Here's How To change Front Right turn signal bulb (with photos) in your Lexus GX470
04-29-10, 01:49 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Here's How To change Front Right turn signal bulb (with photos) in your Lexus GX470
Hi all, I wanted to give you this quick tutorial on how to change the front right turn signal bulb for your Lexus GX470. There's a lot of back and forth on the forums, with people adding way too much confusion, so I wrote this guide with photos for you so there is no mistake. This will take you less than 5 minutes.
My tips apply to my 2004 GX470. They may or may not apply to your year, and you better verify the correct bulb for your vehicle, don’t just go by what I have here.
First, many people are telling you to waste 20 minutes undoing the plastic shield around the engine compartment and work from above. NOT NECESSARY! You change the light bulb easily from below in a few minutes!
Warning: Always bring your bulb with you to buy a new one! Many auto parts stores online, when I looked up the part, show an incorrect 3157 part number, whose bulb does not even look close to being correct. Always trust what you know.
The turn signal light bulb you need for a 2004 Lexus GX470 is called 1156A
it is a standard bulb, amber in color, most auto parts places sell it. I bought my bulb, shown below at Pep Boys, 2 bulbs for $3.99. Forget paying the dealer $50-$100 for this job that you can do in 5 minutes. Note how the bulb in my package has the letters “LL” at the end. IT means Long Life. If you can get this designation, go for it.
Now you can see the close-up of your bulb below. Notice it has 2 little nipples on it, this means it will slide down a channel in the connector, then twist at the bottom to lock into place.
How to change the turn signal bulb:
1) Lie down on your back just underneath your front right bumper, below the headlight. I just rested my head on a mover’s dolly. Now look up behind the headlight assembly, as shown in my photo below, and you’ll see 3 connectors on the back of the headlight assembly. You will focus on the gray one in the middle as shown in the photo here:
2) Reach up toward that gray connector, your arm will be reaching up a bit. The connector has winglets for you to grasp it. Now grab that connector, and twist it counterclockwise about 1/4 turn until it loosens, then pull out the connector as shown in this photo below:
3) There’s your turn signal bulb! Now twist the bulb first, THEN once you have twisted it loose, you may pull it out of the socket. If you find it hard to hold the socket while twisting the bulb loose, then use pliars or Robo Grips to hold the socket steady, then use your other hand to loosen the bulb.
4) Now here is your loose socket hanging. That’s my flashlight on lower right corner of the photo:
Here is another zoomed out shot of the socket hanging down:
5) Now take your new bulb, and align the little nipples on the bottom of the bulb to the channels on the connector. Then slide the bulb down the into the connector, and twist the bulb clockwise to lock it into place. Now reach up to re-connect the bulb and connector back onto the rear of the headlight assembly as shown below:
6) Now insert the bulb back into the hole on the rear of the headlight assembly, and twist the gray connector until it’s all locked into place. That’s it, you’re done! See photo below:
Now wasn’t that a lot easier than undoing a bunch of plastic fasteners in the engine compartment? Congratulations, you just saved yourself at least $50.
Now PayPal me $10 of that! LOL!
I’ll open up the floor to questions now.
Jeff
My tips apply to my 2004 GX470. They may or may not apply to your year, and you better verify the correct bulb for your vehicle, don’t just go by what I have here.
First, many people are telling you to waste 20 minutes undoing the plastic shield around the engine compartment and work from above. NOT NECESSARY! You change the light bulb easily from below in a few minutes!
Warning: Always bring your bulb with you to buy a new one! Many auto parts stores online, when I looked up the part, show an incorrect 3157 part number, whose bulb does not even look close to being correct. Always trust what you know.
The turn signal light bulb you need for a 2004 Lexus GX470 is called 1156A
it is a standard bulb, amber in color, most auto parts places sell it. I bought my bulb, shown below at Pep Boys, 2 bulbs for $3.99. Forget paying the dealer $50-$100 for this job that you can do in 5 minutes. Note how the bulb in my package has the letters “LL” at the end. IT means Long Life. If you can get this designation, go for it.
Now you can see the close-up of your bulb below. Notice it has 2 little nipples on it, this means it will slide down a channel in the connector, then twist at the bottom to lock into place.
How to change the turn signal bulb:
1) Lie down on your back just underneath your front right bumper, below the headlight. I just rested my head on a mover’s dolly. Now look up behind the headlight assembly, as shown in my photo below, and you’ll see 3 connectors on the back of the headlight assembly. You will focus on the gray one in the middle as shown in the photo here:
2) Reach up toward that gray connector, your arm will be reaching up a bit. The connector has winglets for you to grasp it. Now grab that connector, and twist it counterclockwise about 1/4 turn until it loosens, then pull out the connector as shown in this photo below:
3) There’s your turn signal bulb! Now twist the bulb first, THEN once you have twisted it loose, you may pull it out of the socket. If you find it hard to hold the socket while twisting the bulb loose, then use pliars or Robo Grips to hold the socket steady, then use your other hand to loosen the bulb.
4) Now here is your loose socket hanging. That’s my flashlight on lower right corner of the photo:
Here is another zoomed out shot of the socket hanging down:
5) Now take your new bulb, and align the little nipples on the bottom of the bulb to the channels on the connector. Then slide the bulb down the into the connector, and twist the bulb clockwise to lock it into place. Now reach up to re-connect the bulb and connector back onto the rear of the headlight assembly as shown below:
6) Now insert the bulb back into the hole on the rear of the headlight assembly, and twist the gray connector until it’s all locked into place. That’s it, you’re done! See photo below:
Now wasn’t that a lot easier than undoing a bunch of plastic fasteners in the engine compartment? Congratulations, you just saved yourself at least $50.
Now PayPal me $10 of that! LOL!
I’ll open up the floor to questions now.
Jeff
Last edited by JeffO; 08-19-14 at 10:00 PM.
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05-03-10, 01:52 PM
#6
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Maybe one day we'll do a high def video for this. Going in from underneath is a lot easier and much faster than going in through the top. Also the dealer puts it up on a lift and the mechanic reaches up in 2 seconds and chnages the bulb. Talk about a fast $100!
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09-22-10, 09:02 AM
#11
Driver School Candidate
where did you get your LED's from? hong kong? local parts stores don't have them. had the 1157LED's in red and some smaller LED's in amber. but no 1156amber LED's. i've found some on ebay from hong kong but not sure of the quality.
has anyone had LED's in their turn signals long enough to say that this is deff a fix for the bulbs going out so often? thanks guys
11-27-10, 07:30 PM
#13
I have the gone LED way, the DRL works fine, but when it comes to turn part, the flasher flashes quiet fast and you will have the rear bulb blowing up after sometime, I have done extensive research and found the only way to have the LED function is to have a additional relay, to compensate the power distribution.
11-28-10, 09:29 AM
#14
Actually, you don't need the relay, but you have to use an in-line resistor in order to bring the resistance of the LEDs closer to that of the light bulb. Most automotive stores, or led stores will have that. For example these guys carry them: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...97&product=CAR
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angelslex (07-03-20)
