Pulling the fuse on LX470's AHC ? (1 Viewer)

[EOS]

IS this possible ? I was reading on another board about a guy with LX470. He was quoted $2200 repair bill from the dealer - bad AHC Compressor. The guy said his LX raised up one day and he pulled the AHC's fuse saving him from replacing the compressor ? Is this possible and what would happen to the ride ?

Heres the thread

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232460

 

[hoser]

I've played with pulling the fuse and when I did, the ride seemed underdamped, kinda bouncy but tolerable. Perhaps if I had the suspension on the "firm" setting before I pulled the fuse it might ride differently. In any case, I can see pulling the fuse as a temporary solution if you have a bad compressor or height control sensor but I doubt it would do any good for a blown actuator.

Personally, an actuator or height control sensor is replaceable but once the compressor goes out ($1900)... I'd go aftermarket Bilstein, OME or whatever.

 

[Jim_Chow]

In the electrical manual, there are 3 fuses to the AHC (at least on the '03+). The 50A fuse (labelled AHC) only powers the height motor while the other two (AHC-B and AHC-IG) power the AHC ECU which accepts signals from the height sensors (self leveling plus height modes), dampers (damping adjustment), pressure sensors, steering/ABS, etc. My guess is you'll merely lose all height-related functions and any ability of the vehicle to increase the pressure at any corner of the vehicle to reduce roll, squatting, diving, etc. Keep in mind that when driving, the AHC pressure is constantly adjusting. It's not just used when you hit the switch from L-N-H. You might be fortunate enough to find one at a salvage yard like someone on this board was able to find the nitrogen damping globes. I imagine salted roads take their toll on AHC components just as they do on brakes.

 

[ChuckB]

I'm dealing with some of these issues right now as well. I am going to post a separate thread when I get my LX back from the shop. It sounds like my AHC compressor went bad. Just purchased this vehicle last week, '00 w/78K.

I think this has been mentioned before, but can you swap over to OME and eliminate the whole system? I'll do a search and see what I can find...


More to follow with picts... (I got pink panties )

 

[ChuckB]

Did a quick search, and skimmed several threads...

It appears that you can easily swap out the AHC for OME on pre-'00 but '00+ adds the VSC which appears to tie into the system somehow and that's where my knowledge stops... My LX didn't even come with an owners manual so I'm riding the short yellow bus right now ;p

 

[uHu]

Is there any reason to believe that the AHC pump has to be OEM?
Isn't it just a simple hydraulic pump which keeps a certain pressure, starting when too low, stopping when high enough ?
It might even work better, meaning faster, with a cheaper generic hydraulic pump, e.g. what is used for power steereing in a boat.

 

[Jim_Chow]

You can perform an experiement to see if the VGRS/ABS/TRAC inputs to the AHC ECU are affected. Just pull all three AHC fuses (one is for the height pump, two are for the ECU) and see if everything except the AHC still works. If so, you're in business!