Builds The Story of Blue

[ClassyJalopy]

Parts replaced:
16307-50012: BRACKET SUB-ASSY, FAN
13540-50030: TENSIONER ASSY, CHAIN, NO.1
90105-08178: BOLT, WASHER BASED
16604-50030: PULLEY SUB-ASSY, IDLER, NO.2
13503-50011: IDLER SUB-ASSY, TIMING BELT, NO.2
13568-59095: BELT, TIMING
13505-0F010: Engine Timing Belt Tensioner Pulley
16620-0W101: Tensioner Assembly, V-Ribbed Belt

16571-50150: HOSE, RADIATOR, NO.1
16572-50150: HOSE, RADIATOR, NO.2
90467-43002: CLAMP OR CLIP, HOSE(FOR RADIATOR INLET)
90466-41008: CLAMP OR CLIP, HOSE

AISIN WPT-800: Water Pump Kit
90916-03100: THERMOSTAT
16346-50010: GASKET, THERMOSTAT
16321-50020: INLET, WATER
16032-50110: HOUSING, WATER INLET
77300-53010: Fuel Tank Cap

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Found Toyota OEM timing belt sticker (13564-10010)

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Also the rear globes arrived. Last time I replaced the globes they hardly took 15 min per corner. This time no such luck. The two globes from just two years ago don't want to come off at all! Was able to get the driver side off with a chisel and heavy hammer after almost hour and a half of hard labor

Passenger side is even worse. I have given up on the passenger side for now - will come back to it tomorrow. I have soaked them in PB blaster, but is it safe to heat threads up with a propane torch?

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Ok, finally got the passenger side globe off. Man, what a miserable fight it was!
Tried 3 different 36 mm wrenches, a strap wrench, screw driver and then a chisel with hammer, propane torch - nothing worked!!

I finally drilled a hole in the globe, stuck a thick pick in it and used a ratcheting strap to make it turn! It came off easy after the initial quarter turn. Phew!

Tools roughly in the order they're used:

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Installed the new globes, refilled the AHC fluid, bled the rears (twice) and went for a test drive!
The magic is back

I must thank Andy @suprarx7nut and @js47 for talking me off the ledge when I was ready to strip off the AHC!

 

[suprarx7nut]

Installed the new globes, refilled the AHC fluid, bled the rears (twice) and went for a test drive!
The magic is back

I must thank Andy @suprarx7nut and @js47 for talking me off the ledge when I was ready to strip off the AHC!

Glad to hear it! As is commonly the case with AHC, a simple solution existed. Just had to fight through the fear a liiiiiittle bit, haha.

I'm glad you didn't follow my rabbit hole of electric diagnostics. A good reminder to start simple and follow the most obvious signs first.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

300+ miles trip, maiden voyage after timing belt and new rear globes, heavily laden and never skipped a beat!

 

[Land Shark]

300+ miles trip, maiden voyage after timing belt and new rear globes, heavily laden and never skipped a beat!
View attachment 3393676

Great feeling isn’t it?

 

[ClassyJalopy]

I am thinking about adding microwave oven + 2000W inverter.

We like to carry our food with us. It will be amazing to have a small microwave in the back. I have a 1000W Xantrax Pro inverter that doesn't support even my tiny 0.7 cu. ft/ 600W oven . I am thinking abt upgrading to 2000W Renogy.
Is that going to be too much for my flooded battery to support?

Duracell Ultra | Heavy Duty | Flooded Battery | 950CCA | Group 31P - SLI31PA

The Duracell Ultra SLI31PA is a high-performance 12V flooded lead-acid battery engineered for heavy-duty applications, delivering reliable starting power and durability.

www.batteriesplus.com

Edit: Rated capacity: 12.0V / 300Ah / 3840Wh
The house battery is a group 31 flooded 950CCA/1170 cranking Amps. Or would I need to upgrade to an AGM deep cycle battery?

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Checklist for the upcoming trip:

• Done
  • Flush Brake fluid exchange
  • Adjust parking brakes
  • Install Renogy 2000W inverter
  • Install tiny microwave
  • Improve air down/air up process
    • Bought a 300 LPM compressor
    • And, a 4 hose contraption that promises to air up and down all 4 tires at the same time
  • Plug "squirrel finders" on the headlights
    • Simply reach in from the bulb hole and plug with JB Weld
  • Install Hikari 2003 Future H1 LED bulbs
    • Amazon product ASIN B0B1MHBRV6
    • they claim to have 30,000 lumens (yeah right!)
• Not Done
  • Figure out a way to mount knock off traction boards
  • Figure out a way to mount a front view camera

 

[ClassyJalopy]

All loaded up!
104⁰ ambient, blasting AC with 5 ppl onbaord and cruising at 80 mph

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Last week of August, just before kids go back to school, we drove to CO for a trip I have dreamt about ever since I bought my first cruiser about 5 years ago!

Loaded her up with 5 occupants, way too many belongings, a fridge and microwave and off we went!

First stop KS - checked out the capitol at Topeka, salt mines at Strataca and then Monument Rocks. Temps were hovering around 104F, but never saw the engine or trans temps go too high and the AC was still freezing cold!

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Day 3: Colorado Springs - CO at last!
Woke up early in the morning next day to arrive at Colorado Springs. Access to the Pikes Peak was blocked by a thunderstorm, so stopped at about 3miles below the peak and had a picnic on the rocks. Here are 12,000 ft above sea level was the only time I smelled the fuel fumes, but they were coming from the evap system under the hood! No vapor escaping from the gas cap like so many others have reported.

Later in the afternoon checked out the Cave of the Winds (total tourist trap kinda place) and the Garden of Gods. Loved Garden of Gods and would highly recommend this free-to-visit place to anyone driving through this area!

Also, found this cute little Kei truck from JDM and took a picture for size comparison

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Day 4: Independence Pass and Aspen
Drove through Independence pass (12,095 ft at the Continental Divide). With a stop at Grotto Trail, we easily made it to Aspen in the late afternoon.
This was my first time as Aspen and I can easily see why people love Aspen! Saw more Cruisers in Colorado than any other state I have visited so far but Aspen especially seems to be loaded with 100s and 200s.

Chatted with a nice lady, in a grocery store parking lot about her 99 LX470. She and her husband later shared some tips on Pearl Pass that we were planning to run the next day (more on that later). At this point, I noticed that AHC fluid was barely below the Min mark! It was just fine (middle of Min and Max) when we left. Could it be AHC pumping extra fluid to accumulator due to extra load? In any case, I posted on the MUD to see if anyone could spare some AHC fluid in Aspen. Several MUD members responded but nothing panned out.

Descending the Independence Pass saw 44+ MPG for the first time

Colorado is ridiculously beautiful!

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Day 5: Aspen - Maroon Bells and the Aspen Mountain
This was the first day of the trip where we spent most of the day away from the truck. Hiked around Maroon Bells wilderness area. This is breathtakingly beautiful area to hike in and just sit and take in the natural beauty. We had 3 young kids with us so we hiked only 2 to 3 miles but loved every moment of it.

In the afternoon, took a pretty expensive Gondola ride ($35/head) to the Aspen Mountain (11,211 ft elevation). 360 deg panoramic views are amazing. Hiked around the peak a little, had late lunch there and just chilled!

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Day 6: Pearl Pass
I was nervous about this one. This is about 20 mile long pass that goes through very remote area and sees almost no traffic at all! @Trukk ran it solo a day before me in his shiny LX570 (Correction: Dusty LC 200 ) and reportedly has no issues. @a_traut_man and @RoaringFork both told me it is doable.
Still, I was worried about being solo, with 3 little kids - what if the worst case happens and I get stuck? We could be stuck in wilderness for days! I seriously considered not running it at all.

But my wife told me I worry too much and I should definitely try it. And I am glad I did!!

We loaded up with extra drinking water, food and filled the 40G fuel tank for extra precaution and set off from the Aspen side! Happy to report it was a blast. There are certainly some challenging rock crawling sections and many, many narrow shelves and long stretches of boulder fields with bowling ball size rocks that make for slow going.

Total end to end time was 6 hours, with about 4.5 hours of actual drive time. We saw only a couple of KTM riders, who very kindly reminded us that we are foolish to attempt the pass in a Lexus and that they have seen a couple of lifted Jeeps turning back to the the Crested Butte side after getting stuck!

Of course, I don't have any pics of the hard stuff - only the scenic parts where I got off and let the kids run around and chase marmots!

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Day 7: Black Canyon of Gunnison and Telluride
Easy day of mostly on road driving. Visited Black Canyon of Gunnison Park, picnicked by the river bank, picked up some AHC fluid at Turner Toyota in Montrose, arrived at Mountain Village near Telluride.
BCG NP is amazing! It is a very deep, narrow canyon with nearly vertical walls. In places it is as deep as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is tall! You can drive down to the river bank on East Portal Rd.

Arrived at the fairytale-esque town of Telluride in the evening. They have a free Gondola that's part of the public transport system. And I believe the bus transit system is also free to ride. This is a lovely area with amazing views and LOTS of hiking, biking, mountain biking, off road driving, rafting etc. etc. opportunities. Wish we had more time here - oh well! we might get a chance to come back some day!

The painted wall of the Canyon

At the Gunnison River

Telluride as seen from the Gondola

 

[Trukk]

<SNIP> Day 6: Pearl Pass
I was nervous about this one. This is about 20 mile long pass that goes through very remote area and sees almost no traffic at all! @Trukk ran it solo a day before me in his shiny LX570 and reportedly has no issues. </SNIP>

I will have you know sir, that I have a very dusty Land Cruiser!

I would note, that the folks I have talked to indicated going Aspen to CB is the more challenging route, due to the black/slick rock and waterfall section that you have to climb near the beginning.

Awesome update & thanks for sharing!

 

[ClassyJalopy]

I will have you know sir, that I have a very dusty Land Cruiser!

I would note, that the folks I have talked to indicated going Aspen to CB is the more challenging route, due to the black/slick rock and waterfall section that you have to climb near the beginning.

Awesome update & thanks for sharing!

Noted about the dusty LC
In all seriousness your report on the 200 series forum and then more details about the slick black rocks and waterfall were super helpful

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Day 8: Bridal Veil Falls, Alta Lakes, Ophir Pass, Silverton, Ouray and Million Dollar Highway
Tons of saddle time and tons of fun on this day!

Started by going up the Black Bear pass from the Telluride side to check out the Bridal Veil Falls. Easy wide shelf roads with no drama and great views. We had to turn around before the infamous one way steps of the Black Bear Pass start.

Next up was Alta lakes, pretty easy trail to beautiful lakes, camping and some hiking. After that, we got on Ophir pass. This is mostly easy trail with a few challenging sections and a looong, narrow, rocky shelf road that is not hard, just makes you pucker up a bit