XPLORx4

Dude, why would you swap in an all-mode t-case instead of getting crawler gears for the TX10? (except if you could get the all-mode t-case for dirt cheap).

Why are you guys saying send them back? I don't see anything wrong with them. Are they scratched or something?

I'm not sure how overheating is related to hubs at all, so I'm confused why they would mention it. I honestly cannot say how risky it is to run the AC lift without manual hubs. However, I can say that I ran my 2" lift with the stock drive flanges for quite some time without incident before deciding to upgrade to manual hubs. The CV angles are still within the normal operating range with the AC lift, so they won't break, but the increased angle may potentially cause the boots to wear faster, so you should keep an eye on them more frequently.

I don't have any recent pics. I did have to tweak the brackets a little to use a suitable mounting location, though. I echo your observation about inadequate brackets.

Fixed it for ya!

Open up the exhaust as well, and you will definitely feel more HP with the combo of the pop charger + exhaust. One without the other isn't as effective.

Um, ever heard of rush-hour traffic?

The two best "bang for your buck" performance mods will be a free-flowing 2.25" exhaust (Magnaflow, Flowmaster, etc.) and an intake (such as the Weapon-R or a Jim Wolf Pop Charger).

Make no mistake: The GR2's are not an OEM-equivalent strut! The OEM struts, even though they are manufactured by KYB, are nothing like the GR2's. You cannot compress the GR2's easily by hand, as they are gas-charged. When I had OEM struts installed, the weight of my bumper and winch caused the front end to bounce a lot while driving over freeway expansion joints at low speeds (25-35mph). The GR2's significantly improved the damping of the suspension, so the bouncing over the same surfaces was greatly reduced. You won't be sorry.

Don't confuse rear shocks with front struts. My recommendation is KYB GR2 struts up front (not Rancho), but adjustable Rancho shocks in the rear (99010 if you have a lift). Rancho doesn't make adjustable struts. I have helped install both brands of struts, and the Ranchos' fit and finish wasn't as good as the GR2s'. The brake lines didn't fit correctly on the bracket on the Rancho struts. I've never had a problem with the GR2's.

Aha!, now I understand your point of view and why you removed the tires! It's probably better to work on the rear suspension on an alignment lift instead of a 2-post lift, since with a 2-post lift the rear suspension unloads completely, which would explain why supporting the diff is a good idea, except in this case, you'd need a transmission jack. Using a lift in which the tires are still supported is probably better for that type of work, so that a tranny jack isn't needed and the diff doesn't drop and potentially damage the brake line or diff breather.

99010 Rancho shocks for the rear are slightly longer than stock length.

You can't "drain" the TC. However, you can change the fluid in the TC by performing a transmission fluid flush, or by draining and filling repeatedly within a short period of time, which dilutes the amount of old fluid left in the tranny every time you change the oil. A near-complete transmission fluid change is accomplished by attaching the tranny cooler lines to a special transmission flushing machine. You can do it yourself by first performing a drain and fill, and then by removing the tranny cooler lines from the radiator and aiming them into a bucket. Next, start the engine and allow the old fluid to be pumped by the tranny into the bucket, stopping the engine every time ~1 quart has emptied, then adding a quart to keep the transmission filled up. After 9-12 quarts, all of the old fluid should be pumped out of the system. Make sure the fluid level is in the proper marks on the dipstick. Don't overfill, since that can result in the transmission gears and moving parts to splash through the fluid, causing it to foam and be a less efficient lubricant.

Probably the reason nobody has mentioned putting a jack under the rear axle when removing the shock bolts is that it's unnecessary to jack up the rear and/or remove the rear wheels when replacing the shocks (unless perhaps your gut needs more clearance)...

If they don't drop the pan (and they likely won't), then the easiest way to tell if they do a drain and fill vs a flush is to see if they disconnect one or both of the transmission cooler lines at the radiator. Even if they drop the pan but don't disconnect the cooler lines, the torque converter will still contain several quarts of old fluid, so a flush is still recommended. (A flush requires disconnecting the cooler lines). A drain and fill (in which the cooler lines are not removed) is usually about 4 quarts, while a flush purges the entire transmission of old fluid, including the torque converter, and should use somewhere between 9 and 11 quarts (but it could be a little bit more).

That's right, there's no filter. For $150, are they doing a drain and fill, or a full flush? $150 is $110 too much for a drain and fill, but probably reasonable for a flush.

Best for what purpose? Longest-lasting? Quietest? Loudest? Best performance? What are you looking for in a muffler?

It looks like there is no passenger side air bag. Passenger air bags were probably not required in that country.

X2. Punch and hammer has always worked for me.

Shocks are easy to replace, and have nothing to do with the way the vehicle sits, so they're unrelated to the issue you're seeing. If you want to verify that the problem is indeed with your FL coil spring, you could do one of several things: 1) swap the FL for the FR coil spring. If the sagging switches to the FR side, then it's definitely the front coil spring. It's sort of labor-intensive, though. 2) get just ONE front coil spring, swap the old FL spring for a newer (used) one. Maybe someone from this forum or the 4x4parts forum who has installed the AC lift has their old springs taking up space on the garage floor... 3) replace both front springs with new or pre-owned OEM springs, one at a time, to see if there's an improvement. (Start by replacing the FL spring before spending the time on the FR spring.) No need to touch the rear coil springs for now.

Yes, that's right you will have to remove the hubs. However, they are full-time drive flanges, not auto-locking hubs. You basically pull off the center hub cap, remove the snap-ring, remove the bolts holding the drive flange on and remove the drive flange. Next, you remove the outer bearing lockring and nut, then slide the outer bearing and entire hub assembly off the spindle. Be careful not to drop the outer bearing onto a dirty surface as you slide it off. The rotor is bolted to the hub assembly with 6 bolts. When you've got the old rotor off, and the new rotor attached to the hub, you just put everything back together in the reverse order. Also: • you should consider repacking the bearings since you've got them out already. • you need to apply a certain amount of torque to the outer bearing nut. • be sure to attach the rotor to the hub with the right amount of torque. • be sure not to overtighten the bolts securing the drive flange to the outer hub.

With your current wheels (probably 15x6.5) you can only run up to 30x9.50R15. The stock wheels are too narrow to accomodate larger tires. If you replace the wheels with 15x7 or 15x8, you can run 31x10.50R15 tires without any modifications, and 32x11.50R15 tires with a suspension lift and some fender liner trimming.

Yes, they fit perfectly in the map lights (the ones on either side of the sunroof switches), and they do not get hot. I keep forgetting to take a pic of what it looks like...

I just checked the LED's I put in the map light sockets, and these are the ones I got: 36-LED array Autolumination.com They are super bright, at least twice as bright as the stock BA9S incandescent bulbs.

Huh? What difference does the engine and tranny make for wheel center cap and coil springs? (Maybe you're interested in buying it?) PS. The engine is a 3.5L, since it's a 2001.