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I did the same but ditched the "pie plates". Bought the chrome ones first but didn't match the wheel (was silver, not chrome). Returned for silvers and what I thought were the right center caps , but turns out they were chrome also without a flat surface to put in center...so I ground off the back so they'd fit and epoxy'd them to the surface! Voila! Pie plate Twist's with chrome center & logo on with epoxy! A lot less expensive that "true Lexus" ones!
Swapped out all the vacuum hoses I could reach without lifting the car. Those I'll get the next time I need to lift the car.
Got a bunch of hoses and clamps. Although some of the clamps were definitely reusable, others were a bit loose after 18 years. None of my hoses or clamps have been swapped in that time, but remarkably all but one appeared to be still intact. 18 year old vacuum hoses were much harder than the new hoses.
My Harbor Freight hose pliers were definitely helpful. Made wiggling off hoses without breaking things really easy. The 90 degree plier was needed for releasing some awkward angled hose clamps. Also, it could get behind and release mounting clip.
Only the engine end of this crankcase breather hose was split.
Its end was cracked up to just beyond its clamp, but not yet making a huge leak.
The next hose in roughest shape was probably the PCV valve hose. That one was super stiff.
Two power steering vacuum hoses run down below the engine, below the airbox. Wasn't feeling motivated enough to do a lift just for those lines. Nice thing about vacuum hose swaps before a problem exists --- you can stop at any time and continue later on other hoses.
I wasn't see any lean run conditions on my fuel trims, but after 18 years, it was time to change out the hoses as preventive maintenance.
I bought some cable clamls off rock auto. Best things ever. It's basically a bike brake handle with clamps instead of brakes. And the one I have has a ratcheting feature.
Also! Add some dye to your power steering fluid! I keep finding new power steering fluid leaks from old rubber hose sections of the power steering system. If you've got cracked vacuum lines, just imagine what shape your coolant and power steering lines might be in!
Due to power steering location, it can kill your alternator pretty fast.
Finished coil-over install. I got it pretty close to the height I wanted with 0.8" drop. The side shown is probably like 1.5" drop. It's at the shop getting the level fine tuned and aligned.
I couldn't for the life of me get the ISF bar in without scratching the hell out of it, so the shop is gonna pop off the muffler to install it.
Can anyone confirm the bend goes down when looking at it from the side?
Drove it without the rear sway, and it still felt so much more planted than the stock shocks. A little too jittery over some bumps, but I hadn't dialed in the damping at all yet. Overall, much smoother handling.
Also, my drain hose in the trunk was pinched. I found some rust in there. Popped the plugs and hose, wire brushed it, and did a rust treatment.
Cusco blue gs sway with D2 rs coil I only removed the arm to body attachment to avoid changing alignment. If I kept stock height, I could've skipped alignment. I found rust! The drain hose for the roof motor was pinched. I fixed the hose, wire brushed the rust, and hit it with rustoleum primer and some quality epoxy rattle paint. Cusco blue gs sway and isf sway This is 1.5 inch drop. A little too much for my taste.
Replaced before old one could become an issue with its rubber seal hardening. No error codes with original one, but $28 was reasonable to grab while there is still supply.
Old one's tether easily popped out of hatch with interior panel clip removal tool. New tether just snaps into place.
D2 RS coilover install before and after. It's a little bouncey, but I haven't adjusted the damping rates yet. Also VSC engaged while rolling forward. I'm afraid my sensors might be going bad. No dash light yet though.
Any suggestions for brackets to support the sensor wire?
First thing I would do check if the sensors are set correctly. I had replaced my suspension also and they did not set them correctly and I dealt with VSC for the longest time until another mechanic found this issue. no VSC light/action since.
Have the Mark Levison audio system. Local aftermarket audio shop told me there weren't a lot of options for this setup, short of spending thou$and$ on it (car only cost $11k). I tried an cigarette adapter bluetooth FM modulator, but it sounded like crap. Tried a $20 wireless Bluetooth cassette adapter and IT SOUNDS GREAT! At least to my gunfire, Def Leppard and helicopter damaged hearing. So I added a $35 bluetooth controller for the steering wheel. The adapter advertises that it lasts 12 hours on a charge. I replaced the ashtray with a custom made power panel made from a $19 plastic power panel. Ran power from the battery so its always on (has its own switch), so I can charge the adapter overnight. Very pleased!
I have a bluetooth FM modulator and works great to my Doobie Bros, Kansas and Kissed out ears. May depend on how crowded the radio bands are in your area. Hands free phone conversations are possible even woth the top down if I roll up the windows. Looks like a nice job on the custom panel.
So I added a $35 bluetooth controller for the steering wheel. The adapter advertises that it lasts 12 hours on a charge. I replaced the ashtray with a custom made power panel made from a $19 plastic power panel. Ran power from the battery so its always on (has its own switch), so I can charge the adapter overnight. Very pleased!
Are both the steering wheel controller and the cassette adapter rechargeable? Do they both use the same USB charging cable?
I’ve been working on a few tweaks and repairs to a new to me 2003. I bought this from a GMC dealership and had an independent mechanic look it over. He gave me a pleasantly short list of problems to be addressed. First up was replacing the positive battery terminal a previous owner twisted. The shop wanted $86 plus parts, I found an OEM part for $20:
Next was a vanity project - refinishing the headlights. They weren’t too bad for their age but definitely look better now:
Back to the mechanic’s list, the passenger door lock actuator was not working. Big thanks to the members of this forum who’ve been down that road. The mechanic wanted $118 to “begin diagnosis,” I figured I’d try the $7 motor first. I was a little nervous epoxying the box shut, knowing the next step was ordering a whole new actuator, but this worked!
While I was in there, I decided to refoam the speakers.
Speaking of sound, I like my V8s with a bit of a growl so I replaced the air intake system with an Injen kit:
I still need to trim the engine cover and would like to shorten the vacuum hoses. Maybe this weekend.
New floor mats arrived today. I copied someone else’s idea of using black carpet. I figured ecru would never stay clean and didn’t want rubber. This feels like a nice compromise and there’s a enough black in already in the cabin to make it work. This seller on eBay offers cut to size mats for $65. Such an improvement over the ratty, mismatched set the dealer put in.
I’m working on an infotainment upgrade described over here. I’ll need to pull the rear seats out for that, which will give me an opportunity to refoam the other speakers and refinish the leather. I’m pondering coilovers and new bushings but am just beginning to research that. Big thanks to all the forum contributors who provided products links, tutorials, etc.
03-17-21, 10:06 AM
