The AHC doesn't just break, you have to neglect it for a couple decades first. That button doesn't apply brakes when you are in a jam, that's the center differential lock. The CDL will ensure 50% of the power is going to the front and rear diffs, so that if a wheel on a given axle is spinning freely it ensures that this wheel isn't sent 100% of the power. Also, as this is a 2005 it has ATRAC (2000's and later have it), which is the system that detects a wheel spinning and applies the brake on that corner. This is a sophisticated, albeit less capable, form of a locked axle. When used in conjunction with the CDL, the Land Cruiser/LX470 can go places that should be unreachable. The door handles don't have lights unless someone added them, there is lighting in the footwells and pool lighting outside under the side steps. LX470 springs are thinner (BTW there are only coil springs in the back, the front is a torsion bar spring), but there is a reason for that; AHC (Automatic Height Control) doesn't use shock absorbers like the Land Cruiser. (Sidenote: many Land Cruisers also came with AHC in them) Instead, the AHC system uses hydraulic dampers, the key difference is that these dampers are adjustable through more or less hydraulic pressure. And these dampers do most of the lifting of the vehicle, not the springs. These dampers also work in conjunction with some nitrogen-filled "globes" at each corner of the vehicle. These globes are the 'shock absorption component of the system. Now, why would you want to keep AHC? Isn't it a giant PITA and will definitely break and cost millions to fix? Because it won't just break on you, and it won't cost millions to fix if it did. My LX has over 285K miles on it and runs and drives better than any vehicle I've ever owned. I have already purchased 4 new globes to replace the 17-year-old globes on mine. I can tell that they are getting worn out because there is a process by which you raise the vehicle to the High position, note the level in the AHC accumulator tank in the engine compartment, and then lower it to the Low position. You then count the number of marks between High and Low. The Minimum you should see is 9, that's what I have. Max when new is like 13. My LX still rides like a Bentley, smooth a butter, down the road. However, when I go offroad and need some extra clearance, I hit the button and go into High. There's a 2 1/2" lift on my truck that I did without breaking a sweat, or leaving the driver's seat. The system will stay in High until you hit 18mph, at which point it will drop back to Normal. This is to keep the center of gravity low at higher speeds, minimizing the risk of rollover. Smart, huh? Ever seen Hoovies garage on his neglected 321K mile LX he bought? Everything still worked, including the AHC. 2005 (and earlier) had the pre-VVTi 4.7L V8. That means it was down on power by about 40bhp. Bad, right? Not in my opinion, and here's why. The 2004s and later have the 5 spd auto, a vast improvement over the 4 spd because it has a much shorter first gear. This helped tremendously with take-off, and let's be honest, it needs the help. The curb weight on this vehicle is about 5600 lbs. Yes, nearly 3 tons. Add some humans to the equation and you are pushing around another 800-1000lbs. 6500+ lbs. What is 40 hp *really* going to do here? No, the real power for something of this mass is felt in the form of torque. 2005 numbers were 235bhp/320ftlbs, 2006 (VVTi introduced) saw 275bhp/332 ftlbs. Remember, torque gets you moving, HP keeps you moving. That saying means to get off the line and going, it comes down to torque values. Once you exceed a certain speed then you continue to accelerate because of HP numbers. The LX is not a vehicle used for acceleration numbers, or top speed numbers. If that's important to you, you bought the wrong car. Now, here's the real party trick of the pre-VVTi engines, the are non-interference. What does that mean? Well, the 4.7L is a timing belt engine. A timing belt is a very strong belt, but it is still a belt that can break. In 99.9% of the engines out there that use timing belts, because they are interference engines if that timing belt breaks you will have damaged one or both of your heads. At a minimum, you will have bent valves on one that will require the removal of that head to have a very costly repair done. The labor alone to remove the head is significant. However, because the pre-VVTi engines are non-interence if that belt breaks it simply means that you need to install a new belt. Is that worth giving up 40bhp and 12 ftlbs of torque? Abso-freaking-lutely IMO. If you want to know everything there is no know about these vehicles, spent a few months reading the 100 series section on ih8mud.com. BTW, nice truck!
We had an LX470 for a couple years and it was really great. The AHC made for a very comfortable ride. We bought an LX 570 after that and although it also has AHC, the LX 570 suspension handles much better. Does very well in comfort mode. And the really fantastic part is for towing. Even with heavy trailer loads or our large boat, it keeps all of the suspension geometry in perfect alignment. Great video by the way!
Not correct about AHC. Land Cruiser Amazon also has it as standard. Key difference with Lexus - is cosmetic spec and extra wood effect steering wheel!😂
my lx470 was parked for a while in our garage, and when I went to start it, the battery was dead. now the center locking differential light and VSC is off light are on… I can’t seem to disengage the center locking differential. Can you help?
