Been a busy couple of weeks for my LC 100. Last week a couple of buddies and I tackled the entire front end. We replaced the UCA's, LCA's, tie rod ends, CV assemblies, rotors and disc, and repack wheel bearings. The ball joints gave us hell, but after scoring a cheap (Harbor Freight) ball joint puller, which had to be modified we made quick work of it. Also adjusted the torsion bars to level the ride and get rid of a annoying tire rub issue. After a new alignment she drives like a new vehicle.
Total labor was 6:00 hours.
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This week we tackled the dreaded starter and while we were at it we decided to replace the timing belt, plugs and coil packs. The starter was a pretty straight forward process because we had pulled the fan and fan shroud on all the front covers. We were able to climb inside the engine compartment, which is way easier than leaning over a rig with a 3" lift and 35" tires. The rig only has 115,000 miles and since I bought it used I was not 100% that the timing belt, tensioners and water pump was done at the 100K mark because there was no sticker or electronic record that I could locate. Sure enough, once we opened it all up the timing belt had been changed — that was the good news. The bad news was that they had used cheap Chinese parts that were already showing wear and tear. We said screw it and replaced everything with proper OEM/Asin parts. Spent a little extra time cleaning injectors and chasing down a fuel leak — had to reseat an injector.
Total labor was 9:00 hours
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The IH8MUD forums and YouTube videos were a huge help. When you and your buddies do the labor you can save a ton of money. My friend Daniel Happily who owns Hill Country Cruisers (Wimberley, Texas) has great rates on labor (450 per hour) if you want to go that route. Also, you read it all the time on IH8MUD — DON'T BUY CHEAP PARTS, STICK WITH OEM! In the long run it will have you money. Now I can start thinking about designing and building a killer roof rack— stay tuned.
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