We took the LX450 to Martha's Vineyard this past week, where my entire goal of getting it over-serviced was driven by the goal of driving it on the beach. So, we did this and it was awesome. Combine the experience of driving overland with the shoulder season dynamics of there being far fewer people on vacation than at the height of the summer and we had the whole place to ourselves. We cannot wait to do it again.
Prior to leaving, I grabbed my Scan Gauge tool out of the Eurovan so I could turn off a pesky check engine light with the dreaded P4101 code, which is usually an impossible-to-find vacuum leak. In keeping it hooked up, I was also able to monitor the temperature.
Now, a few things were happening in the background that gave me pause: one, I didn't hear a fan roar when the aux unit should kick in, and I didn't notice a dip in the RPMs when said fan kicked on. I also saw on the first drive out onto the beach with low range selected that the temperature gauge moved ever-so-slightly (which, in this truck, it never has.)
I have driven the LX pretty regularly since I got it, and never noticed the temp gauge so much as wiggle. I chalked it up to my being overly-cautious in my first time on the sand and also having low range engaged. However, this was the definitive "canary in the coal mine" moment.
When driving home, I kept an eye on the Scan Gauge and noted it was sitting right at 194, which is exactly where it should be. Once or twice, it kissed 210 on the island, but with operating temp range being 180-210, this was not out of line. However, a diversion into congested Providence to pick up a cake saw the gauge move in dramatic fashion towards the red, and temps spike to 220. We had to keep shutting the truck down and waiting for gaps in traffic to make it home without overheating, but given the water pump, thermostat, and radiator are all new - and combined with the silence of the fan blade assembly - I am very confident we have a dead or dying fan clutch that may have given up the ghost when the truck was working hard over the sand.
Needless to say, I ordered what is known as a LandTank modified Aisin fan clutch that is customized to trigger the fan at 95 degrees and also uses a higher-threshold fluid to ensure steadfast, high-performance operation. Hopefully, there's no long-term damage caused by the brush with the danger zone and this modification otherwise makes what was an excellent first outing with the truck repeatable without the panic of a rising temp needle.