What have you done to your 100 Series this week?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Thought I’d share…

My previous purchases have also been no sales tax shipped to California.

Offer valid 4/6/26-4/20/26 online offer only. Click the link below to access the website.
image.png


1775174606124.webp
 
Subject: 294k Mile Top-End Restoration: Time-Serts, Full Harness Refresh, & 100% OEM Reliability

We picked up our 2000 LX470 in November and immediately put 7,000 miles on it overlanding and boondocking. After a heavy season of dirt and heat, she started running rough. Instead of chasing individual symptoms, I decided to pull the trigger on a full top-end restoration.

The goal: Address 25 years of heat-soak and ensure this 2UZ-FE is 100% reliable for the next 100k miles. I stuck with Genuine OEM Toyota/Lexus parts for all gaskets, seals, and hardware.

The "No-Shortcuts" Refresh List:​

  • Ignition & Proper Thread Repair: Found two cylinders with blown-out coils and oil-fouled wells. The threads were gone. Instead of a temporary fix, I installed Time-Sertsto do the repair correctly.
    • Plugs: All new NGK Laser Iridium.
    • Coils: 2 new Denso units; the remaining 6 were refreshed with new NGK boots and springs.
  • Electrical Harness Restoration: This was the most patient part of the job. I replaced every single electrical connector body on the top end. The wires were healthy, so I de-pinned every single one using the tiny screwdriver method and swapped in fresh OEM plastic.
  • The "Impossible" Temp Sender: The original clip was so brittle it had actually snapped off inside the female side of the sender. Replaced both the sender and the connector body.
  • Seals & Gaskets (100% OEM):* Complete refresh of valve cover gaskets, new bolts, and washers.
    • New half-moons and coil seals.
    • New oil cap and oil neck gasket (classic leak points often missed).
  • Fuel & Vacuum Plumbing:
    • Fuel Lines: Upgraded to Gates Barricade hose with HPS clamps for modern ethanol protection.
    • Vacuum: Every single line replaced (the originals were essentially glass).
    • Hardware: All new OEM clamps and bolts throughout.
  • Intake & Air: Installed an aftermarket silicone air box-to-intake hose. (Currently on "zip-tie duty" while I wait for my final HPS clamps to arrive).
  • Deep Clean: While the top end was stripped, I deep-cleaned every component back to near-new condition.
  • Lighting: Two new corner lens bodies replaced (one finally vibrated off on a trail washboard).

The Results:​

The Heater T's were already addressed by the previous owner, so with this top-end work finished, the truck is officially dialed. At 294,000 miles, she is running like a Swiss watch—dead silent at idle and smooth as glass under load.

Community Tip: If you are on the fence about refreshing your high-mileage harness connectors—do it. It’s tedious, but replacing the brittle plastic bodies (especially that temp sender) is the only way to guarantee you won't have a "mystery" electrical issue on the trail.

Ready for the next 100,000 miles of dirt!

PXL_20260402_221358392.webp


PXL_20260402_173842319.webp


PXL_20260403_222819090.webp
 
Last edited:
tsutaoka said:
Subject: 294k Mile Top-End Restoration: Time-Serts, Full Harness Refresh, & 100% OEM Reliability

We picked up our 2000 LX470 in November and immediately put 7,000 miles on it overlanding and boondocking. After a heavy season of dirt and heat, she started running rough. Instead of chasing individual symptoms, I decided to pull the trigger on a full top-end restoration.

The goal: Address 25 years of heat-soak and ensure this 2UZ-FE is 100% reliable for the next 100k miles. I stuck with Genuine OEM Toyota/Lexus parts for all gaskets, seals, and hardware.

The "No-Shortcuts" Refresh List:​

  • Ignition & Proper Thread Repair: Found two cylinders with blown-out coils and oil-fouled wells. The threads were gone. Instead of a temporary fix, I installed Time-Sertsto do the repair correctly.
    • Plugs: All new NGK Laser Iridium.
    • Coils: 2 new Denso units; the remaining 6 were refreshed with new NGK boots and springs.
  • Electrical Harness Restoration: This was the most patient part of the job. I replaced every single electrical connector body on the top end. The wires were healthy, so I de-pinned every single one using the tiny screwdriver method and swapped in fresh OEM plastic.
  • The "Impossible" Temp Sender: The original clip was so brittle it had actually snapped off inside the female side of the sender. Replaced both the sender and the connector body.
  • Seals & Gaskets (100% OEM):* Complete refresh of valve cover gaskets, new bolts, and washers.
    • New half-moons and coil seals.
    • New oil cap and oil neck gasket (classic leak points often missed).
  • Fuel & Vacuum Plumbing:
    • Fuel Lines: Upgraded to Gates Barricade hose with HPS clamps for modern ethanol protection.
    • Vacuum: Every single line replaced (the originals were essentially glass).
    • Hardware: All new OEM clamps and bolts throughout.
  • Intake & Air: Installed an aftermarket silicone air box-to-intake hose. (Currently on "zip-tie duty" while I wait for my final HPS clamps to arrive).
  • Deep Clean: While the top end was stripped, I deep-cleaned every component back to near-new condition.
  • Lighting: Two new corner lens bodies replaced (one finally vibrated off on a trail washboard).

The Results:​

The Heater T's were already addressed by the previous owner, so with this top-end work finished, the truck is officially dialed. At 294,000 miles, she is running like a Swiss watch—dead silent at idle and smooth as glass under load.

Community Tip: If you are on the fence about refreshing your high-mileage harness connectors—do it. It’s tedious, but replacing the brittle plastic bodies (especially that temp sender) is the only way to guarantee you won't have a "mystery" electrical issue on the trail.

Ready for the next 100,000 miles of dirt!

View attachment 4114800

View attachment 4114803
Click to expand...
Is that a worm clamp I'm seeing on that upper radiator hose? 🧐
 
All I've done to mine is keep dumping money into an endless pit. One day I'll get to drive and enjoy this thing. Lol!

Scheduled TB / WP, new antenna, evap Housing Seal, radiator, cv axle, heater tees, and wheel bearings! Also had the tires balanced and replaced a few missing lug nuts. Slowly getting there...
 
I haven't got there yet but I am in pursuit of the fan bracket. Getting the fan clutch off was a real bear. At this rate it's going to take all week. I'm going to try to replace those little water bypass hoses if I can figure out the PNs. Anyway, what do you think, should I do the radiator? It's fairly brown, but works fine and has no leaks. Photo shows the ugliest part.

PXL_20260403_230928463.webp
 
Gartenmeister said:
I haven't got there yet but I am in pursuit of the fan bracket. Getting the fan clutch off was a real bear. At this rate it's going to take all week. I'm going to try to replace those little water bypass hoses if I can figure out the PNs. Anyway, what do you think, should I do the radiator? It's fairly brown, but works fine and has no leaks. Photo shows the ugliest part.

View attachment 4115253
Click to expand...
Im sure others have better advice than me, but I don't think I'd replace it based on that picture alone.
 
Gartenmeister said:
I haven't got there yet but I am in pursuit of the fan bracket. Getting the fan clutch off was a real bear. At this rate it's going to take all week. I'm going to try to replace those little water bypass hoses if I can figure out the PNs. Anyway, what do you think, should I do the radiator? It's fairly brown, but works fine and has no leaks. Photo shows the ugliest part.

View attachment 4115253
Click to expand...

What does the inside of that pipe look like? Mine looked similar to this on the outside but way uglier on the inside when I replaced. Serra of Decatur is running a 25% off sale soon (starting 4/6), personally I’d grab a discounted radiator from them and swap it in. They are slow but Serra of Decatur is great at packing and shipping parts. Much easier to deal with on your time instead of failure on the road.
 
mrkdwrds said:
What does the inside of that pipe look like? Mine looked similar to this on the outside but way uglier on the inside when I replaced. Serra of Decatur is running a 25% off sale soon (starting 4/6), personally I’d grab a discounted radiator from them and swap it in. They are slow but Serra of Decatur is great at packing and shipping parts. Much easier to deal with on your time instead of failure on the road.
Click to expand...
Ughhhhh. Just ordered a radiator yesterday!
 
Replaced axles. Had a really hard time getting the in board axle ring to slip in the diff. I ended up grinding it down a hair to get it to slip, also they were used OE axles in good shape.
IMG_1612.webp
IMG_1613.webp
IMG_2971.webp
 
Trapper50cal said:
Nice to see you're stuck in your ways. Nice replacement!
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that. I spent a bunch of time searching/thinking about moving to a 60 and 80 series LC. Never have I owned a solid front axle version and I was interested in trying that out. In the end I just didn't feel like I have enough time right now with work, kids in High School and College etc. to restart a platform. Also I have a BUNCH of money in good parts on the crashed 100 and it felt like even sending those parts to good homes I would be so far in the hole that it didn't make sense.

So, yes, my love for the 100 series continues for now. Maybe I'll just drop it off at @TRAIL TAILOR with a fat check and get it SAS'd!! Best of all worlds!

Cheers,
rjones
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom