Ask the Toyota mechanic!

Not out of the woods just yet. Truck went to a "worse mode" with the brake controller unplugged. Apparently Ive got a headlight issue affecting the truck. I did the HID conversion a couple of months back with no issues. All connections are good and everything LOOKS OK.

With the head lights on the truck is getting the Trac and ABS lights and cutting out worse and worse. With the head lights off the Trac and ABS lights go off and the truck runs fine. So if its the HID's causing the problems its getting worse.

SO, now Ive got to remove all of the HID conversion and replace my bulbs with stock bulbs. Will see if that finally fixes it.

Brake controller being bad made perfect sense. Now with the head lights as suspect of causing the problem I will have to plug it back in after I remove the HID's to see what I get.

 

Yup, I've said that and a few other things.

 

Getting warmer on the issue.

SO get this:

Truck ran perfectly fine all week (only drove during the day with the head lights off). Never once did I get any dash lights and the engine never cut out.

I completely removed the HID head lights conversion and installed stock headlight bulbs this afternoon.

As mentioned truck runs perfectly fine with the head lights off. NO DASH lights, No engine cutting out. Perfect.


After removing the HID's, I turn the head lights on and the ABS and Trac lights come on. I drive for about 5 mins and the truck starts cutting out and trying to die.

SAME EXACT PROBLEM EVEN AFTER THE HID REMOVAL.


I turn the head lights off and the ABS AND TRAC lights stay on and the truck continues to try and die.


I can turn the truck off, then turn it back on.


ABS and Trac lights STAY ON even with the head lights still off.

I hit the brake peddle one time and the ABS and Trac lights GO OFF.

Truck runs normal again.

I can do this repeatedly. Same thing happens over and over.

Turning the head lights on sets off the ABS and Trac lights and the engine cutting out. Shutting it off and then turning it back on and hitting the brake peddle once clears it.

If I let the truck sit for a few hours and start it again no dash lights and it runs fine. I turn on the head lights and the problems start.

If the truck has been sitting for a while the ABS and Trac lights come on immediately after turning on the head lights. Takes about 5 mins of driving for the engine cutting out part to start. Used to take about 5 mins for the ABS and Trac lights to come on and about 20 mins for the engine cutting out to start. Its getting worse and all happening quicker than before.

I called my Toyota service person late this afternoon and she is going to run it by their lead Tech in the morning. Maybe tomorrow they will have some idea of whats going on.

 

Im getting ready to head to the middle F ing nowhere in Alaska with this thing. WHAT THE Fu$&??

I almost switched teams and bought a F250 Diesel. Maybe I should have. Seriously considering my options if this is what Im going to have to deal with from now on. What a pile of electrical / electronic shit.

I saw when I first got on here all of the electrical issues everyone was having. This truck has 32K on it and so far all kinds of electrical issues. Maybe it will do me a favor and catch fire next.

 

If the HID's are after market units, I'd go back to the manufacturer. If they're Toyota, I'd go to the dealer. Headlights shouldn't be able to cause that kind of problem. It sounds like RF from the HID unit is interfering with the ECU.

 

HID's were aftermarket and were removed. Stock bulbs were installed. Truck STILL TRIPS ABS AND TRAC CONTROL LIGHTS WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AND ENGINE CONTINUES TO CUT OUT.

If I turn the head lights off the ABS AND TRAC LIGHTS STAY ON AND ENGINE CONTINUES TO CUT OUT.

IF I turn the truck off and then back on the ABS AND TRAC LIGHTS STAY ON. If I push the brake peddle one time the ABS and TRAC lights GO OFF. Its almost like that is resetting the entire system / truck clearing the ABS AND TRAC CONTROL AND ENGINE CUTTING OUT ISSUE>

Truck runs normal.

THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH IS CAUSING SOME SORT OF MALFUNCTION WITH THE ABS, TRAC CONTROL, AND IS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO CUT OUT.

I can duplicate this over and over agin.

Truck runs fine with no head lights. Turn on the Headlights and truck goes into the malfunctions.

 

I misunderstood your post, I thought the problem cleared when you put the stock lights back in. Now it sounds like a ground problem. Those are the ones that mechanics hate.

 

I do not know if there is a switch of some kind that DIMS THE PARKING LIGHTS when the headlights are turned on.

My Parking Lights are also my DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS. These lights burn bright during the day with the truck running and switch to dim when the headlights are turned on. These parking lights are also the front turn signals.

 

There are two filaments IN that bulb. When operating as DRLs, THE brighter filament is powered, WHEN YOU use your turn signal that filament is flashed on/off. When you headlamps are ON, THE dimmer filament is illuminated while DRIVING, AND the bright filament is used WHEN signaling.

 

I am running LED bulbs in those sockets. I added the load resisters which were required due to lower power draw and they have functioned normally like the stock bulbs. Without the load resistors they flashed extremely fast. With the resistors as mentioned flash at a normal rate. They have been installed for about 2 months with no issues. Any thoughts on those being the culprit?

I am guessing that those need to be removed and stock bulbs put back in next. The rear bulbs are the same bulb and resister set up so I am guessing that they will need to come out too to try and chase this issue down.

Has anyone else had an issue converting to LED?

 

I wouldn't think that they'd be the cause, but you could change them back to stock just to try to eliminate variables.

 

Going to talk to the Yota Dealer service guys tomorrow and run through everything that its doing and tell them about the HID's Ive removed. Will see if they have any ideas and make the rest of the bulbs switch if necessary.

Im wondering if dumping the brains/programing of the truck and then reloading it might help? The radio / nav screen illumination was flashing/flickering from dark to light before they had it for two days week before last. They did something I guess programing wise to it because that issue has quit but the rest have stayed.

I am beginning to think that this might be a software issue, but I don't know.

That nav / radio screen dimming is tied to the headlight switch. When I first got the truck the screen barely dimmed with the head lights turned on. I had to go in and change the settings to get it to go dim.

Its now back to staying bright again with the headlights on.

 

I just went out and started the truck. Turn headlights on and put it in gear and the ABS and Trac lights come on. I can leave it in park after starting and hit the bakes all that I want and the ABS and Trac lights will not come on. ABS and Trac Lights come on only once I put it into drive or reverse.

Nav screen blinks when I turn on the headlights but dose not dim. Stays bright like during the day.

If I drive it about 3 miles and the engine will start to die. (used to take at least 20 mins for the ABS and Trac light to come on and then start trying to die) Now it happens right when I start up the truck and put it in to gear 9and turn on the headlights).

The dying usually happens about 3 seconds after I release the brake from a stop and start accelerating. If I leave the peddle pushed down the engine power will not come back and the truck will come to a stop. If I let off the gas and pump it the engine comes back to life. So when it starts to die I pump it and it comes back. It will also loose power randomly while driving at any speed. Same again, leave the peddle down and it comes to a stop, pump it and the engine comes back. Its doing it all of the time now. Did it at least 4 times in two miles.

Since its getting worse Ive been afraid of it completely dyeing and not coming back so I have not driven it with the head lights on so limited to day time only right now.

If I don't turn on the head lights the truck runs perfectly with no issue what so ever.

Its only set off by turning the headlights on (which turns the ABS and Trac lights on which starts the dying)

At least its repeatable and I can duplicate it any time. There has got to be an answer to this.

 

So your tires squeal.... is it lifted? When does it squeal? Under heavy accel or turning?


@JTP ilyiuve got one hell of a weird problem man. I'm an electricAL nerd but I can't diagnose stuff over the interwebz.... I'd let a tech have at it man.

 

No lift and it started before 2k miles. Only squeals when turning left. Toyota told me to take it to a certified Michelin tire dealer. I did and they confirmed it was in fact the tires. Manager at the tire shop said it shouldn't be a big deal and Michelin will probably replace all 4 tires. I have to call him back today.

 

TALK ABOUT A WILD GOOSE CHASE.

Yanked the HIDS, NO FIX

Started removing the LED turn signal and stop light bulbs. Got both front and left rear removed and replaced with stock bulbs. Got to the right rear where I twisted the turn signal socket to remove it and the bulb fell out of the socket into the taillight bucket. I fished it out.

LONG STORY SHORT:

THIS ENTIRE ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE OF AN ISSUE WAS CAUSED BY A LOOSE TAIL LIGHT / TURN SIGNAL BULB THAT WAS NOT PLUGGED IN ALL OF THE WAY.

Truck is completely fine now.

 

You didn't mention a test drive....

 

Does factory paint thickness typically vary on Toyota models? I had a FJ that's paint could take a beating and hardly ever scratched aside from the typical AZ pinstriping.

Now with my Tundra it seems like if I do so much as even look at it wrong it will scratch. Assuming this is pretty typical from what I've read on here.

 

There are two versions of this truck. One that will detect a bulb out and light up a dash light and let you know or one that will not. Mine is a base model so I am assuming that its not that smart. However, it will fuck with you for a few weeks till you figure it out that you have a loose or burnt out bulb.

I can pull that bulb (or any of the turn signal bulbs for that matter) and the truck turns into a complete retard setting of the ABS, Track Control lights, and tries cutting the engine out. I am pretty sure that the Yoda Engineers didn't design it that way.

Dealer Tech is dumbfounded as well that the truck will do this.

ANY SMALL STRAY SIGNAL TO ANY COMPUTER ON THIS TRUCK WILL INTURN SCRAMBLE THAT OR SOME OTHER COMPUTERS BRAINS CAUSING ALL KINDS OF WEIRED AND UNRELATED PROBLEMS.

APPARENTLY THESE TRUCKS ARE SO HYPER SENSITIVE ON ANY KIND OF VOLTAGE / ELECTRICAL/ OR SENSOR CHANGES THAT THEY WILL SET OFF ALL KINDS OF MALFUNCTIONS.

I removed all of the LED's and running all stock bulbs. I can not have these issues going where I am going. My LED fog and LED bar light are all directly on the battery and their own ground and are completely separate form anything else on the truck.

Tech also mentioned that corrosion can be a huge issue as well on electrical sockets, connections, and connectors when it comes to electrical gremlins on these Trucks and is a big issue.

The 2nd Gen truck is also the 3rd Gen truck mechanically and electrically. Everyone with new 3rd Gens have the same technology that us 2nd Gen guys have. Toyota did hardly anything except change the body and added a few extra bells and whistles and decals. All in all its pretty much the same exact truck internals that they came out with in 2009.

WAY behind the other mfg's for sure on pretty much everything with twice the electrical / electronic issues as the competition.

Its too bad that they don't come out with the TRD NFE (NO FUCKING ELECTRONICS) version for us that just NEED A BIG MOTOR 4X4 TRUCK THATS RUNS FOREVER.

They made a little one for years, called it a Tacoma.

A simple loose $2.50 bulb cost me over a month of head aches, multiple days with out the truck, and a lot of lost sleep.

Im driving a big black multitude of overly hyper computers and sensors disquised as a pickup truck.

 

Our FJ seems to be made out of thicker steel too. Paint is hard as nails. Tundra paint will scratch in a heart beat.

 

Huh well new tires is kinda sweet

I'm struggling with wrapping my head around this... a bulb should not turn on dash lights

I guess good on u that it's fixed, but man... im sceptical. Also tundras don't have the ability to tell the driver when lights are out.

 

My Tundra lets me know that I have a turn signal out by flashing faster. I haven't tested this yet, but it's my understanding that if there's a brake lamp out, the transmission won't shift from Park. I kinda figure that these count on some level. My motorbike lets me know when my headlamp is out, which is cool, except when it happens.

 

Why didn't mine do that if a rear bulb was loose or not plugged in all of the way???? Why all of the other issues???

I left my house at 3:00 am this morning and drove 4.5 hours and then all day today with absolutely no issues at all.

Kind of weird driving this thing with no issue and with my headlights on. Acted like a totally normal truck today, weird!

 

Both brake lights were working. We checked that along with the night time running and turn signals. Everything was working correctly.

maybe it was just some component if the LED conversion that the truck didn't like. They were installed and worked fine for over a month. Maybe something started going bad electrically (but all still worked) and the truck didn't like it.

I don't know.

 

Hey Jace have a suspension torque question. I was swapping front shocks on my truck over the weekend and tried to find all the correct torque specs. The spec in question is the lower control arms. See pics below. The chart I had said : lower control arm eccentric cam bolts: 100 ft/lbs. Camber: 207 ft/lbs. I called 3 different shops and they said "we just torque them tight" What up with that ? 100 ft/lbs seems low for that large of a bolt, being that the smaller upper arm bolt is 85 ft/lbs. The posted pics show the front bolt and rear nut that you torque. Thoughts ????? Thanks in advance and taking your time to answer everyone's questions.....

 

Has anyone installed one of these? :

Bestop 7530515 TrekStep, Rear-Mount - 2007-2018 Toyota Tundra (Requires Factory-Installed Hitch)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YK5KHG/ref=pe_254840_249696140_em_1p_0_ti

I'm hesitant to order one being that I have the resin bumper and some of the reviews have said it wont work with the resin bumper. Some other brands have them mounted coming out the side of the bumper not the back.

 

I got the AMP. It bolts to the frame not to your bumper and its awesome. I used 4 times today alone.

$330 RealTruck AMP Research BedStep | 75302-01A | Fits 2006 - 2014 Ford F-150 (Excludes Flareside)

https://www.amazon.com/AMP-Research...id=1502509504&sr=1-2&keywords=pickup+bed+step

 

Problem is with the one that is made for the Tundra, it comes out the side. Check the reviews in this link:

$330 RealTruck AMP Research BedStep | 75316-01A | Fits 2016 - 2017 Toyota Tundra w/ Resin Bumpers

https://www.amazon.com/AMP-Research...:toyota:tundra&keywords=amp+research+bed+step