heyseeoh

Hey guys, FNG here. Have a 2006 Lexus IS250 AWD. Has 160,000 miles on it. All problem free until now.

A bit of backstory before the problem...I was driving down the road the other day and the headlights started flickering and the radio and A/C shut off, then the power steering cuts out. I figured it had something to do with the electrical system. So I pull the battery and have it tested. Bad battery. So I bought a new one. Day and a half after the new battery (Christmas Eve), same problem but a tad worse. All power cuts out and the car is barely running. Test the alternator. No good. So I wrestle and change out the alternator.

Now for the problem...after I started the car after putting the alternator in to test it, for the first time since I've owned it, the check engine light is on and the display now says Check VSC. The car is running smooth and perfect, no erratic idling, no misfires and so on. So I pull the codes and it says that the bank 1 Camshaft Position Sensor is throwing the code. So I replace that sensor and the code is still there. Now mind you, this thread may be premature because I've only driven about 15 highway miles since I changed it this morning but I pulled the negative off the battery to delete the code but it's still there after I hook it back up.

I've searched on google and this forum and never really got a definitive answer on how to fix it. Anyone have any ideas? I was just about to try and sell the car but now the check engine light is on.

Thanks!

heyseeoh

Ok, so I went back and pulled the codes again. This time it was the bank 2 cam position sensor. So I go under the hood to check and lo and behold, 2 of the 3 wires on the connector are pulled out. Must've happened between the time that I was cussing at the alternator and throwing a wrench in my frustrations while trying to remove the alternator.

So, new problem, new request. Does anyone have the order in which these wires are supposed to go? Looks like a pale red wire, a pale green wire, and a normal green wire. Normal green wire still connected. I have provided evidence of this fact via a picture taken for your amusement.

Is there a way that I can reconnect those 2 wires or do I need to buy or make a new pigtail for it?

flynryan

I'll take a pic of my sons in 5 min and report back.

heyseeoh

Thank you feller. Much appreciated.

flynryan

Red is in the middle

flynryan

flynryan

make sure I got the right harness

DallasPaul

Interesting. I am having the same issue after alternator replacement, however my lights cam on BEFORE the swap. I checked everything and not broken wires...

Are you getting a 3048 code?

flynryan

Haidef

If the check engine light still shows after you've fixed every, then you might need an ODB2 to clear the codes.

heyseeoh

​​​​​​Hey guys. Thanks for the help. Flynryan, thanks for that video. Although the disassembly of these connectors aren't the same, that's the route I ultimately went with.

For the record, THIS CONNECTOR does NOT fit even though it says they fit the 2006 IS250. They are too wide. This is what made me pull apart the old connector. I didn't take pictures of the process but while it's simple to explain in theory, it's a PITA in practice.

But here is the text version of the process and tools required:

A pick set, 22 ga. stranded wire (I actually used 20 ga. solid wire but I used what I had available), wire stripper, soldering iron, solder, ideally heat shrink tubing but electrical tape (what I used) works also. To make it slightly easier, I cut 3 7-8" lengths of wire to solder to the terminals to make a pigtail. This makes it easier to solder to the wiring harness so you're not all cramped up in the engine bay trying to solder those 4" bits of wire that normally go to the camshaft position sensor. I actually had to cut back the wire loom to expose more wire as there was only about an inch of wire for me to work with.

• So when you pull the connector off, you'll see the black connector and an orange gasket type thing inside of it. Use the picks to pull this gasket out. Try not to tear it up too bad.
• Once that's off, turn the connector and look into the side of it. You'll see a small white square. This is the terminal lock. Use a pick to pull this straight out to the side.
• Once thats out look down into the connector, the female side where the terminals actually go into it. Find the small clips that hold that on the connector base. Pull that out, mine went flying when it came loose so be careful. The terminals (not sure if these are the exact ones, but it's what they look like) are now exposed.
• There are small fins that hold the terminals in place. They'll slide forward but they actually come out of the back where the wires go into the connector. So depress those fins with a thin pick and tug on the wire, they'll come out fairly easily as long as the fins were properly depressed. In my case, I didn't have wires to pull on so I just depressed the fins and used another pick to push the terminals through the connector.
• Use a pick or needle nose pliers to pull open the little "arms" that hold the wire in place.
• Use a soldering iron and touch it to the outside of the terminal where those "arms" are and put a little bit of solder on the inside of the terminal where the wire will sit.
• Strip the wire a little bit with the wire stripper. You only need a little bit exposed. You'll want as little exposed wire as possible inside the connector. Touch the soldering iron to the outside of the terminal again where the solder is and let the wire absorb the solder on the terminal and secure itself to the terminal.
• Push those little "arms" back down onto the wire as tightly as possible so you can fit the terminal back into the connector. Repeat again as needed with the other terminals (3 in this case).
• Slide the terminals back into the connector from the back side, or wire side. They should go in fairly easily with a slight click once in place. Tug backward on it a bit to make sure the terminals lock into place. Repeat as needed.
• Then just reverse the disassembly to put it back together. Slide that black cap piece that covers the terminals back on, then the white terminal lock into the side, and then slide that orange gasket back around the center of the connector and now you're ready to solder those wires onto the wiring harness on the car.

Now we're at the car, disconnect the battery for safety, and because you're going to have to clear the code anyway.

• Strip the ends of the new pigtail that you have made and strip the ends of the wires on the wiring harness that you're going to connect the new wires to.
• If you're using heat shrink tubing, now is the time to slide a piece onto the wire.
• There are a few methods to hooking the wires together, you can either twist them around each other or you can just make the exposed wire into a "J" shape and hook them together and then twist the exposed wires back around itself.
• Touch the soldering iron to the underside of the exposed parts of the wire and let the exposed wire heat up. Touch the solder to the exposed wires when it's hot enough to melt the solder and then put a coating of solder onto the exposed wires until they are good and secure. No need to go overboard. Just enough to make sure they won't come loose. There's no pressure on these wires so we just want a good hold and good contact. Repeat as needed.
• Now put electrical tape or slide the heat shrink tubing over the solder joints. Tape the 3 solder joints separately or use a heat gun or just the soldering iron to shrink the tubing over the 3 joints separately. Then tape the wires together so they're not just flopping around.
• Reconnect and rejoice.

Here's a couple of pictures of the connector with the pigtail I made and one of everything connected and taped up.



Mods, let me know if the links I posted aren't allowed and I'll pull them down. They're just there for reference and clarification.

heyseeoh

I'm not sure what the code numbers were as the scanner told me what the problem was. The camshaft position sensor bank 1 (which is, from the perspective of looking at the engine from the front of the car, on the left side nearest the air intake) and camshaft position sensor bank 2 (which is, from the perspective of looking at the engine from the front of the car, on the right side right next to the oil filler cap). My problems were that the CPS on bank 2 had the wires pulled out of the connector when I was changing the alternator and the CPS on bank 1 went bad. Takes all of 30 seconds to change it out. Disconnect the old sensor, 10mm socket to take that one bolt out, pull the old sensor out, rub some motor oil on the o-ring on the new sensor and put it back in, put the 10mm bolt back in, reconnect and you're done.