Cam's Garage

May 3, 2024 Before I get started and inevitably offend a lot of Toyota enthusiasts, I will note that this is an opinion piece that is backed from my personal experience with my 200 Series and discussing with others. Please also note that while this is a Lexus LX570, I have converted the entire suspension to traditional coil-overs (including upper/lower control arms) to the Land Cruiser 200 Series; for all intents and purposes, this is a 200 Series and not an LX anymore. If you want more information on the conversion, I have some of it listed here and will update once that post is completed. Introduction I've owned a LOT of cars; 30 in total. Of the vehicles that I have owned, the vehicle that I aspired to own more than all of them was the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series because of its nameplate, drivetrain, and proven reliability feats. After 3 years of ownership and nearly 50,000 miles with my 200 Series, I can say that the Land Cruiser 200 Series is not the greatest Toyota SUV of ...

December 18, 2023 I am going to preface this post with some brief information regarding the Lexus LX570 (and similarly the Land Cruiser 100 Series specifically equipped with the Adjustable Height Control (AHC) system). AHC is a suspension system capable of lowering for easier entry/exit from the vehicle and lifting allowing for more capability off-road. Unlike most other adjustable suspensions, AHC leverages hydraulics rather than air (how must adjustable suspensions operate) to lift and lower the vehicle. As you will soon find out these systems are fantastic when they work, but when they fail it can lead to EXTREMELY costly repairs depending on the specific failure point(s). The Cannonball Run  that Jake and I completed was an unbelievable trip. By the end, we were both absolutely exhausted. But just because we were exhausted did not mean that the automotive escapades would be stopping (or even slowing down)… Two weeks after arriving home from the trip, I was in north Georgia with...

  November 22, 2023 As of today, it has been nearly four months since my last post on the Cannonball Run Part 2  (Cannonball Run Part 3 post is about 90% complete). A number of things have occurred since my last post causing the delay in my writing. Thank you for my patience while I get everything back on track! Below are the reasons causing my delays with some context as to what's going on: Lexus LX570 Suspension Failure My reliable  Lexus LX570 suffered it's second suspension-related failure in my 3 years of ownership. For those unfamiliar, the Lexus LX570 uses a hydraulic (not air) Adjustable Height Control (AHC) system. The picture above was taken when I arrived home riding on bump stops... While the conventional approach would be to repair what is broken, I decided to replace the AHC system (what I now consider to be an expensive Achilles heel of the LX) with a conventional suspension I will be providing an updated post that goes in detail to the suspension change th...

April 14, 2023 A couple of days ago, I made a post showing the failure point of the early stock 200 Series Land Cruiser (or LX570 like mine) radiator and the other parts/components (with part numbers) that I intend to replace while doing it. My LX570 is at 150K miles on the dot at the time of doing this maintenance. I was able to find several videos about replacing the radiator, but some of the other maintenance items that I was trying to tackle (specifically the fan assembly bracket) were pretty hard to find information on. Removing the Fan and and Radiator This is probably the best documented part of the entire process. Below is the video that I followed to remove it (remember that the Tundra is essentially the same car as the 200 series underneath) Here were a couple of notes from the process that I experienced: You will have to disconnect transmission lines from the radiator and will therefore lose a little transmission fluid (not to mention what is actually in the radiator at tim...

April 12, 2023 While I am an automotive enthusiast, I am also particular about who touches my cars. In 99% of cases I perform all maintenance and add any/all modifications (lifts, differentials, engine swaps, etc.). The LX570 (build on the Land Cruiser 200 Series chassis) is a damn-near bulletproof SUV, however like any car or truck there are maintenance items and (believe it or not) somewhat common issues that must be addressed in order to keep it on the road. My 2011 LX570 has 150,XXX miles on it currently. Here's what is currently being addressed: Please note that not all items were required, but were good "since you're here" items to address. Access to the front of the 3UR-FE engine is extremely limited unless the fan, fan shroud, and radiator are removed. It is HIGHLY recommended to address these additional items to avoid having to pull items back out of the engine bay at a later time. Radiator - 16400-50384 The radiator on the earlier 200 series (both Land Crui...