Suspension - Help!

[gtownwes]

My grandmother owns a ‘02 LX470 with 165k miles that I’m stepping into try and help fix. I believe it has some sort of air suspension (there is a ride selector knob near the gear selector). 3 years ago a family member took it to a local shop to replace the shocks and the poor truck has never been the same. Mechanic obviously had no idea what they were doing. It’s an absolute horrible ride and bounces all over the road. Extremely firm. Unsafe and hard to drive. I obviously have zero trust in this shop to help correct (we’ve tried). I’m attaching the invoice showing the work. Any ideas on next steps to get this fixed? What went wrong here on the fix (besides trusting someone who didn’t know what they were doing!)? I have someone I trust that I can try but I’d really like to understand more on the path forward from this group of experts.

 

[Rhetoric]

The 100 series LX has hydraulic suspension, also known as AHC. The truck likely never needed shocks, as they are hydraulic rams and last forever unless rusted or thoroughly abused.

It sounds like the truck needs accumulator globes to get the ride in check. Others will chime in with more as the knowledge on here is deep.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

It's a hydraulic suspension system, AHC. Without knowing what the shop replaced, kind of hard to tell you what/if they did something wrong. It says shock absorber, is that the AHC globes or ? How did they bleed and calibrate the system after? You'd need Techstream to be able to check the system yourself, or take it someplace you know from others here to be reputable with the AHC system, even at dealerships it's becoming something they don't want to deal with. There's a big "ABC's of AHC" thread if you want to dive into this yourself.

 

[TahoeZ]

Thread 'The ABCs of AHC - How to Measure, Flush, and Adjust all in one place'

May 29, 2020

I initially put this in the Definitive list of AHC maintenance items thread, but at almost 800 posts long and growing, it's going to get buried and the thread itself is very unwieldy.

In an attempt to make as focused a summary as possible, I present "The ABCs of AHC." It's intended as a comprehensive, linear checklist for anyone who needs to get their AHC back into factory tune. Information gathered from as many sources as I could find on this forum; I take no credit for developing any of this, just bringing it all together as much as possible. Special shout outs to...

• LndXrsr
• ahc
• Replies: 529
• Forum: 100-Series Cruisers

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[David310]

Sounds like the globes need to be replaced which will require additional hydraulic fluid that needs to be bled until air bubbles are gone. The suspension then needs to be adjusted to set the correct pressure front and rear using a software called Techstream.

Is the person you trust knowledgeable about the AHC system? Are you mechanically inclined? If not, it would be best to post your location and members can refer local shops.

Great AHC video:

 

[gtownwes]

Thank you to all. I’m located in Germantown, TN which is right outside of Memphis. I’d appreciate local shop recommendations that anyone would trust with this!

 

[Malleus]

Check here:
Bluff City Cruisers clubhouse

 

[jsloden]

I'm in Tupelo and have heard good things about Mosely Motors. I know they do a lot of land cruiser work. Not sure about AHC specifically but I would definitely check with them. They probably replaced the shocks, which never need to be replaced basically. The globes are really only thing that ever really goes bad in the system. I also doubt they bled the system properly when they changed the shocks.