Any Hints on RX330 Tail Light Removal?
11-06-04, 09:09 PM
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Any Hints on RX330 Tail Light Removal?
I'm in the process of installing 'chrome' turn signal bulbs in my wife's 330 and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the tail lights off. There appear to be two 'studs' with nuts on the tail light assembly which are accessible when the interior covers are removed and I've taken these off but the lights still will not pull out. I'm sure I'm missing something but I cannot figure out what it is...
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Last edited by ColoradoRX; 11-06-04 at 09:09 PM.
11-07-04, 11:14 AM
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That's a tough one! I recently tried to get the tail lights off and just gave up doing it myself. I went to
an auto mechanic shop (a very good one - ToySport ) and they did what I needed to have done.
Again, unless you have the tools and the experience it could be tough.
an auto mechanic shop (a very good one - ToySport ) and they did what I needed to have done.
Again, unless you have the tools and the experience it could be tough.
11-08-04, 06:03 AM
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Don't know if this is helpful at all, but I just removed the taillights from by 300 (NOT 330) and it involved removing the two conceled bolts and then just pulling it off. There was a plastic piece in the middle of the back of the light that kept it aligned, but it wasn't attached to anything. It wasn't too difficult in the case of the 300.
Obviously they may have changed it a lot for the 330, but just in case they didn't.
Obviously they may have changed it a lot for the 330, but just in case they didn't.
11-08-04, 06:49 PM
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Jazz',
Thanks for the help...I actually found a website that detailed removal of the lights from an RX300 (it's http://rx300how2.home.comcast.net/index.html) but the 330's lights appear to be mounted differently. You can access two studs with nuts through covers in the rear interior space of the truck and there don't appear to be any bolts or screws readily accessible anywhere around the light. I was messing with it at night and couldn't see very well, so it may just turn out that I missed a nut somewhere but there wasn't one that I could see.
Dan
Thanks for the help...I actually found a website that detailed removal of the lights from an RX300 (it's http://rx300how2.home.comcast.net/index.html) but the 330's lights appear to be mounted differently. You can access two studs with nuts through covers in the rear interior space of the truck and there don't appear to be any bolts or screws readily accessible anywhere around the light. I was messing with it at night and couldn't see very well, so it may just turn out that I missed a nut somewhere but there wasn't one that I could see.
Dan
08-23-13, 04:04 PM
#5
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How to remove tail lights RX330 RX400h
I looked around for a long time to find out how to take out the tail lights on the back of my wife's 2006 RX400h, and didn't find much luck. So, when I did figure it out, thought it might be helpful to post it. I think it works the same for all the 2nd generation RX's, and is TOTALLY easy.
You just open the back and there's a panel on the side right where the tail light is with two slots for a flat-headed screwdriver. Pop it off, and look UP. There are THREE bolts holding it in place. The first picture down below is a view from the floor of the trunk looking up through the hole. Use a 10mm wrench to start loosening the bolts, and then they are easy to loosen using your hand. It's a tight squeeze, but the bolts have a non-threaded tip, so the nut will not fall off too easily. It is almost impossible to get a wrench or socket in there for the total removal - but in this case, the nuts turned easily after loosening maybe 1/4 turn.
You also need to unplug the light, which in this case (LED), is plugged in down below the opening, leaving about 6" of wire on the light itself. DON'T TRY TO UNPLUG THE WIRE AT THE LIGHT ITSELF. UNPLUG IT WHERE IT GOES DOWN INTO A SOCKET IN THE CAR. The socket that the plug goes in to is attached to the car, so you have to unplug it "blindly" - so I took a picture of the plug itself. Need to push in the two small tabs. (which are side-by-side).
There you have it. Just pull the light assembly out.
I did this to get a little tiny bug out of the light, which had somehow crawled in there. That part did not work out. There is no way to open the assembly up (without creating tons of water and vapor leaks) - so I tried to shake it out. No workie. Then I tried to bang it out, and it succeeded in making the poor dried out little spider break into little spider dust, which is now spread over a 1 inch area inside the light assembly. Doesn't look so great. (But on the upside, at least it doesn't look like a bug anymore...)
You just open the back and there's a panel on the side right where the tail light is with two slots for a flat-headed screwdriver. Pop it off, and look UP. There are THREE bolts holding it in place. The first picture down below is a view from the floor of the trunk looking up through the hole. Use a 10mm wrench to start loosening the bolts, and then they are easy to loosen using your hand. It's a tight squeeze, but the bolts have a non-threaded tip, so the nut will not fall off too easily. It is almost impossible to get a wrench or socket in there for the total removal - but in this case, the nuts turned easily after loosening maybe 1/4 turn.
You also need to unplug the light, which in this case (LED), is plugged in down below the opening, leaving about 6" of wire on the light itself. DON'T TRY TO UNPLUG THE WIRE AT THE LIGHT ITSELF. UNPLUG IT WHERE IT GOES DOWN INTO A SOCKET IN THE CAR. The socket that the plug goes in to is attached to the car, so you have to unplug it "blindly" - so I took a picture of the plug itself. Need to push in the two small tabs. (which are side-by-side).
There you have it. Just pull the light assembly out.
I did this to get a little tiny bug out of the light, which had somehow crawled in there. That part did not work out. There is no way to open the assembly up (without creating tons of water and vapor leaks) - so I tried to shake it out. No workie. Then I tried to bang it out, and it succeeded in making the poor dried out little spider break into little spider dust, which is now spread over a 1 inch area inside the light assembly. Doesn't look so great. (But on the upside, at least it doesn't look like a bug anymore...)
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exaktoh (03-13-17)
08-26-13, 09:12 AM
#6
Great pics. Finally somebody did it. I did take one off many moons ago, finding out I had a bad circuit for the LED. It was eventually replaced under warranty. It was steep for the whole assembly to be replaced. They do not replace the circuit board, they replaced the whole tail.
06-16-14, 03:32 PM
#7
I did this over the weekend because one of my bulbs went out. I put LED bulb in to replace the blown bulb, and the light on the dash still came on. I called Lexus and they said it's the bulb, so I replaced it with a halogen bulb and the notification on the dash went out.
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10-24-16, 04:42 PM
#8
Driver School Candidate
2004 Lexus Rx330
I looked around for a long time to find out how to take out the tail lights on the back of my wife's 2006 RX400h, and didn't find much luck. So, when I did figure it out, thought it might be helpful to post it. I think it works the same for all the 2nd generation RX's, and is TOTALLY easy.
You just open the back and there's a panel on the side right where the tail light is with two slots for a flat-headed screwdriver. Pop it off, and look UP. There are THREE bolts holding it in place. The first picture down below is a view from the floor of the trunk looking up through the hole. Use a 10mm wrench to start loosening the bolts, and then they are easy to loosen using your hand. It's a tight squeeze, but the bolts have a non-threaded tip, so the nut will not fall off too easily. It is almost impossible to get a wrench or socket in there for the total removal - but in this case, the nuts turned easily after loosening maybe 1/4 turn.
You also need to unplug the light, which in this case (LED), is plugged in down below the opening, leaving about 6" of wire on the light itself. DON'T TRY TO UNPLUG THE WIRE AT THE LIGHT ITSELF. UNPLUG IT WHERE IT GOES DOWN INTO A SOCKET IN THE CAR. The socket that the plug goes in to is attached to the car, so you have to unplug it "blindly" - so I took a picture of the plug itself. Need to push in the two small tabs. (which are side-by-side).
There you have it. Just pull the light assembly out.
I did this to get a little tiny bug out of the light, which had somehow crawled in there. That part did not work out. There is no way to open the assembly up (without creating tons of water and vapor leaks) - so I tried to shake it out. No workie. Then I tried to bang it out, and it succeeded in making the poor dried out little spider break into little spider dust, which is now spread over a 1 inch area inside the light assembly. Doesn't look so great. (But on the upside, at least it doesn't look like a bug anymore...)
You just open the back and there's a panel on the side right where the tail light is with two slots for a flat-headed screwdriver. Pop it off, and look UP. There are THREE bolts holding it in place. The first picture down below is a view from the floor of the trunk looking up through the hole. Use a 10mm wrench to start loosening the bolts, and then they are easy to loosen using your hand. It's a tight squeeze, but the bolts have a non-threaded tip, so the nut will not fall off too easily. It is almost impossible to get a wrench or socket in there for the total removal - but in this case, the nuts turned easily after loosening maybe 1/4 turn.
You also need to unplug the light, which in this case (LED), is plugged in down below the opening, leaving about 6" of wire on the light itself. DON'T TRY TO UNPLUG THE WIRE AT THE LIGHT ITSELF. UNPLUG IT WHERE IT GOES DOWN INTO A SOCKET IN THE CAR. The socket that the plug goes in to is attached to the car, so you have to unplug it "blindly" - so I took a picture of the plug itself. Need to push in the two small tabs. (which are side-by-side).
There you have it. Just pull the light assembly out.
I did this to get a little tiny bug out of the light, which had somehow crawled in there. That part did not work out. There is no way to open the assembly up (without creating tons of water and vapor leaks) - so I tried to shake it out. No workie. Then I tried to bang it out, and it succeeded in making the poor dried out little spider break into little spider dust, which is now spread over a 1 inch area inside the light assembly. Doesn't look so great. (But on the upside, at least it doesn't look like a bug anymore...)
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tbaswell (12-31-17)
11-17-16, 04:39 AM
#9
I did this over the weekend because one of my bulbs went out. I put LED bulb in to replace the blown bulb, and the light on the dash still came on. I called Lexus and they said it's the bulb, so I replaced it with a halogen bulb and the notification on the dash went out.
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