I got into my '05 UL w/ 28K mi yesterday afternoon, started up the engine w/ the door open (too hot), outside temp gauge was reading 118F under the hood. I hit the "auto" A/C button, and nothing! Tried manual, still nothing! Got in the car and high-tailed it 30 min to the dealer (outside temp had stabilized at 108F). Luckily, the rear blower was working although it's not as cold (maybe like 90F) as the front since the A/C lines run under the car and are 6" from 120F+ asphalt (BTW, those lines appear to be uninsulated; has anyone insulated them, as you lose at least 25 degrees of cooling w/o insulation?). I figured out that with the vent set to fresh air, that little bit of air leakage from the car moving combined w/ the cold A/C air was enough to just keep a tiny bit of cool air going until you hit a red light.

I left the engine running when I arrived at the dealer so the tech could look at it. Tech eventually got the blower to work by unplugging and replugging it in, but recommended it be changed (thought the resistors inside might have failed...maybe has something to do w/ the high heat here? Anyways, dealer says they haven't sold a LS430 blower in over a year, so it appears these failures are rare considering there are probably 30-50 LS430's in this town. FYI, list on a new blower is $550. The vehicle is covered under the CPO platinum warranty. Anyone here lose a blower yet?

My loaner car is a '06 GS300 w/ 25K mi. The vehicle has good handling and balance (brakes aren't as good as on the LS but steering is more responsive), acceleration is probably about the same as on a ES350 (doesn't have that lag in the lower gears like the LS in normal mode). It makes me wonder if one could use a GS430 ECU in a LS430 to get more performance?

Two big drawbacks are the top of the dash has a massive reflection in the windshield when driving into the sun and the car creaks a lot (for a vehicle of this caliber and compared to the newer 2008 ES350 loaners w/ 5-10K mi), certainly a lot more than my LS (only sound from the LS is a slight creak form the sunroof headliner cover when driving on poor roads).

 

Thanks for the info on the blower - great that you have the warranty coverage.

 

In the past 35+ years of driving (and nearly as many cars), I've only had one blower motor go out in a 97 Ford Expedition with about 40K miles and no warranty. Before I bought my 02 Dakota, my buddy owned it and I helped him diagnose a failing blower to the resistor block. That was a common problem with Dakotas and a cheap fix since it is separate from the heater motor.

 

think they are rare failures,, been through many cars and never a blower failure, even my first car an old 40 Ford never had an issue with the blower motor, it was a 6 volt system,, anyone remember those,,??

Derry

 

Never heard of a blower going on a LS430 and hardly any a/c issues period.

 

You need to drive more early 90s GM cars to gain experience with A/C problems.

 

I was referring to Lexus LS430 A/C blower problems.

 

I had a blower problem on my 93 LS 400 few years back. Mouse somehow got to the blower and built a nest there. How do they get there is an big question but I do not drive this car in winter. I took the blower out and cleaned out stuff, mostly dry straw and it started to work again.

 

Actually, it is more common on modern vehicles to have issues with the blower *resistor* than the blower itself. And that little resistor can cause ALL KINDS of unexpected mayhem. In my friend's 2001 Volvo S60 which is currently awaiting a resistor replacement (they are backordered), the blower would suddenly alternate intensity while driving, and sometimes we would get in the car and the blower would be running with the car completely off!

 

My son owned a mid-90s Monte Carlo that would do that. I would be doing something in the driveway and hear the blower power on and off like it was possessed. I never thought the resistor block might be the problem. Oh well, my daughter's ex-husband owns the car last I heard. His problem.