My 2004 was out of warrenty w/ 67k miles,i called Lexus corp customer service, they authorized the local dealer to fix at no charge (good will),since the car have been serviced by Lexus dealer every 5000 miles,so it is case by case, give it a try and good luck.
The local dealer quoted $1000 to fix, saying 8 hour labor by book.
some member on this forum diy for under $100, do a search.
I know the frustration and disappointment to have this problem, this is a well known problem on the first gen GX w/TBS.
Good luck.

 

Well, I did find this so far...

You will need both parts according to the TSIB.

Genuine Lexus RING, O for $2.45
http://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/l...301-56009.html

Genuine Lexus GASKET KIT, TRANSFER OVERHAUL for $35.95
http://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/l...362-60120.html


I may end up doing this one as a learning experience. I will let you know.

 

Hello, I found a Lexus dealer to buy the Actuator/transfercase, for about 750, I think. There was no place to buy the O ring that is needed. Lexus did offer a 25% discount if i took it to a Lexus dealer,, I am 3 hours from one,, it cost me the same to get is fixed here on the mountain.

 

They Quoted me 17-2,400 $ to fix it at the dealer,,, I had taken mine in every 5k miles too,, it should be a class action suit,,, there are over 500 of us that own this vehicle, and have had this problem

 

are u sure the o ring is the right one??? I looked and it is not there....

 

When I click on the link it takes me right to the correct parts. These parts are the exact part numbers from the TSIB on page 1 of this thread.

O-Ring = 90301-56009
Transfer Case Gasket Kit = 04362-60120

I also called the Lexus dealer and they cross referenced it and told me these were the right parts and that they would charge me $800 to do the change. They said that they normally charge 8 hours of labor for a warranty job, but they were only going to charge me 5 hours because the tech said he could do it in 5 hours.

 

"They Quoted me 17-2,400 $ to fix it at the dealer",that is a giant rip-off,run away from that dealer, and never go back there.
When call for assistance from Lexus customer service,it helps to play nice, be calm and courteous, try not to pi$$ them off.

 

The job does not involve 5 hours, that is absolute crap, I did it myself and it took max 1 hour and 30 mts. All you need is to raise the car to have a clear ground for working, and some basic tools. Total Cost involved 3/-$ and topped up the Oil loss while removal of actuator. Thats it.

 

All right, you can order the part from the site I listed if you would like. I ended up getting it in one day from my local Toyota dealer for under $3. The shipping from the site listed was $9. I am going down stairs right now to change it out. I will let you know how it goes later this evening. Shoot, since this seems to be a "hot topic,” I will take some photos along the way.

 

Start to finish, it took me under an hour. The hardest part was jacking up the car and cleaning my hands. If you can change the oil in the car, this is about that easy. I was going to take a bunch of pictures but it is so easy, they are not necessary.

I will let you know if it leaks any more.

If you have questions on how to do it, post here and I will reply.

PS... It would have taken me longer to drive to the dealer to get it fixed than it did to fix it myself.

 

I have this same problem. Do you have to completely disassemble the transfer case from the car or is it just a couple screws you can take out while lying on your back?

 

Nopes it is just the Actuator only, can be removed while you are on your back,Once removed do the seal replacement on the work bench, and thats it, replace the same way how you removed it, and top up the oil loss around a quartz I guess.

 

I did it on my back. There are three bolts and a wiring harness. It is that simple. You may have to wiggle it a little to get it on and off, but it should not be tough.

 

So just to clarify, the transfer case gasket kit isn't needed right? Just the o-ring?

 

The 'T' Case is never opened, and neither the gasket is required, it is just the O Ring.