VSA Trac and VSA Off light is on

[dereklanham]

Here are the details:

- The VSA Trac and the VSA Light come on as soon as the 4 runner starts moving.

- The Check Engine Light is NOT on.

- 2004 4 Runner V8 SR5 4x4

- OBD II codes - None.

- The light came on within an hour of getting new tires. Noticed it right after I got a new Key programmed by the Toyota Dealership. Dealership says the light was on when I went in, but I didn't see it till after I left. (I usually notice these things, but I went right from the tire place to the dealership, so maybe not)

I searched on this, which is why I checked the OBD codes at AutoZone, but no codes came up. Tried it several times.

It would seem that this might have something to do with the new tires, but I can't imagine what.

Thanks,
Derek

 

[sharp4runr]

Try pulling the positive terminal and resetting the ecu. If it comes back up it's an issue. It's possible that the tire guys hit an ABS sensor. As I understand it, VSC utilizes the ABS. If they're something messed up in the ABS, it may throw the VSC lights. This is completely conjecture on my part. It's odd that no error codes are being set.

 

[dereklanham]

Additional information....

After searching some more, I tried a few morethings...

- I checked the gas cap, it is on tight.

- I checked the brake fluid, and it is almost at max... topped it off anyway.

- I will try resetting the computer by disconnecting the battery.

 

[MicaBlue03]

dereklanham, I suspect that the dealer accidentally caused the problem when they connected their "hand held tester" to the OBDII port to program your new key. They likely messed up the "zero point calibration" for the yaw/deceleration sensor.

They should fix what they broke, but if I'm right about the problem (I had something similar happen to me recently) you can fix it yourself fairly easily. The procedure for performing the zero point calibration takes only a couple of wires (to connect some wires in the OBDII connector) and a few minutes. See the last page of TSB BR001-04 or TSB BR005-03. You can find them by searching the Web.

I'd try this stuff (do it carefully, and only if you're comfortable with this kind of thing) first and then go to a dealer, hopefully a better one, if it doesn't work.

 

[dereklanham]

See the last page of TSB BR001-04 or TSB BR005-03. You can find them by searching the Web.

I'd try this stuff (do it carefully, and only if you're comfortable with this kind of thing) first and then go to a dealer, hopefully a better one, if it doesn't work.

I am game to try this stuff, but what is an SST Is that just a Check Wire? Can I get one at the parts store. Which pins are the TS and CG pins on the ODBII connector?

I might take it to the dealer, but might try this anyway if I am sure I can do it right. Not scared to try with reasonable instructions.

Derek

 

[MicaBlue03]

SSTs, jumper wires, etc.

The SST specified (09843-18040) appears in the service manual to be essentially a Y-shaped test lead. It's used in this case to repeatedly connect and disconnect the chassis ground (CG, pin #4) and Ts (pin #14) terminals of the OBDII connector (referred to as DLC3 in Toyota-speak). The connection/disconnection sequence and timing are described in the service manual and in several TSBs. OBDII connector diagram and pin descriptions are in in TSB BR005-03.

Since the OBDII connector is at the lower edge of the dash and pointing down (right above your left foot when you're sitting in the driver's seat) it's rather tough to reach in and do the shorting to the appropriate terminals of the OBDII connector with a test lead. Especially since you're supposed to avoid moving or shaking the vehicle when you're doing this. BTW, the OBDII connector usually has a black snap-on cover over it to keep out grit, etc.

Therefore I took a couple of pieces of wire about 24" long each and taped them alongside each other, and stripped both ends. To make the wire fit securely in the (female) terminals of the OBDII connector I soldered a 3/8" length of metal (cut from a heavy paper clip) to one end of each of the wires. I chose a pin size so that would fit securely in the female terminals of the OBDII connector but wouldn't distort them. I used some heat shrink tubing around the solder joint to reduce any chance of shorting.

After plugging the two pins into the OBDII connector I was able to hold the other ends of the two wires in my hands and touch them together at the appropriate times to connect the pins of the OBDII connector.

This is not very hard to do, and one need only be careful. It's easier to do with the Toyota OBDII tester, of course, and would only take 5 minutes. I suspect that, given the vehicle's behavior and this information and the fact that it happened right after you had them program a key, they would be willing to do the zero point calibration for you. If not, it's a reasonable DIY project using the publicly-available TSBs.

Let me know if this helps. I haven't had time yet to clearly write this up--maybe this weekend.