Razor61

I’ve replaced all the bulbs with new ones that ‘should’ be in there. If the wrong bulb/s are in the car to start with, and it is entirely possible as illustrated with my car, when you take them to the motor factors for a replacement you will get the same bulbs which are not correct. The point of my last post was to clarify what the configuration of the lights are, wiring/type of bulb fittings etc, and what type of bulbs ‘should’ be in the car so people can purchase the correct bulbs regardless of what bulbs are in the car. It wasn’t an attempt to create a fancy/complicated/smarty pants way of bulb failure fault finding.

To add some clarity regarding which bulbs are required (single/dual) for the rear outer lights, and hopefully help other people, I’ve spent some time on my car with new bulbs and what I’ve found is below. Outer Cluster wiring: Top lights - 3 wires - wired/configured for dual filament bulb with dual filament fittings Middle indicator lights - 2 wires - wired/configured for single filament bulb with single filament fittings Bottom lights - 3 wires - wired/configured for dual filament bulb with dual filament fittings. A light/bulb failure is detected by voltage differences in the Light Failure Module and not by a 3rd wire to the light bulb fitting, anyway there would be a 3rd wire to the indicators as well, which there isn’t. The top and bottom lights need a dual filament 21/5w bulb and the middle indicator lights need a single filament 21w bulb. Top lights use the 5w filament part of the bulb for the tail lights - 21w filament part is not used Bottom lights use the 21w filament part of the bulb for the stop lights - 5w filament part is not used. A single filament bulb does not fit into a dual filament holder. It can be forced in as it was on my car for one of the brake lights, causing one of the issues I had, but should not be used even though only one filament of the dual filament bulb is actually used. The light clusters are wired etc for dual filament stop/tail in the top and bottom lights but not enabled on the car. They are separated, as described above, top for tail lights and bottom for stop lights. You still need to fit dual filament bulbs top and bottom even though not all the filaments are used.

Thanks and yes, a few quid on bulbs when I order them tomorrow. Not sure about the cluster light fittings themselves so will swop them over. I spent the last few days printing off circuit diagrams and trying to work out what could be the cause. A classic case of thinking it’s something complicated when in reality it’s not, can’t see the wood for the trees. I really should know better but when it’s yourself in the ‘situation’, logic and clear thinking sometimes goes out the window depending on what has happened. I had established yesterday that 12 volts was being supplied to the stop lights, the grounding/earth was ok because the tail lights worked. In hindsight the cause was obvious yesterday but the penny didn’t drop until this afternoon. And just imagine if I had got an auto electrician or Lexus to have a look, what a chump I would have looked🤣

Nice one, thank you for taking the time to do it👍

All in all it’s been a proper ‘cluster’ fluck🤣

Well……………..fitted the spare light clusters and all ok so it was the bulbs after all. However, I checked the bulbs in the clusters in the car. One was indeed blown, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t blown when I checked last week but can’t be 100%. The other was a stop/tail bulb, didn’t fit properly in the light bulb fitting and didn’t work to begin with but was ok after a bit of tweaking. I swopped both the bulbs from the spare light cluster and all is good now but the bulb socket on one side isn’t 100% so will order a complete set of bulbs and fit them to be sure. After all that, it was just coincidence that the issue appeared just after I worked on the steering mechanism to grease it. I really couldn’t see how I had done anything or disturbed anything and it turned out I was right, no consolation but that’s life. I could guess at what happened but I don’t care, it’s sorted now and I can relax. Coincidence and thinking I had a bigger issue than I actually had caused all this. At least I know how the lighting circuits work now and prompted me to buy a Power Probe which will be handy in future. By the way, if the boot light bulb has blown or is disconnected the parking brake light will come on. That means the parking brake light ‘on’ can mean at least - parking brake still on - rear bulb gone - brake fluid low - boot light bulb gone or disconnected. Thanks to everyone for their input, it’s appreciated and all this may help someone else.

Mmmmh, I'm really doubting myself now........................I did check last week (I think) but it wasn't ideal dodging the showers so I will check again. I hope I've been a proper numpty and in the end it IS just the bulbs!! I have a spare set of rear outer clusters, these were on the car when I bought it and all working. I swopped them because the lenses were cracked. Rather than taking the bulbs out of the existing clusters and checking them, I'll plug in the spare set and see what happens🤞 After thinking about it more, I think I only have 1 x issue which is 2 x stop lights out, one bulb either side in the outer clusters, when I thought I had 4 x stop lights out and 2 x tail lights I thought the side lights and brake lights were on the boot lid as well and I figured all four bulbs cannot have gone at once plus 2 x tail lights but that is not the case I think, as said in the previous post on the boot lid there are 2 x single filament bulbs either side. I will check tonight but they must be for the fog lights, forgot about them, and reversing lights which both work.

That would be great thanks So that would mean the stop lights are only on the outer cluster and not on the boot lid lights. That would make sense because iirc on the boot lid there are 2 x single filament bulbs either side, 1 x for tail light and 1 x for the reversing light

Possible Malc and highly likely, I'll check again today round the areas I was working on. I've already found a local Auto Electrician in case I need them, going to do more looking and diags i.e. checking the rear light clusters when disconnected with 12volts (using a power probe which will arrive tomorrow) to make absolutely sure all the bulbs light up. Power probes allow you apply 12volts to stuff easily and safely, something I was meaning to buy but never got round to it.

Just realised I have the USA electrical diagram so the pin outs for the Light Failure Module are different and therefore the wiring is different, must be cos they don't match the car. Has anyone got the UK Electrical Diagram by any chance and can send me the stop light circuit diagram please?

Checked all round under the dash and I can’t see where I could have done anything untoward. Boot linings out to get at all the wiring. Checked thoroughly what does and doesn’t work. Indicators - all ok Fog lights - all ok - boot lid cluster? Can’t remember but they work. Reverse lights on the boot lid clusters - all ok Outer tail lights - ok Inner boot lid tail lights - not ok Inner boot lid stop lights - not ok - if there are any and maybe the stop lights are just on the outer cluster - I can’t remember. Outer cluster stop lights - not ok So on with checking voltages etc. 4 pin connector to each outer light cluster and disconnected to the light cluster - I have 12 volts on one pin on both outer light clusters when the brake pedal is depressed and 12 volts on another pin with the side lights switched on. The other pin will be the indicator, I didn’t check but will do tomorrow. Same with the clusters connected and there is ground/earth. There is resistance to earth of 220 ohms iirc with the Light Failure Module connected on the 12volt pins but this goes iirc with the module disconnected. I did a lot of testing and should have wrote it all down but I’ll do that tomorrow. I was mainly looking at the 12 volt supply to the light clusters and bulbs and there is 12 volts but the bulbs don’t illuminate. And yes I have checked the bulbs for continuity. I’m a bit puzzled now cos I expected no 12 volts supply to the stop lights but there is. The plan now is: Tomorrow redo all the testing I did today and document it all exactly. Plug in the laptop with Techstream and run a diags test and see what it says, I don’t expect much. Laptop was at work over the weekend so couldn’t do it. I have it back today but wanted to do some basic testing first. Wednesday a used Light Failure Module should arrive, will fit it and see if that cures it. If not then it will be time for an auto electrician or take it to Lexus for some diags. If anyone has any advice or thoughts or suggestions based on what I’ve done and checked then please let me know, it would be appreciated.

Yep, that was my initial thought but I only removed the lower covers - steering column cowling - the air/vent ducting and disconnected the aircon air sensor thing and rubber hose. I've had all that off before except for the air/vent ducting and there isn't any wiring in the way that I had to move, unplug or disturb really. I'll see what I find after work today, it could have been just coincidence but my gut/instinct tells me it's not..................

Will do but I think it's ok because the high level brake light works ok. I checked what is working and what is not working regarding rear tail lights and stop lights, while dodging the rain showers yesterday. rear tail lights: outer tail lights on the rear quarter work but not the inner tail lights on the boot lid Stop lights: high level works ok but non of the outer and inner I've printed off the relevant circuit diagrams, plus anything else I think may be useful, had a good look and made notes of what to check when I get home. I suspect a ground wire missing somewhere on the body, maybe under the dash or the Light Failure Sensor or the Light Failure Sensor itself is duff. First port of call is to get under the dash again and have a good look round where I was working properly, I may have disturbed something. Next in the boot, remove all the lining and start checking voltages and ground wires. Starting with the Light Failure Sensor module. I've read that the wires through the boot hinge/s can cause issues so will check that. Circuit diagram for the Stop Lights. the section in Yellow I know works because it's the High Mounted Stop Light and it works. On the Light Failure Sensor pins 1 and 8 should have 12 volts on at least one of them because the High Mounted Stop Light works pin 3 and 4 feeds 12 volt to the stop lights - the 12 volts are staggered across the LH and RH stop lights - pin 13 is ground At the other end of the Stop Lights there are 2 x ground points - BN and BL These are things I need to check.

Both rear bulbs are ok. I must have done/disturbed something under the dash, probably round the junction/fuse block area I suspect. When it stops raining and I have a good look at the wiring diagram tomorrow, I’ll take the under dash panels off again and have another look. On Friday I was dodging rain showers so couldn’t spend a lot of time on it.

It is possible I suppose, I’ll check both of them if it ever stops raining………

I did some work under the dash on Friday, removed all the covers, steering cowl and the heating plastic duct under the steering wheel to get to the steering tilt/telescopic mechanism to grease the rollers. There is another post about this. I put everything back together and went out in the car, set off down the road and the parking brake light was on - stopped the car and checked that the parking brakes was actually off and it was. Continued to where I needed to go - back home and removed all the covers to check if I’d disturbed anything - couldn’t see anything, wiggled wires, parking brake switch and connectors but couldn’t see anything. I back off the drive onto the road and I can’t remember if the parking brake light was on or off when I reversed off the drive, only noticed it when I started diving down the road. Went back and forth checking things etc a few times but couldn’t find anything, dodging the rain of course. So today I remembered a post about a failed stop light causing the parking brake light to stay on, I got the Mrs to press the brake pedal while I checked at the back…….no brake lights left or right at all but the centre high level brake light works. Maybe a fuse so off with the under dash cover and checked the fuses which are ok, checked the connectors to the fuse/connector block and they look ok. Weather is atrocious so can’t start checking voltages to things or removing the rear lights or checking the brake failure module in the boot in this weather so I’m stuck without brake lights. Has anyone any ideas about this by any chance? I’ve disconnected the battery and will leave it off for a while in the vain hope that it clears the issue.

Well it’s not tyres, put the DHP wheels and tyres on - went for a run - still the same. Back home and a 30 min pit stop to put the original wheels back on, not Formula 1 speed of a pit stop but not bad for my age😀 Back to the rear shocks, maybe it is the rear KYB shocks causing the issue or maybe a broken spring, I’ll check the springs when the weather clears again. If I don’t have a broken spring I’ll order a pair of OEM rear shocks from Amayama.

Definitely better with tyres at 30psi but the correct pressure is 35psi according to the manual. I replaced the rear shocks in April, done a lot miles since then with tyres at 30psi and not noticed any slight bounciness on motorways or cr@p roads. Few weeks ago I increased the pressure to what it should be at 35psi, car felt better but noticed the slight bounciness on less than decent roads and motorways. I started to noticed it on Weds last week travelling south down the M1 between the M62/M1 Junction and M1 Junction 36, very specific because I look after a site near Sheffield so visit regularly, this is what prompted all this. Don’t remember it on the M62 before joining the M1. Been down the same M1 stretch since replacing the rear shocks in April but running the tyres at 30psi and I don’t remember anything about bounciness at all. What to make of all this………. 35psi in the tyres does make a difference and creates the slight bounciness on less than half decent roads and motorways. Reducing the pressure to 30psi more or less eliminates it. So do I run on 30psi or 35psi or in the middle at 32/33. I don’t think it’s the KYB shocks, the weight of the car is on the struts so can’t see how the shocks can oscillate in that way but it’s possible I suppose. Checked all the suspension bolts this morning to see if anything was loose, everything tight as it should be. All the suspension arms/bushes/mounts have been replaced in the last year, apart from the rear UCA’s, so it’s all tight and solid. After all the checking and thinking about it, I would guess at the tyres causing it. Not that there is anything wrong with the tyres, I went for the quietest tyres and maybe they don’t suit the car. This has just popped into my head………..the car had a set of DHP wheels on when I bought it and I still have them, I now have the original wheels on the car. If the weather clears up I’ll refit the DHP wheels and tyres and run it to work for a while. That may clear a few things up, I should have thought about this before🙄

Just remembered a few weeks ago or maybe longer, I can’t remember exactly, I inflated the tyres to 35 psi from 30 psi, which I ran from when I bought the car. It was maybe when I installed the rebuilt ECU, I remember looking in the user manual for the tyre pressure and it said 35 psi but maybe I misread it. The mk3 I had, I ran at 30 psi which is why I ran this one at the same tyre pressure. So when I remembered this I went straight out and deflated the tyres to 30 psi all round. I had inflated the tyres using a compressor and tonight I used a digital gauge. The tyres were 36 psi it turned out. I was a tyre fitter in the early 80’s so should know better, from what I remember the higher the aspect ratio the lower the pressure - the lower the aspect ratio the higher the pressure. I’ll find out tomorrow if lowering the pressure has put things back to ‘normal’.

Their tape cassette decks cost a pretty penny back in the day when HiFi was in its prime, £1000 iirc for the 1000 series cassette tape deck and it was the last word in cassette tape decks. There are various used ones for sale…………few hundred quid up to a few thousand quid. It was quality stuff back then, along with other makes that probably now only exist as brand names.

Good shout but the rear drop links and bushes have been done, in fact everything has been done apart from the rear UCA’s so the suspension is solid and tight. Maybe it needs 20,000 miles loosen up a bit………..I think I’m being too picky and sensitive about it so will see how it goes.

Thanks Pete, I didn't notice anything after I replaced the front shocks last year at all, that I remember, and I clocked up a lot of miles since then. I didn't replaced the rear shocks at the same time because I read they were a pain to change but a few months ago I found the 'trick' for doing them so cracked on and did them. Didn't notice anything apart from the wallowing had gone cos the existing shocks were shot. In the last couple of weeks I've noticed the car seems slightly 'bouncy' with anything other than decent road surfaces. Not really really bad by any means but I can feel it through the seat slightly which normally points to the rear. Difficult to explain but undulations on less than decent roads cause the slight 'bouncy' thing and I don't remember feeling it until the last few weeks. Cornering and handling are totally fine so maybe I'm just being paranoid and it's just the roads are generally cr@p. Thanks for your thoughts, I don't think it's because the rear shocks are not OEM from Lexus. Bouncy suspension normally means the shocks/dampers aren't doing much. I was just wondering what the 'odd' symptoms were. I suppose the only way to make sure is to put OEM shocks on the rear and see if it changes, it will cost me £215 delivered from Amayama plus any taxes to find out🙂

Hi Pete, do you know what the symptoms were for the 'really odd ride'?

That's cheap for both front lower arms, LPD has them listed at £316 each - highlighted in yellow below - that's if that is the correct part/s you have ordered for the triangle thingy. Front lower arm rear bushes part number 48655-50012 are £178 each from LPD - highlighted in red below - and £85 for 2 bushes including delivery from Amayama in Japan.

Went for a decent run, 70 miles round trip, mostly motorway, and I can now say something about the MPG. 70mph on the M55 motorway and the average was a very steady 36 mpg, which is pretty good. After this trip the mpg going to work and back has improved, around 26/27 mpg which is better than before and was a big surprise. To begin with, MPG to work and back wasn't much different and was down to 20/21 mpg. Not easy to quantify this sort of thing but I'm sure MPG is generally improved. After installing the rebuilt ECU it has taken a while for things to settle down and the ECU to do it's learning thing. Idle speed was too high to start with but is now back to normal. I am guessing (educated guessing) that now the ECU has settled down and done it's learning, this has improved the MPG. I was told that MPG should improve significantly, I was sceptical to be honest but seems like it has.