Hi everyone,
I'm a new member and poster here. I just bought a 2004 Land Cruiser HZJ105 and I'm hoping to start doing some of my own maintenance on it. I did take it to the dealer once I got it to find out what needed to be done but I'd like to get some advice here and maybe some tips and tricks on doing the work. I've bought the Gregory's service & repair manual but sometimes I feel like that makes it more complicated than it really needs to be. So here's what the dealer said:
1. "The transmission, transfer case, and diff oils should be changed." That's easy enough to do so no problems there.
2. "The handbrake needs attention." I figure I can try adjusting it initially to see if that does the trick but it may need new shoes. Again, should be easy enough following the manual but if anybody has any tips, they are greatly appreciated.
3. "The bearings need to be repacked and new seals put in." Again, I should be ok following the service manual instruction but I have a couple questions about this. Do I need to completely disassemble the locking hubs to get to the front bearings or can they mostly come off as one piece? Do I need to drain the diffs before pulling the hubs off? I was planning on renewing the diff oils this weekend but if I'll have to drain them again anyways to do the bearings, I might as well wait. And what else in the hub is worth replacing while I have it pulled apart (gaskets, snap rings, etc.)? Obviously I'll replace things if they look worn but I don't know about anything else.
4. "The suspension bushings should be replaced." I don't have (and can't afford) a shop press but I've seen videos of how to make a homemade bushing press using a bolt, nut, washers, and couple of sockets. I'm just not sure if it's really worth the effort and time to do all of the bushings myself and if it's worth just taking it to a professional mechanic for that. I didn't ask specifics of which bushings but I figure I might as well do them in the panhard rods, control arms, and sway bars.
Anyways, any help or suggestions anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated! And I'll probably be back with more questions as things progress.
I'm a new member and poster here. I just bought a 2004 Land Cruiser HZJ105 and I'm hoping to start doing some of my own maintenance on it. I did take it to the dealer once I got it to find out what needed to be done but I'd like to get some advice here and maybe some tips and tricks on doing the work. I've bought the Gregory's service & repair manual but sometimes I feel like that makes it more complicated than it really needs to be. So here's what the dealer said:
1. "The transmission, transfer case, and diff oils should be changed." That's easy enough to do so no problems there.
2. "The handbrake needs attention." I figure I can try adjusting it initially to see if that does the trick but it may need new shoes. Again, should be easy enough following the manual but if anybody has any tips, they are greatly appreciated.
3. "The bearings need to be repacked and new seals put in." Again, I should be ok following the service manual instruction but I have a couple questions about this. Do I need to completely disassemble the locking hubs to get to the front bearings or can they mostly come off as one piece? Do I need to drain the diffs before pulling the hubs off? I was planning on renewing the diff oils this weekend but if I'll have to drain them again anyways to do the bearings, I might as well wait. And what else in the hub is worth replacing while I have it pulled apart (gaskets, snap rings, etc.)? Obviously I'll replace things if they look worn but I don't know about anything else.
4. "The suspension bushings should be replaced." I don't have (and can't afford) a shop press but I've seen videos of how to make a homemade bushing press using a bolt, nut, washers, and couple of sockets. I'm just not sure if it's really worth the effort and time to do all of the bushings myself and if it's worth just taking it to a professional mechanic for that. I didn't ask specifics of which bushings but I figure I might as well do them in the panhard rods, control arms, and sway bars.
Anyways, any help or suggestions anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated! And I'll probably be back with more questions as things progress.
