. Look in the FAQ sections for detailed instructions. Doing these fluid changes is a great way to familiarize yourself with the vehicle. As far as the cold weather, these fluids could run a little longer until it warms up.
- Thread starter
- #52
SWUUtah, Why not the transmission flush?
Granted, when I checked the color of the tranny oil today, it looked decent. However, since I do not know how well the previous owners took care of the vehicle, I would like to establish a baseline for all fluids. I am curious as to why you are discouraging a tranny flush. Is it because it is simply not necessary or because it could do harm if done?
Also, I did my first ever oil change today.
It took a loooooong time (more than an hour)
, but I got it done. I will make up for the money I spent on tools when I do my second oil change already. It felt good being underneath the vehicle. I put Mobil 1 synthetic on it with mobil 1 oil filter as well. The oil that was in there was dirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrty. It was really really dirty. I am worried that the PO might not have done the oil changes on time. I plan on doing one or two oil changes around 3000 miles, and only then going to the 7000 mile cycle if the oil analysis shows everthing being ok. I also changed the air filter today, which was very dirty. I do not think the PO took care of the vehicle well.
Also, I got a one day membership to techinfo.toyota.com and downloaded all the repair manuals. I followed the oil change directions from there.
Next - over the weekend, I plan on doing the differential oil changes for both the rear and front.
- Any suggestions on what oil to put in the diffs?
- Any ideas on what coolant to put in there for Minnesota (it consistently gets below zero for days at a time here)?
Regards.
SWUUtah, Why not the transmission flush?
Granted, when I checked the color of the tranny oil today, it looked decent. However, since I do not know how well the previous owners took care of the vehicle, I would like to establish a baseline for all fluids. I am curious as to why you are discouraging a tranny flush. Is it because it is simply not necessary or because it could do harm if done?
Also, I did my first ever oil change today.
I also changed the air filter today, which was very dirty. I do not think the PO took care of the vehicle well.
Also, I got a one day membership to techinfo.toyota.com and downloaded all the repair manuals. I followed the oil change directions from there.
Next - over the weekend, I plan on doing the differential oil changes for both the rear and front.
Also over the weekend, I plan on doing a coolant drain and putting in new coolant.
- Any suggestions on what oil to put in the diffs?
I very much appreciate the advice/suggestions from this forum. The instructions on downloading repair manuals was so great as well.
- Any ideas on what coolant to put in there for Minnesota (it consistently gets below zero for days at a time here)?
Regards.
The 100 series is very tough and will stand up to less then good care. I wouldn't do the flush unless you know that they will not put anything but transmission fluid in your transmission. No cleaner or it might fail in a few thousand miles. I also recommend that you use the Toyota transmission fluid not a synthetic. You transmission is very very robust and if you service it in the future every 30K miles meaning drop the pan and check/clean the metal screen you should never have any transmission problems. I would recommend dropping the pan and cleaning the screen this time along with the complete fluid exchange if you want to do a exchange. I'm calling it exchange because you don't want any pressure other then the toyota trans pump moving the fluid in and out of the transmission. Good luck.
If you do a drain and fill of the transmission fluid with every oil change on your 3000 interval you will have done pretty well by the transmission. This is very easy, even easier than an engine oil change as there is no filter. For the drain and fill there is no big advantage in expensive synthetics because you are "diluting/refreshing" the old fluid a bit at a time. Use any Dexron III from a quality manufacturer (Chevron has a good rep from people who know a lot but I have no personal experiance).
If you have an exchange done ensure the following ...
1. Nothing but Dexron II/III transmission fluid is put in the tranny (absolutely no chemical cleaners or "flushes")
2. The exchange is done with the tranmission's own pump or the external pump is at a very low pressure. (some exchange systems operate at a high pressure and can damage internal components)
3. Have them use all new fluid. Some cleaning systems take the old fluid run it through a filter and place it back into your transmission . They may add a bottle of transmission additives to make up for those lost in the fluid. Do not go for this.
SWUtah did you find anything when you removed the pan and inspected the screen? I think this is probably overkill. (I was planning on doing it to my rig too.
)
For the differential oil read this thread - 75w-90 for the Diffs ? Differentials and T-case are very easy. They have two bolts and they cannot be overfilled. You may need a gear oil pump ($6).
Inspect the Brakes and base-line the brake fluid. (Brake fluid absorbs water over time and should be replaced every 2-3 years.)
If you are removing the coolant it might be a good time to add a block heater for Minnesota cold starts. NAPA carries one that installs in a freeze plug for $40. Toyota Long Life Factory Red Coolant at 65% with 35% distilled water will provide freeze protection to -65 degrees.
If you have an exchange done ensure the following ...
1. Nothing but Dexron II/III transmission fluid is put in the tranny (absolutely no chemical cleaners or "flushes")
2. The exchange is done with the tranmission's own pump or the external pump is at a very low pressure. (some exchange systems operate at a high pressure and can damage internal components)
3. Have them use all new fluid. Some cleaning systems take the old fluid run it through a filter and place it back into your transmission . They may add a bottle of transmission additives to make up for those lost in the fluid. Do not go for this.
SWUtah did you find anything when you removed the pan and inspected the screen? I think this is probably overkill. (I was planning on doing it to my rig too.
) For the differential oil read this thread - 75w-90 for the Diffs ? Differentials and T-case are very easy. They have two bolts and they cannot be overfilled. You may need a gear oil pump ($6).
Inspect the Brakes and base-line the brake fluid. (Brake fluid absorbs water over time and should be replaced every 2-3 years.)
If you are removing the coolant it might be a good time to add a block heater for Minnesota cold starts. NAPA carries one that installs in a freeze plug for $40. Toyota Long Life Factory Red Coolant at 65% with 35% distilled water will provide freeze protection to -65 degrees.
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If you do a drain and fill of the transmission fluid with every oil change on your 3000 interval you will have done pretty well by the transmission. This is very easy, even easier than an engine oil change as there is no filter. For the drain and fill there is no big advantage in expensive synthetics because you are "diluting/refreshing" the old fluid a bit at a time. Use any Dexron III from a quality manufacturer (Chevron has a good rep from people who know a lot but I have no personal experiance).
If you have an exchange done ensure the following ...
1. Nothing but Dexron II/III transmission fluid is put in the tranny (absolutely no chemical cleaners or "flushes")
2. The exchange is done with the tranmission's own pump or the external pump is at a very low pressure. (some exchange systems operate at a high pressure and can damage internal components)
3. Have them use all new fluid. Some cleaning systems take the old fluid run it through a filter and place it back into your transmission . They may add a bottle of transmission additives to make up for those lost in the fluid. Do not go for this.
SWUtah did you find anything when you removed the pan and inspected the screen? I think this is probably overkill. (I was planning on doing it to my rig too.
For the differential oil read this thread - 75w-90 for the Diffs ? Differentials and T-case are very easy. They have two bolts and they cannot be overfilled. You may need a gear oil pump ($6).
Inspect the Brakes and base-line the brake fluid. (Brake fluid absorbs water over time and should be replaced every 2-3 years.)
If you are removing the coolant it might be a good time to add a block heater for Minnesota cold starts. NAPA carries one that installs in a freeze plug for $40. Toyota Long Life Factory Red Coolant at 65% with 35% distilled water will provide freeze protection to -65 degrees.
I did the exchange on my 95 FZJ80 with synthetic mobil 1 transmission fluid no additives and only used the transmission pump to exchange the fluid. It took 23 quarts to move all the old out and end up with new fluid. On my 99 only did pan removal and screen cleaning. Now that I have a 2004 LX that uses the new WS transmission fluid I won't have the first change until 100K miles. I will only do the pan and screen cleaning in the future, since it gives you a good idea what kind of shape the transmission is in and is all that the LX/LC transmission needs. A good way to determine if your fluid is good is to drip some fluid on a clean white paper towel. When it dries if it is pink without a black boarder then it is ok no change is needed. If it has a black boarder then do the service, if it is all black or grey with no pink then you need to do a flush and recheck within a few miles.
Jim_Chow
V8_Fan
Unless you suspect it was abused, I don't think you'd have to drop the tranny pan and clean the screen. I had the toyota dealer do mine. The tech happened to be the only ex-lexus tech at the dealer. Anyways, it helps if you ask the SM questions like how they change the fluid, how much fluid they use, etc. I called a couple of lex dealers and the local award-winning toyota dealer. Lex dealer #1, the SM didn't know if they just did a drain & fill (3 qts) or used the machine connected to the ATF cooler lines. They use Toyota brand ATF (type IV in my case). He suspected just a drain & fill...for $180! Lex dealer #2 said they use the machine w/ 12 qts toyota brand ATF, but charged $228 w/ loaner, free coffee & pastries. The toyota dealer said they used the machine w/ 16 qts toyota brand ATF, $150, even free coffee & pastries! Anyways, the lex and toyota dealer don't drain the pan...just connect cooler lines to the machine full of fresh ATF and run the engine. By draining the pan, the only advantage you get is to see if there is an unusually large amount of metal shavings. With my vehicle, I know it was dealer serviced (full records), meaning a drain & fill at 15K intervals and full exchange at 30K intervals (the lexus recommendation). My plan is to have a full exchange done every 30K. After all, the owner's manual says to merely inspect it unless it's primarily used for towing. FYI, the toyota recommended service in the owner's manual is more like the minimum maintenance, while the lexus dealer recommended service (like changing the diff/tcase fluids every 15K, inspecting the t-belt and regapping valves (valve train tear-down) at 60K ($2.4K) is for guys who have lots of spare $$$ to burn (or those who can use it as a business vehicle and can deduct the service).
The toyota dealer said they used the machine w/ 16 qts toyota brand ATF, $150, even free coffee & pastries! Anyways, the lex and toyota dealer don't drain the pan...just connect cooler lines to the machine full of fresh ATF and run the engine. By draining the pan, the only advantage you get is to see if there is an unusually large amount of metal shavings. With my vehicle, I know it was dealer serviced (full records), meaning a drain & fill at 15K intervals and full exchange at 30K intervals (the lexus recommendation). My plan is to have a full exchange done every 30K. After all, the owner's manual says to merely inspect it unless it's primarily used for towing. FYI, the toyota recommended service in the owner's manual is more like the minimum maintenance, while the lexus dealer recommended service (like changing the diff/tcase fluids every 15K, inspecting the t-belt and regapping valves (valve train tear-down) at 60K ($2.4K) is for guys who have lots of spare $$$ to burn (or those who can use it as a business vehicle and can deduct the service).
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My best advice is to get it inspected by someone with no vested interest in the deal. Surpri$es really suck and can be a hideous experience. The more you know about it before you drop the money, the better. So may warranties seem to expire as you drive off the lot.
