- Thread starter
- #101
Anyone need a set of 1 year old Lexus rear springs? I posted mine on classifieds.
For Sale - OEM Lexus LX470 Rear Springs
For Sale - OEM Lexus LX470 Rear Springs
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- Thread starter
- #102
Quick update on my truck.
It started making a new and subtle hum at speed a couple weeks ago - I tried diagnosing it myself but couldn't tell where it was coming from apart from the front end. Brought it in to my local shop, and it turns out my front diff is toast. AAA upgraded membership, and I've got a free tow up to Slee.
It was an arduous and unexpected decision making process - After getting really close to deciding to re-gear and lock the front and back while it is up there, I ultimately decided against it with the help of Ben's advice. Instead, this is what I had them do:
I also am waiting for the new front wind deflector for the Bump-it Offroad roof rack to be powder coated, and have a few parts on order for when I finally have it back:
Once all this is done, it'll be time to mount the tent and hit the trails with the family - Should be fun!
It started making a new and subtle hum at speed a couple weeks ago - I tried diagnosing it myself but couldn't tell where it was coming from apart from the front end. Brought it in to my local shop, and it turns out my front diff is toast. AAA upgraded membership, and I've got a free tow up to Slee.
It was an arduous and unexpected decision making process - After getting really close to deciding to re-gear and lock the front and back while it is up there, I ultimately decided against it with the help of Ben's advice. Instead, this is what I had them do:
- Front Toyota Diff & gears (upgraded from the stock '98 2-pinion to the later (stronger) 4-pinion version.
- Front axles (they had been flinging grease since I got the truck, and I knew it was probably time)
- Front ball joints (they found some play)
- Front steering rack (I had been noticing sloppy steering when on some of the gnarlier trails last season)
I also am waiting for the new front wind deflector for the Bump-it Offroad roof rack to be powder coated, and have a few parts on order for when I finally have it back:
- Front Runner Quick-release Tent Mounts
- Rear rotors (noticed the inside of them had been scoured when I did the pads)
- Rear bushings
- Front passenger side corner lamp (damaged last year at HIH8)
Once all this is done, it'll be time to mount the tent and hit the trails with the family - Should be fun!
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PabloCruise
SILVER Star
Jinkees! New rack, front axles, ball joints and front diff?!? That must have been a tough moment when the bill was presented!
Can't wait to hear more about your experience replacing the globes...
Can't wait to hear more about your experience replacing the globes...
Hello!!!! I was the guy who travelled from MI to buy your stock tires. How is it going with your LX-470? Any new mods? Have you considered doing HIH? We've been enjoying the heck out of our LC. A few mods since I last saw you to make her a little more offroad worthy. That's funny you put your pic on your profile, I thought I recognized you!
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- #106
Yeah it wasn't a fun moment, but I'm glad I did it. I hope to keep this truck for a while, and there was a night and day difference in feel and handling after getting it done.
As for the globes, the bad news is that after trying a couple of times, I haven't been able to complete a successful install. AHC keeps flashing and going to Low, or seems to be fine, but drives like the springs and shocks were replaced by cinder blocks. I'm back to my old globes at the moment and having intermittent issues with AHC flashing or one of the front corners dropping to low. Most of the time it's fine, but this has been ongoing for a few months now. This has persisted after several fluid flushes to try to make sure there are no air bubbles in the lines.
I'm sorry - I don't have anything useful for you here. I started going based off a thread here on MUD, but ultimate just did final adjustments based on "feel" because I was having a hard time getting a consistent hight measurement. All I can say is verrrrry small adjustments make a big difference.
Hey hey! Hope those tires worked well for you! I'm still on my K02's I replaced them with.
At this point the biggest mods I have are SCS F5 wheels, Bump It Offroad roof rack (aluminum and steel low profile, no longer available) and sliders. This year I intend to put my suspension issues behind me (contemplating Icon Stage III via Slee Offroad), upgrade the stereo and head unit with something that has wireless Apple CarPlay, and possibly some other small stuff like diff breathers, a vinyl hood blackout, and a 40W GMRS radio install. I also have a new hood on order from some previous hail damage.
I hope to get out on the trails a good amount this year!
- Thread starter
- #107
Quick update.
I’ve made some progress recently.
I’ve made some progress recently.
- Replaced all 8 spark plugs using Toyota parts.
- Replaced all 8 ignition coils using Denso parts. I have no record confirming this had ever been done, and 6 of the 8 were bad in one way or another (hard rubber, cracked plastic, or heavily oxidized or burned plastic
- Cleaned the MAF sensor, intake manifold, throttle body, and all the air intake hoses. It was pretty dirty in there!
- Replaced the fuel filter that is inside the engine compartment. This was just because the part was cheap and the filter is 20+ years old with 178k miles worth of fuel run through it. Easy to do, so why not?
- Replaced the fuel pressure regulator. One of those rumored mpg savers for an older truck... we’ll see
- Discovered a little weeping from the passengers side valve cover gasket. I’ve heard it’s common for the valve cover bolts to loosen over time (or the rubber gasket a to shrink), and that a little re-torque can buy you a few years. Re-torqued and will keep an eye on it.
- Discovered my PCV valve assembly is very loose. I have no record of this ever being replaced, so I’m going to replace the valve, hose, and grommet.
- After all this and a little bit of fuel system cleaner, I’ve reset my ECU by disconnecting the battery for 30+ minutes, and I’m going to see if there is any gain in MPG after a tank or two
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Congrats on some exciting new upgrades! How are you going to set up the suspension? More lift? Larger wheels/tires?
- Thread starter
- #109
Thanks! I’m sticking with the 285/75/r16 KO2’s and I’ve got the SCS F5 wheels that I put on recently and will be keeping. The lift will be around 2.5” - 3” with OME 2860’s.
- Thread starter
- #110
Four-Year Catch-Up
It's been quite a while since I've posted an update to this thread, so here comes a doozie. Back in 2020, I did a number of upgrades and repairs that have taken me past the 200K milestone and kept me very satisfied with the LX these past four or so years.
Next Up...
That brings me to today. After enjoying the above upgrades for the past few years, it's time to do a bit more work to get a few more happy years with it. This is what is happening this next month:
It's been quite a while since I've posted an update to this thread, so here comes a doozie. Back in 2020, I did a number of upgrades and repairs that have taken me past the 200K milestone and kept me very satisfied with the LX these past four or so years.
- Suspension:Icons with adjustable valves and remote reservoirs on all four corners, SPC UCA's in front along with OME Torsion Bars.
- As the loadout has changed, I've swapped springs. It's currently sitting on the Slee SOF2RHs in the rear but started with OME 2860s.
- This is the best upgrade I've made to the truck since buying it. It's a dream on the washboards and trails.
- Note: If my AHC had not been giving me trouble, I would have happily stuck with it - In that case, the only real upgrade here would have been the long miles on the washboard fire roads here in Colorado.
- Stereo: I knew from the start that I'd want to upgrade the stereo at some point, so that helped me avoid 100 series options that had navigation and stick with the models with dedicated HVAC controls to make for a more straightforward upgrade later. I've always enjoyed high quality audio, and dreamed of having full-range, rich enveloping sound with a deep low-end in my daily driver. This setup got me just that.
- Alpine Halo 11 - Selected for the large 11" display, wireless CarPlay, and some of the audio features (fully adjustable timing and EQ for each channel, HD Radio, preamp outs, etc.), as well as front and rear cameras.
- JL Audio XD700/5v2 - Selected for quality components and as a good match to the speakers along with the speaker/sub power ratio I was looking for.
- Focal Component Speakers in front, Focal Coaxials in the rear, and a JL sealed subwoofer in the trunk, hooked with a quick disconnect setup for when I need to get it out of there to maximize storage, which doesn't happen often.
- It's also one of the best upgrades I've done. It makes me enjoy daily driving more than anything else I've done.
- Battery:The AMG Group 34R battery from Odyssey failed under warranty, so I upgraded upon replacement to a larger Group 31 Extreme. Easy process and Odyssey did a great job standing behind their product.
- I installed the Slee Battery Tray to handle the increase in size.
- I also installed the Slee Billet-style battery terminals. These are so nice to work with, solid as heck, and convenient. I'm really happy with them.
- Lights:I installed the HID + projector headlight retrofit, thanks to LB BuiltWerks. @Luke111 is the man.
- I opted to have him bake the lights for me, as I wasn't quite up for the project, and it was money well spent.
- It's also one of my favorite upgrades I've made along the way, and it is #1 in terms of bang for the buck, especially if you are considering light bars and such. I no longer dream of light bars due to the incredible output, especially when using high beams and letting the HIDs run full with the removed cutoff.
- Hail Repair:I replaced that hail-damaged hood and wrapped it after painting it.
- Most folks probably assume I did the wrap for the look, but it actually was a big quality of life improvement, as the sun no longer blinds me as it bounces off the hood, which had been a constant problem with all the mountain driving here in Colorado.
- Other Maintenanceand odds and ends done on or ahead of schedule:
- Timing Belt, Serpentine Belt, Water Pump, Radiator, Thermostat, Valve Cover Gaskets, crankshaft rear seal, and other small bits while I was in there.
- Synthetic oil changes, Front/Rear Diff and transfer case synthetic gear oil, greased propeller shafts, u-joints, and SPC UCAs, torqued driveshaft flange bolts, wheel bearing service, front axle replacements (the priors had been flinging grease for years).
Next Up...
That brings me to today. After enjoying the above upgrades for the past few years, it's time to do a bit more work to get a few more happy years with it. This is what is happening this next month:
- Paint: The hail damage from several years ago has led to clear-coat peeling on the front fenders and a few other areas that have gotten progressively worse, as expected. After 26+ years, there are plenty of knicks, scratches, and worn clear-coat across the board as well.
- I decided to go with full paint, matching factory while avoiding door jambs and such to keep costs more reasonable. This is a commitment to keep enjoying the LX for a few more years.
- Tires:I've absolutely loved my KO2s and have not had any complaints about them that I've seen others make regarding wet or snow performance. In my experience, these are great in the snow (but not as good as a dedicated snow tire), and I've had no issues in the wet, even when braking suddenly while hitting flooded sections of highway. After 7.5 years and 55K miles, they are showing dry rot and are down to 5/32". What has impressed me most about these is that I've counted over 20 significant punctures, 4 of which are in the sidewall, from things like screws, nails, and other metal objects, and I've not lost any air or noticed any imbalance, even as I continue to hit trails, air down, air up, and beat them up on the washboards. They have certainly earned my trust, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the next generation of them perform.
- I just put on a set of KO3s - After waiting for them to be available in 285/75/r16, they finally shipped, and so far, I've been impressed. They seem to be everything I've known and loved about the KO2s only better in terms of wet and winter performance, not to mention just a tad more aggressive on the sidewall, which I think any of us can appreciate.
- I did consider other options and shopped around for a good while, especially since these weren't available in my preferred size for many months. These days, there are several good options for ATs, but it was hard to choose something else given how well the KO2s have treated me.
- Suspension:It's time for my first shock service on the Icons (the biggest drawback to this setup). Icon recommends a full rebuild at 40K miles if driven on pavement or at 15K miles if driving on a mix of road/gravel. That's a pretty wide spread, and it's hard to know for sure when the right time to do this is. I'm approaching 23K miles on mine, and I'm noticing they are less compliant than they used to be. I do put miles down on gravel and washboards every year and do hit technical trails now and then, so I think it's time. Since I'll be without the truck for a few weeks while it's in for paint, I'm taking the opportunity to do the rebuild at the same time. This is also going to be a good time to make some other suspension modifications I've been thinking about in recent months.
- Shock Service: For shock service, I'll be bolting on some used OEM Toyota shocks on all four corners to give me some flexibility on time. The plan is to swap the Icons out before it goes in for paint so that the rebuild is done and the Icons are ready by the time I get the LX back. I'm deciding this week between Icon Factory Service (shipping) or a local rebuilder who is not part of their service network. If I go with the latter, I'll be ordering the parts from Icon ahead of time. This decision is pending some questions on total cost plus turnaround time between the two options.
- Extended End Links: I'm installing extended sway bar end links from Trail Tailor on the front and rear. I'm excited to see what this does to on-road handling as I keep the RTT installed most of the year, and Colorado knows few straight roads.
- Rear Sway Bar: I'm swapping the rear stock sway bar (24mm diameter) with a new 27mm heavy-duty rear sway bar from SuperPro, which will bring a reported 90% increase in stiffness. This, paired with the extended end links, should significantly improve on-road handling.
- Front Sway Bar Disconnects: I've been convinced that a stiffer sway bar in the rear combined with extended end links and disconnects for the front is the ideal combination to maximize total combined articulation, performance, and comfort for these IFS Toyotas while on the trail. This video (and others by him like this and this) is what has opened my eyes to this approach, which I initially found to be counterintuitive. That said, I've just about given up on my pursuit of a good solution to front sway bar disconnects, and so I plan to just bring my impact driver with me to disconnect/reconnect at the trailhead, as others here have suggested. If my real-world experience sells me on the value of disconnecting for the trail and the washboards, I may revisit the quick disconnect problem later. Open to ideas (and vendors) for solutions. Unfortunately, I've come up short so far.
- Panhard correction: I'll be installing the Delta Panhard Drop Bracket in order to get it level and back into it's correct position. The benefits of making this correction are well described in this thread.
- General Maintenance:It's time for some more of the usual: transmission fluid, wheel hub service, diffs and transfer case gear oil, engine oil/filter, engine air filter, greasing door hinges, UCAs, replacing the cabin air filter, etc...
- My rear liftgate/hatch struts have gotten pretty weak, so I'm trying a replacement set from Lift Support Depot.
- I'll be replacing the condenser box gasket when doing the cabin air filter, as it's started to drip into the passenger footwell occasionally.
- While I'm in there, I intend to do the Pin 7 mod - Not a big deal, but occasionally would find it helpful to be in 4-low without the center locked when climbing steeper shelf gravel roads with switchbacks that are otherwise not technical.
- Other Items I'm hoping to get to, but am not yet committed to at this point...
- Antenna Mast & trim replacement.
- Leather repair - I have a couple of torn spots that are starting to get worse.
- I'd like to replace my shift console face cover, as it is very worn, has some cracks and discoloration, and has some old glued-on controls from the previous owner that will not come off no matter what I do.
- Along with the shift console, I would also replace the bubbly and warped shift indicator plate with the black anodized billet-style replacement sold by ZR Tactical Solutions.
- I'd like to add @BenCC's 3D printed cup holders while I'm at it.
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- Thread starter
- #112
Here you go! As you can see, I skipped the insanely priced vehicle-specific bezel/trim. You can’t see the gap unless you’re leaning in to look behind the screen.
- Thread starter
- #114
Thanks! Yes, one of those photos shows OnX Offroad, which has been nice to use on the trails.
Day to day, it’s nice to have music/maps/homekit controls on screen (depending on the view you select), but on the trail, OnX full screen is where it’s at. I sometimes will have downloaded offline Google or Apple Maps up on my phone at the same time to cross reference.
- Thread starter
- #115
I will say, I think that all head units above entry level are significantly overpriced, but I waited years for that to change and it didn’t, so I finally pulled the trigger. Still not happy about cost, but really happy with the overall result.
