Builds The Fresh-Air-Ah GX 460 Build Thread

[r2m]

Wow! Very ambitious! Or was this done over a period of of a month or so?
Your rig is looking amazing!
Where in LA are you? North South, East??
I'm at the very bottom of OC, right next to Camp Pendleton. Maybe hook up for a trail ride sometime with the families.

 

[alefer5]

Wow! Very ambitious! Or was this done over a period of of a month or so?
Your rig is looking amazing!
Where in LA are you? North South, East??
I'm at the very bottom of OC, right next to Camp Pendleton. Maybe hook up for a trail ride sometime with the families.

This was all done over about a month! I’ve been slacking on keeping this thread updated, as every time I have free time, I’m wrenching on the car. Aside from a few things, the thread is just about caught up to the status of the car.

And appreciate the feedback on the rig! Been trying to keep the mods tasteful yet functional.

I’m at the very north part of LA, butted up against the San Gabriel mountains. Absolutely down to rip some trails

 

[r2m]

Maybe you could guest with my off road club sometime: Capo Valley 4 Wheelers - https://www.cv4w.org/
I'll keep an eye out for an event that's up around your way and if it fit's our schedule.

 

[cgs2k2]

Looks good. I also run 33" cutters. Did your spare fit in the stock location?

 

[alefer5]

Looks good. I also run 33" cutters. Did your spare fit in the stock location?

Thanks! I actually haven’t tried yet.

I have the factory tow hitch which consumes a fair amount of space around the spare wheel location. When removing the factory wheel/tire from the spare location, I noted that even that was a somewhat tight fit. I bet you could squeeze the 33x10 into that spot deflated, but right now it’s in my trunk

 

[cgs2k2]

Thanks! I actually haven’t tried yet.

I have the factory tow hitch which consumes a fair amount of space around the spare wheel location. When removing the factory wheel/tire from the spare location, I noted that even that was a somewhat tight fit. I bet you could squeeze the 33x10 into that spot deflated, but right now it’s in my trunk

Haha got it! Makes sense. I've been running the stock spare, but am starting to feel uneasy about it. I would guess the 33" won't fit and was planning on also running it in my trunk.

I'll try to deflate the fullsize and ratchet strap it down and squeeze it into the stock location. Will let you know if it works!

 

[re_guderian]

Wheels and Tires

Now that suspension is done, next project is wheels and tires.

For wheels, I went with the TRD Pro SEMA wheels (17x7 with a +4mm offset). Believe it or not, I picked up five of these on Amazon for a few hundred less than what people were selling them for on OfferUp and Craigslist.

For tires, I went with the 33.0” X 10.0” Kenda Klever Rugged Terrain. I’ve had K02s and other popular variants in the past, but liked the idea of the Rugged Terrain cross between Mud Terrain and All Terrain. Plus, when I was buying, these tires were also about $80 to $100 cheaper than most of the “popular” off road variants (per wheel).

I had Discount Tire install new TPMS sensors in each of the 5X wheels, in addition to mounting and balancing each one. After a few trips back and forth to the tire shop, it turns out that the Discount Tire TPMS sensors cannot be picked up by the Lexus ECU. I therefore had the OEM sensors swapped from the factory wheels into the TRD wheels. It seems like other folks haven't had issues, but after numerous trips back and forth, I figured the OEM sensors may solve the problem.
View attachment 2808439
Nothing more to say from here other than I have just a *slight* bit of rub against the inner fender liner on the front wheels when I’m at full lock, going up a hill. I notice this most when I’m flipping a U-turn on an uphill or downhill street or going into and out of parking lots, crossing over an apron. I’ll eventually get around to massaging the fender liners, but for now, it seems like self-fixing problem. It’s evident that a BMC is not needed with the “pizza cutters.” I did however remove the running boards / side steps to help reduce some of the rub (plus sliders going on soon).
View attachment 2808441
Will report back once I get a few more miles under my belt with the new wheel & tire combo. And oh yea, my TPMS light is still on...Apparently, Lexus needs to do the configuration for the factory sensors. Oh well.

Interested in your opinion of the Kenda tires. I looked at them pretty seriously, but went with a more traditional AT tire. I ran 33x10.50's on my FJ60, and 255/85/16's on my 80 series, with great results. Went wide with 295/75/16's on my 100 series. We also do a fair bit of highway driving, are they loud?

 

[re_guderian]

Thanks! I actually haven’t tried yet.

I have the factory tow hitch which consumes a fair amount of space around the spare wheel location. When removing the factory wheel/tire from the spare location, I noted that even that was a somewhat tight fit. I bet you could squeeze the 33x10 into that spot deflated, but right now it’s in my trunk

I think when you break out the tape measure, an OEM frame hitch makes it so the front-back space is the constraint, rather than between the frame rails.

 

[BigSwede]

Haha got it! Makes sense. I've been running the stock spare, but am starting to feel uneasy about it. I would guess the 33" won't fit and was planning on also running it in my trunk.

I'll try to deflate the fullsize and ratchet strap it down and squeeze it into the stock location. Will let you know if it works!

I couldn't fit an inflated 265/70r17 (31.6") with the factory hitch, so I doubt even a deflated 33" will fit... but I will be very interested to see if it does!

 

[xychromosome]

I couldn't fit an inflated 265/70r17 (31.6") with the factory hitch, so I doubt even a deflated 33" will fit... but I will be very interested to see if it does!

I was able to get a 265/65/18 in there (31.5"), with the help of a mallet to tap it past the sway bar. Once in place, there is about a half inch of clearance though. Will prob have to deflate in order to get it down when I need it. I did buy a used tire to use as a spare, so I'm sure the existing wear shrunk it down a little, which helped.

 

[alefer5]

Haha got it! Makes sense. I've been running the stock spare, but am starting to feel uneasy about it. I would guess the 33" won't fit and was planning on also running it in my trunk.

I'll try to deflate the fullsize and ratchet strap it down and squeeze it into the stock location. Will let you know if it works!

That’s how I felt…I also wanted to make sure that I had a full size spare before venturing out.

I have a victory 4x4 rear bumper on order, so that will ultimately be my solution for carrying the spare outside the vehicle, in 60-90 business days . Hoping to then use the factory location to carry spare fuel using the Trail’d water containers.

 

[alefer5]

I was able to get a 265/65/18 in there (31.5"), with the help of a mallet to tap it past the sway bar. Once in place, there is about a half inch of clearance though. Will prob have to deflate in order to get it down when I need it. I did buy a used tire to use as a spare, so I'm sure the existing wear shrunk it down a little, which helped.

What wheel are using? I think the offset probably makes a difference in terms of where the tire sits relative to the factory location.

 

[alefer5]

Interested in your opinion of the Kenda tires. I looked at them pretty seriously, but went with a more traditional AT tire. I ran 33x10.50's on my FJ60, and 255/85/16's on my 80 series, with great results. Went wide with 295/75/16's on my 100 series. We also do a fair bit of highway driving, are they loud?

Honestly, I haven’t noticed tremendous noise with the kenda’s. They’re definitely louder than stock, but after a few miles on the highway, it seems to fade away (given the wind noise with the tent and roof rack).

A point of comparison is a 265/70/17 k02 (c-rated) that I ran on a ZR2, which was certainly louder. I only have one trip in the dirt with the kenda’s and so far, all I can say is good things - No issues this far! Will keep this thread posted as I learn more about their performance. I should have some trips up to the snow in the coming months.

 

[r2m]

Try to keep an ear out for when they get about half worn. Some tires get louder with age/wear.
My BFG M/T's were quiet when new but now are a little noisy with about 1/4 tread left.
I'm thinking I'm going to go with BFG A/T's next time 'round, which may be before the end of the year.

 

[alefer5]

Skid Plate Project:

With suspension, wheels, and tires now complete, next on the hit-list are skid plates. I went with an engine skid, transmission skid, transfer case skid, and fuel tank skid from RCI Metalworks. For those interested, part numbers are:

• GX-10-FRONT-KDSS-STBK
• GX-03-TRANS-STBK
• GX460-10-TCASE-STBK
• T4R-10-FUEL-STBK

I ordered the 3/16” powder coated steel variant of each item, as I figured that the steel is (a) more durable and (b) helps off-set the weight of the tent on the top of the vehicle. This article on MUD also corroborated my selection on stock vs. aluminum vs. steel skids.

As you could imagine, the installation was relatively straightforward. I was working alone and used a floor jack to support each skid while running-down the mounting hardware. This probably would not have been necessary if I had an extra set of hands to assist with the install.

The only challenge I ran into was that the driver’s side rear support bracket used to support the fuel tank skid interfered with the external reservoir of my rear shock. To generate additional clearance, I notched the support bracket with a hack saw and cleaned up my cut with a file. After the bracket was prepped and painted, I had no issues with installation. Although this was a small time-sink, you probably won’t run into this issue unless you’re using a remote reservoir rear shock. Just something to look out for if you’re going to use the RCI product.

All said and done, I tackled the install in a few hours, spread over the course of a few different nights. I’d certainly recommend these products to anyone else looking for something similar, as the installation was easy, and the protection seems second to none.

 

[re_guderian]

Skid Plate Project:

With suspension, wheels, and tires now complete, next on the hit-list are skid plates. I went with an engine skid, transmission skid, transfer case skid, and fuel tank skid from RCI Metalworks. For those interested, part numbers are:

• GX-10-FRONT-KDSS-STBK
• GX-03-TRANS-STBK
• GX460-10-TCASE-STBK
• T4R-10-FUEL-STBK

I ordered the 3/16” powder coated steel variant of each item, as I figured that the steel is (a) more durable and (b) helps off-set the weight of the tent on the top of the vehicle. This article on MUD also corroborated my selection on stock vs. aluminum vs. steel skids.

As you could imagine, the installation was relatively straightforward. I was working alone and used a floor jack to support each skid while running-down the mounting hardware. This probably would not have been necessary if I had an extra set of hands to assist with the install.

The only challenge I ran into was that the driver’s side rear support bracket used to support the fuel tank skid interfered with the external reservoir of my rear shock. To generate additional clearance, I notched the support bracket with a hack saw and cleaned up my cut with a file. After the bracket was prepped and painted, I had no issues with installation. Although this was a small time-sink, you probably won’t run into this issue unless you’re using a remote reservoir rear shock. Just something to look out for if you’re going to use the RCI product.

View attachment 2814615View attachment 2814616

All said and done, I tackled the install in a few hours, spread over the course of a few different nights. I’d certainly recommend these products to anyone else looking for something similar, as the installation was easy, and the protection seems second to none.

View attachment 2814617View attachment 2814619
View attachment 2814620

Agree that these are top-notch. I've had mine out just once now, and it's good peace-of-mind. Thicker than other offerings, including BudBuilt, if my metric to std is correct. Not sure of your experience, but the transfer case cross-member was a bit of a challenge on the driver's side. There's not much room to get any leverage on the inside-the-frame-rail bolt, and it's about one click at a time tightening given the resulting lack of access. But other than that, pretty straightforward. I will admit that I'm slow, and nothing I do is as easy in real life, as it seems it should be in my mind. I mean seriously, a full set of skids on that thing is "less than 2 dozen bolts". How long could that possibly take, right? Several hours is the right answer...

 

[alefer5]

Leaking Coolant:
Naturally, after I install the skids, I need to pull the engine skid off to diagnose a coolant leak...

A few days ago, I noticed coolant on the driveway underneath the engine skid (it weeped through the removable access panel for the oil filter). The reservoir tank was nearly empty but removing the radiator cap indicated that the radiator was still full. Vehicle has ~123k on the clock, but hasn't been driven in a few days, as I've been putting around in my grocery getter.

After removing the engine skid, I notice pooled coolant on the oil filter housing, which was dripping from somewhere above.

Visual inspection and manipulation of coolant hoses didn't make the leak immediately clear (I even poked around with a cheap borescope but didn't see anything useful). I then moved to a pressure test of the system, which pointed to two suspect areas, where I saw coolant dripping (a few seconds in between each drip):

1. Underside of Water Bypass Hose No. 1 (connection between water inlet housing and front water bypass joint)
2. The underside of the water inlet housing itself

Looking further, I noticed that the hose clamps on a majority of the coolant hoses in this area are worm-style instead of the OEM constant-tension spring clamps. Even the upper radiator hose was using a worm-style clamp. Now, service wise, the car had a coolant valley plate job and a water pump replacement at ~93k by a Lexus Dealer (long before I bought it).

In addition to noticing the leaks (while the system was under pressure), I also noticed that a number of the cooling hoses appear dry and don't feel supple. In fact, one or two of them look like they may be a few summer days away from cracking (oh joy, considering I live in SoCal, and do lots of desert trips).

With these observations, my immediate game plan is:

1. Replace Water Bypass Hose No. 1 and install OEM spring clamps
2. Replace the water inlet housing - when looking from the bottom of the car, I *may* see a crack or some pitting that could be responsible for a leak.
3. Replace all other "accessible" coolant hoses and install OEM spring clamps
4. Replace the serpentine belt because it's soaked with Toyota's SLLC.

I'm thinking that I should also:

• Replace the radiator, as it currently has 123k, and I've heard that they are suspect to cracking (this was my first thought when I noticed the leak). Plus, I need to pull it to *easily* remove the water inlet housing.
• Pull the intake and replace the "not-so-easily-accessible* coolant hoses, and install OEM spring clamps. Who knows what's going on back there.
• If I'm down this path, maybe I pull the Coolant Valley Plate, re-seal, and replace my EGR gaskets, and PCV valve.

Any thoughts from this crowd on whether I should do these *extra* tasks? Is there anything else I should try and tackle while I'm tearing things apart? Injectors, knock sensors, gaskets? I usually follow the "if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality", but with a few days work to tackle this job, I figure I might as well do it right, so I can have more confidence in the vehicle. When in Rome I suppose...

-AF

 

[theone]

Definitely replace your radiator! My '14 radiator blew this summer which ended up being a long day as I was towing my travel trailer. I like how your rig is coming along!

 

[re_guderian]

I would do the radiator. But if the coolant valley plate was done ony 30K miles ago by a Lexus dealer, I don't think I would pull the intake and mess with that. It "shouldn't" ever leak in the first place, let alone after a repair by Lexus with better FIPG material (and the new stuff is $$$$). My LC radiators made it to ~250K miles. 123K seems low, but they're not THAT pricey and pretty easy to swap, so I would do that, and the hoses.

 

[alefer5]

Cooling System Maintenance

After a long hiatus from my build thread, I finally have some updates! Just yesterday I wrapped up the maintenance on my cooling system. It turns out that my coolant leak (described in post #37) was from my thermostat housing - it was pitted and leaking through the housing itself. With that, I tore down much of the cooling system and replaced a number of components:

• Radiator
• Fan clutch & fluid coupling bracket
• Thermostat housing & thermostat
• Water inlet housing
• Water by-pass housing
• Most rubber coolant hoses (including hose clamps)
• PCV Valve
• EGR Gaskets
• Serpentine Belt

I opted to replace a majority of the rubber coolant hoses, as many of them were stiff and had suspect *pink cotton candy* at their interfaces. In order to replace some of the coolant lines, I needed to remove the intake. I figured this was a good time to check out my valley plate to ensure that I had no leaks. To my surprise, the coolant valley plate looked great...I guess that the dealership job to re-seal the coolant valley plate, done at 93k (car is now at ~125k) is holding solid.

I spent a tremendous amount of time messing with the 4x nuts to remove the fan clutch assembly. One of them stripped, which took far too long to remove. Since I had been using a chisel to split the nut (i.e. pounding the fan clutch assembly and supporting bracket), I opted to replace both the fan clutch and the fluid coupling bracket that mounts the fan clutch and fan to the block. The lesson learned here is that this tool is worth every penny.

Another challenge that I experienced during this teardown was related to part quality. I had the hardest time finding a *good* radiator - it took me 6x tries to get something that was not damaged (even when ordering through dealerships)! Additionally, I received a bad thermostat, which didn't open within the 80C - 84C range specified in the FSM.

Here are some helpful resources that assisted me in my project:

• @jmanscotch DIY Coolant Valley Leak Repair
• Water Pump Replacement
• Front Bumper Removal