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I just ordered and received the following parking sensors for my LS430 from Amazon:
3 x 89341-50011-C0
1 x 89341-50050-C0.
These are made in China parking sensors and all four of them came to $69, which is about 1/4 of the price of
one OEM sensor from Lexus.
Visually, the quality looks pretty good and they came pretty quick - though I did have to pay for expedited shipping.
Before tearing off my bumper and installing them, is there a way to test the sensors with a multimeter? rkw77080 do you have the factory test instructions?
Just tested them. All of them are open circuits so it looks like I have been given a bunch of non functional crap. Will discuss this with the shipper.
Today I removed an old damaged sensor on the front right corner of the vehicle. This sensor shows a flashing light with three bars in the parking sensor HUD. When I measured the resistance across the terminals I got 10k ohm - which is the same as the factory spec. However the circular part is all broken so it's not possible to put it in the bumper and have it stay.
I measured the resistance across the terminals of the chinese ebay parking sensors and got several megaohms for each one - obviously not to spec. I decided to remove the damaged one and put one of the chinese ones in. When I started the car, the flashing light went out! However, when I put a log of wood in front of it (blocking the sensor at a close range), the HUD didn't change. I did this to another functional sensor at the middle of the bumper and it didn't change either.
Now I'm confused. Can someone tell me how the resistance on these sensors work? Should it be able to sense a block of wood in front of the vehicle right next to the sensor?
My feeling is that these chinese sensors are junk, but I want a test to confirm it on the vehicle if possible.
The front sensors only work when the car is NOT in "P" or "R". I suspect that you tested your front sensors with the car in "P", that's why nothing happened. Likewise for the rear sensors, the car must be in "R" for them to work.
Each of the parking sensor is wired directly to the Clearance Warning ECU, such that one sensor's failure will not impact the others. If your new sensor does not work at the broken sensor's location and you want to rule out bad wiring, you can always install the new sensor at one of the other location that were proven good.
Attached is the test procedures. Good luck and please let us know what you find.
The front sensors only work when the car is NOT in "P" or "R". I suspect that you tested your front sensors with the car in "P", that's why nothing happened. Likewise for the rear sensors, the car must be in "R" for them to work.
Each of the parking sensor is wired directly to the Clearance Warning ECU, such that one sensor's failure will not impact the others. If your new sensor does not work at the broken sensor's location and you want to rule out bad wiring, you can always install the new sensor at one of the other location that were proven good.
Attached is the test procedures. Good luck and please let us know what you find.
Alright thanks rkw. Good information to know. I did indeed test them with the car in "P". I was alone and didn't want the car to wander off without me I will go and retest.
For everyone's information. Here's a photo of the view when the right front wheel and wheel liner is removed. I am looking towards the front of the car from inside the wheel arch. There are six parking sensors at the front of the car. From this point you will be able to remove / replace the front corner and the front outer middle sensor without removing the bumper. It seems that only the front inner middle parking sensors are not accessible.
I got genuine toyota denso parking sensors off this amazon vendor for $15 each.
You are on the right track with removing the wheel liner for install, thats the way I did it without removing the damn bumper.
You'll laugh, but I bought from the same vendor. I called them Chinese, but they could be genuine. At 15 dollars a pop vs 280 from the dealer, I have a hard time believing that they are legit. However, they do look very similar to the original ones. I am keeping an open mind at this price.
Do you have a spare one around? Can you test the resistance between the two terminals? Factory says it should be 8-12kohms. But I get several megohms when I test mine.
You'll laugh, but I bought from the same vendor. I called them Chinese, but they could be genuine. At 15 dollars a pop vs 280 from the dealer, I have a hard time believing that they are legit. However, they do look very similar to the original ones. I am keeping an open mind at this price.
Do you have a spare one around? Can you test the resistance between the two terminals? Factory says it should be 8-12kohms. But I get several megohms when I test mine.
I suppose it was foolish to assume the sticker on the sensor was correct! A shady company would likely have no issue forging the "toyota denso" sticker I found on mine.
However the dealer is probably also likely stuck in time. Remember how ahead of its time this car was and how commonplace these sensors are now on modern cars, that has likely driven the price down significantly. I wonder how much the Toyota dealer charges for the same part?
I tossed my original one (had the same label) but I ordered another one to replace a different sensor that hasnt failed completely but gets a false reading every so often. Id be happy to run the test vs stock when it arrives and I have to dig my hand into the liner again.
I suppose it was foolish to assume the sticker on the sensor was correct! A shady company would likely have no issue forging the "toyota denso" sticker I found on mine.
However the dealer is probably also likely stuck in time. Remember how ahead of its time this car was and how commonplace these sensors are now on modern cars, that has likely driven the price down significantly. I wonder how much the Toyota dealer charges for the same part?
I tossed my original one (had the same label) but I ordered another one to replace a different sensor that hasnt failed completely but gets a false reading every so often. Id be happy to run the test vs stock when it arrives and I have to dig my hand into the liner again.
When you get yours, test it out and we can compare. If they're crap we can go back to Amazon and shame the guy to give us replacements. They really do look like good quality, but the resistance does not conform to the spec on mine. I'd be interested to see if yours are the same.
Please note that the "8-12 kilo-ohms across the terminals" criteria is for OEM ultrasonic sensors. Aftermarket sensors can have different measurements due to different electronics or different technology.
Arcturus, I agree with your approach... Install the new sensor in its intended location and follow the test procedures to see if you get the same warning indication (number of "bars" on the display vs. distance between the sensor and the obstruction).
Just bought my '04 which has sensors. If I see 4 bars, what should the bumper>object distance actually be? I'd like to make sure
mine are functioning correctly. LOL still getting used to having a rear view camera but it is a very nice addition! My '01 doesn't have one.
Just bought my '04 which has sensors. If I see 4 bars, what should the bumper>object distance actually be? I'd like to make sure
mine are functioning correctly. LOL still getting used to having a rear view camera but it is a very nice addition! My '01 doesn't have one.
The front and rear sensors will report up to 4 bars:
1 bar = 250mm (9.84")
2 bars = 250-375mm (9.84-14.76")
3 bars = 375-500mm (14.76-19.69")
4 bars = 500-1000mm (19.69-39.37")
The front corners will report up to 3 bars:
1 bar = 250mm (9.84")
2 bars = 250-375mm (9.84-14.76")
3 bars = 375-500mm (14.76-19.69")
Please take a look at the attached PDF in Post #7 for more detail.
08-06-16, 05:29 PM
How to Test Parking Sensors Before Installing
I will go and retest.
