Cam's Garage

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...

April 20, 2023 Upon purchasing the 4Runner  about a month ago, I found that I had 3 key issues that essentially prevented me from driving it. Those issues were: Temperature creeping up at idle when sitting for more than 3-5 minutes Coolant leak directly underneath radiator Brakes so shaky that it can only be compared to riding my jet ski during a busy day at the lake Neither of those issues are terrible, however the 2UZ-FE is somewhat notorious for blowing head gaskets if overheated (even once). With that knowledge, I decided to essentially keep the car parked and limit my use to avoid causing any kind of catastrophic failure. I did some inspections on the car to identify what the two failure points were. Here's what I found: Overheating issue at idle can be caused by a bad fan clutch in the 2UZ-FE. To test the fan clutch, I followed the below video (no it's not a V8, but the Tacoma is very similar in a lot of ways and figured this should be pretty accurate). My findings (espec...

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...