Polar Bear
Is it supposed to sound like that?
As a recovering 80 series addict, I've stepped over to the dark side and picked up an '06 GX 470 for my winter commuting duties. I've got a beastie 190 mile round trip across Snoqualmie Pass five days a week- and during the winter they require chains half the time- so a solid snow rig is a must for me.
This one was priced right and was nearly a straight trade for my old pickup, so it was a no brainer decision.
During this build thread I'll be starting with a thorough baseline of maintenance: timing belt, water pump, idler pulley, engine & cabin air filters, engine oil change, trans fluid change (not looking forward to pumping 16qts lying on my back), oil change for the front rear and center differentials, and a power steering flush.
The long range plan: a mild build that will retain it's road manners while still dabbling in light overland work. A 2" lift, 285's, sliders, front bumper, rear bumper with a carrier, and enough lighting to be classified as a Hazard To Navigation by the FAA.
I've got no interest in making this a rock buggy on 40's- there's better rigs to chop up which are more suited to the task.
First fixes: a chimp apparently attempted to close the airbox and broke off both tabs for the clips on the front, so eBay to the rescue and it's on its way. The TPMS light was flashing and would not stay reset, so instead of chasing sensor replacement with my wallet I performed the TPMS disarm illustrated in a thread here on Mud; worked like a charm and gave me a chance to change out the cabin air filter (shown below). I'm guessing this was carrying the full 163K miles of use and had never seen daylight.
I'm going to change the oil, run it for 5K and then send out a sample analysis to see what the health of the motor is, and determine what a healthy change interval is based on the driving I do; Blackstone labs give great reports and recommendations for the money.
Coming up this week: all three diffs get an oil change, the low beam Deauto HID and high beam LED headlights get installed, the airbox gets replaced, and the power steering gets a flush. Pics of the various fluid conditions to come.