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I was poking around under my car while doing the tranny service when I noticed on the passenger side of the sway bar there is a link and lever that goes to what looks like a sensor of some kind.
Is this some kind of travel indicator? I can't seem to find any information on this from Google.
I was poking around under my car while doing the tranny service when I noticed on the passenger side of the sway bar there is a link and lever that goes to what looks like a sensor of some kind.
Is this some kind of travel indicator? I can't seem to find any information on this from Google.
Does your car have the factory bi-xenon headlights? This is probably the sensor for the auto-leveling headlights.
When I changed my sway bar I was wondering the same thing. Could it be sensing vibration? I don't think it would be for the headlights because there is no real correct position for it, it just tightens onto the bar anywhere within about a 3-4" area. Someone want to take it off and moving it around while their lights are on? That'd be pretty cool if you could steer the lights around with it though.
The sensor detects movement (pitch). The signal is used to adjust the headlights to not blind drivers of oncoming vehicles when you're going uphill and gives you more visibility when going downhill. It can be installed upside down and your lights will point downward to just a few feet ahead of the car. You would have to do significant work to get it to generate signals to allow something different/flashy.
The sensor detects movement (pitch). The signal is used to adjust the headlights to not blind drivers of oncoming vehicles when you're going uphill and gives you more visibility when going downhill. It can be installed upside down and your lights will point downward to just a few feet ahead of the car. You would have to do significant work to get it to generate signals to allow something different/flashy.
So you could mount the sensor inside and have adjustable headlights. My Tundra has adjustable headlights on the dash, you can manually move them up or down as required.
So you could mount the sensor inside and have adjustable headlights. My Tundra has adjustable headlights on the dash, you can manually move them up or down as required.
I think if one really wanted to, one could fabricate a variable signal source and mount it in the cabin. You would need to figure out how the signal from the sensor is used, where it goes, and its parameters. If the signal is used by the ECU to then control the light position you could be inviting disaster. ECUs are not cheap. This is not something I would undertake.
So you could mount the sensor inside and have adjustable headlights. My Tundra has adjustable headlights on the dash, you can manually move them up or down as required.
My CLK with the standard halogen bulbs has a 4 position dial for adjustment depending on how heavily laden the car is... but the xenons have no requirements for this due to this sensor.
Beam axis adjustment is also possible within the headlights themselves to get the proper setup. But other than varying loads, I do not know for what purpose one would want to adjust the headlights..
I was bored today and I didn't like the fact my headlights seemed like they've been pointing too low for some time. I took a look at the sensor... Found out there can be a big difference in headlight level depending on how you put it on.
#1: The angle of the plastic joint should face forward > not backward < . Mine was backward. #2: The further up the sway bar toward the sway bar link the higher the lights will aim. In order to see the movement the car needs to be running when you play around with the sensor. With my car in the garage the lights moved up and down the inside of my garage door by about 1-2 inches. Tried to upload a video but it seems only pictures can be uploaded.
You can see in the photo, the line from where the sensor was attached and where I moved it to in order to.
Last edited by TechSuperstar; Apr 21, 2018 at 06:40 PM.
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Front sway bar sensor
