Higgie

My 2009 LS 600h:
I park the car, i turn it off, the steeringwheel goes to park position.
Then, when i open the door i hear a sound like a electric motor.
What's that sound? My GS 450h did exactly the same.
Auto handbrake on or off makes no difference.

jamodeo

iTrader: (1)

I think you are hearing the electronic break (ECB) system winding down/checking itself, something to do with that. My GS460 did the same thing, and the gs450, gs460, ls600, and ls460 all have ECB. If you open up the hood and have someone shut off the car for you you'll hear the buzzing coming from the break (I can't think of what its called right now) box that pressurizes the system.

-Joe

jmcraney

I believe these sounds are from the Evaporative Emissions Control System. It sounds like a motor, but it is really a pulse modulated solenoid that is used to create a vacuum to draw fumes into a vapor canister for storage until the next time the engine is started. These systems, usually referred to as "EVAP" were mandated on US automobiles several years ago. They work whenever the engine is off but only when sensors detect high vapor levels and use very little power because of their short duty cycle and therefore are only a very small drain on the battery. That sound can be disconcerting but is normal and no reason for concern.

dal20402

I've only had the car ('08 460 SWB) for about a month so I'm still trying to figure the electric motor/servo noises out, but the car makes an awful lot of them shortly after being parked. There's one from under the hood which I think is the evap system, as mentioned. There's also one from inside the dash (blend door?) and occasionally the soft-close doors or power trunk will make noises when not being closed. I do wonder about battery drain since typically my car sits during the week and is driven only on weekends.

jmcraney

I don't recall hearing other noises other than the EVAP sounds. As for the noise in the dash: seems like I have heard that before, seems like there is a vacuum operated damper and the sound may be normal or perhaps the results of a vacuum leak. The noises that you hear around the doors may be the Auto-Relock. It is normal for the auto-relock to operate for certain conditions - when the doors are unlocked, with either the remote key or the door-touch, and at least one of the doors or trunk is not opened within a customizable delay (I think the delay has options of 30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds). If you are experiencing inappropriate auto-relocks, then you may have one or more defective doorjamb switches. The normal action of the doorjamb switches inhibit the auto-relock as long as at least one of the doors or trunk is opened before the delay expires. Many of these cars have experienced defective doorjamb switches. Defective doorjamb switches compromise several of the car's safety features, may cause the headlights auto-off feature to not work and may allow you to lock your key in the car along with an infant or pet. It does't take long to check those switches and to be hypersensitive to their operation for a little while until you are confident that they are okay. Check them out!!

dal20402

Thanks for the tip on the door switches. I'm pretty sure mine are working fine -- I haven't seen any of the anomalous behavior others have reported. The noise I hear from the doors from time to time sounds like it's coming from the soft-close mechanism, not at all like the locks. The manual says that mechanism may activate from time to time when the doors aren't closing and it's not a cause for concern. I just wonder if it happens at other times (when I'm not there) and if so what the impact on battery life is. I know these cars are hard on batteries... every one I looked at seriously enough to examine the service history had multiple battery replacements, including the one I bought, with the most recent just a couple of months before the previous owner sold it.

jmcraney

Well, if you are concerned about your battery, the easiest way to get a grip on that is to monitor the battery's State Of Charge with a voltmeter, checking when you first stop the engine and then again after some extended period. Car batteries have a self-discharge rate of 2 - 20% per month - typically most batteries are closer to 2% per month and you have to take that into consideration.

Here is a temperature compensated SOC table for lead- acid batteries that will give you a good indication of how much you battery's charge is being impacted. It is dependent on having an accurate, high resolution voltmeter but those are available at a reasonable price.

I think it is a myth that these cars are "hard on batteries." These are very well designed, stable, automobiles and batteries work the same in these as they do in most other cars. I think the "hard on batteries" reputation is related to the defective doorjamb switches.

R Z

Prior to opening the door it's pretty quiet!

sprtent

iTrader: (1)

I don't know if i'm talking about the same noise, if it is then in the Prius forum we think the car does this to re-apply pressure to the hydraulic brake booster system, getting ready for you to drive; it's totally normal when you open the driver door after a few hours of non-operation.

A reason why this noise got talked about is because it may cause problems during brake works. Otherwise this goes un-noticed. The worry is while the caliper is off, opening the door will trigger this pressuring to happen and might push the caliper pistons totally out, causing lost of pressure and fluid and might trigger a dash full of lights (and a tow to the dealer). Thus Prius owners either disconnect the battery or NEVER open the door when doing brakes, or take it in.

superdenso

The noise you hear is the steering wheel lock. You don't have a key so the wheel lock is electronic. You can test this by turning off the car and trying to turn the wheel. It should turn a bit. Open the door, and listen for the servo. Next, try to turn the wheel and you will find it quite stubborn. Enjoy your LS

Higgie

Just tested it, and you're right! It's the steering wheel lock.
Thanks for solving this mystery

superdenso

Goodmorning Higgie, you are welcome...we are here to help each other enjoy our purchases. Toyota builds beautiful and reliable cars

CJITTY

My 600 does same thing..my car makes noises often. They sound official but sometimes they come out of nowhere lol

dfrosch

Thanks super!


My 2010 LS makes this noise. This has bugged me since I got it about five months ago. Your test confirmed it.

Dryrunner

iTrader: (1)

Its the sound of money...