Car Mechanical Help - Replacing Air Sensor on Lexus

onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 10:20
Last edited 19/01/2025 - 12:06 by 1 other user

Morning all, I hope your Sunday is going better than mine.

I know we have some members experienced in automotive repairs so I am asking for any assistance you can give me here please.

Replacing an air sensor on my 2004 Lexus and I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the electrical harness of the old one.

New sensor:

Old one I need to remove:

There doesn't appear to be any tabs to push to release it, I have also tried pushing a screwdriver down the side of it, but it just pokes through the other side.

Space is limited and I don't want to break anything.

Any advice please?

Automotive Lexus

Comments

  • EFC94 on 19/01/2025 - 10:33
    +2

    I've got no idea but it almost looks like its just a push in/pull out?

  • Euphemistic on 19/01/2025 - 10:34
    +3

    Good luck, just keep trying. Looks to me like the tab is on the difficult side.

    My experience with removing various connectors is that they either come off when you find the tab, or you struggle for 20min cursing and finally break something.

    • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 10:37
      +2

      Yeah thanks, I've definitely been cursing for more than 20 mins so maybe I'm nearly there. Really don't want to break anything.

  • brendanm on 19/01/2025 - 10:37
    +8

    Push comnector toward engine harness. Press release tab in (it's opposite the mount point). Pull connector out of engine harness. Do you have an O2 sensor socket?

    • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 10:42

      I've managed to unscrew the other end which was also a pain as it was in an awkward position.

      You're right that does look like a tab but I'm finding it hard to push in.

    • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 10:53
      +3

      Thanks so much! You're a legend.

      I had to remove the battery to give me more room and it was quite easy after that.

      • brendanm on 19/01/2025 - 11:43
        +5

        No worries, nice work having a crack and fixing it yourself, you've done well to get the O2 sensor out, they can be a nightmare.

        • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 12:02

          Yeah wasn't easy. Thanks again.

          Now I seem to have an electrical issue. I can't open the passenger windows from the driver seat switches, also when I start and stop the engine the steering wheel is supposed to move in and out and that only works a little. Any ideas what could be causing that?

          • brendanm on 19/01/2025 - 12:29

            @onetwothreefour: Did you disconnect the battery?

            • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 12:31

              @brendanm: Only after I disconnected the sensor side…

              • brendanm on 19/01/2025 - 12:54
                +1

                @onetwothreefour: Do you have all windows auto, or only drivers? If all auto you may have to reset the up and down limits on each window. Steering wheel is also likely a setting lost with battery disconnection.

                • MS Paint on 19/01/2025 - 13:45
                  +2

                  @brendanm: Try holding the window switches in the up position for about 5 seconds each. Often cars need to relearn what is the fully up position after losing power (ie battery disconnected).

                  • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 14:27

                    @MS Paint: Thanks, I'll give it a go.

                    Hopefully it is just a setting and I haven't broken something else.

                • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 14:37
                  +1

                  @brendanm: Yep, the windows are now working from the driver side. I think the steering wheel was that I just hadn't adjusted it back the position it was before so it didn't need to move as much to reset itself.

                  All seems good now, engine warning light was no longer there straight away after I started it up for the first time, hopefully it doesn't come back on.

  • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 14:40
    +9

    Thanks all, appreciate this community. Probably saved a couple of hundred dollars doing this myself, the ozbargain way.

    • elgrande on 19/01/2025 - 20:22
      +1

      Now you just need to fix that cataltic converter.

      • onetwothreefour on 19/01/2025 - 20:40

        I don't think I'll be spending much more money on this car, it is 21 years old now, not that I've had it since new. Will try to get 2-3 more years out of it then get another car.

      • MS Paint on 19/01/2025 - 21:00

        cataltic converter

        Sounds serious.

      • Euphemistic on 19/01/2025 - 21:06

        I thought the blues mobile only needed the cigarette lighter fixed.

  • pegaxs on 19/01/2025 - 23:10
    +1

    Awww… I missed all the fun… but yeah, what brendanm said.

    They will be one of two types and usually come apart far easier if you squeeze them up like you are connecting them first.

    Some will have a tab at the back you push down on, and since they are water tight plugs they take a bit of force to get apart.

    The other similar ones to these have a little tongue you need to lift up to get them apart, but the squeezing them up and bit of force is common for both.

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