hagani

Hello everyone,

just purchased 2000 LX470 with 194k mles and suspension problem. Fluid tank was empty and truck was very low. Indicator on the dashboard was in "L" position with "OFF" light blinking. I drove the truck 120 miles in this condition from the place of purchase to my garage.

Filled tank with oem fluid, pump started to work right away, truck can be raised and lowered with no problem. After filling tank with fluid I discovered that one of the hydraulic hoses (right rear) leaking. Ordered hose from dealer, already received but didn't have a chance to replace it yet. I will do that on the weekend. Also planning to bleed the air from accumulator and all 4 actuators.

Now the main problem I am facing. After filling the tank I took truck for a short test drive. Truck drives like new except for a little bouncy ride on the back (didn't notice the front really but maybe front too). I spent couple of days on this forum and learned a lot about AHC.

My question would be - before I spend $1,200 on 4 new accumulators - what's the chances are height control sensor, bad shock or air in the system could be a reason for bouncy ride??

Also do they (4 accumulators) have to be replaced all at once or I can replace just 2 rear ones for now and later if needed replace two in the front?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Happy Holidays!!

PADDO

Before you spend any money on replacing the damper accumulators or other parts you really need to ensure the system is free of entrained air and your neutral pressures are correct i.e. 6.9 MPa front and 5.6-6.7MPa rear will get you in spec and these pressures can then be further dialed in to optimize your particular damping. High neutral pressures critically affect damping and are undesirable for several reasons. With your pressures in the correct range and the system bled you should then do the L to H graduation test to get a general, collective appreciation of the health of your four damper accumulators - 14 gradations on the reservoir are returned for four new globes and you want to have a minimum of 7 for used globes. At this point Toyota/Lexus recommends they all be replaced. The 16 step test can be used to isolate a failed damper on any particular corner too.If you have normal height and system control and the vehicle hasn't taken on a severe front or rear rise/drop then your 3 height sensors are functional. Go over to ih8mud.com and have a look through the 100 series forums where I've posted many AHC tech threads that cover your current situation. You'll also find my "quick and easy 1 can bleed" method with a search. Its a fast and efficient way to purge old fluid and gases without any wastage or danger of messing up and running out of fluid due to excessive, wasteful bleeding.
Damper accumulators can be changed individually if necessary but it makes far more sense to change the fronts or rears together as the left/right sides are normally hydraulically connected so when one wheel goes into compression or rebound there will be fluid passed to/from the opposite wheel. So if one accumulator is completely blown or severely degraded it will adversely affect its opposite and the overall damping quality.

hagani

Thank you Paddo for all the info you've provided. I did follow your advise and bled the system as you suggested in your post at ih8mud.com

Here is what I've got done:

• Replaced the RR pressure hose
• Replaced front and rear stabilizer links
• Bled the system

And results are:

• I have only 4 gradations in the tank going from High to Low and back
• Truck still extremely jumpy and have bouncy ride
• Pressures in neutral: Accumulator - 10.60 / Front Pressure 10.40 / Rear Pressure - 8.90
• Pressure is different every time I go from High to Low and vice versa

Suspension fluid was like coffee with milk - light brownish color

I guess my next step is to replace dumpers..

And I couldn't figure out how to adjust pressure. Can you elaborate on that?

Thank you very much in advance