Mark 1--- Headlights on drugs?

mr2tim · 10-20-2008, 12:39 PM

Yur headlites on drugs?

Mine are, they are jumping up and down, sometime staying up, one is down, they keep flipping after the “defective” light switch* is turned to the off position.

Spooky? No, just ass-backward engineering of a tiny connector under the headlight, it’s the round one in the attached pictures.

The “defective” engineering is that this connector is mounted upside down, it has a dinky round rubber plug in the end that shrinks with age and lets the water puddle inside the connector shorting out the electrical wires one by one...

To fix this just cut the Toyota connector out, solder the wires together and tape the assembly to keep water out.
(See the attached pictures for clarity.)

Personally, I’m in the process of replacing the main headlight switch on the left dashboard pod cluster, yet again, let’s see that’s 3ea thusfar divided by 19 years of ownership which averages about 7 years of lifespan for every Toyota switch

Is this the same deal for you Mark 2 owners as well?

It’s no wonder to me the Japanese lost World War II.

Thanks to Gairlock for encouraging me to share my adventures with the mr2Club.

toy-driver · 10-21-2008, 06:22 PM

Mine would turn off at random and wouldn't turn back on unless I jabbed at the switch repeatedly. The overgrown headlight switch was dying so i replaced it with 2 toggle witches.

mr2tim · 10-21-2008, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toy-driver

Mine would turn off at random and wouldn't turn back on unless I jabbed at the switch repeatedly. The overgrown headlight switch was dying so i replaced it with 2 toggle witches.

So, you dealing with a power switching problem or a grounding problem? How did the dashlights function in this senario? How'd you deal with the reostat (dimmer)?

Just curious.

Jackstand Queen · 11-09-2008, 03:00 PM

I've had my PW switches and relays go out.
My wiper switch went out.
My cruise control wand went out.
My light switch also went out.

Actually, I don't think its bad luck or bad engineering to blame. Its normal wear and tear. In the 60's and 70's you will recall domestic cars were usually junked before 100k mileage and about 3 or 4 years of street usage. Toyota raised the standard for longevity and forced G.M., Ford etc. to do better in this area.

Although I must admit your criticism of the engine air flow ventilation makes a lot of sense. How dumb is that setup? But I have noticed the intake tubing creates a vacuum in the rear trunk. And there's ventilation through the B pillar to suck stale air out of the passenger compartment via the vacuum in the rear trunk.

toy-driver · 11-10-2008, 07:11 PM

something in the headlight "hold" switch was dying. all the interior lights stayed on. I just bypassed the reostat/dimmer and run straight 12V to the interior lights. I like to see my gauges anyway.

10-20-2008, 12:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
mr2tim SUPERcharZed ToyZ RacZer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,789 Thanks: 8 Thanked 118 Times in 111 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (6/100% )	Mark 1--- Headlights on drugs? Yur headlites on drugs? Mine are, they are jumping up and down, sometime staying up, one is down, they keep flipping after the “defective” light switch* is turned to the off position. Spooky? No, just ass-backward engineering of a tiny connector under the headlight, it’s the round one in the attached pictures. The “defective” engineering is that this connector is mounted upside down, it has a dinky round rubber plug in the end that shrinks with age and lets the water puddle inside the connector shorting out the electrical wires one by one... To fix this just cut the Toyota connector out, solder the wires together and tape the assembly to keep water out. (See the attached pictures for clarity.) Personally, I’m in the process of replacing the main headlight switch on the left dashboard pod cluster, yet again, let’s see that’s 3ea thusfar divided by 19 years of ownership which averages about 7 years of lifespan for every Toyota switch Is this the same deal for you Mark 2 owners as well? It’s no wonder to me the Japanese lost World War II. Thanks to Gairlock for encouraging me to share my adventures with the mr2Club. Last edited by mr2tim; 10-27-2008 at 02:18 PM..

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10-21-2008, 06:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
toy-driver Getting there Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 282 Thanks: 3 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	Mine would turn off at random and wouldn't turn back on unless I jabbed at the switch repeatedly. The overgrown headlight switch was dying so i replaced it with 2 toggle witches.

11-09-2008, 03:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jackstand Queen Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 840 Thanks: 75 Thanked 64 Times in 60 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I've had my PW switches and relays go out. My wiper switch went out. My cruise control wand went out. My light switch also went out. Actually, I don't think its bad luck or bad engineering to blame. Its normal wear and tear. In the 60's and 70's you will recall domestic cars were usually junked before 100k mileage and about 3 or 4 years of street usage. Toyota raised the standard for longevity and forced G.M., Ford etc. to do better in this area. Although I must admit your criticism of the engine air flow ventilation makes a lot of sense. How dumb is that setup? But I have noticed the intake tubing creates a vacuum in the rear trunk. And there's ventilation through the B pillar to suck stale air out of the passenger compartment via the vacuum in the rear trunk.

11-10-2008, 07:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
toy-driver Getting there Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 282 Thanks: 3 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	something in the headlight "hold" switch was dying. all the interior lights stayed on. I just bypassed the reostat/dimmer and run straight 12V to the interior lights. I like to see my gauges anyway.