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HID Headlight Alignment Sensor: This Can't Be Good...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TonyPSchaefer, Jul 31, 2011.

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  1. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    My HID alignment sensor has been throwing the Big Red Triangle of Death intermittently for the last week. I finally had the time to roll under the car and take a look at it. Having downloaded the PDF for a DIY attempt at repair, I figured that the worst I could do is break a broken part. Worst case, I take it to the dealer for a new part.

    Well, as I rolled under the rear of the car, here's what I was greeted with:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    You can see the sensor mounting unit dangling, being held up by the pivoting end and the wire. So, uh, yeah. Looks like it's more than just a faulty sensor.

    As for going to the dealer for a new part, I think I might start with some salvage yards to see if I can get one on the cheap and replace it myself.
     
    #1 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 31, 2011
  2. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    Do all Prius cars have this actuator on them? G2 anyway. I notice rust like this on my Prius as well. Hal
     
    #2 Hal W, Jul 31, 2011
  3. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    Wth the sensor just fell off the damn car?
     
    #3 a_gray_prius, Jul 31, 2011
  4. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    @Hal: others would know better but I believe all cars with the HIDs have this to keep the lights from shining up and blinding the oncoming cars. that is, when you load down the back, the headlights would aim up unless they adjusted.

    @agp: the second picture shows where the two rusted parts are supposed to be one. I have no idea why they would use material that can rust on the bottom of a car. Likewise, I have no idea what could have happened to have snapped it or knocked it apart like that.
     
    #4 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 31, 2011
  5. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    No, they don't, at least not in US spec HID-equipped cars. My former 04 350Z and 02 Maxima both had factory HIDs and had no sort of manual nor automatic leveling system. I have a copy of the service manual for the Z and confirm there's nothing of the sort in there.
     
    #5 cwerdna, Jul 31, 2011
  6. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    No, that's not good. Maybe imwoody or freidawg can pull one off a wreck for you. They are $280 online. You may need the bracket too, but at least that is only $10.
     
    #6 seilerts, Jul 31, 2011
  7. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    I went out and crawled under the Prius and found no actuator attached, and the rust wasn't really that bad! I feel better! Hal
     
    #7 Hal W, Jul 31, 2011
  8. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    All G2 with HID. Leveling systems are required by law in Europe for all HID equipped cars. Leveling systems are not required in the U.S.

    Tom
     
    #8 qbee42, Jul 31, 2011
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Yikes!

    If you replace it with a newer piece I would recommend using a rubberized undercoating or a rustproof paint. It's all that road salt.
     
    #9 F8L, Jul 31, 2011
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I understand that all Canadian cars must be equipped with DRLs which is why the Canadian Prius have halogen headlights, not HID headlights. Only the HID headlight-equipped Prius would have the vehicle level sensor that Tony took photos of.

    MSRP of the new part is $359, you can buy it for $269 plus shipping here:
    Champion ToyotaWorld
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Jul 31, 2011
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  11. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I guess that technically I only need the bracket piece to start. After all, I don't know if the sensor's bad or if the warnings were because it was dangling under the car.
     
    #11 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 31, 2011
  12. Ryanpl

    Ryanpl Active Member

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    Tony I just paid $75.00 for the sensor and arm it's mounted on from Steve at autobeyours.com. Total cost to me was $82 including shipping. I was shocked with how clean the piece came from his yard.
     
    #12 Ryanpl, Jul 31, 2011
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  13. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    My big fear was that I wouldn't be able to remove the bolts from the chassis due to the rust. Worked on it last night and got the two bolts out. I left the pivot arm in place to offer support on one side.
     
    #13 TonyPSchaefer, Aug 1, 2011
  14. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    Can you repair the original or is it beyond repair? Hal
     
    #14 Hal W, Aug 1, 2011
  15. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I'm not a metal worker so anything broken is beyond repair for me. But in this case, it's pretty rusted and just plain snapped in two.
     
    #15 TonyPSchaefer, Aug 1, 2011
  16. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    I guess it depends what the new peace is worth! I am sure some good penetrating oil will free things up then weld broken parts together and coat it with rust remover and then a good rust paint will make it work again? Hal
     
    #16 Hal W, Aug 1, 2011
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when mine failed under warranty on my 04, the tech who replaced it said there was a tsb or recall or something. i wonder if yours is still covered? unless it's just the bracket...
     
    #17 bisco, Aug 1, 2011
  18. Ryanpl

    Ryanpl Active Member

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    Bisco, a TSB isn't the same thing as a recall. Under a TSB it alerts the tech that Toyota issued a fix or improved repair. If I'm wrong someone correct me.
     
    #18 Ryanpl, Aug 1, 2011
  19. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Breathing a little life back into this thread.

    Does anyone have a link to an after-market distributor or a salvage place that will ship?
     
    #19 TonyPSchaefer, Aug 16, 2011
  20. 3prongpaul

    3prongpaul Hybrid Shop Owner, worked on 100's of Prius's

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    Talk to Eric aka "freidawg" on PC at Adopt A Part in Denver...his donors are not all rusty underneath like you poor midwest guys.

    http://adoptapart.com
     
    #20 3prongpaul, Aug 16, 2011
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