100 Series Family Adventure Rig

[boo471]

Nice set up. You will love navigating with the iPad. Let me know if you need tips on software and need any of the local maps.

I would take a close look at the radiator if it's leaky on the driver side. If it is, then I would replace it since your gonna remove everything there anyways for this service.

But if it's not leaky then keep it. It's a 2 hour job for us to replace it.

Are you dropping it of at Toyota or are we spending a weekend in your garage with a couple of cases of beer?





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[Bretthn]

Just pulled in the driveway with my scan gauge II reading 219 degrees Fahrenheit water temp. I shut the engine off, popped the hood and the fan can easily be spun by hand... Is this a definitive clue of a bad clutch?

 

[mattafact]

Sounds like a bad fan clutch to me.

 

[Bretthn]

Take a look at your valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals... mine were leaking at similar mileage and were replaced at the ~180k service. You will need two gallons of the coolant as well. Great info here: http://tlcfaq.com/main/2013/04/90000-mile-service-parts-list/

Thanks Kurt, I was actually just looking at the valve covers the other day to make sure there were no leaks. I may replace them preventatively. Thanks for the link too. I have been to that site before but always forget it exists when I need it.

Nice set up. You will love navigating with the iPad. Let me know if you need tips on software and need any of the local maps.

I would take a close look at the radiator if it's leaky on the driver side. If it is, then I would replace it since your gonna remove everything there anyways for this service.

But if it's not leaky then keep it. It's a 2 hour job for us to replace it.

Are you dropping it of at Toyota or are we spending a weekend in your garage with a couple of cases of beer?





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I am still torn… If I can find the time I want to tear into it in the garage and would gladly accept the help. With the fan clutch on it's way out and no extra time off anytime soon. I am leaning towards having the dealer do the work. When are you free in the next month?

 

[boo471]

Thanks Kurt, I was actually just looking at the valve covers the other day to make sure there were no leaks. I may replace them preventatively. Thanks for the link too. I have been to that site before but always forget it exists when I need it.


I am still torn… If I can find the time I want to tear into it in the garage and would gladly accept the help. With the fan clutch on it's way out and no extra time off anytime soon. I am leaning towards having the dealer do the work. When are you free in the next month?

Late January I'm going on a business trip but other than that I can assist whenever you need me.


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[cruiseroutfit]

Thanks Kurt, I was actually just looking at the valve covers the other day to make sure there were no leaks. I may replace them preventatively. Thanks for the link too. I have been to that site before but always forget it exists when I need it...

No problem, Rob has put together some great reference material.

As for your fan, does sound like it is time to replace. In my opinion, the Landtank upgrade is well worth the coin:
http://ajikoverlandexchange.com/products-page/landtank/80-series-modified-toyota-blue-fan-clutch/
(80 Series shown but I know they offer a 100 Series as I'm running it on my 2000 UZJ, temps dropped ~5* and my old fan was working fine?)

 

[RobRed]

Not sure If I pinged you on this forgive me if it's redundant:

Primer http://tlcfaq.com/main/2012/08/ipad-overland-navigation-system/
ipad faq http://forum.tlcfaq.com//viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26
motionx custom maps http://tlcfaq.com/main/2013/08/motion-x-custom-maps/

It's been a while since I have had any updates. I haven't really done much since I have been busy with work and the holidays.
I had some spare airline miles laying around and and used them to buy myself and iPad Mini. I have a Kindle and love it too much for reading to get rid of it. The main purpose for the iPad will be navigation.

My wonderful wife has already bought me the Ram mount for it. This is the Ez-roll'r and it fits the iPad great.


I still have a few things to piece together before installing it. I will use the ProClip vehicle specific mount and a few more Ram pieces to make it adjustable for access by the driver or passenger.

On the more boring side of things… I think my fan clutch is going out. I just had it at the dealer to replace the heater hose T's and do a coolant flush. The last few days it seems to be running a little hotter than usual and from a quick search of the inter webs and a little troubleshooting, the fan clutch seems to be the culprit. I think I will finally be getting the timing belt service done after the holidays and will have it replaced while they are in there. I am thinking about having the radiator replaced at the same time… is it worth the added piece of mind at 170,000 miles?
Things I plan to have done at the same time:

• Water pump
• timing belt
• idler pulleys
• timing belt tensioner
• thermostat
• serpentine belt
• spark plugs
• cam/crank seals
• upper and lower main radiator hoses
• possibly replace radiator while in there

Let me know if I missed anything that should be done while they are in there. I would love to do this myself and normally would but finding the time to do it is becoming a challenge and I do not want to continue to put it off.

 

[Bretthn]

Not sure If I pinged you on this forgive me if it's redundant:

Primer http://tlcfaq.com/main/2012/08/ipad-overland-navigation-system/
ipad faq http://forum.tlcfaq.com//viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26
motionx custom maps http://tlcfaq.com/main/2013/08/motion-x-custom-maps/

That is a lot of good information. Thanks!

 

[Bretthn]

No problem, Rob has put together some great reference material.

As for your fan, does sound like it is time to replace. In my opinion, the Landtank upgrade is well worth the coin:
http://ajikoverlandexchange.com/products-page/landtank/80-series-modified-toyota-blue-fan-clutch/
(80 Series shown but I know they offer a 100 Series as I'm running it on my 2000 UZJ, temps dropped ~5* and my old fan was working fine?)

I almost bought one of these but I ended up going with a stock clutch and kept the original to do the fluid upgrade myself and keep it as a spare. Thanks

 

[Bretthn]

So I still don't have any fun updates.. I have had the timing belt service done. I am having the second new fan clutch installed tomorrow and will probably find out that I need to replace the fan mount pulley/bracket at the same time.
We tried to make a trip with some friends to George Washington National Forest last Saturday and made it all the way to the trails before the engine temps began to climb and I found out that the new fan clutch that was installed the day before had already failed
So we limped back on the highway and tried to make the best of things by stopping in strategic places to let the engine cool. I planned to check out some things in the Natural Bridge area and was going to stop off on the eastern industrial area in Roanoke to get some pictures. Traffic was too bad in Roanoke and we would have overheated too quickly so we ending up skipping that for another time.
Foamhenge!
We tried to find it a couple years ago when we were in the area but somehow managed to miss it. When we stopped this weekend I don't think they were shut down so much as maybe encouraging everyone to get their exercise by having to climb the gate and walking up the hill rather than driving in…
Pretty cool place overall and I doubt we could have found a more interesting spot to let the engine cool and grab some food out of the fridge. Natural Bridge and all associated museums and caverns were closed.

 

[fireball]

Did I miss the post where you detailed your battery install? I'm trying to order new terminals for my Grp31 DHM battery and Slee battery bracket and trying to figure out what I need.

Thanks!

 

[Bretthn]

I am fortunate to be able to source a lot of my marine/automotive electrical supplies through my company. For everything else I have bought from amazon, ebay, napa, etc….
The terminal covers for the heavy duty terminals are the most difficult item to hunt down or source. Try crimpsupply.com; I have bought them from a few places but that is the first that comes to mind.
I don't have the LX at the moment to verify and I have a terrible memory but I think in the stock battery location for the Group 31m I removed the factory terminal and bolted the positive connection to the threaded post on the battery. I cut off the factory negative terminal and soldered on a new copper lug and replaced the chassis ground wire with a thicker gauge going to the drivers fender. The negative is connected to a heavy duty military style terminal that I bought at Napa. On the house battery I used some cheaper heavy duty terminals that I bought online but cannot remember where (I am sure crimpsupply.com has them as well). They are holding up fine but are not as beefy as the Napa ones.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
-Brett

 

[Bretthn]

Ipad

I got around to mounting my iPad today. I was pretty nervous about drilling holes in the dash trim and have been putting it off. I stole a few tricks from my buddy Marten in his GX470. The whole thing turned out great and is really stable. I will be adding a phone mount to it as well once the parts come in.
I started by removing the trim panel surround for the stereo and climate controls. I made a paper template of the back of the panel so I could add a steal reenforcement panel to strengthen the plastic and reduce movement.
I used 1.5 inch Ram balls for strength. The 1 inch would have been sufficient.


The reenforcement plate in place.

The view from the drivers seat.


From the passenger side.

No iPad.

Stay tuned. I will be putting in a Parrot MKI9200 system soon. It fully integrates with the factory stereo system and gives bluetooth, bluetooth audio, an integrated iPod connection, usb, sd, and headphone input.

 

[Bretthn]

Safe driving

So I have always hated talking on the phone but when I had my 2011 GTI with bluetooth I got in the habit of making all of my calls while driving so I could kill two birds with one stone. Now that the GTI is gone I miss my bluetooth. The simplest solution might at first seem to be to install an aftermarket stereo that already has bluetooth connectivity but I am more of an OEM+ person as I get older. I have had many aftermarket stereos in my day including full blow systems that were worth double the value of the car they were in but those days are gone. I actually enjoy the sound of the Mark Levinson system when all of the speakers are cooperating...
So anyway, there are several companies out there that make bluetooth and iPod integration kits for the factory Land Cruiser and LX470 systems but from what I have seen they only work with the LX470s that come with factory navigation head units.
I had already installed a Parrot MKI9200 bluetooth integration kit in my wife's Mazda5 about 3 years ago and it has worked great. The only thing I disliked about it was the separate screen but since it seems to be the only solution I finally bought another one. Don't get me wrong, the screen is an integral part of the unit, I just wished it worked with the factory screen for my picky cosmetic needs.
This system is fully integrated into the factory head unit and here are the highlights of what it does or what matters to me, I may miss something but if I do it means I don't use the feature.

• mutes the radio or cd for incoming or outgoing phone calls
• phone calls through factory system
• music playback via bluetooth
• music playback through 30 pin connector
• music playback through usb
• music playback through headphone jack
• music playback through sd card slot
• album artwork shows on the Parrot screen when connected through the 30 pin connection
• titles show with bluetooth connection
• allows for voice control or using a remote
• remote can be mounted to steering wheel or dash

Parrot just released an update for iPhone 5 users and it works with a lightning adapter.
We love it in my wife's car and hope it works just as well in mine.
Here are a few pictures of what you get. *beer sold separately

Remote, screen, and brain of the system.

Wires, user manual, dual noise canceling microphone, and additional parts.


The system is ready to install out of the box but I would need to cut and splice a lot of wires from the factory wiring harness in the vehicle. I bought a prewired custom harness with factory connections for my wife's install and it made everything plug and play so I did the same for the LX. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow.
I will post the results after the install. I would love to hear feedback from anyone who is using this system in their LX or Land Cruiser.


-Brett

 

[Bretthn]

I got a few more pieces for my navigation setup today. The Bad Elf Pro is awesome. I was picking up 9 satellites sitting in my living room.
It allows up to 5 devices to be connected for GPS signal via bluetooth. I also got some more Ram Mounts pieces so I can mount my iPhone above the iPad.
I need to due some reading but I think the best feature about the Bad Elf will be it's ability to store tracks without the iPad so they can be uploaded to a map later. This will be nice fore the vehicle but especially for mountain biking and hiking. I've still got to figure out a simple mount or storage spot for it in the vehicle.