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This post is mainly for archival purposes, but I figure the information may be useful for others so I figure why not share it!
Jan 28th, 2022: 2008 RX350 purchased with 356k kilometres / 221k miles!!
This was the day I bought my RX! It was too good of a price to pass up, and I always wanted one of these for quite a while now. Before purchasing it, I already knew that it shared ~90% of the mechanical components of my 2002 Highlander, with only subtle differences throughout. I really wanted the 3.5 "2GR-FE" V6 engine that is specific to the 07+ RX. Let me tell, you, it'll dust the Highlander like nothing! 0-60 was timed by me at 6.5 seconds vs 8.4 in the Highlander. First impressions: The car's brakes and handling are noticeably worse than the Highlander despite having new pads and rotors, however - this is expected due to the Highlander having the bigger brake size from the 3rd gen RX350. The is SO jacked up to what I'm used to, and it weighs about 150 pounds heavier with stock brakes/brake lines, blown suspension etc everything is stock, so it makes sense that there is a big difference felt when going between the two cars. For how much body roll and understeer it has (stock sway bars, struts, springs) it still holds the road pretty well for a 4000 lb SUV, I'd say it is a half step behind my 2014 F-Sport on Bilstein B6s, while the Highlander is a good three steps ahead. Acceleration is noticeably better than the '14 as well due to weighing 500 lbs less than it.
It has a gun-metal exterior with a black interior, coincidentally matching the '14 RX350 inside and out! The plush leather seats surprisingly look almost new, and are comfier than the Highlander's with more padding and softer materials. Interior space and cargo space is a little less than the Highlander, despite exterior dimensions being slightly larger. I like the Highlander's more open greenhouse and simplistic controls, but the RX is definitely a nicer place to sit. What shocked me was how my RX350 was actually louder on the Highlander due to having a roof rack still, and due to the fact that I have loaded the Highlander up with sound deadening. Sometimes you don't realize your luxuries you added until you're without them! I really missed my reverse camera and aftermarket Pioneer headunit w/ hands-free calling that I installed in my Highlander. I also missed the quad-tone Buick horns that will shatter distracted driver's eardrums! These Lexus horns are only OK at best, everything is when you're back to having only two mediocre horns!
After ogling at my new Lexus, I decided to give the car a quick interior clean and then do another mechanical inspection. When I first looked at it before buying it, the fluids were looking alright for the most part. Oil was full, trans fluid was full and pink, coolant and P/S fluid were a little low though. The PO installed a new drive shaft which I noticed, and some new coils. No suspension part was visibly broken or leaking apart from the blown struts, however the passenger side inner tie rod boot was clearly ripped, and I confirmed this again when I got home. Some other things I noticed were that it STILL HAS the rubber oil cooler lines and some other leaks around the oil pan, nothing I'm not used to! I made sure to order all the parts I needed right away, and I had a spare power steering bellow/boot from my Highlander that I was going to use. For some odd reason, the front floor mat clips were missing, which was safety issue. I had some spare ones from my Highlander when I put in the Weathertechs, and thankfully these popped right in and worked like a charm! I also found that some of the front peanut bulbs were burned out for the running lights, and one in the rear, I briefly replaced those and got all (or so I thought) of the lights working.
That's all for today! Overall, I was starting to enjoy my purchase even more, however I knew she needed some work as I was preparing myself to bite the financial bullet a little.
Knowing that the RX needed some TLC, and that I refuse to buy crap parts, it was time to drop some coin on the RX. Just in this day alone, I spent a bit over half of what I paid for the car, but it was quite a lot. I'm going to be doing a lot of the mods I have done on the Highlander on the RX as well, as they have been very well-worth the time and money. Unlike the Highlander, I want to try to get those 2006-2013 IS350 rear brakes on the back, with the 3rd gen RX350 front setup. Vented rear rotors would be NICE when I possibly track this car one day as well. Today, I also decided to give the RX the Seafoam treatment. The intake and throttle body were FILTHY. After replacing the NASTY PCV I sprayed the whole can, then proceeded to clean the air filter box, TB and MAF sensor. Everything was looking a lot better, and running better too! Excluding the inital take-off, there was a HUGE smoke cloud for the first few times the engine was floored and it almost wanted to stall. I was undoing the years of neglect and the 2GR was very happy with that! After the good progress, I gave the RX a break and took the 'Lander to Toyota.
Rockauto parts:
- TRW struts (all four corners, wholesaler closeout VERY well-priced)
- Strut mounts (all four corners)
- Rear strut lower isolators
- Driver's side front door handle (chrome was peeling)
- Oil pan & gasket (oil pan is leaking and heavily dented)
- Driver's side mirror glass (auto-dimming mirror has failed and leaked)
- Engine & cabin air filter
- Wix transmission filter (proven usage in my Highlander)
- Hood & trunk struts
Toyota parts:
- 12204-31120 (PCV valve)
- 15767-31020 (Metal oil cooler lines)
- x5 04152-YZZA1 "A1" (oil filters)
- 90341-A0002 (24mm hex transfer case fill plug for rear diff)
- 90341-18040 (24mm hex transfer case magnetic drain plug for rear diff)
- 2x Toyota SLLC coolant jugs
- 12x 1 L WS transmission fluid
- 90430-16016 (Oil gasket lower)
- x2 90430-10612 (Oil gasket upper)
- 15772-31030 (Bank 1 metal oil line)
- x20 90942-02078 (An alternative to the ARP studs on my Highlander, extended wheel studs from a Matrix)
- x4 90942-01033 (Japan-spec lug nuts to delete the factory wheel locks)
- 85214-0E010 (Rear wiper insert)
- x2 48824-08020 (Heavy-duty upper sway bar brackets from a Sienna, the Highlander got something similar when I put on the 26mm front sway ba)
- x2 75596-48011 + 2x 75595-48011 + x4 63185-0R010 + x8 90080-11724 (Roof rack delete kit)
Spare parts I have lying around:
- 48811-0E040 (26mm AWD front sway bar from 3rd gen RX350)
- 2007-2009 ES350 front sway bar end links (Used to mount the 3rd gen RX350 front sway bar without rubbing)
- DELPHI TC2022 rear sway bar end links (For a 2000-2011 Ford Focus, they're aluminum and fit perfectly - way stiffer than stock and half the weight)
- Mevotech front sway bar bushings (26mm front bushings for the sway bar swap, these are also on the Highlander and are nice and stiff for being rubber! - US made too!)
- Eibach sport lowering springs (Should be pretty similar to the H&R springs on the Highlander, but with some more comfort at the expense of drop)
- 1999-2003 Buick Park Avenue horns (Yes, I bought two sets New old Stock!)
- 4th gen RX350 heated steering wheel (I'm going to figure a way to put this on, you'll see!)
- 4th gen RX350 18x8" 30mm offset stock wheels (You'll need the aforementioned extended wheel studs to run these safely due to thread engagement)
That's quite a list, and it's not done yet either! I've got a lot more planned for this car! I need to get another Addco rear sway bar for it when it comes back into production, as well as throw my custom heavy-duty sway bar brackets I designed on it, of course a 1999 RX300 Torsen limited slip differential is in order too! The majority of this day was spent placing orders and running to Toyota to pick up my parts for the RX. I also took the time to do the rear wiper and jack up the car and remove all wheels to take a closer lock. Thankfully, this car is very clean compared to the Highlander, and most of the critical component are in good shape! However, that steering boot has me concerned, I REALLY hope the rack seals haven't gone bad! The last thing I want to do is change a steering rack again. That was absolute hell on the Highlander with all the seized bolts, not to mention having to work on the driveway while having it rain on me.
Jan 30th, 2022: Some more diagnosing and fixing that steering rack boot!
I felt right at home working on this RX, apart from the more tight engine bay, it's practically identical to the Highlander. I decided to address the power steering boot leak and then spend the rest of the day doing research.
The worst part was getting the tie rod off, the cotter pin was completely rusted through and my attempts to punch it out failed. I ended up having to drill a pilot hole and then a larger one, it eventually came out clean and the tie rod could be removed. My ball-joint tool made short work of it and the rod popped up without any damage done to the boot. I had to use a small amount of MAP gas to get the adjusting nut loose, but nothing crazy. The car is still pretty clean after all. The old boot was looking absolutely horrible, but I was extremely pleased to see that the rack seals were completely intact! The only thing that needed attention was the inner tie rod. The grit had dried it out so I had to pack it full of lube. It was running a lot smoother after the little "flush".
Not sure if this is a result of the slight rack difference between the 2001-2003 Highlander and 2004-2009 RX, but it seemed like the Highlander's boot (different part number) was slightly too tight to fit on the rack, but the length was the same. Once again, not sure if this was due to the frigid weather, difference in design, or the fact that it was 20-years-old - that I don't know. Some heat from my heat gun softened up and it slipped right on. Problem solved!
(Rack boot wasn't fully seated during this picture, it actually ended up fitting perfectly)
With that job going very well, I decided to take a look at the rear side marker lights. At first, I thought they were "reflectors", but then I saw that they had slots for a bulb and wiring! Darn! The passenger side socket was strangely unplugged and the socket's terminals had completely rotted and dissolved - "what the HECK is going on here I thought!" boy, if you thought that was bad you should have seen the other side. Bulb was plugged in, but no power. A closer look and it all made sense... The factory OE connector on the driver's side was CUT off and the wires were soldered right to the broken connector's terminals. WHO THE HECK did that ghetto-rigging to this poor Lexus - for SHAME! (These parts are not even close to expensive either!) I ripped that crap off my car and proceeded to note the appropriate parts I had to buy incl. the battery cover that I realized was missing.
Toyota parts:
- x2 90075-60005 (Rear side marker socket)
- 82821-12490 (+ Battery terminal cover - RED, OEM was black)
Rockauto parts:
- 88974051, 88988588, S1716 (Not listed for the RX, but this is the appropriate connector for the side marker. Includes the entire pigtail unlike the Toyota part, ready to solder/crimp on)
Well, that was a decently productive day! Stay tuned for more as I iron out the kinks on this Lexus! So far, so good!
Say Matt, great you found a gen 2 rx.......Wow, really bummer 'bout those rear lights....Great you found & replaced those front running lights as many I've seen are out......You've possibly already seen the A-arm bushings, more like the oem's...Add a couple of new A=arms to the list. Say since your there, Have a look at the '1, 13'' 9+ lander brakes, as are the calipers/brackets the same spacing?
Thanks! I’m really enjoying it so far. Control arms are definitely on the next order! Rears and fronts, same treatment that the Highlander got.
As for the 2020+ Highlander brakes, the fronts have the same 155mm spacing as we do, but the rotor has a different hat to accommodate the different hub. The big rear brakes won’t fit either due to the vastly different mounting ears and hub size, as well as the small hat that was designed for the e-parking brake.
Here’s a picture of the stock RX brakes vs my upgraded Highlander ones to give you an idea of how much bigger the rears are
I’m probably going to do the “royal flush” today and do all of the fluids, I’m also excited to see how these 08-13 rear backing plates fit on these stock RX knuckles. I think they should fit fine.
Thanks! I agree, I'm impressed with the body's condition, especially considering the corrosive environment I live in. She's going to need a lot of work, but definitely worth it for the very low price I paid for it.
Jan 31st, 2022:Flushing the radiator and power steering, adding a catch can
Deciding to keep the ball rolling with the RX, I figured I'd tackle the coolant and power steering fluid today. I'm still holding off on the oil until my metal oil cooler lines and new pan come in before I tackle that job. Coolant was relatively straight forward... Take the under cover off, break a bolt (of course) and remove the lower radiator petcock on the bottom driver's side and the drain plug on the engine. Pretty much the same procedure as the Highlander. I used some distilled water in the radiator and overflow tank to "flush" out all the old garbage. The coolant was very musty and yellow, it looked like it may have never been changed at all. The distilled water helped push out a lot of dirt and junk out as well. New SLLC replaced the old mystery fluid.
With the cover off, I was able to take a closer look at the transmission cooler leak. Like my Highlander, it had the exact same leak in the exact same spot. The fitting on the bottom going into the cooler gets corroded and expands, which puts stress on the rubber line which causes it to burst. Just like before, I grabbed the wire wheel on my drill and cleaned up the surface and wiped it down, then I used about 1 foot of 3/8" ID transmission oil cooler and slipped it on. To replicate the factory "guard" around the hose, I used what was left of my PCV hose shield from my oil catch can install. Not bad for a 4 dollar fix! I would suggest getting 10mm hose though if you can, 3/8" = 9.5mm and it was pretty tight!
Next up it was time to deal with the P/S fluid. I disconnected the high pressure line on the lower passenger side on the subframe and had my friend turn the wheel with the ignition on. The old, dirty fluid quickly sprayed out into the pan and I refilled the system with Dexron VI full synthetic transmission fluid. I like this fluid and run it in the Highlander as well. It has a very good steering response and holds up well in the cold, and it ends up looking better when you drain it. As weird as it sounds, the fluid actually makes a major difference in the feel. The numb and vague steering went back to the nice weighted and confident feeling with good feedback steering that the Highlander had. The system took about 700 ml vs around 800 ml that the Highlander takes. My guess is due to the power steering cooler that I installed on the Highlander.
Feb 1st, 2022: More maintenance stuff
Today, I decided to give myself a break and just do the first transmission fluid drain & fill, and replace the side marker light that still has a connector attached. My OE side marker sockets arrived in ONE day (Beat that Amazon Prime) and I was able to plug in the passenger side "un-butchered" one as my wiring connector is still shipping from Rockauto. The transmission fluid was neglected, but it wasn't any worse than my Highlander so everything should be fine. I replaced the annoying 10mm factory allen socket plug with the same plug I used on my Highlander - a Cummins 3924147 magnetic engine oil drain plug. It's an M18x1.5 plug with a 17mm hex head, much nicer! I'm happy to report that I saw no metal shavings as well! This is going to make me feel less worried about seeing a disaster when I drop the transmission pan to do the filter. Filled it up with the recommended 3.5 L from Toyota and checked the level when the engine is running at operating temp, all good! I decided to order a new transmission metal line where the cooler lines go from rubber to metal, to rubber again. Out of all of the relatively clean lines in the system, this one was extremely rusty and I wasn't willing to put any trust in it. If it were to burst, bye-bye transmission! It was a little pricey at 70 dollars but worth the piece of mind - much like the metal oil cooler lines.
Toyota parts:
- 32907-48040 (Transmission oil cooler metal tube)
- x6 90080-11718 (Splash shield bolts)
Feb 2nd, 2022: Finishing off the flushes and tackling other small tasks
Another productive day on the RX. Started off doing the cabin and engine air filter because my massive Rockauto order arrived! Both filters were pretty dirty, and these replacement Wix filters were a nice step up from the cheap stuff that came in the car! I took the time to clean the cabin filter tray and engine air filter box as well, they were both filthy. I also deleted the factory charcoal filter in the box. My soldering iron made quick work of the plastic rivets.
Nasty! Both the filter and the tray
Nice Wix PUR-AIR filter!
Next up was the hood support strut. The factory one was running out of steam, it would hardly open the hood up and forget about it doing it without any help from your hands. I went to my trusted brand “Stabilus” made by Sachs. Not sponsored, but these are great value, work smoothly and are always US-made.
Thanks to my car being a Japan-model, this was a HELL of a job. The ball stud on the bottom that is attached to a bracket to the car, is a “press-fit” style, which is a stupid design that shouldn’t exist. NA models including my ‘14 RX have clips that you pop off with a screwdriver and bam you swap the new shocks on, with the press-fit, you can try to get the clip out with picks, or dremel it off which is what I did, it took me an hour of cussing and contemplating just buying the factory replacement bracket, but I’m cheap.
Next up was tackling the T-case which I suspected was going to be neglected like the rest of the car - unfortunately, I was correct. The fluid was very dark and viscous, and the smell was horrible. It left a nasty “varnish” on the plugs and it was definitely the original fluid.
Despite this unit being identical to my Highlander, the fill plug was harder to remove due to the RX’s different exhaust. I had to use a non-impact 24mm hex socket with a breaker bar to get it off. The fill plug was pretty easy, 24mm box end wrench got that off no problem. New gaskets and 75W90 Redline GL-5 gear oil and a job well done!
Next up was the rear diff, thankfully I didn’t have to chisel out the plugs like on my Highlander. They came out very easily and the fluid was only a little dark, but looked a LOT better than the t-case, this fluid was likely changed at least once. I noticed a trend between the Highlander and RX, these units produced darker fluid on the t-case and lighter fluid from the rear diff, wheras my newer ‘14 RX350 was the opposite. T-case fluid was light, but rear diff fluid was a little gray looking. Not sure if this has anything to do with the older system’s real-time 50/50 split AWD with a viscous coupling t-case vs the newer system’s electronically controlled (and inferior in my opinion) AWD system.
Since this rear diff is eventually going to be swapped out with a 99-00 RX300 Torsen limited slip diff, I just filled it with a spare Toyota 75W85 GL-5 gear oil container I got for free at work. Definitely a great opportunity to clean the drain & fill plugs and replace the gaskets as they are super cheap from Toyota. Having a proper differential oil pump is a MASSIVE help too.
Finally, I decided to fix the jerry-rigged HORRIBLE sidemarker wiring that the previous “mechanic” wrecked on this car. Also not sponsored, but this Lisle 55000 soldering 3rd hand was a massive help and I use it constantly, best 15 bucks I ever spent.
I proceeded to chop the added wires that were sloppily soldered and taped on, they were not covered properly and were heavily corroded, which is why the marker was not working. Soldering the power wire was cake, but the ground wire required extra care as the wire was corroded due to the hack-job of a “fix” that was done here.
After the wires were soldered, the light worked perfectly and I took the chance to put 2 red LEDs in both markers, add dielectric grease and some split loom tubing for extra protection in the future, it felt great to give this RX the care it deserved. With that, all of the lights are working, and all I need to do now is fix the CEL and do the oil cooler pipes before I get it safetied!
Feb 4nd, 2022: Clearing the CEL, further diagnosing and plans down the road
Today wasn't very work-heavy, but it was an important step in getting the RX ready for action! I knew the 5-year-old battery the car came in was completely dead, so when it failed to start for the second time, I was shaking my head at myself for not picking up a battery sooner. After grabbing a 24F battery from the local Crappy Tire and proceeding to prove the guy at the counter wrong that it was infact the right size, I was even able to guess that his system said "Group 35" as the correct (although it's not) battery, and after telling him your system was broken, I left with my new battery and without the useless 90-day return policy!
With that in order, it was time to solve the CEL once and for all! Turns out it was a lot easier than I was expecting it to be. The P0352 code was for the front (THANKFULLY) left-most ignition coil. I tried swapping it with the one in the middle and the code switched to the middle. Hmmm, seems as if this left front coil is bad! I pulled the spark plugs and they were OE Denso and in good shape, but I will be replacing them anyway when I do my valve cover gaskets and rear coils down the road. After pulling the front coils, there was a strange mismatch going on. The left-most coil was a cheap Chinese no-name coil, the middle was an original OEM, and the right was a Denso replacement probably from Rockauto or somewhere else. The Chinese coil had an absurd high amount of resistance when I checked it, and the Denso replacement wasn't looking very good either. Later in the day, I went to go look at some used OEM IS350 coils and they tested out perfect so I figured "what the heck, why not" and bought all 6 of them for 150.
As soon as I got back, I put the IS350 coils on. I instantly noticed how much less dried out the rubber seals were, and the condition of them was looking very good, plus I tested them to be dead on as well. I proceeded to put the 3 coils on and after lots of driving, idling and starts - the CEL is gone so is the engine's tendency to run rich! Smells much better in the cabin too! Not bad for some used coils! The idle at normal operating temp went from a low 480 RPM back to the normal 660 RPM as well, just runs way smoother like my other RX and Highlander! I knew something had to be off when I first got it, and that was part of the reason why I got it so cheap. Gotta love a simple fix!
Like usual with this car, it seems the previous mechanic(s) that worked on it were as sloppy and incompetent as can be. I found some more missing parts that needed to be replaced, and others that were just not even tightened properly which ticked me off. However, I kept reminding myself of the price I got it for and it'll be over soon! Lol
Toyota parts:
- x2 68945-48030 (Upper trunk lift strut brackets - OEMs are badly rusted, and it'll cut the amount of labour in half for removing the old struts from their ball sockets if I already have the bare bracket)
- 89786-60150 (Spare ignition key, I only have the vallet key as of now, and that'll be relegated to the spare "house" key after I get a proper main key)
- x2 90099-04593 (Air box bolts - one is completely missing and the other is mangled, sloppy mechanics ughh)
- 55531-21070 (Glove box retaining clip - one is missing too of course)
- 74317-50010-B1 (Sunvisor cover trim - driver's side is missing)
- x5 90950-01841 (Plug - for door, 1 is missing on the driver's side, 2 on the passenger side and 2 for the hatch)
- 90151-50025 (Screw for sunvisor, one is missing on the passenger side which makes the visor flop like crazy)
Amazon parts:
- Cheapo key fob replacement shell (My shell is cracked, so this'll be a temporary solution to having a spare key before I convert to a better key fob from a newer Lexus if I can)
- Full LED kit (All Interior bulbs, turn signals, reverse lights, license plate light assemblies, some spare sockets and T10 bulbs to wire in footwell lights in the future)
- 0.1 ohm 3w resistors (Going to use these to modify my turn signal relay so the LED bulbs don't hyper-flash)
Ebay parts:
- 12372-0P010 (Used MINT OEM transmission mount from a newer Lexus, I have one of these on my Highlander and it fits with a very simple trimming of a tab)
- 12362-0P050 (Used MINT OEM engine mount from a 3rd gen RX350, all 2GR-FEs on this platform have the same mount so have at it!)
- Left side inner fender (Cheap one before I can find an OEM at a junkyard - the one that came with the car was badly damaged and flapping around, it ended up getting ripped off entirely)
Parts on the lookout: - OEM Left side inner fender (As described above)
- OEM full set of RX400h tail lights (I prefer the brighter and elusively LED 400h inner & outer tails, they're better looking in my opinion and resemble my Highlander's hybrid lights more)
- OEM HID projector headlights (Projectors are just better)
- Addco 2109 7/8" rear sway bar (I need another for my RX350)
- Black trim outer climate vents (These are completely smashed and are too expensive to buy at Toyota, so junkyard it is)
- Passenger rear door panel (The panel has a huge tear, and this is also too expensive to buy new so I'll need to find a salvage part)
- Cargo mat (A must have because I put my SUVs to work)
- 2011-2017 Lexus CT200h key fob (If possible, may require A LOT of work)
- A nice touchscreen head unit (Something like the Pioneer AVH2300-NEX in my Highlander)
- Left side auto-dimming mirror (Mine is leaking, I'll just drain it for now, but I definitely want to grab both sides in the future and restore the function)
Hopefully those oil cooler lines come in soon! I see some big progress updates coming soon, as I tackle the final leaks and refresh & upgrade the suspension!
Progress has been a bit slow these days as I wait for my massive Toyota order to come in. Most of the work has been small but nice little touches to the car. The license plate lights were cracked and leaking so I got some LED assemblies. To take off the lights, you have to take the "trim garnish" off. This is when I had to deal with the IDIOT "MECHANIC" who decided to use black silicone for some reason all over the screws and the switch itself - rendering it totalled if I had to take it off. The screws were so covered I ended up stripping one of the screws and had to dremel a slot and remove the rest of it with a flat blade screwdriver. Definitely not a fun time, and that moronic mechanic had no right to be working on cars, let alone a nice, rust-minimal Lexus such as this one. Now, I need to get a new trunk switch as well! Damn!
- COMMON ISSUE ON 07-09 RX (Fixed the metal PS line sheath from damaging the passenger side steering boot video location here:
- LED interior lights (LED panel soldered into map light)
- LED license plate light assemblies, turn signals & reverse lights (Still need to modify the stock relay)
- Hardwired a front dashcam
- Maruko SM70 horns, I prefer these over the Denso stock horns (Will be replaced with Buick horns eventually)
- Cleaned the engine cover and got it back on to fit with the catch can
Toyota parts:
- 47121-53010 (F-Sport brake pedal - same as in my 2014 RX)
- 04000-14253 (IS350 F-Sport accelerator pad, this won't normally fit the RX but you'll see how I'll get this to work)
- 84840-08010 (Trunk switch - this wasn't cheap!)
Amazon parts:
- LED license plate light assemblies
- LED bulbs for interior
- 40x20mm LED light panel for map light
- LED turn signal bulbs & reverse lights
Ebay parts:
- 78120-48070 (Euro-spec RHD Lexus accelerator pedal, this resembles the OEM pedal except it has a metal rod with a plastic pedal held in by a pin, instead of the one piece plastic OEM unit, this will let me run the IS350 pedal) - 08414-48820 (Front & rear mudflaps - had to get the "eBay Special" unfortunately as the OEMs are discontinued by Lexus)
- Votex DP006 (Awesome M12-1.25 magnetic drain plug that I run for the oil pan on the '14 RX and '02 Highlander)
AliExpress parts: - 90980-11986 (Connector for heated steering wheel module)
- x3 81080-48010-equivilant LED assemblies (x2 for footwell lights, x1 for glovebox)
- F-Sport style dead pedal / footrest pad (Tried to find this OEM, but to no avail)
- x2 7282-5845 (Male connector for footwell light)
- x2 7283-5845 (Female connector for footwell light)
Wow what a super cool useful and informative thread. I applaud you’re motivation and skills to get the job done to your specific needs. Will definitely check it to see how you’re doing. Looking forward to the new wheels as well.
Here’s a pic of mine. The only thing I’m tryna work on is fixing the steering. Because for some reason it drifts to the right when I’m trying to drive straight even after new tires and multiple alignments it’s a bit frustrating actually. Perhaps you might know the reason why?
Does the steering stick or feel heavy? On my Highlander it felt heavy and wouldn’t return to center after a turn even after an alignment. It ended up being the intermediate shaft and I break down what I had to do to fix and diagnose it.
Has the car even been in an accident? If it wants to drift even while you’re going straight and not turning, I feel like a mounting point for a control arm is damaged and misaligned. I’ve seen damaged knuckles too that completely throw steering off as well.
Updates have been slow as I ran into a problem. The two bolts for the transmission cooler lines snapped into the frame. I have been grinding them down and drilling them out and now I need some better drill bits as the old cheap ones won’t cut it.
In the meantime, I installed some factory reproduction mudflaps that I had lying around and installed my roof rack delete kit as those are all super quick projects that keep the motivation up. I also took the time to wire in a rear dashcam and inspect and re-grease the entire brakes front and rear as well as sand down the hub surface and apply anti-seize.
With a lot of trim pieces already out of the car, I took the time to add some sound deadening from an old dish washer. This is the same stuff Lexus and Toyota use (recycled denim and cotton) except thicker. This stuff works really great adhered to a plastic panel with outdoor carpet tape.While the car is apart, I also decided to remove the two front fender liners and clean, paint and rust proof spray the inner metal for protection. I was SO happy to see how clean everything was behind there!
Also, I 3D printed my AWD rear sway bar bracket prototypes and they fit nicely! Now to strengthen the design with my machinist and get this made!
Passenger side custom sway bar bracket prototype Driver’s side bracket prototype
01-31-22, 12:57 AM
2008 RX350 Project
