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paulr

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  • First Name
    Paul

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  • Lexus Model
    GS 430
  • Lexus Year
    2003

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  1. The low beam HID headlights on my 2003 GS430 stopped working. So looking into the cost etc, I decided to go with the OEM Philips D2R on Amazon for $44 each and replacing both seemed like the appropriate plan of action to get the best light. My local autozone et al wanted 70-90 for 1. There are cheaper alternatives on eBay and Amazon but I wanted to do the job once and maybe again in 13 years. There a gray plastic ~5" diameter plastic covers on left and right sides right behind the headlight housing near the bumper. The plastic covers are removed by twisting them counter-clockwise. Once you remove the covers you will either see a 9006, non HID light bulb which is an angle connector with bulb built in or a HID D2R which will have a silver colored metal protector and a silver colored sheathed connector wire. The metal connetor protector cover is held in place by two clips; top and bottom of the bulb holder, 12 & 6. Remove the bottom of the cover first and then slide the metal cover out from the top clip. The clips are bulit into the bulb holder so you can't lose them and are simple spring metal. The metal covers will have cutouts to match the clips on the bulb holder/housing. Once the metal covers are off you can now remove the bulb connector. The bulb connectors are horizontal position and need to be rotated 45 degrees or so to be released. The bulb connectors have 4 positions where the bulb's two round knobs connect into so it's hard to tell if you should rotate CW or CCW and left and right sides rotated differently on my car. The connector will only rotate one direction and it comes off fairly easily so don't force it. The buld has a round base with round winglets that secure the bulb to the slotted connector. Once the connector is removed you can remove the bulb. On my car, the right connector had to be turned 45degrees up to fit on the bulb and then rotated down to be horizontal and the left was attached down and rotated up to be horizontal. Remember how you took the connectors off as you will have to put them back on. The bulb base has indentations on it that match the headlight housing and the bulb can only be inserted one way. There are two spring loaded clips that hold the base into the housing. The clips are long spring wires that are fixed at the bottom of the housing and secure around two two metal tabs at the top of the headllight housing. Pushing the rounded end of the spring in and pushing it from under the metal tabs will release the bulb from the housing. Observe the shealthed wire connector and its location relative to the springs, as you will need to replicated this during installation. Be careful removing the bulb as the external wire is exposed and you can break it very easily. Reversing the procedure will be a lot easier now that you've gone through the removal process. The bulb external filament will be on the bottom and the indent in the bulb base located opposite at the top which is important to remember when installing it. Once you have identified the indent on the headlight housing base ^|^ and the corresponding matching indent on the bulb base the bulb will easily slide in place and the metal springs will easily get pushed underneath the metal tabs. Connect the connectors, rotate to horizontal position. The metal backing cover should be slipped under the springs at the top and connected first and then snap the bottom in place. Keep the connector wire in the same position and then put the gray plastic cover and voila! it's done and you have succesfully saved yourself hundreds of dollars! My descriptions are pretty exact and I have never replaced HID headlights on any other car so can't tell if my car/year is unique or not. I would be surprised if there are different methods as "variation is the enemy of quality" (Deming) and Japan used Demings theory in creating their reputation for quality! Have fun Paul
  2. Hi Need some technical help on the hydraulic booster. Getting error codes C0226, C0236 and C0246. Anyone ecounter these before? My 2003 GS430 with 220k on it!!! developed a spongy brake pedal very similar to what you feel when your master cylinder goes out. I had read up on it and have the service manuals but decided to take it in case there were other things I should fix while I'm at it. I used my OBDII and didn't get any codes which is weird as the brakes were definitely a problem and a bit scary as you weren't sure if you were going to stop. The repair shop discovered the codes, not sure why my OBDII wasn't picking them up but it reads as if there are shorts / opens in the electrical. The compressor was making noise when I had the hood open indicating that it was trying to pressurize the system but it would shut off and then start running again repeat. So I was pretty sure this was the master cylinder seals were allowing fluid to pass through. I can get the master cylinder from lexus in GA for $60 with 4day shipping, my lexus dealer can get it in a day for $90. BTW, the lexus dealer said the master cylinders are on the discontinued list. But the whole system can run anywhere from 1k to 2k so its pricy and not sure if I need the whole thing, especially with 220k on the clock (oil leaks and a few minor things to replace but still pretty good shape. I'm waiting on the shop to get back to me as they wanted a couple of days to troubleshoot the problem and they know I don't want to spend 1k on a part. I can use the money on the suspension and oil leak ;-)) So hoping that someone can provide some insight on this. From what I read they last the life of the car and I don't think mine is on its last legs.... TIA Paul paolor@earthlink.net direct
  3. I have a 2003 GS430 that has a CEL and VSC light on. I'm assuming it's an O2 sensor and will verify it but I wanted to see if anyone has replaced their O2 sensors (4) and how easy is it. Looking forward to hearing about your experience. Are there any videos on changing the sensors? Any special tools involved or tricks to get access? Denso is the OEM brand but are Bosch better or Walker? Thanks Paul
  4. Are there any options that control the front doors lock/unlock? Both front doors decided not to work with my remote. I can see one actuator going out but two at once? Is there a fuse or something for the ECU? TIA Paul Kurt is right, it will take a tech about 10-15 minutes to run through and program options such as hazard flashing and un/lock beeping, i turned my off for a few days, but i noticed that i was always checking to see if it was locked or not cause i couldn't remember hearing the beep, so i went back and turn the volume to it's lowest setting. Other options include auto-lamps, keyless, entry illumination, etc. Let me know if you have any questions, i work at a Toyota dealer so it's easy for me to hook mine up to the techstream.
  5. I have a 2003 GS430 and the radio control lights don't work any more. Dealer claims that they would have to replace the whole radio. My background is in electronics and I suspect a few 12 volt flea bulbs have been worn out. Anyone have any details on fixing this? TIA Paul
  6. I think I have a similar problem with my 2003 GS430 When using the remote(s) I can lock, unlock, open the trunk etc with the exception of the drivers door. The look remote doesn't turn off the headlights as well and no beep is heard. Using the key on the drivers door locks, unlocks rolls up/down windows, opens/closes moonroof but no red light is seen in the lock position so I'm not sure if the alarm is set. When the car is locked manually, I can use the remote to unlock all the doors except for the drivers door. Sensor failure? Acuator failure? or motor failure? Is there a step by step procedure to debug this in the archives? I seem to remember that on my bmw there was a sequence where the locks could get out of sync and you would have to go through some process to re-sync all the door locks. In my case the remote just won't open/lock the drivers door. Thanks Paul
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