Couple questions regarding the little yellow light w/ lights out the front which Im guessing means that I have a light out somewhere. Does it do both inside and outside lights? Ive checked/replaced all the lights on the outside and its still on....thus leading me to believe its an interior light.

Edit: Answered one question.

 

i think the light you are talking about, is the one that is saying one of your brake lights are out. check all of them, plus reverse lights, and 3rd brake light.

 

It means you had a great idea while driving. In Lexus' pursuit of perfection, they knew the light-bulb would not fit above your head and relocated it to the focus point on the car so you'd know when you fathered up an ingenious idea.

 

Thanks, but Ive checked and replaced 2 taillights (one was a turn and one was a reverse) and the third taillights are good as well. It only turns on when the headlights are on though. No headlights, no light. My headlights and "city" lights are good, along with the side markers.

 

must be a loose ground somewhere

 

Im gonna say probably not, mainly because if it was a loose ground, something wouldnt work. So any other suggestions on what lights will cause the crap to turn on?

 

You change your tails over to newer tails?

 

No, although my gimp pos has 92-94s vs the 95-96s like it should. Best guess is it was wrecked in the rear and had one or both broken and replaced with the older ones because they are cheaper and easier to find.

 

Do a search and you will find many posts about this problem, but to help you out if you say it only comes on when you turn your headlights on that means one of your rear running lights are bad even if they all light up there maybe one that is just a little bit dimmer or not connecting well. You HAVE to replace w/ the no Long Life bulbs due to the voltage(or amp) difference it throws off the brake light ecu triggering the light.

 

Check this link out which may help you solve your problem.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=154993

 

Thanks for the help, Ill look into the 192s and see if thats the problem. I also looked it up in my FSM and it is the rear taillights only that trip it. Ive actually had 2 different sets of taillights/bulbs in my car but Ill check it out all the same. My guess is the little box in the trunk is shot since all my other ECUs seem to be as well (door lock ecu, memory seat ecu, mirror ecu, heater control solenoid, etc).

 

ha! good luck with this... my light has been on for about 8 months now. i've changed everything... every single bulb on the car.... even the dealership couldn't figure it out. i've gotten so used to it.... now the light is my friend. we talk when its a long drive alone. i call him, "light"... he's funny.

 

Same here BMWhat! LOL Mine stays on because my in car third brake light is disconnected and my aftermarket LED spoiler brake light is hooked up, less resistance = light. I haven't seen the benefit to putting in the effort to tear apart the dash to remove one little LED, I'll pull it out when I send in my cluster for re-lighting

 

Here's some additional information for those who are having this problem. The following table lists a group of bulbs that all look the same and operate at the same voltage. The differences are in the amount of current they draw, light output (CP = Candle Power) and operating life (in hours).

Trade No. Voltage Watts Amps Avg. CP Life
161 14.0 2.66 0.19 1 4000
158 14.0 3.36 0.24 2 3000
194 14.0 3.78 0.27 2 2500
192 14.0 4.62 0.33 3 2000
168 14.0 4.90 0.35 3 1500

NYLexSC's comment about less resistance=light is actually backwards. The warning light will turn on when the current drawn by the taillights falls below a certain level or in other words, when there is an increase in the taillight circuit resistance. This will occur if 1) one or more bulbs burn out or 2) a bulb of a higher resistance is substituted for correct bulb (for my 1995, the correct bulb is the 192 type). The light failure sensor has two circuits, one monitors the taillights which come on when the headlights are turned on, and another circuit that monitors the brake (stop) lights. If a failure is detected in either set of lights, the warning light will turn on.

As far as his problem with the light coming on with the 3rd brake light disconnected and the LED spoiler brake light connected, this may occur if the LED spoiler brake has higher resistance (draws less current) that the 3rd brake light and it is connected in place of the 3rd brake light (to the same connection points). The Lexus wiring diagrams actually show the OEM LED spoiler brake light being connected before the light failure sensor (the little box in the trunk), so the sensor does not actually monitor the operation of the LED brake light. I'm not sure if when Lexus installs the spoiler, something else is done to the light failure sensor connections so the absence of the 3rd brake light does not cause the warning indicator to turn on.

BMwhat?'s comment about the dealship being unable to figure out his problem is very familiar. I had my car in to the service department of a local Lexus dealer and they told me that the light failure warning sensor was the reason why my warning light was coming on. After replacing the sensor twice, which did not solve the problem, I did some research that led to the information I have shared here. I checked the bulbs in my taillights since they had been replaced during repairs that were made by an independent shop after my car was rear-ended and found that 194's had been installed instead of 192's. I installed the correct bulbs and have not had the warning light problem since.

 

192s are wedge style bulbs though right?

On my 95 it calls for 1156 for the brake lamps and I made sure not to get the Long Life and I am still getting the light.