draco

I'm not sure if this is something common in all RX's (well the 330's & 350's), but when my fan speed for the climate control is set to full, the fan / blower seems to be quite noisey (a distinctive whirrr noise) as it pumps air out of the vent. Is this common? Is there a way around it (of course I could just turn the fan speed down)?

kiwi

what can happen is dirt will build up on the fan blades, or even debris will get stuck in there. best option is to remove the fan to inspect, never know what you will find.

for me, its noisiest at the lowest speed,

it should only be about 3 screws, and the fan motor will drop straight down.

draco

Thanks Kiwi. How do I get to the fan? Is it under the glove box? Any pictures or de-structions to get to it?

Nad1370

The motor is held down by 3 8mm bolts/screws.
Fan is located behind the glove box.
It sounds like there is something stuck in the fan, as Kiwi sugg.
Maybe you'll get lucky and just access it through the cabin filter and pull the debris out.

Just hope it's not a hungry mouse..Lol.

draco

Well I did it the "hard" way and pulled the fan out from underneath the glove box. Fairly simple process to do it. Found one of those stocky / chunky bugs in there and it was sitting against the blades and this seemed to be causing the noise. Removed it and afterwards tested the fan it's as I expect it to be. Thanks for the info.

cmichael

I too have a noise on the passenger side that only appears when I turn on the climate control on a cold morning (fortunately not that often in my area of Florida), I hear a whirring/chirping noise. The noise is not present on warm days when the AC kicks in. I'm wondering if it's a heater coil or fan motor causing this.

draco

My previous noise was caused regardless of the temperature or whether the AC was on or not. Mine was consistantly making the noise when the fan was turned up to full speed. Not sure what your noise might be, but it might be worthwhile checking the fan to make sure that there is nothing impeding it's progress or something wrong there.

draco

To get to the blower unit / fan, do the following:

1) On the passenger side of the vehicle, move the passenger seat all the way back
2) Remove the black cover underneath the glovebox (it justs pulls down). The tabs are quite strong, but we careful not to use to much force.
3) You will then be able to see the blower motor sitting there. It has 3 star shaped screw/bolts that need to be removed (found a ratchet was the best way to get these un-done).
4) The blot that is closest to the glovebox can be a bit tricky, as it sits just above and behind the passenger foot vent.
5) Easiest thing to do here is look for the grey screw (on mine it was gray) that is holding this attached to just above the blower unit. This allows a little play with the footwell vent and allows you to move it towards the passenger seat for a bit more room.
6) Remove blower unit
7) Check it to make sure it is moving freely and that there is no damage etc.
8) To install, the best method I found was to unplug the clip that goes into the fan and remove the alligator clip that holds the wiring away.
9) Put the unit back in, making sure that holes match up (where the bolts screw into, there are 2 rounded triangle recesses and 1 square recess)
10) Screw the bolts in, plug the wire in and have the alligator clip, clip back on.
11) Make sure that you remember to put the screw in to hold the passenger footwell vent
12) Put the cover back on and voila!

Sorry didn't take any pictures while I did this to my car.

Typical disclaimer => you do this at your own risk. I did this on my car and it worked for me, but I can not be held responsible for anything you do that may damage your car and am not held liable in any way shape or form.

Zodiac

iTrader: (1)

What I thought was noisy fan turns out to be something else after I removed the bottom cover from the glove compartment. The noise is coming from the part pictured below. It is right next to the fan. Can someone tell me the part number and the function it has. The noise is driving me insane.

Nad1370

The number should be on the Part itself.

Your looking for a 10 number/letters on it.
Ex.. 90902-xxx20

Zodiac

iTrader: (1)

I see. Do you know the function that part provide? Can I temporary disable it til I get new part?

tomj8

I believe the part may be the Blower Motor Control Relay based on info I was given by a Lexus expert online. He indicated the relay would be right next to the fan motor behind the glove box. My SC400 blows on high speed with deafening noise no matter the fan setting, with the engine jacked up to a fast idle as in Max Cool no matter the setting. Same thing in heater mode - full out fan with obnoxious engine pull at idle. Shut off HVAC and all is quiet and calm. My expert opinion was from a Lexus expert on JustAnswer.com, but I haven't yet tried to check it out. Can anyone verify his "tip" is correctly identifying the problem as the Blower Motor Control Relay?

tom8757

My fan shuts on and off. When its off I go to the screen and put fan on any speed and it doesn't work.
Then after 10 to 15 minutes it turns on again.
I changed the cabin filter a couple months ago.
my fan makes noise when its running
Can anyone help or share what I should do.
Tom