Just joined the forum after lurking for a few weeks while searching for a cross-country camping vehicle for my recently retired wife and I. We'd settled the possibilities down to 4Runner/GX470 or Tacoma, an FJ Cruiser if we could find one in our budget, or sort of dreamed about a 100 Land Cruiser/LX470. Strangely enough, a 2005 LX 470 w/ 135K on it in seemingly great shape is going to become ours on Tuesday.
This is my first post here, and it's going to be REALLY stupid.. hopefully, I'll get better once we pick it up, drive it home, and I can spend some quality time with it in my garage. I know the standard answer to noob questions is, "Google," "read the FAQ, idiot," and "search the forums," and I've done that, but evidently my Google-Fu is quite weak. Anyway, here's a few questions if anyone would be kind enough to answer them..
1. The vin# original eqiupments shows "Tow Package" and "Trailer Tow." The vehicle has the wiring and jack with the round 7-pin connector under the rear bumper on the left side, but I see no evidence of an actual hitch receiver. Crawled under the car and saw what look like holes in the frame for where the factory Lexus hitch would be mounted, but no evidence that one was ever mounted there. I called my local dealership and asked if the vehicles sold with the "tow package" were just hitch-ready but the hitch itself was an option, and they told me the receiver should be there underneath the coverplate in the center of the bumper. Since I didn't see anything underneath the car when I checked it out, I didn't think to pull off that cover. Is there really a receiver there?!? See.. I told you it was going to be stupid. All the pics I've seen show a hitch receiver hanging out underneath the bumper... ?
2. This one, too, is stupid and probably unrelated to the interests of all the serious off-roaders here (whose ranks I hope to join eventually), BUT... the dealer who sold me this car had replaced the Levinson amplifier underneath the passenger seat with a Russian-sourced repaired Levinson from a 2004, and he couldn't figure out how to get it remounted properly so it's just sitting on the floor behind the passenger seat. He's got the original brackets and trim pieces, plus some slightly different brackets that came w/ the amp he bought. I never had a chance to see the original installation, and can't find anything anywhere on the 'net/YouTube about re-installing this amp on this vehicle. Leaving it on the floor in front of the back seat isn't an option. Can anyone help?
3. Had a '93 Range Rover County LWB w/ the air supsension.. Really fun and neat until it wasn't. Ripped it all off myself and put on an OME/Bilstein setup and loved it. On the LX470, the hydraulic suspension system seems to be working properly for now and I've read the info re/ replacing/renewing the fluid and bleeding the system which will be one of the first things I do. HOWEVER, having been through the bump-stop tango w/ the Rover and planning a month-or-two-long cross country and back trip w/ the LX, the idea of adjustable suspension issues while "out there" scares me. Should I rip it out before we head out? It looks much more involved than what I had to do on the Rover; I'm a "follow the directions" kind of mechanic w/out a lift.. I've done quite a bit of stuff, but am not real good at figuring out things or diagnosing problems. Is the AHC system dependable enough to risk a major road trip to remote areas?
4. Timing belt was done at 79K, and it's at 135K now. Do it before heading out, or trust it? Interference engine/life ends as we know it if the belt breaks, or non-interference/just stranded until new one is on?
5. If I can't get detailed service records from the local dealership based on Vin#, I'll have to sort of restart the scheduled maintenance..umm... schedule. Dealer said he did oil change. Transmission, transfer case, differentials, coolant, brake fluid, hydraulic suspension fluid, lubricate.. anything else I should do right away? Bullet-proofing ideas (hopefully, being a Toyota, it's already most of the way bulletproof to begin with.. that's why we narrowed it down to these vehicles. Been stranded way too many times in Rovers and Mercedes... all old, though. We can't do new.. that's a societal strata we ain't gonna reach).
Guess that's it for now. Thanks in advance for any help thrown our way.. much appreciated.
This is my first post here, and it's going to be REALLY stupid.. hopefully, I'll get better once we pick it up, drive it home, and I can spend some quality time with it in my garage. I know the standard answer to noob questions is, "Google," "read the FAQ, idiot," and "search the forums," and I've done that, but evidently my Google-Fu is quite weak. Anyway, here's a few questions if anyone would be kind enough to answer them..
1. The vin# original eqiupments shows "Tow Package" and "Trailer Tow." The vehicle has the wiring and jack with the round 7-pin connector under the rear bumper on the left side, but I see no evidence of an actual hitch receiver. Crawled under the car and saw what look like holes in the frame for where the factory Lexus hitch would be mounted, but no evidence that one was ever mounted there. I called my local dealership and asked if the vehicles sold with the "tow package" were just hitch-ready but the hitch itself was an option, and they told me the receiver should be there underneath the coverplate in the center of the bumper. Since I didn't see anything underneath the car when I checked it out, I didn't think to pull off that cover. Is there really a receiver there?!? See.. I told you it was going to be stupid. All the pics I've seen show a hitch receiver hanging out underneath the bumper... ?
2. This one, too, is stupid and probably unrelated to the interests of all the serious off-roaders here (whose ranks I hope to join eventually), BUT... the dealer who sold me this car had replaced the Levinson amplifier underneath the passenger seat with a Russian-sourced repaired Levinson from a 2004, and he couldn't figure out how to get it remounted properly so it's just sitting on the floor behind the passenger seat. He's got the original brackets and trim pieces, plus some slightly different brackets that came w/ the amp he bought. I never had a chance to see the original installation, and can't find anything anywhere on the 'net/YouTube about re-installing this amp on this vehicle. Leaving it on the floor in front of the back seat isn't an option. Can anyone help?
3. Had a '93 Range Rover County LWB w/ the air supsension.. Really fun and neat until it wasn't. Ripped it all off myself and put on an OME/Bilstein setup and loved it. On the LX470, the hydraulic suspension system seems to be working properly for now and I've read the info re/ replacing/renewing the fluid and bleeding the system which will be one of the first things I do. HOWEVER, having been through the bump-stop tango w/ the Rover and planning a month-or-two-long cross country and back trip w/ the LX, the idea of adjustable suspension issues while "out there" scares me. Should I rip it out before we head out? It looks much more involved than what I had to do on the Rover; I'm a "follow the directions" kind of mechanic w/out a lift.. I've done quite a bit of stuff, but am not real good at figuring out things or diagnosing problems. Is the AHC system dependable enough to risk a major road trip to remote areas?
4. Timing belt was done at 79K, and it's at 135K now. Do it before heading out, or trust it? Interference engine/life ends as we know it if the belt breaks, or non-interference/just stranded until new one is on?
5. If I can't get detailed service records from the local dealership based on Vin#, I'll have to sort of restart the scheduled maintenance..umm... schedule. Dealer said he did oil change. Transmission, transfer case, differentials, coolant, brake fluid, hydraulic suspension fluid, lubricate.. anything else I should do right away? Bullet-proofing ideas (hopefully, being a Toyota, it's already most of the way bulletproof to begin with.. that's why we narrowed it down to these vehicles. Been stranded way too many times in Rovers and Mercedes... all old, though. We can't do new.. that's a societal strata we ain't gonna reach).
Guess that's it for now. Thanks in advance for any help thrown our way.. much appreciated.
