SilverSprt

I couldn't agree with you guys more. That sound is extremely annoying if you don't have the stereo on. I wanna kick the glove compartment box, but that wouldn't do any good. =[

jazba

i thought it was my cd changer....

MellonC00

Trust me it's not the CD changer. I listened to the CD changer while it's in operation and while it is not. The noise occurs no matter what.

Has anyone been to the dealer about this?

clearm3

own a 99 rx300 and have the same problem

we went to the dealer and they claimed it was fixed. I didnt hear the noise leaving the dealership so all was well till today and the noise came back. Now lexus wants me to bring the car in as soon as i schedule something. I offered to drive the car down now while i had the noise and they claimed every technician was busy. I simply asked if they could just send 1 outside to listen for 1 minute so they could pinpoint it for another day when i bring the car back. They told me no though the bastards. All i asked for was 1 damn minute.

What pisses me off about this noise is it;s not consistent. Just pops up at random times so you cant replicate the noise when needed.

coastie

I've got a noise in my 01 RX also. I located my problem in what I believe is the air temperature servo; on the passenger side of the console, below and behind the glove box (gotta remove the glove box and the lower kick panel on the console). The servo was chattering, I greased the slides, reseated the connector and exercised the servo by adjusting the cabin temperature setting. Thus far it seems to have corrected the problem. If not I'll order a new servo and replace it myself (hopefully the problem isn't some sort of temperature controller).

goofball

First of all, the sound you are describing is a chipmunk in the dashboard scratching to get out -- it isn't a clicking noise; it isn't roaches and it for darn sure isn't a steel ball rolling around.

Now, on a more serious note, the sound is a solenoid trying to actuate over and over and over again... well if you are living with this, you know what I am talking about. Alas, there is a simple solution. Pull the glove box and locate the item shown in the attached figure. It is behind the CD changer and towards the center of the car. Unplug the wire; wait a few seconds, and then plug it back in. There is probably a more technical term for this, but the problem was actually a stuck solenoid.


Now if I could just figure out where that dead chipmunk smell is coming from.

code58

It's not a stuck solenoid, as Goofball says. I spent my life in automotive work and have dealt with this several times. It is the motor getting weak that moves the "mode" door. The tiny little motor inside was made for a Mattel toy and the brushes wear out and the motor just doesn't have the power to "make it over the hump" You can actually watch it try to go over-center (there is an over-center spring to keep it in the position it is trying to get into) and not be able to make the grade and the "dying geribal" sound is it's unsuccessful attempt. You can remove the servo, CAREFULLY take it apart, clean with solvent and re-grease with some "electrical grease" and many times it will work again, and other times the brushes are just too worn and it still doesn't have the strength needed. What you are cleaning are the contact strips and contacts, not anything inside the motor. It is just the servo that moves the door.

A tip: To get to the phillips screw that is behind the tube, use a #1 philips screwdriver rather than a #2. The #1 will stay in the slot better when on an angle, which you will definitely be, to get the screw out. Or, I have used a stubby phillips 1/4 hex bit in a 1/4 in. ratcheting box end to access it because of the close quarters.