dchan865

Sorry to see what is happening to your rig, My 04 gx470 which is my daily driver still does not have the problem you are seeing. However my fender paint lost its shine about 3+ years ago and is fading. Car is also garaged and washed periodically so its a bit upsetting to see it.

Can't believe 7+ years have gone by since I commented on this topic. Mine now has about 233K miles on. After the last major maintenance(belt, h20 pump, alternator, radiator, spark plugs, tensioner, idler, seals, tires, brakes), she is still running like new. Great to drive! On the negative side, dashboard shows sign of minor hairline cracks in couple locations(known issue) and rear fender paint is fading a bit, but overall body paint is still shiny(wash and was regularly and park in garage). Hoping for it to run another 7+ years.

Wow, that is some bad peeling. Looks like my paint issue is no where closed to what you guys are having. One side of my rear and front fender (rear is non-metal I think, rear fender faded the most) has been gradually fading in the last 3-4 years. I suspect that side got the most sun exposure. Even so, it still should not do this. Anyway, the rig has ~233k on it so I am no longer concern.

Just a quick comment about the Crank and Cam seals. On my 2nd round of timing belt replacement, I wanted dealer to replaced both. However, only the crank seal was replaced. According to dealer, it would be very time consuming to tear down additional parts to replace the Cam seals b/c more parts have to be taken out, so obviously that'd drive up the cost. Watching a youtube video of similar gx470 engine shows that the dealer is correct. I elected to skip the Cam seal replacement.

Time for a 2nd round of timing belt replacement at 215K as I hope it will last another 100k. While my rig is in the shop, I am thinking of replacing the spark plugs for the 1st time. Anyone with higher mileage than me and still using the original spark plugs? I am wondering how long they will last and whether its a waste of money(~$380 parts+labor) to get it replace now. Thanks!

Regarding the leaked grease from the CV boot, I discovered the same issue about 7+ years ago. There was no clamp there so I got a CV boot clamp and a tool to install one. SInce then I haven't noticed any problem. In addition to this boot issue, my RX suffered the same years ago and that eventually lead to failure(making sound when turning the wheel) so I got it replaced. So I wouldn't be surprise if that could be the culprit. Another thing, if your tires are worn pretty low, you may feel the shake more so than a newer tire. Its been my experience that after I replaced my tires(about 4 sets since I owned my GX), the shake goes away or not as apparent.

Thanks Trevor. I'll keep that in mind in the future. Luckily car started after popping in a new battery. I am surprised that my battery only lasted about 2.5 years, now it got me thinking about possible issue with alternator, after all my rig now has 215k miles on it.

Hi there, quick question. My rig is disabled at the moment and its parking inside my garage, possibly a battery or starter failure. If battery replacement does not fix it, can it be tow by a towed truck instead of putting it on a flat bed truck? Obviously my rig is a 4x4, so there must be a way for the tow truck driver to move it out of the garage before they can tow it to the shop. Do you put the transmission in neutral before towing? I know tow truck driver move a lot of different cars, don't want them to wrongly move my rig that may cause major damage to the tranny. Thanks!

Hmm, you sure it was coolant and not carb cleaner? Anyway, for me that 2 screw were the hardest ones to take out for the first time. The entire process probably closed to the amount of time you put in. After that it got easier. The screw material is software so it not careful, it could get damaged easily if too much force or the wrong tool is used. Not really sure what the purpose of that ring is, it doesn't look like a gasket to me. I guess if your car idles properly and car runs smooth, probably not a concern.

Last time I cleaned my IACV was about 26 months ago at 201,000 miles. Now at ~225,000 miles, the car started to have low idle and several thousand miles ago, the car stumbled/hesitated initially during standing start. Well, I just cleaned the IACV again and the idle is back to normal again, and acceleration is much more smoother now. Since its my 3rd time doing it, it only took me about 1 hour. BTW, someone posted a You Tube video of how to do this and offered some advice/logic why its important that you disconnect the bottom hose so all the cleaner does not go down to the crankcase(i think that's what its called?). I followed that advice and spent a little more effort in cleaning than last time, so hopefully this cleaning will last longer. We shall see. Cheers everyone!

Hey guys, Battery is a bit weak so going to replace my toyota group 27f battery tomorrow. The DuraLast gold from autozone is less than that the dealer one. Anyone install this on their rig with no problem? If u use a different brand, which one did you installed? Thanks!

Speaking of the belt tensioner, I'd have to replace mine. The belt screeches loudly when turning on the car(2004 model with ~160K miles) then goes away. Mechanic told me the tensioner is stuck. He helped me loosen it and spray a bit of WD40 on it. He told me there is a 50/50 chance if fixing it. Unfortunately issue has returned about couple of weeks so will have to get it replaced. I am just curious. Do you have to remove the radiator to replace it? The area looks cramp so I suspect at the very least, the radiator fan has to be removed first. But if the radiator has to be removed, I am considering replacing the radiator for a small pin leak. If the radiator does not need removal, I could replace it when I do my 2nd timing belt change in a few years. Mjones, did you eventually replace the tensioner or just the serpentine belt? If you did, did you remove the radiator? I replaced by timing belt at about 106K and the dealer never replace my tensioner, just the serpentine belt In hindsight, I probably should have.

Just curious how many miles you have on your rig? I haven't got around to changing it yet as shifting is still smooth. I have about 128K on mine and don't drive very aggressively.

Mann777, nice to know your LS400 has gotten that far, simply amazing how well the Toyota engines can last. I hope mine can last this long. One Lexus dealer try to sell me timing belt package deal($1900) which consist of Tbelt, WP, drive belt, cam and crank seals, tensioner and other idler parts. I've decided against it and left out the Cam and Crank seals(all appeared good during inspection). And I ended up taking it to a Toyota dealer for a resonable price. Now speaking of the T-belt. That belt still look good after 106K miles, the teeth were intact,no cracks or belt fiber coming apart which I was surprise how robust it is. My guess is I can probably go further without the Tbelt replacement but this is something I didn't want to gamble on.

Hey folks, I've been doing my timing belt homework so I know opinion varies regarding what should be replaced when doing the timing belt replacement. Until now I've never hear the need to replace the cam and crank seal(one service guy recommendeded it but I am not sure if he is trying to sell me some BS). I do understand that it will eventually break down over time/mileage. As a matter of fact, I never hear of anyone reporting having problem that resulted in a bad seal. Does anyone know or have an opinion/experience on how long this part usually last? What are the chances that it will last 200K miles(hopefully on a 2nd timing belt replacement) in normal driving(80% freeway and no towing) condition? I know its not easy getting an objective answer. thanks any feedback!

You gotta be serious. 240K miles? My 04 model has about 103K. I hope my rig will last this long. Despite the common problems people have, its still fine rig.

I got the Toyota TrueStart brand(identical to the Group 27F from Interstate and its about $30 less than Lexus dealer) and installed it. Its working just fine. The new battery was a bit taller so I had to adjust the "bar" that goes on top of the battery to keep it secure.

Like the other poster said, its changeable. Here's an attached tech note on how this would be done at the dealership. Its little more complex than the kind of transmission with the dipstick. I have not done mine yet since I don't drive under extreme condition and no towing involve. For a piece of mind, I am going to do mine later this year. Hope that helps. 2010-01-19_000334_RM0.pdf

Now speaking of the ones(group 27F) directly from a Toyota dealer, which I am considering now because of the price(around $90-$100, and Lexus sells for $120). Do you know if the physical specs/dimension is the same as the original one? From an electical perspective, it'll do the job. I am just concern that the size is either too big or small that may cause install issues(its just my luck when it comes to this sort of thing). I guess I am just looking for a nice fit without any hassle. Thanks.

Hi folks, Its that time to consider replacing the battery(had it for over 6 years). I did some reading and realized that many have a brand preference. But I am thinking about getting one from Costo(not sure if they have 27F). Does anyone have any luck with this brand? I am considering Interstate 27f as I hear that the OEM replacement use this brand and type. Thanks for your thoughts. :)

Hi Ed, My headlight isn't as bright as it once was when it was new. From what I read, I think light bulb loose their effectiveness by about 20%(less/more) over the life of the bulb. May be this is the case here. I could be wrong though. May be you can check with Sylvania and see if they have any after market bulbs that may fix it. I am going to check as well.

Hi, just want to provide some feedback on this great tip(s) posted by many especially GSSS and Geoff. During the last 4 weeks, my RX300 did not idle properly during cold start. I had to step on the gas to keep the engine running. After the car warmed up, car idled fine. I followed Geoff's short cut but ran into the problem taking off the 2nd screw on the black electric coil. To avoid further damage to it, I bought the Craftsmen bolt/screw remover(part 9-52168) from Sears and removed it. After cleaning it throughly as described. My car is idling fine at 700RPM and is running like a champ for the whole week. You wouldn't think the car has 161K miles on it. If I have issue again, I may avoid the short cut. Thanks for the input everyone! Cheers!

Let me answer my own post for future reference. It looks like the switch isn't broken after all. Since the body shop forgot to put back the bolt/screw that holds the switch, I bought a replacement and tighten it. All the lights that suppose to come on/illuminate when the driver side door is opened is working now. It turns out the screw act as grounding for the switch. Without it,many of the lighting features would be effected.

Hey folks, This board sounds dead. I really need some help on this one. Hope you guys can share your wisdom. Been having some real headache with the body shop after rig got repaired. There has been nothing but minor problems. I am hoping I can fix this myself instead taking a risk of having them break more things. To make the long story short, can you easily take out the courtesy light switch out without taking out the plastic cover from behind? My switch pops out but it doesn't give you enough slack to let you disconnect the wires from it. I hate to pull it hard and break things. Thanks!

You need to remove the housing in order to replace the fog light bulb. The housing is hold together by the hex bolt and the clip. You need to lay on the floor and look up behind the bumper. Here are the steps: 1) Use #10 socket to remove the bolt 2) Press the clip while pushing the housing forward. 3) Turn the round rubber CCW to show the wiring. There are 2 wires, one wire is from the rubber attaches to the light bulb, and the other one from the light bulb attaches to the rubber. 4) Remove both wires, and the metal clip to hold the light bulb. When install the light bulb, revese the steps. Good luck. Does the fog light need to be aim? Not even sure if there is anything that allows you to adjust it. I read it on 4runner forum that their fog lights have a aiming wheel/gear you can adjust.