Stark

I have an intermittent rattle that sounded like it was coming from the steering column. After removing the cover and sticking my head down there while driving it sounds like its coming from somewhere around the coin box and knee airbag area.

It's driving me nuts, and I can't reproduce it.

Help !

dunnojack

bummer. another unusual rattle.
maybe it's another dashboard rattle.

Can you record the sound to mp3 or something?

Stark

I have been driving around all day with my steering wheel cover off,the speedometer completely removed, and the panels down by my legs off. It's crazy - it may happen on a smooth road, a rough road, completely stopped, it doesn't matter. Right now I'm thinking it may be coming from the windshield wiper/turning signal area.....maybe from all the harnesses attached to the steering wheel?

I'ts definitely NOT coming from the dashboard.

Help! I'm going crazy! I'm gonna be dreaming about this till I figure it out.

I'll see if I can get an mp3 of it, or video if that's better. Someone else has got to have dealt with this.

dunnojack

holy *hit. you took everything apart?

I'm too chicken to do that.

Your rattle may be coming from the engine compartment, and being transmitted into the cabin.


I don't think anyone here has a louder rattle than my back window rattle.

Stark

Lexus has made it super easy to pull panels off - great clips.

I've narrowed it down to the steering column, or behind the speedometer. I don't believe it's coming from the leg area panels.

Will continue my search for peace and quiet!

dunnojack

are you being sarcastic?

because easy-2-pull panels would make it easier to rattle, wouldn't it?

Stark

No - not sarcastic at all. It's really easy to take this whole dashboard/panels/everything apart. I'm armed with a phillips screw driver and nothing else. I just pull on the corners of each panel slowly and they come off easily. Try this one, pull on your center vent above the stereo/nav screen - it just pops right out and pops back in. The screwdriver I used to remove the instrument cluster - 4 screws.

RobF350

you drove around with no speedo?

hope your dealer does not access the car's computer and see the differnce in mileage and raise some eyebrows

Stark

The thought didn't even occur to me......with the digital odometer I would think it doesn't matter whether it's connected or not. Is the memory held in the cluster unit, on on the onboard computer?

RobF350

its held in the car's computer, might also be in the ABS computer as well.

otherwise everyone would just unplug thier speedo and drive around.

Stark

right, so are you saying that the correct mileage won't be displayed on the odometer?

RobF350

im sure you have not been driving around that long, but yes- the mileage wont be right on the odometer.

you could send that cluster out and have it corrected, some dishonest people do that, but it still does not flash the car's computer if someone was doing it to hide mileage. The real sneaky ones access the car's systems and tell it what they want it to say.

Stark

I probably put 10 miles on it with the cluster out.

Anyways, I think I fixed it. Butting up against the back of the steering wheel is a collar that snaps on to the blinker/windshield wiper assembly. There are 3 places where it snaps onto the connecting pieces - it seemed kinda loose, so I pushed it tight against the back of the steering wheel by partially disconnecting the 3 connectors - they are still connected, but only half way which puts constant pressure on the collar. Seems to be fixed - I HOPE...................

toneman

It varies, although I guess I'll have to take RobF350's word that on the ES 350 the odometer reading is stored in the PCM or similar. Not all vehicles electronically store the odometer reading in some place other than (or, in addition to?) the cluster itself--on my GMC Yukon Denali, the odometer reading is stored solely in the cluster...confirmed even by GM service techs and GM-approved speedometer repair shops; they've pretty much stated that, unless they can obviously tell that the cluster has been removed for whatever reason, there would be no way for them to dispute the validity of the odometer reading.

RobF350

thats odd because even back when they first came out with digital odometers the mileage was stored at least in the ABS module as well.

I would think in the days of OBDIII and what not that it was in more places then just the odometer.

Does your state emissions/safety inspection just plug the cars in? Thats how they do it here- so the car tells the inspection machine how many miles are on it, cant see the cluster communicating with the inspection machine through the diagnostic port, but I guess if the dealer said the cluster only he must be right.