dougjohn2

IIRC, the EGR is a replacement part. I've had good results with Redline's Total Fuel System Cleaner...but that won't fix the problem with your EGR. Any Lexus dealership should be able to pull up all service performed by a Lexus dealership in the past for your vehicle. As already mentioned, the LX 450 does not require anything better than regular unleaded -- unless you have a supercharger installed.

A birfield repack covers the removing the front wheel knuckle, removing the grease from this knuckle and repacking it with grease. Yes, the DVD covers this process -- in fact that is the purpose of the DVD, a birfield repack. If you were to do this yourself, you would want to have the Factory Service Manual (FSM) as well to guide you through the process. If you contact CruiserDan (you can find his contact info on IH8MUD.com) he has a birfield repack "kit" with all the seals, bearings, etc. you'd need to replace. Dealership pricess for front axle service run anywhere from $800 to $1000 (at Toyota) to $1200 to $1500 (at Lexus) depending on which dealership you go to. Cost to you in materials is less than $200 (for grease, cleaners, shop towels, paper towels, "kit", etc.) It's not difficult...just messy and time consuming.

I was wondering when you'd chime in with a comment like that :P You're right though...they do know what they're doing

You got it right there. What you described are the symptoms of the starter contacts going out. It just happens out of the blue. What sucks is that now, it'll start happening more frequently. Worst case is if the plunger inside the starter gets stuck -- the starter will get stuck on, which could cause a fire. Check on the forum I referenced in the rear bearing pack question. Find the search option and enter "starter contacts" -- you'll find a weath of information there.

What ever you decide to do, DON'T LET MIDAS TOUCH YOUR VEHICLE. What they said about the rear bearings is not true (check the threads below for more information). Dealership prices tend to be a bit high, but about $400 per axle is what they charge around my area. It's not difficult to you yourself, just VERY MESSY and a bit on the timeconsuming side. I did my front bearings when I replaced my front rotors. It was an all-day job, but I got it done. I did have a couple friends who've done it before near by and also had the factory service manual for reference. If you read the threads, you'll come across a guy with the forum name of elmariachi. Jim's in Houston too -- he made a DVD that he's selling that goes through the entire front axle service process. It covers the wheel bearing repack as part of this process. He seems like a very nice guy. He might be able to suggest a shop for you in your area if you're not inclined to do the work yourself. Some threads to read: rear: http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=432304#post432304 http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=52051 http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=52220 http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=48493 front: http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=51303 http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=44886 Cheers.

Replacing belts? I might be able to provide a saga about that ;) Complete birfield service, IIRC isn't recommended until the 60k intervals. The 90k only calls for bearing repack. I'll check my owner's guide though...this is just from memory...and at the rate I'm going...that's really not a good reference tool anymore :)

Check the vendor section of www.IH8MUD.com. Look for CruiserDan at American Toyota. The carpet for a 1996/1997 Land Cruiser should be the same color as the LX450. That would work for new. If you want something used, there are several people with Land Cruisers there who are parting them out. You should be able to find someone there who can help with the carpet out of a Land Cruiser they're parting. Do you really need new sound deadening? Something like Dynamat would be cheaper than what the dealer would use. Have you lookat at local auto uphostery shops? If nothing else, you could get the carpet and have it professionally installed, if you're not inclined to install it yourself.

I disagree with some of this... Headgaskets are known to fail, but it's really not all that common. Keeping the cooling system in top condition is a good way to prevent this from happening, but will not necessarily save you. I've never heard of anyone removing the rad to clean it. I suppose it couldn't hurt, but if there's no sludge in there, you should be fine. If you need to or choose to replace the radiator, I'd suggest getting one from a 93 or 94 Toyota Land Cruiser -- they're better than the all plastic ones that were installed in the later model year 80 series.

Sounds like you're getting more than enough done. That should cover you until 120k miles. :D

It's about time he branched out and found something different :D

Welcome to LOC Pimp :D

If you're considering a coil/shock change, give the guys at Slee Offroad a call (www.sleeoffroad.com). There's an OME (Old Man Emu) suspension kit that provides very limited lift (like 1/2 inch) but gives you a MUCH improved ride over stock. Cost runs about $700 for the spring/shock combo -- not too bad.

If you read the thread in the link provided by Romer, you'll see that it's not necessarily a quick job to replace the front rotors on a LX 450. When I replace my front rotors (my first time doing it) it took me about 3 hours per side. I repacked the wheel bearings during the process, so that added a little time...but not much... Rear rotors, on the other hand should take you about 20 to 30 minutes per side to complete.

Check around the bar that they hinge on. I don't recall the exact steps, but I don't recall it being too difficult to remove. They lift off the bar on the wheel well.

Paul, As I mentioned on "the other" forum...I think you're getting a good deal. As far as tech goes, you're not going to find more information here than over there. As for the suspension, I think you'll be happier with the OME. I still have stock springs and shocks on the wife's LX 450 and it's not too bad, but the handling is not as good as with the OME. Be aware that the OME suspension will be stiffer than stock Lexus suspension.

Mine came out pretty easily. Were does it seem to be stuck? On the bar itself or somewhere else?

They typically put P (passenger) tires on most SUVs these days. The LT tire will be fine. If you were staying with the same tire size, you would need to increase tire pressure a bit to have the same ride and load capacity. Going up to 285s this rule doesn't necessarily apply. When I first bought my 285s, I adjusted the tire pressure until I found what felt good to me. For my Goodyear MTRs it was around 38 - 40 PSI. Too much lower than 38 and fuel economy suffered. Too high meant the ride was too rough.

Mario, Small world -- I grew up in Marina and went to Seaside High. What type of programming are you looking for? Is it for a LX 450 fob or a LX 470? If it's for a 450, I can point you to some insructions. Cheers. Doug

I'd be very surprised if it wasn't available. The feature was available with the LX 450! The information for turning it on/off should be detailed in your owner's manual.

Brake calipers have been known to come loose and cause a clunk and/or vibration when stopping. It should be easy to determine if they're the problem - remove each wheel and check each brake caliper -- if it's loose, tighten back up. You could check or retorque the caliper bolts. The plate you're referring to is the OEM transfer case skid plate. I removed mine and replaced it with one that's MUCH stronger. I did this because of the somewhat hard core off-road travel my truck sees. For most people, there's no need to ever change/replace this skid plate. Based on your description of the skid plate, I would say that it's in its normal position.

Could you describe the noise? Is it a rattle? A clunk? A banging sound? A description would help. It could be the heatshield from the catalytic converter if it's a rattle. Yes, Toyota Land Cruiser shocks for a 1996 or 1997 Land Cruiser will fit the LX 450, no problems at all.

If it's the corner lights, take a look at the first 2 pictures on this write-up: http://www.sleeoffroad.com/technical/tz_indicator.htm The entire write-up details adding a "blinker" bulb in the corner housing, but unless you're interested in doing that, ignore everything after the first 2 pictures and the accompanying text. All that should be required is removal of the one screw (as indicated in the write-up) and pulling the entire corner light housing forward (i.e. toward the front of the vehicle. Some have reported problems removing -- keep pulling on it, it should come off... BE CAREFUL TO NOT PULL TOO HARD. I know that's a contradiction, but you want to be careful to not yank the plug wires out ;) If you are talking about the lights below the headlights, Rookie just posted info for those lights.

You rang? :D Which "parking lights" up front? The ones under the headlights or the ones on the side? Just looking for clarification before getting too deep into it (and to give me a little time to review the manual, if necessary ;)) As for where I've been? I usually play here: http://forum.ih8mud.com/ in the 80series tech forum (and waste a lot of time in the ChitChat forum there as well) I'm NorCalDoug over there :)

It was a new one from the auto parts store but it might have been a 'rebuilt new one' (sorry the answer isn't clear). Anyways, it worked flawlessly for 7 months until it started not firing up every time starting about a week ago. thanks for your ideas........Eltom ← It's my understanding that you can't get "NEW" starters. All are remanufactured. Normally, I'd suggest sticking with only OEM (toyota/lexus) parts. The fact that you got the 1.4kw rather than the 2kw shouldn't be a problem. The larger one is better (quicker starts), but both should work fine. The larger one was installed in vehicles destined for colder climates (or so I've read). Could be that you have a bad replacement starter. Based on your description of the problem, I would say that it's the starter and not battery cables. Is the part still under warranty? Most replacement parts I've picked up either have lifetime or at least 12 month, 12k mile warranties.

Usually, you can find Lexus blanks on eBay. Some locksmiths carry them, but they're hit or miss. The dealership is always an option, but they'll charge quite a bit for them.