New owner here - am I properly 'baselined'?

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O

oftpiste

10 Year
Joined
Apr 28, 2013
Threads
24
Messages
367
Location
Seattle
I think so, but would appreciate input.

'03 LC, 123k. What's been done is as follows:

*New axles and boots at 122k

* OME 2"(I think) suspension kit including springs and shocks at 118k

*90k service including timing belt and water pump (no sticker but have receipt for service), transmission flush, drain and fill xfer case and front and rear diffs at 105k.

*Air filter, iridium plugs, transmission filter kit at 66k

Service records are not totally complete, but it appears everything's been done as it should be. Pre-purchase inspection by independent Toyota/LC specialists shop indicated all fluids looked good, correct coolant, oil clean, brake pads at 45% front and 60% rear, no problems. They said they almost always find something but not this time. They did grease the driveline at the inspection.

I was thinking about having suspension bushings replaced or at a minimum having everything torqued under there, maybe an air filter and plugs?

Anything I'm missing? Thanks. Research here made me a reasonably educated buyer for which I'm very grateful.
 
sounds like all your PM is up to date for the most part. air filter is probably good - pop open the box and see how dirty it is, don't think you'd need to replace the plugs at this time perhaps others have opinions. all you really have to do now is keep feeding her gasoline!
 
So I'm probably OK with plugs for a while. The cabin filter - or finding out if I'm a lucky one who has at least the housing - is on my list.

Feeding her gas seems to be the easy part. Easier than I wish it were. I presume everyone runs premium, right?
 
don't know. invoice reads, "Cardone Select Drive Shaft, CV Half-Shaft Asm (2) 66-5185"

Is that important?
 
greenbeast said:
Did I miss the PICS???
Click to expand...

Heh. I put one up in my overly-long-winded self introduction, but here it is again!

IMG_2545.webp
 
oftpiste said:
don't know. invoice reads, "Cardone Select Drive Shaft, CV Half-Shaft Asm (2) 66-5185"

Is that important?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to say, but yes this is a problem. The Cardone CV's are not OEM. There are no aftermarket CV's that will hold up in the 100. Now, to be fair I've not see a report of that particular brand, but the collective knowledge is that there is no valid replacement for OEM when it comes to that part. The CV is the weakest part in the drivetrain, even with the robustness of Toyota quality. If it were me I'd replace both with OEM, definitely if you plan to take it off road.

Probably not as critical if you don't wheel...
 
I run regular and a lot of others do to. I think you're pretty set for PM for awhile. Maybe replace the T-heater hose just to be safe. Have the front wheel bearings been repacked? If not you could have that done when you replace the front pads and or rotors. In the mean time, enjoy and address issues as they arrise.
 
OregonLC said:
I'm sorry to say, but yes this is a problem.

Probably not as critical if you don't wheel...
Click to expand...

Well that blows! I'm sure the previous owner wasn't a serious enthusiast (not that I am either - yet) so he probably did what the shop recommended, but obviously it wasn't done at a dealership. My wheeling is pretty minimal, mountain bike shuttles on FS roads and lots of snow time in the winter.

can I keep an eye on them and live with it for a while?

hmmmm.... regular would be nice! all my other cars need #$%^& premium.
 
Here are some CV threads. You can make your own risk/reward decision. I just can't believe a $50 china CV will hold up. I've had mine apart to re-boot and the OEM is beefy. The NAPA ones are a known failure. The Cardone brand is new to me. I don't believe anyone here is running anything other than OEM.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php?p=6772089&postcount=55

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/506436-aftermarket-half-shaft.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/453563-replacement-cv-axle.html
 
OregonLC, if he's relatively stock and only running fire service roads, the aftermarket CVs will probably be fine. I wouldn't rush out and replace them tomorrow. But I would if you start lifting and adding bigger tires, more weight and harder off roading.

Go ahead, use regular. There has been some debate on here about regular vs premium. Some claiming premium yeilds better gas mileage. That hasn't been my experience but I live at sea level. Apparently the owners manual suggests regular for some years and premium for another with the same engine and drivetrain. One theory is that Toyota figured that those buying a $55k, $80k in today's money, luxury SUV expect to use premium. Premium will help keep the fuel system cleaner but the 4.7L isn't a high compression engine subject to pinging so go regular if you want.
 
Interesting. Perhaps a little experimenting is in order.

I've always run premium in my Saab Aero which is chipped and breathing easier than it was stock among other things, and I run it 90% of the time in my '94 suburban (which will get sold in lieu of the LC) but it needed it with its high mileage I figured, and we do a lot of mountain driving in the winter and when I ran regular in it it did ping a bit on climbs.

Of course, it's running like a champ with 275 k. Good case for premium maybe? I'll fool around with it a bit and listen carefully.
 
I was at the dealer yesterday and asked them about the aftermarket axles I had. FWIW, they want $800 per side to replace them with OEM. I asked if the service writer thought I should worry and his take was no, not unless theres a problem. He also indicated I'd know if there were a problem prior to having a serious one under normal usage. Of course in an off road situation i could break one, but the likelihood is I won't be doing much - if any - serious offroading, just mountain and fire roads from time to time.

$800 per side sure makes me want to wait!

OregonLC said:
Here are some CV threads. You can make your own risk/reward decision. I just can't believe a $50 china CV will hold up. I've had mine apart to re-boot and the OEM is beefy. The NAPA ones are a known failure. The Cardone brand is new to me. I don't believe anyone here is running anything other than OEM.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php?p=6772089&postcount=55

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/506436-aftermarket-half-shaft.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/453563-replacement-cv-axle.html
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like you're good to go :cool: I keep a spare coil pack in my glove box and a cheap Amazon code reader in the console. I had one randomly fail on the road and it wasn't fun. Something to consider.

As for the shafts I agree with everyone OEM is by far the way to go. I've hammered on my Napa CV's a little harder than I wanted to a few times with 315's and a front ARB and have not broke one yet---yet. I think they are to blame for a slight vibration I have while on the throttle between 45-50mph.. With the off-roading you have in mind (assuming the shafts don't vibrate and they don't 'click') I think you would see signs of premature wear and be able to change them out long before they break/fail.

Andrew
 
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