As per the title, I have a 2010 RX450h. I have recently been reading (and watching videos) about the value of replacing the filter for the fan that keeps the hybrid battery cool. I was able to find a Youtube video that shows exactly how to replace the filter for my Camry Hybrid (and there are some for the Prius as well). I haven't had any success in finding a video (or article/post) for replacing the filter for the Lexus. I presume that it must have one. Minimizing heat is important for battery life. For those of us trying to keep older 450h's running well, it seems that this should be a standard procedure.

I went to a local garage and asked them if they could replace it. They looked into it for me. They spoke to the local dealer who told them that they have never, ever done it. They could also only guess as to what the part was.

Has anyone ever done this? Does anyone have any info as to the part, where it is located and any videos, sketches or articles related to replacing it?

 

I moved your thread over to the hybrid forum.

I suspect the 3rd Generation RX450h does not have a hybrid battery fan filter. My 2011 HS250h does not have one. I read that they were added to later generation Toyota/Lexus hybrids after the first 2 generations, which lacked such filters, had a high number of battery overheat warning lights due to dust build up on the battery fans.

I recently cleaned the battery fan and ductwork on my HS250h. It involved removing the rear seat, then the ductwork. There was an access panel in the trunk so I could get to the third screw on the fan motor. There are youtube videos on cleaning the fan. I sprayed it with Formula 409 then used a paintbrush and toothbrush to scrub it clean, then dried it with a can of keyboard compressed air.

 

I also don't believe there is a filter on this model. I've seen a number of parts diagrams for the battery and blower assembly, never seen any reference to a filter.

 

If they didn't include a filter, that's an interesting and perhaps unfortunate oversight. Obviously, dust isn't good either. On my 2010 Camry Hybrid, there is a filter even though they riveted it into place.

I guess the fallback is trying to clean dust from the fan and the battery. Any videos for that?

 

There aren't hardly any videos I've seen dealing with the rx450h hybrid battery. Here's one from some guys in Taiwan, you might not understand what they are saying, but the video is pretty good showing you the steps to access the battery and blower units inside. If you've watched videos for other hybrid battery remove and replace, you know the components, this just shows you the rx450h particulars.


That being said, or should I saw viewed, seems like a lot of work that might or might not be useful. I see you're in Ontario, so unless you are in rare conditions its unlikely your battery is overheating. I have an app that allows me to monitor in real time the hybrid battery temp and SOC, plus allows me to manually override the speed of the cooling fans if I feel inclined to keep the battery as cool as possible. Even on the hottest days, my battery doesn't get much hotter than 35 to 40C and the blower fans rarely need to come on. The one time I changed it to manual control and set the blowers to max, I was amazed how loud they were. Like driving on the highway with all the windows down. Frankly, it seems like a lot of work to dig down to the blowers for a dusting when there seems to be so much cooling capacity untouched at the moment. Maybe if I spent my summer days in Texas in stop and go traffic, but 'round these parts, IMO dusting the fans would be a hobby project, not a necessity.

But if you do decide to do this, please do make a video for us.

 

Tell me some more about the app you use, what it requires and if it is available somewhere. Since heat is the potential problem, being able to monitor it would be a good thing.

 

Hybrid Assistant


Its available on the Play Store (Android only). You need to use one of their recommended bluetooth ODBII modules (good ones that can transmit data at a high rate). The one I use is OBDLink MX+. The OBDLink app is also pretty good for monitoring vehicle specific system values, including Toyota/Lexus hybrids. The Hybrid Assistant app is really good at real time hybrid related functions and general driving stats, but the OBDLink app itself has some really deep dive readouts. Just yesterday I setup a real time dashboard to view the voltage of each cell block within the hybrid battery. That's going to be my latest point of interest, see how the block voltages are responding under driving conditions to see if any show any non-standard behaviour.

 

Hi Clutchless, On cleaning your battery fan, anything should pay special attention too? do i have to remove the whole back seat (top bottom) including the side panels ( vent for ducting) too?

 

Check this out
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...nts-clean.html

Salim