Sienna tailgate lightswitch - where is it?

Hi folks,
98 Sienna XLE. I have a situation where the door-driven lights blink and
flash under certain turning and bumpy conditions. I have isolated it to
being caused by the rear way-back door (it had very different blinking
response when I hang 3 bikes on the door). So I figure that is the switch
there.

The thing is, I cannot find the switch! Where is it? And while I am at it
is it easily replaced and how?
Thanks folks
Tomes

"Tomes" <XXtomanml@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:Yy8Re.4859$FW1.4510@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...[color=blue]
> Hi folks,
> 98 Sienna XLE. I have a situation where the door-driven lights blink and
> flash under certain turning and bumpy conditions. I have isolated it to
> being caused by the rear way-back door (it had very different blinking
> response when I hang 3 bikes on the door). So I figure that is the switch
> there.
>
> The thing is, I cannot find the switch! Where is it? And while I am at
> it
> is it easily replaced and how?
> Thanks folks
> Tomes
>
>[/color]

Can't tell you exactly, but I have a 95 Previa and when I get blinking
lights on bumps it means my back door isn't properly closed.

Charles of Kankakee

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 02:26:00 GMT, "Tomes" <XXtomanml@earthlink.net>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hi folks,
>98 Sienna XLE. I have a situation where the door-driven lights blink and
>flash under certain turning and bumpy conditions. I have isolated it to
>being caused by the rear way-back door (it had very different blinking
>response when I hang 3 bikes on the door). So I figure that is the switch
>there.
>
>The thing is, I cannot find the switch! Where is it? And while I am at it
>is it easily replaced and how?
>Thanks folks
>Tomes
>[/color]

After you find your problem...may I suggest you not hang bikes on the
door?

[url]http://www.yakima.com/home.html[/url]

Looks like they have an excellent system just for your van!

--

Scott in Florida

"A Democratic shift to the right risks inflaming the party's Angry
Left base, while a shift to the left would surely cost the party
whatever support it has left from normal people."

James Taranto - Wall Street Journal

"Scott in Florida" <JustAsk@Florida.com> wrote in message
news:hp5ah1psu9kaflf7fr26lbhsa8441nf5cb@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 02:26:00 GMT, "Tomes" <XXtomanml@earthlink.net>
> wrote:
>[color=green]
> >Hi folks,
> >98 Sienna XLE. I have a situation where the door-driven lights blink and
> >flash under certain turning and bumpy conditions. I have isolated it to
> >being caused by the rear way-back door (it had very different blinking
> >response when I hang 3 bikes on the door). So I figure that is the[/color][/color]
switch[color=blue][color=green]
> >there.
> >
> >The thing is, I cannot find the switch! Where is it? And while I am at[/color][/color]
it[color=blue][color=green]
> >is it easily replaced and how?
> >Thanks folks
> >Tomes
> >[/color]
>
> After you find your problem...may I suggest you not hang bikes on the
> door?
>[/color]
Sure, but i am going to do it anyway, as the canoe is already on top. After
doing this for 165K miles, the door still fits well, straight and no air
leaks, properly closed. I really believe that it is a loose switch or the
wire to it if I could only find it. Thanks for the tip tho.
Tomes

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 03:48:00 GMT, "Tomes" <XXtomanml@earthlink.net>
wrote:[color=blue]
>"Scott in Florida" <JustAsk@Florida.com> wrote in message
>news:hp5ah1psu9kaflf7fr26lbhsa8441nf5cb@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 02:26:00 GMT, "Tomes" <XXtomanml@earthlink.net>
>> wrote:[/color][/color]
[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
>> >98 Sienna XLE. I have a situation where the door-driven lights blink and
>> >flash under certain turning and bumpy conditions. I have isolated it to
>> >being caused by the rear way-back door (it had very different blinking
>> >response when I hang 3 bikes on the door). So I figure that is the
>> >switch there.
>> >
>> >The thing is, I cannot find the switch! Where is it? And while I am at
>> >it, is it easily replaced and how?[/color][/color][/color]

Don't know for sure about your car, but on my Cruiser it's built
into the tailgate door latch assembly, triggered when the striker
lever reaches the end of it's throw at fully latched. That way there
are no exposed switch pins to bend or break. Toyota tends to recycle
good ideas, so you might try looking there.

And if that doesn't fix it, consider the wires in the flex tubing
between the tailgate and the body. After you've opened and closed the
rear door a few thousand times (or flexed it back and forth with the
weight of the bicycles...) the tail-light wire or the ground wire can
break and go open intermittently - and nobody thinks to look there.
[color=blue][color=green]
>> After you find your problem...may I suggest you not hang bikes on the
>> door?
>>[/color]
>Sure, but i am going to do it anyway, as the canoe is already on top. After
>doing this for 165K miles, the door still fits well, straight and no air
>leaks, properly closed. I really believe that it is a loose switch or the
>wire to it if I could only find it. Thanks for the tip tho.[/color]

I would second the suggestion, at least for your next car. The
doors weren't built to have a lot of weight hung off them, especially
with a lot of lever arm from a long bike rack. One bike, okay - but
blast over an unsigned 'Dip' at full speed with three, and you can
bend the hell out of the door.

I use a receiver hitch and a hitch-mount bike rack, myself. Done
right, they'll take a LOT more abuse before something bends or breaks.

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

"Bruce L. Bergman" <blPYTHONbergman@earthlink.invalid> wrote in message
news:nhfbh1tkajcda3aunrgcmrftj436su9v9n@4ax.com...
<snip>[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> >> >98 Sienna XLE. I have a situation where the door-driven lights blink[/color][/color][/color]
and[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> >> >flash under certain turning and bumpy conditions. I have isolated it[/color][/color][/color]
to[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> >> >being caused by the rear way-back door (it had very different blinking
> >> >response when I hang 3 bikes on the door). So I figure that is the
> >> >switch there.
> >> >
> >> >The thing is, I cannot find the switch! Where is it? And while I am[/color][/color][/color]
at[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> >> >it, is it easily replaced and how?[/color][/color]
>
> Don't know for sure about your car, but on my Cruiser it's built
> into the tailgate door latch assembly, triggered when the striker
> lever reaches the end of it's throw at fully latched. That way there
> are no exposed switch pins to bend or break. Toyota tends to recycle
> good ideas, so you might try looking there.
>
> And if that doesn't fix it, consider the wires in the flex tubing
> between the tailgate and the body. After you've opened and closed the
> rear door a few thousand times (or flexed it back and forth with the
> weight of the bicycles...) the tail-light wire or the ground wire can
> break and go open intermittently - and nobody thinks to look there.
>[/color]
Thanks Bruce, these are 2 very good thoughts that I will pursue.

<snip>[color=blue]
> I would second the suggestion, at least for your next car. The
> doors weren't built to have a lot of weight hung off them, especially
> with a lot of lever arm from a long bike rack. One bike, okay - but
> blast over an unsigned 'Dip' at full speed with three, and you can
> bend the hell out of the door.
>
> I use a receiver hitch and a hitch-mount bike rack, myself. Done
> right, they'll take a LOT more abuse before something bends or breaks.
>
> --<< Bruce >>--[/color]

Yep, I think I am beyond changing my ways on this car, and point taken for
the next one. The thing is that we often load up with the bikes (a 4th
inside), the pop-up on the trailer hitch, and a canoe on top. I have
considered rigging a mount on top of the trailer for the bikes, but balked
at drilling holes in that. This Sienna has certainly done the job for me
over the years.

Also, by the way, the main hang point for the bikes is straps at the top
edge of the door (Thule). The base of the bike rack sits on the bumper
which takes most of the weight (it appears to be a pretty high percentage by
my eyeball reckoning), so when I do hit those bumps (been there), it has
been OK thus far.
Tomes