2004 GX470 - The Ugly Duckling

Greg

Greg

Adventurist
Senior Staff
This was my brother's project that I helped on and now it's mine. 225K miles and engine runs great. It's just got a bunch of electrical germlines after 3 years on little use parked in Virginia Beach.

The only window that will open is the driver's. Apparently it's common for the driver's window lock button to go bad. L&R turn signals won't work but the hazards do. AC is non functional. A bunch of Denso relays and a new driver's door arm rest switch panel on order for round 1.

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Sounds like a solid project! It's always a bummer when electrical gremlins pop up, especially after being parked for a while. Hopefully, those new parts will get everything back on track. Just take it one step at a time, and you'll have it running smoothly in no time!
 
What's the current spec out of this GX? Curious to see what it's loaded out with already.
 
Looks to have a Metal Tech rear bumper?

As long as the timing belt, water pump and theromstat have been completed on a regular schedule the 4.7 is a good engine.
 
WashingtonTaco said:
Looks to have a Metal Tech rear bumper?

As long as the timing belt, water pump and theromstat have been completed on a regular schedule the 4.7 is a good engine.
Click to expand...
Timing belt was just done. not sure about the water pump the thermostat. Since it has been sitting so long I'll probably do oil changes on everything.

richard310 said:
What's the current spec out of this GX? Curious to see what it's loaded out with already.
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Metal tech front and rear with swing out. Doesn't have the fuel/water carrier. I just sent an email to metal tech to see if they have one lying about. Blemished or otherwise.

Rigid front driving & rear backup. I did the wiring for those. Replacing the OEM connectors with Deutsch connectors that will fit the Rigids.

I think the sliders are CBI. Eibach shocks that are just rebranded Bilsteins 5100s. Mystery coils.

There's some questionable parts of the frame where rust is bad. The tech at a Lexus dealer nearby had a Tacoma and missed the warranty frame replacement by a month. I got the name in place of where he got his frame repairs done.

Tires are Falken pizza cutters 255/80R17 that I put on it 4 years ago when it had 215k miles on it.
 
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WashingtonTaco said:
Looks to have a Metal Tech rear bumper?

As long as the timing belt, water pump and theromstat have been completed on a regular schedule the 4.7 is a good engine.
Click to expand...

I was mistaken. Digging through the service records, water pump and thermostat were replaced 10k miles ago in 2020. Nothing on the timing belt. Think I'll get that done soon.
 
Went and got a carfax on it so I can get some service history. Timing belt was last done with the water pump and thermostat @ 213k miles
 
And I have turn signals and HVAC again.

One of the advantages of having a 20+ year old vehicle is somebody already solved the problem you're experiencing and probably posted about it.

forum.ih8mud.com

Electrical Questions 03 GX470

Yesterday, after renting and towing a wood chipper, my AC stopped working and I get the message (Check Connection of Air Conditioner", and I have no turn signals. I checked the hazards, and they work, but nothing when I use the lever on the column. After researching on Club Lexus and here, I...
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com
 
Note to any other GX470 owners.

If you remove the battery and before you buy a Front Left Driver Master Power Window Switch 84040-60070 because you think the switch is bad.
  1. Start the vehicle and make sure the passenger window lock button is up/off position (the red line on the button is visible)
  2. Go to a passenger door.
  3. Cycle the window to the fully down position and hold the button in the down position for at least 2 seconds after the window stops.
  4. Cycle it to the fully up position and hold the button in the up position for at least 2 seconds after the window stops.
  5. Go to the driver door and test the associated switch for the passenger door window.
Repeat steps 2 - 5 for the remaining passenger doors. If they all work, congratulations, you do not have to buy a new switch. However. If you've already bought one, hold onto it because the passenger window lock button tends to go bad.
 
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Greg said:
Note to any other GX470 owners.

If you remove the battery and before you buy a Front Left Driver Master Power Window Switch 84040-60070 because you think the switch is bad.
  1. Start the vehicle and make sure the passenger window lock button is up/off position (the red line on the button is visible)
  2. Go to a passenger door.
  3. Cycle it to the fully down position and hold the button in the down position for at least 2 seconds after the window stops.
  4. Cycle it to the fully up position and hold the button in the up position for at least 2 seconds after the window stops.
  5. Go to the driver and test the associated switch for the passenger door.
Repeat steps 2 - 5 for the remaining passenger doors. If they all work, congratulations, you do not have to buy a new switch. However. If you've already bought one, hold onto it because the passenger window lock button tends to go bad.
Click to expand...

Good reminder. A procedure very much like this is unfortunately necessary for almost every new-ish vehicle that has "auto-up" and/or "auto-down" functionality, if/when the battery has been disconnected.

The number of modern "automatic" features that do not have a working "default" state after power loss is shocking.
 
Herbie said:
The number of modern "automatic" features that do not have a working "default" state after power loss is shocking.
Click to expand...

For a 20 yr/old vehicle, this is one feature that I wish Toyota wasn't an early adopter.
 
Nice to have you back in the seat of a proper 4x4 again.

You have a particular plan for this…weekend runabout, traveler with overnight accommodations or southern trail beater?
 
Looking at the underside, Things aren't so pretty. There's some holes in the frame. On in the towbar cross member. Looks like dirt/sand was packed into the box frame on the driver's side and it rusted through. The other is on the passenger side behind the front wheel and I'm willing to bet that's 20 years of AC draining onto the frame. Looking for places that will do frame repair.

The good metal around the rust is the rear bumper
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AC drain line dumping water onto and into the frame.
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Haggis said:
Nice to have you back in the seat of a proper 4x4 again.

You have a particular plan for this…weekend runabout, traveler with overnight accommodations or southern trail beater?
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I'm thinking a traveler but that depends on what it shows me over the next few months. Under the hood there's the NE patina of salt exposure, every bit of decorative plastic is long gone, but it runs fine w/out oil leaks.

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Took it out on the dirt roads of the Cherokee National Forest and the Unaka Mountain wilderness area. Underneath the rust, wear, dents, scrapes, and broken bits I think I got a good vehicle. Good enough to make it into a traveler. "Ugly Duckling" is a good name for it.

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Lots of small fixes of broken cabin stuff. Some things are just not available for the GX but there's a lot of cheap Prado parts available on eBay. The stereo head unit was replaced by an aftermarket tesla clone. Android OS so old that most aps won't work on it. Torque, Google Go (Maps lite) will work. Gaia, Google Maps, Backcountry Navigator, etc., nope.

Bluetooth hands-free phone, radio, defrost, heat & AC function and that's what I'd get, along with a navigation system that's 15+ years out of date, by going back to OEM. So there's no point in replacing what I have now.

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