2002 Land Cruiser questions

[86tuning]

^^ what Mike said.

AHC height sensors occasionally fail from corrosion, but they're easy to change. Any Toyota or Lexus dealership can plug in and diagnose the system fairly quickly. If you live where they salt the roads in the wintertime, this can be an issue.

AHC fluid is simple to change, I've done it a few times.

My buddy is in your shoes as well, and just bought a 2001 with 198,000km (125k miles) and we just did an AHC fluid change. Special tools required = 2L bottle and a bit of hose, plus a 10mm wrench. Took about half-hour to flush with a gallon of fluid. No mess. We're currently doing baseline maintenance, it was maintained at the Lexus dealership by the previous owner, but sat at a used car lot for almost a year!

The fun is hunting for the perfect vehicle, sounds like you're headed in the right direction!

 

[Deatramus]

^^ what Mike said.

AHC height sensors occasionally fail from corrosion, but they're easy to change. Any Toyota or Lexus dealership can plug in and diagnose the system fairly quickly. If you live where they salt the roads in the wintertime, this can be an issue.

AHC fluid is simple to change, I've done it a few times.

My buddy is in your shoes as well, and just bought a 2001 with 198,000km (125k miles) and we just did an AHC fluid change. Special tools required = 2L bottle and a bit of hose, plus a 10mm wrench. Took about half-hour to flush with a gallon of fluid. No mess. We're currently doing baseline maintenance, it was maintained at the Lexus dealership by the previous owner, but sat at a used car lot for almost a year!

The fun is hunting for the perfect vehicle, sounds like you're headed in the right direction!

Happily, I am in the southwest and having grown up in New England, I am well aware of the havoc salt can wreak with a vehicle!
All the trucks I am looking at are here (NM) or out in Cali...or somewhere in between and I am insisting on complete histories of sevice and the knowlege of where vehicles were purchased and used etc....no rust buckets for this old cruiser!

Good to hear the fluid change is an easy one....I need to read up on wether the system (AHC) is considered an asset or a liability by those people who are overlanding their LXs... I know some have removed the systems almost entirely as they interfered with slider installs...seems a shame.

It is fun to do "The Hunt" and the more info and research/learning I do ...the more confident I will be in choosing something...so thanks for your help and interest, it is very much appreciated!

 

[hks3sgte]

The '03+ are so much more refined. Even then I will say to skip the '03 and go for an '04. My '02 LX seems old compared to my '04 LC.

 

[codertimt]

....I need to read up on wether the system (AHC) is considered an asset or a liability by those people who are overlanding their LXs... !

As mentioned above, you can spend quite some time on Mud reading through various topics, however the basic consensus for those building up their 100's is ditch it. At least for the US userbase, there are very few guys who have attempted to keep the system once real modification starts. From those few, I have gathered that they key is keeping the neutral pressure of the system at or close to factory specs. I believe the cause of failure of most systems is the fact the even most dealers don't properly maintain the systems. After only a few years, they guys that have actually checked have found the pressure high as the factory springs/TBs have softened. So, first order of business if you plan to keep the system is the buy a cable and get ahold of a dubious copy of the Toyota TIS software to check that pressure. Front is easy to correct and compensate for weight with a TB adjustment. The rear is actually were the problem lies. New AHC springs are technically needed to bring the rear back to spec. Some have used a spacer to preload with a little extra height with positive results...but that is just to correct at stock weight. Once bumper/drawers/armor/etc is added the weight will once again be out of spec. Some are then switching to stock LC non AHC springs or 80 series springs which are supposedly softer. However I have not seen anyone actually test neutral pressure with a fully armored/resprung vehicle. Just that it works to go to all height positions and the ride is okay, if a little less refined than stock.

So all of that is just to say that it is possible to run AHC at overlanding weight, but be prepared to invest in time and equipment to set things up correctly. And this all assumes you have a fully functioning AHC system to begin with. I would say that most built trucks on Mud have been higher mileage examples in the past, where the AHC was possibly suspect to begin with...so rather than troubleshoot possibly spending thousands on new components and then have to deal with the weight issue, folks just drop $1000 on an OME lift and call it good. No fuss, no worries...no chance of being dropped to the bumpstops in the middle of nowhere. Also, some question whether the system is capable of correctly dampening the extra weight even if pressures are set correctly. I never saw a definitive answer to that...

I'm still personally rather torn, as I just got a higher mileage LX, but the AHC actually still works pretty decently. I like the idea of being able to cruise the highway without a 2" lift, and even get it lower for easy entry/exit. The ride currently is so buttery smooth, I hate the thought of making it rougher with a lift. Of course I only have an XJ with 4.5" short arm lift to compare to, but still... So I think my current plans are to make an initial attempt at keeping correct neutral pressure, flushing the system and run it...I think I can do all of that for <$100 When the accumulators/globes no longer keep up, then I will have to make the real decisions. Only ~$800 for a Ironman lift + BIOR diff drop, versus at least twice that to replace globes...

Anyway, hope this info helps a little. If nothing else, maybe it can give you some search term ideas to use on Mud...

 

[Deatramus]

It helps a bunch...these are the kind of issues that need experience when considering what to lose/keep on a truck like this one. Sometimes less is better and I will cruise around on Mud and see what others have experienced as you have mentioned.

We do want to be prepared and I am planning on stowing lots of gear and we will be off road frequently....sounds as if serious build up may make the decision for me at a point in time. Maintaining correct neutral pressure sounds as if it will be a challenge as I really outfit this truck to overland specs....the one saving grace with the vehicle I am presently looking at is it's low mileage (54000) and terrific care to date...I, as you, would be hard pressed to dekete a system in good/great shape.

Thanks for the thoughts and advice!

 

[mhiscox]

I'm still personally rather torn, as I just got a higher mileage LX, but the AHC actually still works pretty decently. I like the idea of being able to cruise the highway without a 2" lift, and even get it lower for easy entry/exit. The ride currently is so buttery smooth, I hate the thought of making it rougher with a lift.

That, in a nutshell, is the decision point. I'd never undo the LX suspension on the off-chance of a later failure, because the ride is so sweet and the handling (if that applies to a tall 3-ton SUV) is really pretty good. The adjustable firmness is occasionally useful, as is the adjustable height (especially if you need to get Grandma in the truck; that's not going to go so well with a permanent lift).

I understand the "dump the AHC" rationale for the people who are four-wheeling their LXs, but overlanding is largely about traveling on roads, unimproved they may be. In South America, for example--based on the reports from the Hackney's epic trip--almost all travel is on the same roads used by the trucks that take goods to and from market. They were rough and bumpy and dusty and muddy, but it still was good ways from crawling along the Rubicon Trail.

OME lifts are good, maybe even the best overall choice, but it's still going to degrade your ride and handling substantially. Whatever gets done will make the whole truck less "Lexus-like." Take out the AHC if it's necessary to make you feel sufficiently comfortable, but make the decision carefully.

BTW, when you go to buy rock sliders, consider these from MetalTech (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/76864):

They used my truck for the measurements needed to modify the position of the supports from the Landcruiser version so as to clear the LX AHC mechanism.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I understand the "dump the AHC" rationale for the people who are four-wheeling their LXs, but overlanding is largely about traveling on roads, unimproved they may be. In South America, for example--based on the reports from the Hackney's epic trip--almost all travel is on the same roads used by the trucks that take goods to and from market. They were rough and bumpy and dusty and muddy, but it still was good ways from crawling along the Rubicon Trail.

Over the years, I read the blogs and trip reports for dozens of travelers and paid attention to the vehicle. By and large these trucks were closer to stock than they were highly modified.

Jim

 

[Deatramus]

Thank you gentlemen.... I am leaning towards the '07 and keeping the system (AHC) intact.... Will be an easier decision once I have the vehicle and can check things out.
I read a bunch of posts on Mud and need to keep reading as I did not find the answers to the question of weather the AHC can handle heavier loads well..... Sounds as if Christo Slee would have info on this as he evidentially supplies owners with a device that locks the system into high mode (course that defeats the idea of cruising the freeway without a lift).
Thanks for all you thoughts.... I will continue with my due diligence and post if I pull the trigger on the 07.
Ciao,
D

 

[28.]

I myself just made the tough choice of A. Buying a new 4runner or B. Hunting down a used LC.. Ended up with an 05 LX with 76k miles and have loved it from the get go. And yes though they are still pricey when found used with low miles, but the ride will remind you why. My wife absolutely loved it after going back and forth between it and a brand new SR5 4runner 4WD.. plus the money you save you can put towards goodies for your travels.. good luck..

sent from your moms Iphone using tapatalk

 

[86tuning]

For heavy loads I'd probably toss some 80-series stock rear coils in and diddle with the ahc until its set up properly.

I'm sure that Slee's module can be turned off to allow lowering of the vehicle for highway speeds.

The big concern with that wouldn't be bottoming out or rubbing on articulation when lowered. The big concern would be where to set your alignment. The toe changes quite a bit when you cycle the height from one extreme to the other.

So align it at whatever height you use for city and highway driving. And don't use other heights for pavement driving over 25mph unless you like buying lots of front tires.