proud new owner of a 96 LX450

[johnnshepherd]

sold my mustang and am in absolute love with my cruiser. super clean with 125k. the original owner owned this car until just a few months ago. i am the third owner though.

what should i look for to determine whether it has lockers or not?
how do i know if it has a locking center diff?

anything else i should look for?

thanks

 

[Fraglerock]

Congrats on your pickup. Look to the left of your steering wheel on the dash. There will be a square that will either have a dial in the center or not. If it has a dial, you've got a rig that has factory lockers (although not guaranteed to be working). Post pics of your new ride.

 

[arndog123]

Congrats and x2 on pics.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Welcome, check ALL the fluids and replace if necessary and you will have few problems. Get a owners manual, they are very informative. Mike

 

[97FZJ80]

check slees newbie guide and faq's
congrats...

pics

 

[DBWood]

Congrats and Welcome to the addiction.
You have come to the right place...

And, we need pics of the rig, or it does not exist!

 

[johnnshepherd]

i attached some pictures. i rebalanced the tires yesterday and one of the wheel locks was overtorqued and broke my key trying to get it off. im going to the lexus/toyota dealership on monday for new wheel locks. can you buy the diff lock switch from the dealership or would i need to order that online?

 

[johnnshepherd]

oh and no lockers. has the moonroof and 6 disc changer though.

 

[jcope]

I bought my CDL switch from Slee, because I live near them. It's a Toyota part, so you should be able to get it from a dealership. There are vendors associated with the site, and they offer better prices and probably better service than any dealership would.

I'm sure you were talking about the CDL switch. Installing a switch for the front and rear differential lockers wouldn't do any good. Except I guess it could bump up your resale value by a few hundred bucks if you find a careless buyer. Just point to the switch and say you don't really know what it does, but it's a seriously hot item on these vehicles.

 

[johnnshepherd]

I bought my CDL switch from Slee, because I live near them. It's a Toyota part, so you should be able to get it from a dealership. There are vendors associated with the site, and they offer better prices and probably better service than any dealership would.

I'm sure you were talking about the CDL switch. Installing a switch for the front and rear differential lockers wouldn't do any good. Except I guess it could bump up your resale value by a few hundred bucks if you find a careless buyer. Just point to the switch and say you don't really know what it does, but it's a seriously hot item on these vehicles.

i was talking about the cdl switch. sorry im still learning about my 80 series. i dont plan on ever selling it, the first owner had it for 16 years and i plan on keeping it longer. only a 5 mile round trip drive to work for me so im good to daily drive it. when gas gets to high ill buy an old civic.

other than the lockers is the drivetrain/tranny/motor the exact same on every 91-97 LC/LX in the U.S.?

 

[jcope]

No need to apologize, at least not to me. I don't know a ton about them either. I've only had mine for several weeks. Putting in that switch is the easiest thing in the world to do.

I'm sure you've had a look at the FAQ by now. Great information there. The PHH seems to be a rite of passage with these. I did mine, and it lives up to its billing. Zero fun.

I've changed the belts and several hoses, flushed the cooling system, replaced some window trim. I also unhooked the antenna motor and will be fixing that soon. I can give you advice in those areas, if you need it.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[johnnshepherd]

I bought my CDL switch from Slee, because I live near them. It's a Toyota part, so you should be able to get it from a dealership. There are vendors associated with the site, and they offer better prices and probably better service than any dealership would.

I'm sure you were talking about the CDL switch. Installing a switch for the front and rear differential lockers wouldn't do any good. Except I guess it could bump up your resale value by a few hundred bucks if you find a careless buyer. Just point to the switch and say you don't really know what it does, but it's a seriously hot item on these vehicles.

i respect that. but i have a discount on parts there so it would probably be about the same. plus i dont have to wait for shipping.

 

[Delancy]

oh and no lockers.

Maybe a blessing in disguise of you decide to build a wheeler, due to advantages of air lockers.

Welcome aboard and say goodbye to expendable cash.

 

[ArmyYota]

Welcome. Nice find! I also have a 96 LX the same color. I've had it less than a year so far and love it! It had 153,000 miles on it and I am the second owner. It's comparatively easy to work on and I've been able to do all the work on mine myself (flushed coolant, fluid changes, antenna fix, CDL switch, 2" TJM lift, front and rear bumper, winch...) I wouldn't have had as much fun or success without this site! Everything you need to know can be found on this site!
Keep in mind that there are some differences between an LX and LC both mechanically and electrically so an LX specific FSM and Electric manual is a good idea. I hear some of the wiring is a different color than an LC.
I'm still new to LC so am still learning also. I love these rigs.
Enjoy the obsession!

Dan

 

[johnnshepherd]

checked out some light trails today near Dallas

 

[DSRTRDR]

pics, man, pics

 

[Flank]

checked out some light trails today near Dallas

Where?

 

[Blues Dawg]

Welcome, check ALL the fluids and replace if necessary and you will have few problems. Get a owners manual, they are very informative. Mike

Included in all fluids, pump some moly goo into the knuckles. Apparently this is frequently an overlooked maintenance item.

 

[97FZJ80]

Where did you find trails in dfw?

 

[johnnshepherd]

just some light trails that lead to fishing spots on lake lavon. it rained briefly but i didn't even need to use low gear and im driving on stock sized michelin highway tires right now. btw how do i delete one of those pictures so i can put a new one up?