Pics of smog sensor cleaning.
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,189
Likes: 16
From: NY/NJ
Location location location....
Darn that hard to remove harness...
Racer
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 34
From: Alabama
I just did this on my '02. The sensor is bigger and in a different location on mine - it's to the right of the rightmost airhorn. It also has two of those weird sensor things that look like a capacitor with a screen door on top, not one. It's about twice as wide as the sensor pictured here. My filter was filthy.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,199
Likes: 215
From: Ontario, Canada
Thanks for the writeup and pics, cleaned mine the other day. I used the end of a screwdriver to whack the piece of cotton on a hard surface. Lots of fine greyish dust came out of it. The casing itself had bigger grit particles that I dumped out.
Couldn't figure out how to remove the connector, so I undid the bolt, unhooked the casing, and carefully pried it open while still connected.
Couldn't figure out how to remove the connector, so I undid the bolt, unhooked the casing, and carefully pried it open while still connected.
CL Community Team
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,915
Likes: 227
From: Alabama
Took mine apart last weekend - it was only a little dusty/dirty at 20k. Banged the little filter a few times to dislodge the light dust/dirt than used my shop vac with narrow attachment to vac the filter clean. Also used an old narrow paint brush to clean out light dust/dirt from the interior crevices of the sensor housing and put it back together. Easy 10 minute job. Likely its good to go for 20K more miles at a minimum. Thanks of the posting.
Passengers side near the outside of the grille opening. It sits to the outside of the horn on that side. Shine a flashlight through the grille on that side near the top and it's right there. Shape and size (likely same part) identical to the images seen here. I just looked in the service manual and went out to the garage to check. Will check mine this weekend as well.
Driver
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
From: CA
Thanks twylie. I've posted your 3GS locating instructions on the 3GS forum:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...og-sensor.html
and also the link to this post that slvr surfr started.
Thank you both. Can't wait for it to start working as it once did!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...og-sensor.html
and also the link to this post that slvr surfr started.
Thank you both. Can't wait for it to start working as it once did!
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,189
Likes: 16
From: NY/NJ
What good is it?
This sensor is what controls the fresh/recycle feature on the AC unit. When the sensor detects air impurities (i.e. truck exhaust) it switches over to recycle so you don't take in big whifs of stink.
Over time, the sensor goes bad because there is a fine "cloth" element before the sensor and this gets clogged with dirt, deprise, etc. so it needs cleaning to work properly. Basically, if the sensor doesn't detect the junk fast enough, then either you get more junk or full junk coming through the vents.
Over time, the sensor goes bad because there is a fine "cloth" element before the sensor and this gets clogged with dirt, deprise, etc. so it needs cleaning to work properly. Basically, if the sensor doesn't detect the junk fast enough, then either you get more junk or full junk coming through the vents.
Lead Lap
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 486
Likes: 3
From: IN
I just did this on my '02. The sensor is bigger and in a different location on mine - it's to the right of the rightmost airhorn. It also has two of those weird sensor things that look like a capacitor with a screen door on top, not one. It's about twice as wide as the sensor pictured here. My filter was filthy.
Like those above me, I could not figure out how to disconnect that beefy plastic electrical connector - it looked like I would need to pry 3 clips up simultaneously to get it off. I think the 01-03 connectors might be different than the one pictured. Anyway, it was easy to clean. The filter was pretty dirty.
Like those above me, I could not figure out how to disconnect that beefy plastic electrical connector - it looked like I would need to pry 3 clips up simultaneously to get it off. I think the 01-03 connectors might be different than the one pictured. Anyway, it was easy to clean. The filter was pretty dirty.