Wife's '91 LC80

[PNWGERMAN]

Been having some ongoing issues with our Atoto A7 radio.
First it would intermittently loose all sound. No crackling or pooping that would make me think there was a wiring issue or some sort of wire grounding out. Checked all settings, mute button, tried multiple phones, radio, USB plug, blue tooth, car play, noting would make sound. It would show that it was playing audio though.
Its also kind of slow to connect to phones, and some times on connection the screen would black out and then come back on after maybe 10 seconds.
I took the head unit back out and checked all my wiring couldn't find anything wrong with it. Ended up splurging on an Alpine iLX-507. I've owned Alpine radios my whole life, so I think this guy will work out WAY better for us.
It was interesting trying the cheap radio I saw so many influencers use and "love" but I think the quality is hit and miss, kind of like affordable welders. Some times you luck out and get a good unit, and other times the unit will have issues. (ask me about my 2+ year long adventure trying to get my Everlast MIG welders to send me a reliable welder.)

 

[Marco Lau]

Been having some ongoing issues with our Atoto A7 radio.
First it would intermittently loose all sound. No crackling or pooping that would make me think there was a wiring issue or some sort of wire grounding out. Checked all settings, mute button, tried multiple phones, radio, USB plug, blue tooth, car play, noting would make sound. It would show that it was playing audio though.
Its also kind of slow to connect to phones, and some times on connection the screen would black out and then come back on after maybe 10 seconds.
I took the head unit back out and checked all my wiring couldn't find anything wrong with it. Ended up splurging on an Alpine iLX-507. I've owned Alpine radios my whole life, so I think this guy will work out WAY better for us.
It was interesting trying the cheap radio I saw so many influencers use and "love" but I think the quality is hit and miss, kind of like affordable welders. Some times you luck out and get a good unit, and other times the unit will have issues. (ask me about my 2+ year long adventure trying to get my Everlast MIG welders to send me a reliable welder.)

My Alpine dbl din been in my 92 for 8 yrs now and its flawless.

 

[PNWGERMAN]

My Alpine dbl din been in my 92 for 8 yrs now and its flawless.

So fare I like everything about our Alpine iLX-507 besides the dumb e brake safety wire that doesn't let you use a bunch of functions unless you have the e brake on. I needs an actuated signal like a switch so you cant just wire it to the ground wire like you could with older models.

 

[PNWGERMAN]

Tried to drive the LC out to Sequim WA this weekend, and started experiencing a strong up and down or hopping front end vibration, that shook the whole dash. Started at about 20-25k RPM and then would start to dissipate with speed but never disappeared completely. The faster I drive the smoother it feels. Decided to turn around, park the LC, and get in the Tacoma.
Its definitely not any of the front bushings or joints because they are all brand new. Shocks are brand new. It could be the drive shaft maybe because the paperwork I found in the truck when we bought it did mention it needed U joints badly. So I'm going to change those out tomorrow. Also made an appointment to get a professional front end alignment and balance the wheels and tires. I've only ever done an rough alignment with plates and tape measures. Not confident in that. I can't feel anything in the pedals so its not brakes, plus it doesn't vibrate when I'm braking. Its nothing to do with engine mounts, those are new. It really feels like a rotational vibration. Like driving on a tire with a bulging tube or something like that.
Any other ideas about what could cause this kind of vibration?
I just put some new Diodedynamics lights in the bumper. I feel like every time I do something nice for this car it gets mad at me

 

[TheBarber]

So fare I like everything about our Alpine iLX-507 besides the dumb e brake safety wire that doesn't let you use a bunch of functions unless you have the e brake on. I needs an actuated signal like a switch so you cant just wire it to the ground wire like you could with older models.

Yea I ended up putting a MicroBypass in my Alpine head unit harness to get rid of that feature blackout. Super annoying that they make it so hard to defeat but it's been such a great head unit otherwise. Way better than a Pioneer and a Boss unit that I've had in other cars.

As far as the FJ80 content is concerned, its looking great! I just picked up a '91 a few months ago and its needing a lot of the same things. Still slowly acquiring parts every paycheck until I get a nice weekend to knock it all out. Nice to see another "local" one as well!

 

[PNWGERMAN]

Yea I ended up putting a MicroBypass in my Alpine head unit harness to get rid of that feature blackout. Super annoying that they make it so hard to defeat but it's been such a great head unit otherwise. Way better than a Pioneer and a Boss unit that I've had in other cars.

As far as the FJ80 content is concerned, its looking great! I just picked up a '91 a few months ago and its needing a lot of the same things. Still slowly acquiring parts every paycheck until I get a nice weekend to knock it all out. Nice to see another "local" one as well!

I'm going to try that bypass. I tried a different one and couldn't get it to work. Fingers crossed.
If you need new intake boots for your '91 let me know. I some how ended up with three brand new sets, so I have two left over. They are OEM Toyota. I also have some spare rear window regulators if you need them. I'd be willing to sell them cheap.

 

[PNWGERMAN]

Got all the new U joints in today and it made a HUGE difference. I think I'm going to skip the alignment, but still get the tires balanced. No more vibration at all.
The old U joints were BAD! Filled with rust and found multiple cracked bearing caps.

Untitled by Jeremy Nugent, on Flickr

 

[PNWGERMAN]

Spent the weekend rebuilding the front axle knuckles. They were baaaad. Another piece of maintenance work that has made a huge difference in ride quality.
Took everything apart, power washed it, and scrubbed it, and put it back together with a parts kit from Trail Gear. Good kit.

Untitled by Jeremy Nugent, on Flickr

For anyone wanting to do this that hasn't done it before, I found this video very helpful.

 

[PNWGERMAN]

One of the last mechanical systems that still needs more attention is the braking system. I have a new MC installed, and I bled the brakes twice and put new brake lines on, but the brakes still feel week. I've also adjusted the LSPV twice for our 3" lift. First time I went to fare and the back brakes would lock up all the time. Second time, the brakes felt better and more balanced, just week like they would take to long to stop the car if you had to throw the brakes on in an emergency.
So I'm going to throw in a new brake booster, and bleed the brakes again with fresh fluid because for some resin the fluid looks real dirty again. I'm also thinking of getting some stainless brake lines from Marks4wd.

 

[PNWGERMAN]

Finally got around to ordering some seats for the LC. Wife picked out some Corbeau Moab seats, which are made to bolt into Jeeps, but bolted to the Planted seat brackets real easily with the Racewill seat brackets I got on Amazon. She was so super stoked when they showed up and watched me install them for her. Always nice when I can put a smile on her face.
I was kind of worried about the quality of the seat sliders as they were only $35 each, but they are actually just as good as any sliders I have ever used from multiple companies. Definitely a good deal. Here is a link for the sliders. (not affiliated nor do I get money for purchases or anything)

https://a.co/d/0cUQr8C

The seats have heaters too. Sadly our LC doesn't have the factory seat heater plugs, so I wired them up to the Auxbeam switch panel. Its kind of a silly extra step because to turn the heaters on you have to first hit the button on the switch panel, and then select the heat level you want on the heater switches, but it was the easiest way to wire them up with out hacking into anything.



The seats feel great, and sit up higher which is great for my wife. They feel like great daily driver seats, that have just enough bolster to help when offloading. Much easier to get in and out of than my PRP bucket seats. I also like that they have multiple bolt holes in the bottom for different mounting options. Something the PRP seats don't have. I think the build quality is just about the same as my "custom" PRP seats. I had some Corbeau seats in my '86 Toyota truck, so I know these will do well.

 

[PNWGERMAN]

Went up Fortune Creek Trail yesterday for a night of camping. It was a good day.
Untitled by Jeremy Nugent, on Flickr