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Headlight level sensor corroded?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by timg, Apr 17, 2008.

  1. 8AA

    8AA Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2004
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    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Following the instructions that were posted here, I removed the headlight level sensor from the back axle and disassembled it. In my case two of the springs were heavily corroded and the corrosion extended up one of the conductor paths for about a centimeter. I cleaned things up best I could but when I removed the remnants of one spring the contact surface on the cover plate came with it. I tried putting a spot of solder in its place, but the conductor material and the cover plate are very heat sensitive and I proceeded in making things worse. What I ended up doing was getting a repair kit for a rear window defogger and using that, replaced the contact surface as well as the corroded conductor path. I applied three or four coats and allowed it to dry before reassembling. I had scraped out the spring holders and cleaned them with WD40 and then alcohol. Since two of the springs were completely unusable, I created two replacements by cutting a spring from a ball point pen in half (plus one coil to make it about the same length). I put conductive grease on the ends of the springs and put a narrow bead of silicon sealant around the edge of the assembly where the plate would go. Re-attached the plate, checked the contacts with a multimeter, and put the “repaired” assembly back on the car. So far so good. The warning light and the message on the MFD both went away. My headlights are a little high, but before some days they would be pointed at the ground and other days searching for dirigibles overhead.
     
    NN0AA likes this.