Symptom List:
-Windows randomly going down on their own
-Window controls not working
-No radio volume, volume changes not shown on screen
-Locks not working
-Keyless entry not working
-Check engine light
-Exclamation point light
-4Lo light flashing like a mad-man
-Trac Off light
-Other dash error lights
-VSC fault
-Other faults
If you are experiencing some, or in my case ALL of these issues, then I have one question for you:
Did you wash your car?
The fault lies in the ridiculously poor choice from the otherwise perfect Toyota engineering department.
Water has ingressed into the connectors in the passenger side wiring harness, where most of the accessories are routed through. I washed my vehicle yesterday, and did not start seeing problems until this afternoon. See trauma attached below.
Note: Water can enter due to clogged sunroof drains, bad sealing on cabin air inlets at base of windshield, bad windshield seal, etc.
If you have these issues, your immediate fix for the symptoms is the following:
1. Remove the Kick Panel on the Passenger Side. If you open your front passenger door (North America), this panel is to the side of your right foot.
2. Disconnect All of the harnesses that are attached in this area. They are all grouped in one location. This includes the two lower connectors (blue one and white one) that are attached with a single bolt, these will be your worst offenders. Attached is a picture of the blue one on the bottom. Note the corrosion one day after washing the LX.
3. Steal your wife's hair dryer (or use your own, who am I to judge). Set it on low heat and high fan so you don't melt the connectors. Blow each of the unplugged harness ports for 1-2 minutes a piece to remove all moisture. Then blow the back of each of the harnesses for a minute as well before you plug them back in.
4. Plug Harnesses in following the color coding of the harness.
5. Start your vehicle, and see if your handy work has paid off. If you dried the harnesses completely, your windows/locks/keyless entry/radio should work.
6. Clear your check engine lights by using the VCX Nano or cable with Toyota Techstream, or use a bluetooth OBD 2 connector and the Torque App.
7. Have a Dark Beer & buy some bitcoin, because God-Damn-It you are the man (or woman).
Note: After doing research, and responses to this post, using a little dielectric grease on the connection can assist in insulating the connector from electrical arcing. I typically use dielectric grease on the connectors that are sealed at the backend, but have not used it directly on small electrical connections. Applying it sparingly on the face of the female connector should assist with preventing this in the future. Dielectric grease is an insulator, but the electrical connections at these junctions should have a tight enough fit to not allow errant grease to disallow electrical signal to pass.
Note: Some might advise using Dielectric Grease. I love this stuff, but looking at the connectors, you'll notice that they are in no way designed to repel water. If you grease the inside, then water can potentially get in the back. Dielectric grease is an insulator, so this has the potential to cause connection issues on pins that are not a tight fit. I might be too cautious on this one, feel free to argue against my position.
-Windows randomly going down on their own
-Window controls not working
-No radio volume, volume changes not shown on screen
-Locks not working
-Keyless entry not working
-Check engine light
-Exclamation point light
-4Lo light flashing like a mad-man
-Trac Off light
-Other dash error lights
-VSC fault
-Other faults
If you are experiencing some, or in my case ALL of these issues, then I have one question for you:
Did you wash your car?
The fault lies in the ridiculously poor choice from the otherwise perfect Toyota engineering department.
Water has ingressed into the connectors in the passenger side wiring harness, where most of the accessories are routed through. I washed my vehicle yesterday, and did not start seeing problems until this afternoon. See trauma attached below.
Note: Water can enter due to clogged sunroof drains, bad sealing on cabin air inlets at base of windshield, bad windshield seal, etc.
If you have these issues, your immediate fix for the symptoms is the following:
1. Remove the Kick Panel on the Passenger Side. If you open your front passenger door (North America), this panel is to the side of your right foot.
2. Disconnect All of the harnesses that are attached in this area. They are all grouped in one location. This includes the two lower connectors (blue one and white one) that are attached with a single bolt, these will be your worst offenders. Attached is a picture of the blue one on the bottom. Note the corrosion one day after washing the LX.
3. Steal your wife's hair dryer (or use your own, who am I to judge). Set it on low heat and high fan so you don't melt the connectors. Blow each of the unplugged harness ports for 1-2 minutes a piece to remove all moisture. Then blow the back of each of the harnesses for a minute as well before you plug them back in.
4. Plug Harnesses in following the color coding of the harness.
5. Start your vehicle, and see if your handy work has paid off. If you dried the harnesses completely, your windows/locks/keyless entry/radio should work.
6. Clear your check engine lights by using the VCX Nano or cable with Toyota Techstream, or use a bluetooth OBD 2 connector and the Torque App.
7. Have a Dark Beer & buy some bitcoin, because God-Damn-It you are the man (or woman).
Note: After doing research, and responses to this post, using a little dielectric grease on the connection can assist in insulating the connector from electrical arcing. I typically use dielectric grease on the connectors that are sealed at the backend, but have not used it directly on small electrical connections. Applying it sparingly on the face of the female connector should assist with preventing this in the future. Dielectric grease is an insulator, but the electrical connections at these junctions should have a tight enough fit to not allow errant grease to disallow electrical signal to pass.
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