FamilyCamper
SILVER Star
Amazing. Thanks for taking the time to write this all up. That's another beast in and of itself! So helpful though.
Builds Project Lazarus: Bringing an LX470 back from the dead (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter LJE
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #62
Thanks! I've learned a TON from this forum, so I hope I'm contributing just a little bit back!
FullyLitLED
Supporting Vendor
Glad you like the LED kit!!!!
FamilyCamper
SILVER Star
@LJE can you give some more details on where you filled the block and heater core with water before draining? My engine has been sitting for over a year so I think I also want to try and flush out any old coolant in the block or heater core. I am putting in a new radiator and have drained the block at this point but maybe there is still coolant somewhere in the system? Should I just fill entire system with distilled water to start it up and then after running engine for a while drain and properly fill with coolant?Next was time to fill the engine! I actually did this in several steps. When I tore the new techschool engine down, I literally washed & scrubbed the block with soap and water to make sure there was no debris in it. I then it with compressed air and used an entire can and a half of WD40 to make sure it didn't rust anywhere. However, that means all my cooling channels in the block had WD40 residue in them - maybe not a big deal, but, I wanted to get that out if possible.
I first mixed up hot water with dishwashing powder, put it in, let it sit for 15 minutes, then drained it via the block drains on either side of the engine. I followed up with distilled water, drained that, then more distilled water, drained that again, then finally followed up with Toyota SLLC after connecting the radiator & heater hoses. This is the procedure many people utilize when there's been a oil cooler failure or something else where oil and coolant mix in the coolant system - not common (or even heard of) on a 2UZ, but the principle holds.
- Thread starter
- #65
I actually flushed my heater cores seperately with the engine still out of the vehicle, so I had easy access to flush and then blow out with air to try to get as much water out as I could. Doing a initial fill with distilled water, running it up to temp to open the thermostat & then draining after it's cooled some probably isn't a terrible idea. You could see how nasty the water coming back out is to give you an idea if you wanted to repeat a second time.
I'm not sure how much water the heater cores would hold, but unless you live where it gets REALLY cold it's probably a neglible amount to mix in with the Toyota SLL (pink) premixed coolant.
FamilyCamper
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #67
Oh man. There's been a lot that's happened since I last posted here. Most of it revolved around this thread here: Painful low frequency drone/pressure in cabin - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/painful-low-frequency-drone-pressure-in-cabin.1344485/
There's 11 pages of deep-diving a cabin resonance/vibration issue that initially made the LX undrivable due to the ear pain it would cause. In that thread there's a lot of analysis, testing, and problem solving. What I believe came out of it is the following:
Oh yeah - also grenaded the ring gear in my front diff getting off of Panther Rock. Oops? Hahah. I call this 'my most expensive photo ever'. Totally worth it:
Drove home in RWD only, and immediately started digging into what my next move was going to be. I ended up settling on grabbing a pair of diffs out of a 2002 LX470 about 3 hours away from me (got both front + rear diffs and a transfer case for $400 total!). Managed not to get shot at the crack house they were at in Ohio, and got them home to start refurbing them. I specifically wanted the 4.30 ratio to go with my 33's. Many people go with 4.88s, but meh, doing that math that seems overkill since I (at the moment) don't have any plans to jump past 33s. I may regret that in the future, but I figure by that time I'll be ready to do this all again.
The diffs were in great shape inside, however, the outsides were nasty. The truck they came out of was sitting in southern Ohio, however, it must have been a northern truck for the majority of it's life - check it out:
Yuck.
After several sessions of chiseling, wire brushing, and soaking in DIY evaporust, I got both the front + rear cleaned up to more or less bare metal. I then primed & painted the outsides of the housings once everything was clean. This was a ton of work, but definitely glad that I did it.
I also ordered a new drive flange for the rear since the original was so rusted away (and I knew that the ones from my diff wouldn't fit due to a spline count difference):
Once the housings were all taken care of, it was time to actually build the diffs. This was the first time I had ever done any gear work, so I spent hours researching, watching videos, and reading through Zuk's excellent website. That's pretty much the same way I've taught myself how to do everything on this car - there's so much good info out there, you just have to get a good feeling for who knows what they're talking about and who doesn't!
The rear diff wasn't bad to get setup how I wanted, the front diff was terrible to get the backlash & preload where I wanted it since I was using the spacer shims ARB includes (versus having an entire stack of different spacer washers that Toyota uses - hard to explain in words, but it makes sense if you've ever done this before).
I got it all done though, and I was happy with all the gear patterns, especially considering they are used gears (not super well represented in the below photo, but meh). I had emailed Zuk a couple times to ask questions, and when I showed him my final patterns he said they looked good - not going to get a higher endorsement than that anywhere! I also replaced all the bearings in each diff.
Obviously a press is critical for doing all this work - glad I bought mine when I did my drivers side rear wheel bearing back in September.
One thing I'll say is that ARB's suggested routing for the rear diff's internal copper airline is trash. I'd suggest looking online at how others have done it & follow that rather than the instructions that ARB provides. As it is, it snakes all over the place & is a liability to get pinched when you're installing the diff into the rear axle housing - especially when you're doing it not on a lift. Oh well - I got mine installed fine with some caution. All backlash & preload is within spec (preload on the higher end) for both the front & rear. I took backlash measurements on each tooth just for data & have those recorded down for posterity.
After getting the diffs installed in the truck with a transmission jack, it was time to mount the compressor in the engine bay. I made a mount out of aluminum that essentially copies the Owl Expedition mount that you can't get anymore - it uses some factory holes in the engine bay over in front of the AHC reservoir. I've just got the single high-output compressor (it came 'free' with the $2K of airlockers during a sale), but I also added a pressure regulator on the output to the locker solenoids.
The ARB pressure switch will run the compressor at a much higher pressure than the lockers need to operate. That's great for filling tires, (maybe) less great for the longevity of the seals internal to the diff. Obviously I want to extend the life of those as much as possible, so it made sense to throw a regulator in just for the locker solenoids so that I'd still have the higher pressure (and therefor, flowrate) for filling tires.
The downside of this approach is that it's busy in the engine bay. There's just barely enough room between the pressure switch and the power steering reservoir to get the wires connected - not really an issue long term, but I wish it looked a little neater. I also wish both my locker solenoids pointed the same way, but alas, such is the way of pipe fittings:
I installed the rebuilt diffs back at the end of December 2024, but just finished up the wiring this weekend (never mind that loose wire hanging down, that was ran to the fuse panel after this photo was taken!). I used the 80 series OEM locker switch for the ARB solenoids & a CH4x4 switch to run the compressor:
I also upgraded to some @PerryParts bumpstops in the front & rear - I met Perry out at COTR, and after nerding out with him for hours (and enjoying the breakfast he sponsored each day!) I knew I wanted to support a fellow enthusiast who's making things here in the USA. He's a super nice guy & is a joy to hang out with if you ever get the chance.
I call this photo "You, vs the bumpstop she told you not to worry about:"
There's 11 pages of deep-diving a cabin resonance/vibration issue that initially made the LX undrivable due to the ear pain it would cause. In that thread there's a lot of analysis, testing, and problem solving. What I believe came out of it is the following:
- I had a bad rear output bearing on my transfer case. This allowed the driveshaft to 'wobble' around at speed. The LX's cabin has a length that sets the resonance frequency of the air in the cabin right around the same frequency that the driveshafts spin at when you're at 45-55mph (which is where the effect was most noticeable). That means the cabin wants to resonant around that speed.
- I also had a rear driveshaft with a bad u-joint.
- My rear diff was making weird noises (really only evident after I addressed the first two issues here).
- My AHC suspension was ROUGH. No idea why, no idea why it seems like it's slowly getting better. Globes are brand new, fluid is brand new (flushed/bled multiple times), upper/lower AHC shock bushings are brand new, all control arm (both front/rear upper & lower) bushings are new. Best guess is that the valving in the damper assemblies was gunked & it's slowly cleaning itself out. Not sure I've seen the last of this issue, but, the vehicle is entirely drivable now.
Oh yeah - also grenaded the ring gear in my front diff getting off of Panther Rock. Oops? Hahah. I call this 'my most expensive photo ever'. Totally worth it:
Drove home in RWD only, and immediately started digging into what my next move was going to be. I ended up settling on grabbing a pair of diffs out of a 2002 LX470 about 3 hours away from me (got both front + rear diffs and a transfer case for $400 total!). Managed not to get shot at the crack house they were at in Ohio, and got them home to start refurbing them. I specifically wanted the 4.30 ratio to go with my 33's. Many people go with 4.88s, but meh, doing that math that seems overkill since I (at the moment) don't have any plans to jump past 33s. I may regret that in the future, but I figure by that time I'll be ready to do this all again.
The diffs were in great shape inside, however, the outsides were nasty. The truck they came out of was sitting in southern Ohio, however, it must have been a northern truck for the majority of it's life - check it out:
Yuck.
After several sessions of chiseling, wire brushing, and soaking in DIY evaporust, I got both the front + rear cleaned up to more or less bare metal. I then primed & painted the outsides of the housings once everything was clean. This was a ton of work, but definitely glad that I did it.
I also ordered a new drive flange for the rear since the original was so rusted away (and I knew that the ones from my diff wouldn't fit due to a spline count difference):
Once the housings were all taken care of, it was time to actually build the diffs. This was the first time I had ever done any gear work, so I spent hours researching, watching videos, and reading through Zuk's excellent website. That's pretty much the same way I've taught myself how to do everything on this car - there's so much good info out there, you just have to get a good feeling for who knows what they're talking about and who doesn't!
The rear diff wasn't bad to get setup how I wanted, the front diff was terrible to get the backlash & preload where I wanted it since I was using the spacer shims ARB includes (versus having an entire stack of different spacer washers that Toyota uses - hard to explain in words, but it makes sense if you've ever done this before).
I got it all done though, and I was happy with all the gear patterns, especially considering they are used gears (not super well represented in the below photo, but meh). I had emailed Zuk a couple times to ask questions, and when I showed him my final patterns he said they looked good - not going to get a higher endorsement than that anywhere! I also replaced all the bearings in each diff.
Obviously a press is critical for doing all this work - glad I bought mine when I did my drivers side rear wheel bearing back in September.
One thing I'll say is that ARB's suggested routing for the rear diff's internal copper airline is trash. I'd suggest looking online at how others have done it & follow that rather than the instructions that ARB provides. As it is, it snakes all over the place & is a liability to get pinched when you're installing the diff into the rear axle housing - especially when you're doing it not on a lift. Oh well - I got mine installed fine with some caution. All backlash & preload is within spec (preload on the higher end) for both the front & rear. I took backlash measurements on each tooth just for data & have those recorded down for posterity.
After getting the diffs installed in the truck with a transmission jack, it was time to mount the compressor in the engine bay. I made a mount out of aluminum that essentially copies the Owl Expedition mount that you can't get anymore - it uses some factory holes in the engine bay over in front of the AHC reservoir. I've just got the single high-output compressor (it came 'free' with the $2K of airlockers during a sale), but I also added a pressure regulator on the output to the locker solenoids.
The ARB pressure switch will run the compressor at a much higher pressure than the lockers need to operate. That's great for filling tires, (maybe) less great for the longevity of the seals internal to the diff. Obviously I want to extend the life of those as much as possible, so it made sense to throw a regulator in just for the locker solenoids so that I'd still have the higher pressure (and therefor, flowrate) for filling tires.
The downside of this approach is that it's busy in the engine bay. There's just barely enough room between the pressure switch and the power steering reservoir to get the wires connected - not really an issue long term, but I wish it looked a little neater. I also wish both my locker solenoids pointed the same way, but alas, such is the way of pipe fittings:
I installed the rebuilt diffs back at the end of December 2024, but just finished up the wiring this weekend (never mind that loose wire hanging down, that was ran to the fuse panel after this photo was taken!). I used the 80 series OEM locker switch for the ARB solenoids & a CH4x4 switch to run the compressor:
I also upgraded to some @PerryParts bumpstops in the front & rear - I met Perry out at COTR, and after nerding out with him for hours (and enjoying the breakfast he sponsored each day!) I knew I wanted to support a fellow enthusiast who's making things here in the USA. He's a super nice guy & is a joy to hang out with if you ever get the chance.
I call this photo "You, vs the bumpstop she told you not to worry about:"
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- Thread starter
- #68
After getting the diffs sorted, it was time to turn my attention to the atrocious stock headlights of a LX470. @Luke111 started selling his excellent H1 Mini/MicroD2S retrofit kits again, so I was able to pick one up to do my Morimoto MicroD2S retrofit with:
However, one issue I ran into was that the Morimoto XB35 ignitors hang out the back of the housings pretty far - and they're pretty bulky:
There's a lot of different ways you could solve this. However, I wanted something that looked nice & would maintain the water resistance of the original tailcaps - so I designed and 3D printed a custom tail cap! Photo credit to @Zuberg:
It uses the original o-ring to seal into the housing, and uses the same 3-lug twist-lock design that the OEM tail caps use. The housings have a groove designed in to perfectly fit the grommet Morimoto supplies with the XB35 ignitors so that they seal well too - screen shot from Fusion below showing this groove:
I'm super proud of these - I think they're a very slick solution to this issue. @MongooseGA is now selling these over at The Artisan Garage American 100 Series Parts and Accessories - https://theartisangarage.com/ , so if you're doing a retrofit keep these in mind!
If you're not using the XB35 ignitors, Morimoto also sells the grommets separately, so you can pair those with whatever ignitor/ballast you're using & have a nice finished product.
However, one issue I ran into was that the Morimoto XB35 ignitors hang out the back of the housings pretty far - and they're pretty bulky:
There's a lot of different ways you could solve this. However, I wanted something that looked nice & would maintain the water resistance of the original tailcaps - so I designed and 3D printed a custom tail cap! Photo credit to @Zuberg:
It uses the original o-ring to seal into the housing, and uses the same 3-lug twist-lock design that the OEM tail caps use. The housings have a groove designed in to perfectly fit the grommet Morimoto supplies with the XB35 ignitors so that they seal well too - screen shot from Fusion below showing this groove:
I'm super proud of these - I think they're a very slick solution to this issue. @MongooseGA is now selling these over at The Artisan Garage American 100 Series Parts and Accessories - https://theartisangarage.com/ , so if you're doing a retrofit keep these in mind!
If you're not using the XB35 ignitors, Morimoto also sells the grommets separately, so you can pair those with whatever ignitor/ballast you're using & have a nice finished product.
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- Thread starter
- #69
Finally - these past few days I was able to get the tailgate kit that @MongooseGA sent to me installed! He sent me this as a super nice 'thank you' for helping him troubleshoot his transmission issues (well, he thinks I was helping - I really was just sending him off to probe wires at random. shhhhhh, don't tell him).
Here's my tailgate with all the necessary sheet metal cuts made (jigsaw makes it easy!) & some sound deadener installed onto the factory sheet metal:
I really enjoyed putting this kit together. It's very solid & adds a lot of functionality - I'll be storing things like my air hose, glue tread, tow straps, etc in it. I have a strut dampener I installed on the passenger side to help with the weight, but even still, you definitely wouldn't want to load up tools back here IMO.
Rather than finish the metal with just paint or bedliner, I wanted to keep an 'OEM-esque' look to the tail gate - so I installed my factory tailgate carpet on top of the steel via spray adhesive (3M Super 77) and cutout the holes for the doors.
I think it turned out pretty nice - I wish some of the carpet cuts were a smidge cleaner, however, I think that would have only been possible with some templates and a rotary cutter. Overall though I think it turned out great! The circular hole you see is something I asked him to add for me - I'll be designing a cupholder insert to snap into place there:
So much room for activities!
@MongooseGA was even gracious enough to cut out beard logo on the passenger side - I 3D printed an insert for it & I think it looks awesome too!
And with that, I think that brings this thread up to speed on Lazarus. I just did a 3K oil change + 500 mile diff break in fluid change today (2/15/25) at 258,500 miles (which is really only 3,500 miles on the engine) - everything looked good, so it should just be fun stuff from here on out. It's been a trek to get here, but it's given me the confidence to start working on other people's trucks - Sequoias, Tundras, 4Runners, and LC/LXs. Always nice to fund some of the 'fun' stuff with a side gig!
Here's my tailgate with all the necessary sheet metal cuts made (jigsaw makes it easy!) & some sound deadener installed onto the factory sheet metal:
I really enjoyed putting this kit together. It's very solid & adds a lot of functionality - I'll be storing things like my air hose, glue tread, tow straps, etc in it. I have a strut dampener I installed on the passenger side to help with the weight, but even still, you definitely wouldn't want to load up tools back here IMO.
Rather than finish the metal with just paint or bedliner, I wanted to keep an 'OEM-esque' look to the tail gate - so I installed my factory tailgate carpet on top of the steel via spray adhesive (3M Super 77) and cutout the holes for the doors.
I think it turned out pretty nice - I wish some of the carpet cuts were a smidge cleaner, however, I think that would have only been possible with some templates and a rotary cutter. Overall though I think it turned out great! The circular hole you see is something I asked him to add for me - I'll be designing a cupholder insert to snap into place there:
So much room for activities!
@MongooseGA was even gracious enough to cut out beard logo on the passenger side - I 3D printed an insert for it & I think it looks awesome too!
And with that, I think that brings this thread up to speed on Lazarus. I just did a 3K oil change + 500 mile diff break in fluid change today (2/15/25) at 258,500 miles (which is really only 3,500 miles on the engine) - everything looked good, so it should just be fun stuff from here on out. It's been a trek to get here, but it's given me the confidence to start working on other people's trucks - Sequoias, Tundras, 4Runners, and LC/LXs. Always nice to fund some of the 'fun' stuff with a side gig!
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Malleus
Far west of Siegen
Well done.
I appreciate this build thread as I am considering a 2002 lx470. What the F is the "proper" procedure for the shocks/rams/struts (not the accumulator globes) if one doesn't cut holes through the body? I'm reasonably competent with wrenching and am curious how they do this at the dealership or other shop.
Depends on if you intend to reuse the rams.
If you do want to reuse them, then a lot of cursing.
If you don't need to reuse, then Sawzall.
- Thread starter
- #74
On a 2002, the charcoal canister is up in the engine bay. That should help clear up some space back above the driver's side rear to get the 22mm (I think?) wrench in there once you get the hydraulic fitting off the top (two 12mm headed bolts for that).
Still though, I'd be afraid of damaging an O-ring on the hydraulic fitting doing it all blind.
Ok. So similar to the 80 series except the 80 doesn't have anything sensitive mounted to the top of the rear shocks. Likely more space on the 80 as well.
GTV
SILVER Star
Good work on bringing this back to life!
Good work here. Def worth the time to go through the entire thread. Great pics as well!
- Thread starter
- #78
Thanks guys!
Recent update (more detail over in the dedicated cabin resonance thread): The resonance is back, potentially due to my nearly-new OEM Toyota rear driveshaft having axial play in one of the U-joints @ 3K miles. Dealers around here all say 'you installed this yourself, so sorry, you're screwed as far as warranty goes'. Cool. Good to know that warranty is worthless...
New u-joint, and entire new rear DS as well is on the way. Still not convinced that's all my issues though, so more to come.
Lazarus did get a spa treatment this weekend - wash, iron decontamination, clay bar, compound, polish, and finish with a spray-on ceramic coat. A bunch of work, but now he looks better than ever!
You used a specific ceramic coat for a good reason or „just something“?
Also thinking about moving from „once a year polish“ to a ceramic coat.
Also thinking about moving from „once a year polish“ to a ceramic coat.
- Thread starter
- #80
I used the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray coating - it's cheap, easy, and works 'decently' well. Not as good as much more expensive product I'm sure, but meh, this is a truck to be used, not just looked at all the time.
I did do a double application, which they claim will be good for up to 12 months. I'll be happy if I get half that out of it for as easy as it is to apply.
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