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on my 2002 -280k miles, i finally took some time to troubleshoot my two overhead map lights. one was out since i bought the car over three years ago and the other went out just recently. the owners manual calls them front interior/ personal lights and identifies them as 8 watt single end bulbs.
due to my cars age and mileage, i was expecting aged and corroded wiring or maybe even broken parts from prior owners changing out bulbs.
i was pleasantly surprised to find the bulbs and fixtures pristine and intact. i removed each bulb and confirmed the filaments were intact. i re-seated the bulbs and they worked fine! they were just loose.
i believe the design of the bulb and fixture, coupled with vibration from driving, over time caused the bulbs to work themselves loose to the point they were no longer making solid consistent contact.
so if your map lights are out, maybe they’re just loose. here’s what they look like.
Just changed my ECT engine coolant sensor. Wasn’t trying to fix any particular problem but it was on my someday list. I had read that it improves fuel economy (which makes sense to me) and throttle response (which I am a little skeptical about but happy to be wrong). We shall see. One thing I never found explicitly stated in posts about changing it was whether to expect any coolant loss. I certainly did not lose any when I removed the sensor on a cold engine. Also, the oem sensor does not come with a replacement crush washer (but it seems like after market ones do) so if going oem, order one of those unless you want to risk reusing the old one.
Can’t explain the claims of better throttle response, hence my skepticism but there are plenty of references to it if you search the forum. However, the gas mileage thing makes sense…
“The ECT tells the ECU what the internal temperature of the engine is which determines a few things. One thing that it affects is how much fuel is dumped into the cylinders. When an engine is cold, the ECU delivers more fuel and runs more timing advance because cold fuel does not atomize as well as warm fuel.”
it sounds like the sensor gradually becomes less accurate as it ages and thus may use more fuel when it doesn’t need to.
252,500 miles
ATF drain and fill (12 quarts eluted 2 quarts X 6 cycles. 10 minutes driving between each elution)
Oil and filter change
Inspected brakes and suspension
Bolted on winter wheels
Installed new HID bulbs. My hands are small enough that I routinely do this without pulling the bumper cover, but the small clearances doing it in situ require a flex scope and a lot of swearing during the job. One of these times I'll have to try the standard bumper cover removal and headlight assembly removal method to compare how hard they two are. (If you wear larger than size 7.5 gloves, the clearance without pulling the lights is probably too tight)
Some notes for anyone electing to do it without dropping the bumper cover and pulling out the light assemblies....
Remember to disconnect battery negative prior to disconnecting MAF connector.Remove both left and right small plastic covers in engine compartment
Remove air filter box
Disconnect small wire connector that is just lateral of HID bulb cap. Otherwise cap will not fit going in or out
Disconnect HID socket by twisting counterclockwise
HID wire bales are hinged at bottom. They open by pinching top ends towards center and clear hook with slight push forward. Then, they hinge downward.
HID bulbs mount with index holes upward
Silicone grease on the rear cap o-rings reduces swearing the next time you need to do the bulbs.
I disconnect the beeping & tire warring light. Took it to Lexus an when he said 430.00 each rim, I did a deep web dive an learned that I can just disconnect it. He’ll Lexus said the tires an everything was in great shape. But I guess a color pattern showed up on their scan - meaning one or all the sensors needed changing. SOOOOOOOOOOO, being completely over the the beeping an I hate lights in my dash. I just turned it off. if anyone needs the video let me know.
HAVE AN AMAZING LEXUS DAY!!!
Thanks for your post. I'm facing the same issue...I had the wheels changed and the sensors were removed from my 2005. One was broken so they removed them all. Now every few minutes I get an audible warning. It's driving me crazy.
I found the sensors online for a reasonable price (compared to the dealer), but not sure if just disconnecting the alarm and warning light is the way to go. Clearly, cheaper!
Below are the before and after pics of the wheels. Note the change in color from using different iPhones
Thanks for your post. I'm facing the same issue...I had the wheels changed and the sensors were removed from my 2005. One was broken so they removed them all. Now every few minutes I get an audible warning. It's driving me crazy.
I found the sensors online for a reasonable price (compared to the dealer), but not sure if just disconnecting the alarm and warning light is the way to go. Clearly, cheaper!
Below are the before and after pics of the wheels. Note the change in color from using different iPhones
Toyota/Lexus water pumps are designed to weep a small amount of fluid to keep the seal lubricated where it mates with the shaft. Because of this, the engineers design their water pumps with a path for the seepage to flow down and out of the way of any parts that could otherwise be contaminated. Oftentimes, people (even mechanics) replacing water pumps will report the part was leaking, while it may only have been weeping or seeping as designed.
I'm not contradicting your mechanic because I didn't see the "leak" myself. I'm only suggesting he might not be aware of the intent of the designers, so, may have wrongly reported the leak.
my mechanic said mine was leaking too when he changed my TB. He took a picture. I didn’t know it was supposed to leak. It seemed to be all over the place from the picture.
11-17-23, 02:15 PM
Annoying beep TPMS sensor 😡😡
if anyone needs the video let me know. 
