Dx3

iTrader: (13)

Guys,

Keep getting this error even though my washer fluid is full. Is this a bad sensor? Or what do I need to do to fix this? Makes driving the car a real nightmare when it is constantly beeping at me

Thanks!

iToaster

There's a little float in the sensor that likes to get soggy over time and start sinking when it shouldn't. You can just unplug the sensor to stop the warning from popping up. If you want the warning functional, it's easy to just replace it, part number 85397-33230.

Dx3

iTrader: (13)

Thank you! Where is the sensor? (Hoping it's not on the bottom and it's tool cold to go look for it!)

Thanks again,

PERRYinLA

I am bringing this thread back up from the dead because I have the same issue and no clue how to get to the washer fluid level sensor to disable it. I've searched and no threads about this go into detail.

On my SC400, things are a bit more exposed, so it's not as daunting to get in there and find things, but on the LS430, most components are more tightly packed, or have covers over them!

I suppose I could just start removing everything in that general area until I find it, but if someone knows the more direct way to get at it, I'm sure others besides me would love to know.
Is it best accessed from the top, or below?

Might the sensor be on its own dedicated, fused circuit?
If so, maybe the easiest fix is to remove the appropriate fuse.

rkw77080

Here's a drawing of where you can find the washer level sensor... Disconnecting the sensor connector will make the car "thinks" that the washer fluid is full.

PERRYinLA

It wasn't much fun, but I finally got it fixed today.
I initially thought that removing the headlamp cluster would be the best way to get to the sensor, but that turned out to not be the case.
Which is fortunate, because it's difficult to remove that cluster on the 2004-2006 cars.

Viewing it from underneath, the sensor is just beyond that lower black plastic panel, just below the fog lamp, which is part of the large plastic inner fender assembly (also known as the wheelhouse liner).
In fact there's a 1" hole right in that area, and if you poke a light up there you can see the sensor and the cable that connects to it.
If you're very lazy, you can just shove a pair of wire clippers up that hole and clip the wire going to the sensor and be done with the project in less than a minute!
If you want to preserve the wiring, then you must jack up the car, remove the wheel, and remove all the fasteners that hold the front part of the wheelhouse liner in place.
Depending upon how flexible your plastic is, you might not have to loosen much of the entire liner, just enough to move it out of the way so that you can access the washer level sensor.

I couldn't find any detailed instructions online of exactly what to remove, how, and in what order, and once I got started I could see why - it's difficult to describe.
But once you're down underneath there you should be able to figure it out. The harder part is putting it back together nice and tight.
Again, if the project looks too daunting, you can always just get a snipping tool up that hole (you might have to enlarge the hole slightly) and clip the wire.
In fact, if you are really resourceful, with the manual dexterity of a surgeon, you might be able to get two screwdrivers through the hole, and with the small screwdriver pushing the locking tang upwards, twist that gap between the plug and the socket with the larger screwdriver to pop out the connector!

But once it's disconnected, no matter how you do it, the warning disappears. What a relief - I was stuck looking at that for almost a year!
No big deal to me losing that sensor - since I never deal with snow, I never use my windshield washer much anyway.

I've found that the process of cleaning the windshield smears up other parts of your car (or cars next to you).
In fact there was a recent road rage incident here in California where a guy's clean car got dirty while stuck in traffic because someone splattered dirty windshield washer water all over his car (and I know the feeling - that's happened to me!).
He ended up on the 6 o'clock news when someone recorded him screaming at the clueless perp.

Jabberwock

Thanks for sharing the info on the windshield washer fluid sensor. The LS430 has so many amazing design features but the implementation of the washer low fluid warning is a serious PITA. Once it starts at least on my car it alerts approx once per minute until you refill the washer fluid. Seems like no big deal except there are many situations where immediately stopping to refill the washer fluid is just not practical yet the system continues alarming non stop on low washer fluid even on the sunniest, driest day of the year.