Picked up a 2004 100 series, have a few questions. (1 Viewer)

[Rya]

Hi, I'm in Canada so finding a land cruiser is much tougher. I've been looking for a while and was even ready to import a clean 100 series from the US, and was dreading the paperwork when one popped up for sale in Canada. It was priced high and sat for a bit, but I got them to the price that I wanted to be at last month and made the deal. Lots of miles (239,000) but the body was very good, well undercoated. 2004 year model.

I have a few questions on it. The local Toyota dealer makes it sound like a UFO as they have never sold or serviced one. This is my 3rd Toyota. I started with a 97 4Runner that I took over 500,000km and sold it for 50% of what I paid for it 9 years prior. While waiting to find a LC I have been driving a '08 Sequoia with 430,000km that I paid $3000 for a couple years ago. Rides great, kind of ugly bloated body style, but it does run great and comfortable to drive.

So I finally got the Land Cruiser and it was 8 hours away so I bought it sight unseen which was a bit nerve wracking. Dealer did send some high-res photos and also of the underside so it made it easier. Anyway, got it all certified and ready for the road just couple days ago and have put about 100 miles on it now.

So I have a few questions. I'll use the search function and do some googling, but you guys know a lot and figured I'd post a few questions that I couldn't find in the manual.

-Auto-locks. When I park and turn off vehicle the passenger doors stay locked. With Fords I've found the codes to do have the doors open when parked, or does the dealer have to do this?

-Interior and Outside temperature in Fahrenheit. As a US vehicle, I doubt there is any way to go to Celcius, but figured I'd ask.

-The stereo. In my '08 Sequoia I was fine just plugging in the old fashioned AUX to USB cable from my phone to vehicle for playing music/navigation. But driving yesterday I was surprised to see no AUX input on the land cruiser. Is there a clean way to hook a phone up to even a new stereo system. I kind of like stock on everything and don't really want an aftermarket system to look like a high school kid in 1995 did it, but it would be nice to be able to connect phone to car audio.

Thanks!

 

[Mike NXP]

The dealer who acted like the cruiser was a ufo is a fool. The 2UZ motor is in the sequioa and some 4runners as well. The rest of it is just a truck and they shouldn't have any confusion about how to work on it.

>> Not sure about the locks, I don't think you can do much there but IDK.
>> Also not sure of F to C
>> Check out the BT45 for a quick fix
>>Amazon product ASIN B0178G5RRE

Otherwise I'd be more concerned about maintenance items. Pop the hood and start checking around

 

[Rya]

The dealer who acted like the cruiser was a ufo is a fool. The 2UZ motor is in the sequioa and some 4runners as well. The rest of it is just a truck and they shouldn't have any confusion about how to work on it.

>> Not sure about the locks, I don't think you can do much there but IDK.
>> Also not sure of F to C
>> Check out the BT45 for a quick fix
>>Amazon product ASIN B0178G5RRE

Otherwise I'd be more concerned about maintenance items. Pop the hood and start checking around

Thanks, yes the dealer sounded a bit strange when I told him was similar to a Sequoia of that vintage, they just have never seen a LC and this is a pretty large volume dealer. I purchased some front mud guards and a steering wheel tilt motor from them and they just didn't sound confident in parts as they never service them, but both parts worked. I can see parts being an issue for me here as I'll have some delay. Everything came out of California, which I'm a ways from.

The maintenance I'm good with. It was at the garage for a month waiting on parts and to get fit in and worked on. Needed to do gas tank and muffler and rear seals, that was about it so happy with that. When it was there I had them change every fluid in it and do an Amsoil oil change. I'm happy with how quiet it idles. Driving it now for a couple days, it has some roll in the corners but it is tall. Not sure if that's stock height on mine or it's slightly lifted by previous owner. I'm tall enough, but with no running boards it's high to get into. I'll have the mechanic look at maybe shocks/struts or whatever the roll may be, and also do an alignment. Other than that, it cruises nicely.

Timing belt was done 30k ago.

Only thing I noticed missing is the engine cover. They look so cool, I was disappointed when I popped the hood after it was unloaded off the trucking transport. I'll maybe get one, but I'll never find one at a wrecker up here as there is almost no land cruisers on the road.

Thanks for audio link. It says currently unavailable in Canada but I'll keep looking around. I was hoping there would be something like that.

 

[Mike NXP]

Thanks, yes the dealer sounded a bit strange when I told him was similar to a Sequoia of that vintage, they just have never seen a LC and this is a pretty large volume dealer. I purchased some front mud guards and a steering wheel tilt motor from them and they just didn't sound confident in parts as they never service them, but both parts worked. I can see parts being an issue for me here as I'll have some delay. Everything came out of California, which I'm a ways from.

The maintenance I'm good with. It was at the garage for a month waiting on parts and to get fit in and worked on. Needed to do gas tank and muffler and rear seals, that was about it so happy with that. When it was there I had them change every fluid in it and do an Amsoil oil change. I'm happy with how quiet it idles. Driving it now for a couple days, it has some roll in the corners but it is tall. Not sure if that's stock height on mine or it's slightly lifted by previous owner. I'm tall enough, but with no running boards it's high to get into. I'll have the mechanic look at maybe shocks/struts or whatever the roll may be, and also do an alignment. Other than that, it cruises nicely.

Timing belt was done 30k ago.

Only thing I noticed missing is the engine cover. They look so cool, I was disappointed when I popped the hood after it was unloaded off the trucking transport. I'll maybe get one, but I'll never find one at a wrecker up here as there is almost no land cruisers on the road.

Thanks for audio link. It says currently unavailable in Canada but I'll keep looking around. I was hoping there would be something like that.

Awesome, sounds like you are off to a good start. Keep the cooling system and engine maintained and it'll go a long ways. Focus on that first before suspension type stuff.

The BT45 may be available from other places, try crutch field or google around
Shoot it says backorder>>USA Spec BT45-TOY - https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Yue7yH4MwY0/p_581BT45TOY/USA-Spec-BT45-TOY.html?awcr=626515227327&awdv=c&awnw=g&awug=9021425&awkw=kwd-305808830336&awmt=p&awat=&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8aOeBhCWARIsANRFrQEvc-8VZPkkiRmw28jO-tLaKz7RFpqC69FLWk5K_zXrbACaH4AuklcaAg0LEALw_wcB


You can also try to enter the vin into Toyota Owners website and get an idea of service history.

 

[Ridgerunner78]

Welcome and good looking LC! Same year and color as mine.

For the door locks (as well as other things) pick up a copy of techstream software and OBD to USB cable off amazon or ebay. You can can use that to change the auto door lock settings.

 

[Pucker5]

Sweet whip dude. Timing belt or timing belt kit with water pump and all that shizzle?(thermostat, bearings, etc). With a vehicle that old and high in miles I wouldn’t trust that the dealer to do an enthusiast/new owner refresh. I would believe they replaced only what their eye inspection deemed necessary. Example….heater t’s might look good but they often crumble just taking the tube off. Shizz like transmission and differential fluids, etc.

I bought and had swapped a kit like this for the piece of mind…kit cost me about $100 less than this at the time and I was charged $550 to install which is probably a good deal given the rusty bolt thang but if yours has been undercoated wouldn’t suprise me one bit of yours is a little harder than a 2022 out the factory to loosen old bolts and parts.

NEW TOYOTA/LEXUS FACTORY OEM 19 PCS TIMING BELT KIT W/ GENUINE TOYOTA WATER PUMP | eBay

COMPLETE OEM FACTORY NEW TIMING BELT KIT WITH ORIGINAL TOYOTA WATER PUMP. LEXUS GS430. LEXUS GS400. LEXUS LS400. LEXUS LS430. LEXUS SC400. LEXUS SC430. LEXUS LX470.

www.ebay.com

There’s vendors on this forum that could hook this up for probably less

 

[riffman12]

Looks like a nice one!

Regarding the locks, try this: need help with my door locks 04 LC - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/need-help-with-my-door-locks-04-lc.56369/post-635308

 

[Rya]

Looks like a nice one!

Regarding the locks, try this: need help with my door locks 04 LC - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/need-help-with-my-door-locks-04-lc.56369/post-635308

Thanks for this. Tried it a couple times but must be missing something. Will try it this weekend with more time. Seems like the 5 seconds is key, but I used a stop watch and still no luck.

 

[leej]

Regarding the Aux in, I have a BT45 in my wife's '04 LX470, and it works, but has some quirks. Mainly the volume level is drastically different from radio, etc. (maybe I have some setting wrong?)

In my 2000 Land Cruiser, I have an aftermarket radio that works great for Bluetooth phone calls (and I really like all the other features), BUT it doesn't stream music (it will only do phone calls). I decided to try a cheap Bluetooth FM transmitter (cigarette lighter style plugged into the power jack in the center console), and surprisingly it works fantastic. I only use it for music, it comes on when I start the car, and simply tune my radio to the transmitter (preset button) and it streams anything from my phone (my phone will actually connect to the aftermarket radio for calls, AND the transmitter for music). I'm sure some audiophiles will say the sound quality is not as good, but I can't tell and honestly I like it better than the BT45 and its super easy and cheap! Search Amazon for "Bluetooth FM Adapter" and you will find several, some even have an Aux in jack... I have super simple one $15...

You might try a cheap Bluetooth FM Transmitter before paying for the BT45.

 

[Nature Calls]

I have a 2004. I use this guy with a 3.5mm to lightning adapter (one that has a charger too) and works like a charm. I find it much more reliable than the bluetooth to radio station contraptions. Total solution is $20 or so.

 

[Columbo624]

May seem like a silly thing to look for but make sure your sway bar is still installed and then go about replacing bushings that may help with some roll. It doesn't look lifted based on the photos...

 

[Rya]

I appreciate all the replies, and quickly. Thanks.

Thanks especially for the audio replies. I would like to get to the bottom of that. The BT45 seems to be out of stock everywhere, so I'll try the cheap quick fix. Thanks.

One thing I notice on standard bluetooth in my vehicle is that most of the time it's not working properly. I'll make a call. It won't register and I'll be talking on my phone only, and then a few seconds later the antenna drops and it shows Bluetooth connection on the display, but the only voice is coming through my phone.

 

[neoworm]

I doubt there is any way to go to Celcius,

You would be correct

 

[JustMe2]

I just bought the BT-45 off Amazon 1 month ago for $200, but it has been out of stock with crutchfield for 4-6 months. I would find an interim solution, and then buy it when its back in stock.

 

[Couvi]

Awesome LC, best year in my opinion
The door locks can be configured, there’s a set of steps in the manual - if you search, there’s a thread about it on mud as well.

 

[MountaineerLC]

If they haven't been done yet, change the heater T's. If original they are almost always on the verge of failure with cruisers of this vintage and mileage. (even if they look fine)

 

[Rya]

Thanks for the info. I can't believe how busy this forum is. I'll work on the audio and auto unlock as well as those heater Ts. I did some reading on them and they seem important and manageable to do.

One thing I notice and I dont know if it's just a glitch, but the rear camera seems dim when first show on screen, then slowly brightens. Anyone seen that before?

 

[Hodence]

Fellow 2004 100 series driver here, I use one of the cigarette lighter Bluetooth-to-radio things and it works great. Maybe takes 4 seconds to connect after I start the car, but it's never given me trouble. Plus it has a USB port, so I have a phone charger plugged in too. It's handy, so I would recommend looking at one of those.

My backup camera starts out bright and stays bright, so that might be a sign of a problem, but I'm not an expert by any means.

Sweet rig man, and best of luck with it!

 

[Couvi]

Fellow 2004 100 series driver here, I use one of the cigarette lighter Bluetooth-to-radio things and it works great. Maybe takes 4 seconds to connect after I start the car, but it's never given me trouble. Plus it has a USB port, so I have a phone charger plugged in too. It's handy, so I would recommend looking at one of those.

My backup camera starts out bright and stays bright, so that might be a sign of a problem, but I'm not an expert by any means.

Sweet rig man, and best of luck with it!

I use the same type of device, no complaints!