New-To-Me 1997 LX450 (5 Viewers)

[mcbs]

They can loosen in a lot less time than that.

well, how about loose lug nuts... the idiot that put the tire on never torqued the lugs. wait, that was me. close call...

 

[mcbs]

For those following along - some updates on my journey to get the rig right.

- Multiple attempts to declog the sunroof which was finally successful but included applying RTV to many areas where the foam deteriorated
- new rear and front rotors
- disassembled both rear door locking mechanisms, cleaned and re-greased locks. Doors lock with the clicker finally.
- in the midst of replacing the gears for the moving seats, vis-a-vie gramviti replacement gears.
- the notorious new head unit whine, solved by bypassing the amplifier
- a nice ole ARB front bumper installed
- fixed the electronic antennae dealio

Should do a better job of taking photos to document these repairs. Just in the ole memory bank for now.

Will be completing the seat gears and then replacing rear brake calipers soon. How often do we people feel the need to replace the rear wheel bearings etc? No play in my rear wheels, just thinking ahead. closing in on 200k miles - at 198.5k right now.

 

[mcbs]

Also ! Forgot to ask -

after listening to the advice of many, i believe I tracked down the mysterious leak in the front end. It seems to be a power steering leak. Put some UV dye in the power steering fluid and found it mostly on the back of the pump. The yellow in the photo shows the dye.

Anyone have experience troubleshooting powersteering leaks? Is this a sign of pump failure?

 

[mcbs]

Lastly - any recommendations on speaker upgrades? not looking to break the bank, just an improvement from 30 yr old broken speakers is all.

I did upgrade the head-unit and bypassed the amplifier so I imagine that changes which speakers can be upgraded. Would appreciate any insight!

 

[duece71]

These 2 items above are on my short list…..I have a tiny PS leak that I want to fix. I have an older pump however, different rebuild kit than some of the newer LCs.

 

[BucketEighty]

The PS pump has a few o-rings in it that wear out and start leaking. If you want to fix it on the cheap you can buy the o-rings, remove the pump, replace the o-rings, and reinstall the pump.

I opted for replacing the pump with a new OEM. There’s a good FAQ thread on how to do it. At the same time, I did the high pressure hose with a Gates part from Rock Auto, low pressure hoses with a kit I got from Wits End before it closed but the kit is just pre-cut transmission cooler hoses that you can source from a local auto parts store, and I replaced the reservoir since mine was leaking at the crimped-on top piece that the cap screws into.

The hardest part was getting the transmission cooler hose pushed onto the paper clip cooler fittings, the available fractional inch size hose is a little too small for the Toyota metric fittings and I fought it hard to get it on. I recommend using a screwdriver to install some tacky bearing grease on the inside of the hose and also greasing the fitting and then push with all your might to get them on. The hose Wits End sold was some high end Continental insta-grip braid reinforced hose that was really difficult to install, and for the most troublesome fitting I ended up using a cheaper Gates hose from the auto parts store that was less reinforced and didn’t try to weld itself to the fitting immediately.

You can also let it leak for a long time (years) before it becomes a problem.

 

[mcbs]

The PS pump has a few o-rings in it that wear out and start leaking. If you want to fix it on the cheap you can buy the o-rings, remove the pump, replace the o-rings, and reinstall the pump.

I opted for replacing the pump with a new OEM. There’s a good FAQ thread on how to do it. At the same time, I did the high pressure hose with a Gates part from Rock Auto, low pressure hoses with a kit I got from Wits End before it closed but the kit is just pre-cut transmission cooler hoses that you can source from a local auto parts store, and I replaced the reservoir since mine was leaking at the crimped-on top piece that the cap screws into.

The hardest part was getting the transmission cooler hose pushed onto the paper clip cooler fittings, the available fractional inch size hose is a little too small for the Toyota metric fittings and I fought it hard to get it on. I recommend using a screwdriver to install some tacky bearing grease on the inside of the hose and also greasing the fitting and then push with all your might to get them on. The hose Wits End sold was some high end Continental insta-grip braid reinforced hose that was really difficult to install, and for the most troublesome fitting I ended up using a cheaper Gates hose from the auto parts store that was less reinforced and didn’t try to weld itself to the fitting immediately.

You can also let it leak for a long time (years) before it becomes a problem.

Right on - thanks for the info on the hoses.

I found this video on youtube - albeit for a 1HZ - and it is a pretty informative video, though I am not sure if it is the same for the 1FZ. Considering rebuilding it, though I may just buy OEM. I have read issues about others purchasing reman'ed pumps.

 

[mcbs]

These 2 items above are on my short list…..I have a tiny PS leak that I want to fix. I have an older pump however, different rebuild kit than some of the newer LCs.

What is the other item? Speakers or rear wheel bearings or rear calipers lol.

I should add rear rotors to my list of completed items only because I accidentally bought rear rotors ha! So now I've got all new rotors!

 

[duece71]

What is the other item? Speakers or rear wheel bearings or rear calipers lol.

I should add rear rotors to my list of completed items only because I accidentally bought rear rotors ha! So now I've got all new rotors!

lol, well…many items really but PS and a new sound system. The old Japanese “carrozzeria” (Pioneer) gets 2 radio stations.