Mihanicos

Has anybody done any headlight adjustments using the spirit levels within the headlights? Attached are the drawings from Lexus Tech Doc and it would appear to get to those spirit levels an 8 mm plastic bolt must be removed found at the top of the headlights. I tried to release the bolt but it is seized. Is the bolt just holding a plastic lid to stop water getting into the lights? I do not want to cause any damage due to lack of knowledge of what is below or what the bolt is holding together. The height sensors on the front and rear are ok and functioning. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Chris.

The current rating of any conductor/cable depends on its cross sectional area , the material is made of, the ambient temperature of operation ( derating factors apply as the temperature increases ), how they are laid and the kind of circuit protection it has. (Close excess current protection allows 30% over rating. This refers to mcb circuit breakers and high rapturing fuses. ) Another limitation to comply with when designing circuits is the voltage drop per ampere per metre of the conductor/cable in question. The higher its cross sectional area the lower its voltage drop per ampere per metre. For power distribution electrical installations, this limit is set to 6% of the nominal supply voltage. There are tables of the current capacities of cables, conductors according to their cross sectional area and in AWG, in Google. Chris.

Make sure you bleed all the air from the cooling system. There is a number of relevant videos on Youtube. Having done that, should you still get coolant loss without any leaks and bubles in the expansion tank, you may have a head gasket issue. Cylinder heads can be repaired by profession engineering shops to perfection. The rattling noise from the engine could be due to valve clearance adjustment or valve bucket wear. Inspect the valve buckets for a very small hole on their top, about the size of a needle. If you can see one then the valve clearance is self adjusting. In this case you need to replace the noisy buckets due to excessive wear. If there are is no hole on the buckets then you can adjust the valve clearances by changing the shim of each valve out of specification. Some engines have the shims on the top, easily removable with the right tool, others have the shim on top of the valve and below the valve bucket, in which case you need to remove the camshaft to change it. Chris.

I am very happy to read the good news ! Happy motoring! Unfortunately I always go for the most complicated case and overlook the obvious! Chris.

A google search I just did has a few detailed answers for its location and how to access it. There are also quite a few suggestions how to troubleshoot problems related to it. The abs sensor terminals on the skid ecu should marked according to their location, FR ( front right ), RR ( rear right ). By disconnecting each abs circuit one at a time you can do a continuity test for each circuit. Try to find the harness through which they run. Check for any damage caused over time. There should be some connectors along the route. Make sure you discnnect and reconnect them. It is very common to develop contact resistance due to oxidation, humiditidy thus causing problems. Compare all the readings you get from all abs sensors so you can decide how to proceed to find the fault. As you take measurements, move the relevant cables and watch for any sudden changes. Make sure you cure the cause. You have a very nice car which reflects your taste for fine cars built to the highest quality and precision. It is worth all the time and effort to keep it in perfect running order. I nearly bought one, the only reason I opted out for the GS was the back seats, no room even for children to sit. Chris.

From the codes you get, the most likely cause is a momentarily open circuit in the sensor circuit in question. Check that there is continuity in the faulty sensor's circuit from the sensor to the skid ecu. Check the harness, sometimes the insulation of the wires is good but the conductors within are cut open . Check the connectors for clean contacts and firm fit. Another possible cause is the reluctance ring in question, make sure the surface facing the sensor is smooth, free of dirt and oil and that it seats squarely on its seat. Remove any debris and rust filings from there. Another possibility is the skid control ecu. Check all connectors thereto are clean and firm. Check their contacts are free of corrosion and dirt. Chris.

There is a good chance to cure the fault by changing the transmission oil and filter. Use only original parts in this case. The solenoid may be stuck or it may be a performance issue. It may also be something else causing this fault. If you can get your money back, I would go for it and look for another car or model. Chris.

The hybrid battery should normally exceed 10 years of life. Some have been quoted to last up to 15 years. As far as I know, the health check of the hybrid battery involves reading the internal resistance of the cells and their voltage. This information is acessed by the diagnostic tool during a scan of the vehicle. The values of the internal resistance of the cells is a good indication of their condition and life expectancy. As any battery ages, its internal resistance rises. If you have a power drain, it may be due to damage of the high voltage cables from the battery to the inverter. Also the high voltage cables to the automatic transmisdion may have been damaged during off road use. Very unlikely for any of the capacitors in the inverter to have failed although anything is possible. Do a visual check under the car. It is very unlikely for the leakage to be in the high voltage battery. Chris.

Thank you very much for the update. I am sure you will enjoy to the full driving a very fine car engineered to the highest of quality and precision. Chris.

Intermittent faults are very hard to find. To find any fault, you need the detailed circuit diagram of your car showing all the connectors, their location and their wiring. A good diagnostic tool should be able to read all the codes too so you have a very good idea what you are looking for. The principle of operation of the various components in this case is normally the same with most models of the same production years. My car is a different model to yours. From what you are saying, you seem to have a bad intermittent connection in the circuit of the system. Check for damage to the wire harness connecting the various equipment of this circuit, especially where any body or mechanical repairs have been carried out in the past. Check also the ground connections of the equipment involved, main ecu, skid control ecu and car chassis. Make sure that all connectors have clean contacts and all pins are straight. Chris.

F For the ABS light to remain on this may be due to : Air in ABS unit. The skid control ecu connectors have bad contacts. There is a malfunction in the skid control ecu. There is an open circuit in the harness between the instrument cluster and the skid control ecu. Check the CAN communication between the instrument cluster and the skid control ecu. If you decide to remove the skid control ecu, disconnect the negative cable from the battery and wait 2 minutes before proceeding. This will prevent airbag deployment. For bank 1 sensor 1, check the wiring and harness to it, clean contacts and make sure the wires in the connectors are secure and not damaged. These sensors last for a very long time, the problem may be in the circuit. Chris.

The hybrid battery consists of 40 cells connected in series, each has a nominal voltage of 7.2 volts and about 8.4 volts when fully charged by the hybrid battery ecu. If a single cell fails or even a bad connection in any of the cells or in the whole series circuit develops a contact resistance, these factors will limit the charging and current output of the hybrid battery resulting in " check hybrid battery ". The Techstream shows the voltage of each pair of cells. I am surprised why Lexus did not justify their decree for a new battery. Most likely you have one or two cells whose voltage is lower than the other cells. You can buy from ebay individual cells for about £40 each if my memory serves me right and replace the bad ones. It may be possible to revive the bad cells by charging and discharging them using a suitable charger. There are many videos on Youtube on how to replace bad hybrid battery cells. It is not a difficult job if you have basic mechanic's skills and you can get somebody to help you. There are some safety rules you must observe when working with high voltage batteries. Chris.

Check the wheel bearings for play and noise. Check for any loose alternator, power steering nuts and bolts. Check for worn engine thrust bearing, simply pull forward and push back the crankshaft pulley. Check the engine mounts for wear. Chris.

Check the Kw or ampere capacity of the replaced generators against the original. If lower, this may be the cause pf failure. Check for a possible short circuit in the wires from the generator to their final destination. You will need a circuit diagram to do that. Chris.

Other very high ranking members whose opinion counts much more than mine have also made very favourable comments for your work. Modesty is a very rare virtue ! Chris.

Congratulations! I always admire and redpect dedicated work to the highest quality and precision by a true perfectionist. Such rare and devoted craftsmen like you are very very few left in this world. Chris

All HV cables run within orange colour conduit. If any work is to be done nearby, it is recommended as a safety precaution, to remove safety plug from the HV traction battery. If any electric welding will be carried out, it is recommended to remove both 12v battery poles and disconnect the ground cable from the engine and gearbox. Even so the possibility of some welding current cannot be excluded finding its way through the ground cables of the electronic equipment of the car thereby causing a catastrophic damage. I would use a non electric welding method. Chris.

Good morning to you too. I hope you will be able to repair the fault and get the car running again. Always my pleasure to learn and reduce the level of my lack of knowledge through any case study. Chris.

It is fuel oil from blow by through the piston rings. Some blow by is expected because the diesel engine operates at a much higher compression ratio than the petrol engine. The engine has not fired yet so it is unburned fuel sprayed by the injectors. If the injectors spray fuel in big drops and not in a fine mist because they need cleaning or maintenance and in some cases replacement, this causes failure to start. In some cases the engine starts but with rich fuel and the blow by through the piston rings will make the engine oil level rise after a few thousand miles and before the oil change. Check that you have 12v supply on the glow plugs just after you switch on and before the heating of the glow plugs lamp in the instrument cluster goes out. If not, check the glow plugs relay for malfunction. This will cause the engine not starting. Chris.

You mean in the prechamber where the glow plugs are fitted?

Ok, measure the resistance of the abs sensors and check that the slots opoosite the sensors are clean and their gaps are even. Remove any rust or anything sandwitched in between any gap. The resistance values should the same for each pair at the front and for the rear. A small difference between the front sensors resistance and the rear is acceptable. If the VSC module is damaged, it will light up the ABS and the VSC. Chris.

You are welcome.

I have the MongoosePro by Drew technologies of America. This gives access to dealer level diagnostics, programming, software updating etc. This is approved by Toyota and it can read all models from 1992 to date, irrespective of market destination. I think that some techstream versions available on various websites have limited features. Snap on have excellent diagnostic tools whose performance varies according to model. From what you are saying, it seems that the VSC module may have failed. Check the resistance of each abs sensor and their connectors to the car harness. Make sure the contacts are clean. I assume that all your tyres have exactly the same size, if you have different size tyres this will trigger the ABS light and may be VSC light too. Chris.

This is a compression ignition engine. If the compression is low or the starter turns the engine slowly, it will not start. Check the compression of all cylinders. Make sure the battery is good and can provide a high cranking ampere rating. Measure the battery voltage while cranking. Some cars have a high revolution starter as an upgrade. If you have pre chamber heaters, ( glow plugs ), one for each cylinder, check them for continuity and that only their tip glows and not the whole part within the pre chamber. Check the fuel pressure to the injectors and their spray pattern. Check that the injectors do spray fuel while cranking, if not you may have an electrical fault. Last, check the engine timing and the engine Top Dead Centre sensor, although you should have got some codes relating to it. Chris.