Question about Supercharger on LX450 For Sale (1 Viewer)

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Hello everyone, I'm new here! I don't have an 80 yet, but looking to possibly buy one soon. This is not quite a 100% tech topic and not quite a 100% buying/inspection topic...

I'm considering buying a black (unlocked) '96 LX450 from a friend/co-worker, who seems to have taken great care of the 80. It has 217k on it, he's the 2nd owner (bought as a low mileage lease), and it's spent most of its life in the south.

*Here's my question, now that I've given some background: The LX450 has a factory/TRD supercharger installed on it (I believe dealer-installed around 2001 @ like 50k miles)--how long do these SCs last?

I come from the turbo Subaru world (a turbo would've been replaced at least twice by now!) and don't know much about SCs...do these need to be rebuilt after X miles? Any concerns I should be aware of? Also, how much extra wear does this add to a Toyota motor (4.5L)?

TIA!
 
Supposedly they need a refreshing every 100,000 miles, but most people who have had them looked over have said they were ok even at 100,000 miles. I would definitely ask if the oil has been changed in the SC and plan to change it.

What kind of junk turbos are you Subaru guys running? Haha.
 
What kind of junk turbos are you Subaru guys running? Haha.

Factory (IHI) ones :frown: haha Some of the mid-2000s factory turbos had a design flaw (banjo bolt filter with screens in the oil line that were too fine) that resulted in a lot of oil-starved turbos. in some cases, metal shards from the disintegrating wheel would be sucked into the intake, ultimately causing an engine rebuild. So, a lot of guys will replace/upgrade the factory turbo proactively around 100k miles.
 
I would not worry at all about the SC causing any additional wear and tear on the 1fz. Lots of folks on this site have been running the S/C for well over a decade and hundreds of thousands of miles.

Seeing as the SC is no longer available, and pretty much no one will sell their used one, seems like a good opportunity to snag one up. Personally knowing the seller is also a bonus, in my book. More likely to get straight info from him.
 
I have run my SC door over 100,000 miles, and the P O likely put 40-50,000 on it before I bought it. A few months ago I inspected the innards, and o was amazed to find virtually NO wear on any of the 5 bearings. The nose come seal was wheeping slightly. There were some small spots on one rotor that were missing the rotor coating so I feathered them with wet n dry and re assembled it. Runs like new now.
 
over 100k on mine with no issues , 4.7 ( have 7 , 3.4 s/c runners/tacomas in my family some over 300k on the engine with no issues .
 
Thanks for all your input, everyone. Sounds like the S/C generally hold up quite well.

I took a look at the truck again today and it looks really good! Checked the undercarriage and saw little to no rust (Texas truck for first 15 years). I did see some dampness on and around the steering damper, but couldn't tell if it was wet from a puddle splash on the drive up or...something more serious :(

Wondering if this is a spot where a leak (coolant?) would hit...?
 
Could be coolant. Could be power steering leak (atf). Maybe but possible the oil pump seal or front timing cover. Cheap but less likely a bad dizzy o ring but whole front driver side of block would be wet.

Sounds like a good deal to get into an 80. Another SC owner here with 13 yrs and 140k miles on it with no issues so far except maybe a little more noise cone noise. Hard to say.
 
sounds like a good truck to buy. I have S/C and love it. and am happy with threads I've read on the topic. I'd go for it
 
How much does he want for it, and where's he located....and what's his phone number? ;)
 
As long as the front seal is not weeping, don't worry about changing the oil on the supercharger. It should not need servicing between the 100k miles. Jon Bond is great place to send at 100k miles for inspection and rebuild. Figure $1k to get whole meal deal at that time.

Buy it! Find some locked axles and flop those in and you will have a very valuable rig.
 
I bought a used supercharger. It was a good deal but it did wind up needing a lot of work. Somehow there was a big groove in the rotors and I had to have them replaced. Luckily the casing was fine (not sure how that's possible). Also, the bypass valve had a hole melted in it and I had to get a new one. I had it all fixed up at Jon Bond for about $1k including the rotors. Works great now, I love it.
 
Thanks again, everyone. This guy took it to Toyota for service every 15,000 miles, so hopefully it's already been baselined basically. I'll have to go through his big stack of records and see :)

Pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger on this one. When I do, I'll post a separate formal intro with pics, etc.
 
For a newb it sounds like you've stumbled upon a real gem. GLWS
 

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