Hello, I am in need of guidance please! Does anybody have any idea what the red circled white plastic box is/purpose?

It is attached to the inside of the top of the dashboard, in the middle, a little behind the ac vents (once you pop out the vents, you can see this box) . The wiring harness that runs within the dashboard connects to it with 6 'connectors'. 3 in the front and 3 in the back of the white plastic box. If you have a part number that would help a lot too !
I cannot seem to find ANYTHING about this. Please help!
Thank you

** I have a 2002 GS300 Sport Design

 

It’s kinda hard to say, but it looks to be in about the same location as the clock and hazard switch? Don’t you have access to it? Can’t you get a part number of it? So it just has wires going to it? There aren’t any buttons or anything like that? Is it just hidden there? Or could your access it if the dash was reinstalled?

 

Well, while swapping my dash to a black one, dumb me threw away the previous dash without checking I had taken everything off that was needed for the next one... but I have learned that it is some sort of junction box. I have a solution for it now but feeling very stupid for doing that!! Lol

Thank you for your reply!

 

I am about to swap my tan dash over to a black one. I have to pull it from the donor vehicle this weekend. I will watch out for it. It seems like a job with the potential for problems. I just hope I don’t have any rattling or poor fit and finish. How did yours turn out? Any other advice for me?

 

Hello again!
It does seem like a lot of problems would come from a dash swap but this is my second swap on a Lexus and both have had good end results!
I wasn't able to find many sources on how to remove the GS300 Dashboard so it was kind of just going with the flow type of thing and knowledge from my SC400 Dash swap. I was able to find this https://www.clublexus.com/forums/att...5&d=1167501853 which did help a little too.

Tips:
1. Keep your bolts/nuts in a container/box!! - makes it soooo much easier and convenient when reassembling.
2. Make sure you remove and attach anything you may be missing on the new dash (vents, junction box - this may be year specific to 2001-2005 I'm not sure I'm new to the GS chassis, anything else)
3. Lower your steering wheel before disconnecting the battery
4. Before bolting in the dash, organize/lay out the harness in a way that will make it easier for your to replug in the connectors . Analyze how the harness should generally lay throughout the dash area before you fully commit to bolting it in so you don't have to take the dash in/out if the harness is too short in certain areas or doesn't align with other parts that need to connect with the harness.
5. You may (or may not) need another persons help. I did for both my swaps but I am also fairly new to working on cars.

I also do not have any rattling or noises.
Let me know if you have any more questions! Hope this helps a little - Be patient with it and analyze your situation so you don't have to keep going back and forth with your work. Good luck!

 

Somebody has added a DIY for doing the evaporator core, and that’s mostly removing the dash, so there is some help there, I am going to study it today and then go and pull the black one from its car. I figure that way I can learn doing the removal and then hopefully that will help me to understand what the install will take. I have already swapped my steering wheel and column to black, the airbags are kind of intimidating, I guess I can message you if I get stuck on anything

 

Yup! It's not as intimidating as it seems honestly. Once you remove the black dash, you will have a better grasp of what to do. And don't worry about airbags as long as you disconnect the battery. Once battery is disconnected, all you do is disconnect the yellow airbag connector.
Again, I am a beginner at learning to work on cars and did a dash swap twice before I have even done more simple tasks LOL you got this!

 

I pulled the donor dash last night, it wasn’t to bad excpt my hands are mangled from trying to reach up behind the damn thing and discovering there is a lot of sharp metal waiting to get some dna from me. I have that little box thet you were asking about. I will post some pics later today, umif you still want to know what it is

 

Sharp metal?? I didn't experience that.. I wonder what you may have touched. Also, i figured out it was a junction box! You can still post the photo incase anyone curious who may see this thread

Hopefully taking out the donor dash gave u a better idea of how to go about it and should be easier moving forward. Let me know how it goes !

I've now moved on to 'reupholstering' my headliner and trim pieces with a black suede material ... so far its been ok.. sunroof shade was a pain to remove though lol

 

Ya, it’s just a Union or something to make it easy to deal with the wiring harness. I already did my headliner. It takes some skill to do it right you still want get the Sun visors, overhead console, grab handles etc everything from your donor vehicle that can’t be recovered. I would also suggest getting the headliner material that doesn’t have the foam backing. The thinner it is, the better you’ll like it.

 

Yeah.. I didn't know about the foam thing and used a suede foam backed fabric.. I definitely wouldn't use that again unless the original was terrible. It just made it difficult around curves and corners like the corners of the sunroof cut out section of the headliner.
Have you completed the swap?

 

I was kinda doing it piece meal, I found a nice dash and carpet in a car with shotty seats, so I pulled them out figuring I would use my tan seats till I can find some black ones, and then Monday I came across another one in the wrecking yard with a perfect black interior. It cost me about $300 for all the seats so I have the carpet swapped and the black seats haven’t had time swap my dash yet. I have been watching for a good black interior for a decade with no luck, and no I find 2 in the same week. The dash and carpet is this other car are like brand new, I wish I had known this would happen. It’s just to much work and money to buy a 2nd dash and carpet. The headliner is the next thing I am going to get, I have hated mine ever since i recovered it with foam backed suade. Probably looks good when a pro does it, but my first attempt was disappointing and the mistakes have no eel here to hide in headliner.

 

The first car had the Blackwood center console trim piece in it, someone beat me to the door panels, but I already have all the Blackwood pieces from a Sport Design in my car. But If your interested in it, DM me.

 

I was able to get the foam backed suede on pretty nicely except for some curves and corners ( such as the corners of the sunroof cut out area) were a little meh so that's annoying but live and learn. Otherwise it still looks decent. I am worried how the sun visors will turn out because of the edges may show the foam but we'll see how that goes. I will post some photos when I get a chance.

That's awesome you found some black wood trim! Luckily mine came with the sport design wood trims/ashtray.

 

You can buy suade without the foam, that’s got an adhesive backing that would work much on the sun visors and pillar trim. Also the sunroof slide if you haven’t already recovered them?
https://ebay.us/m/WWrgfd