I love my 08 Lexus LS600HL but lately I have noticed when temperature outside is HOT (80 degrees Fahrenheit and over), my lexus has audio issues. It will cut on and off but will eventually start playing again. It never does it when the weather is cooler or cold. Is this a sign that my ML amp is in need of replacement or is there something I can do to help cool down the amp?

UPDATE #1: After searching around the forum and only coming to see that one option was to drill a hole, I decided to buy a PC fan and "ghetto" rigged it to see if it actually does anything? I was able to locate a 12V source and good ground to test out the PC fan. After about 1 hour of carefully inspecting and to make sure everything can be reversed, I finally got the PC fan mod done and I can honestly say this FAN MOD so far is impressive! The fan itself only turns on if the car's ignition is on. So ignition is on but engine is off, the fan is ON! The fan turns off when you shut off your car too. Just a couple simple tools and a 3M double sided tape helped secured the fan in place and now there is constant air flow in the area where the ML amp is located. There is some FAN noise. Its not loud but definitely noticeable. Inside the cabin by where the passenger rear seat is located is where you will noticed a light fan noise. If anyone who owns a hybrid, it sounds very similar as when the hybrid battery is too hot, the fans activate to cool down the hybrid battery. It will only be a tick louder. I did not take pics when doing the fan mod as I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it. So far, there are more pros to the cons and I will keep it installed for now to see if he really helps out during the hot summer days California has. So far, I have it on my vehicle for 1 day! I have driven it for about 18 miles in outside temps showing 89 degrees Fahrenheit. No issues so far. The audio has not skipped a beat and the issues I mentioned earlier on the beginning of the post is non-existent for now. I will update the post if I encounter any issues.

NOTE: IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THIS, THE RISK IS ON YOU. I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ISSUES YOU MAY ENCOUNTER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CONSULTING A PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNICIAN BEFORE TRYING THIS.

Fan info: (Ordered from Amazon)

 

This video deals with Mark Levinson Amplifier failure on the LS460, but with a different cause other than high temperature:


It might still be useful to review it

 

This video shows the locations of various components that can cause some problems:

 

Thank you. I am thinking about installing some PC fans to cool down the amp. According to that video, there is 12v power in the top wiring clip and another on the very bottom of the the wiring clip.

 

UPDATE #2

So i have driven a total of 311 miles in 4 days with temperature outside as hot as 99 degrees. So far, the fan mod is holding up well. NO ISSUES to date and I have not witness sound distortion or audio cutting off. This is HUGE as the audio always cut on and off while driving IN HOT temps!

I know the time is still too short to be calling this an effective MOD but so far, it has been working great. Will report back if I run into any issues and closer to the 1000 mile mark.

 

great work idoke1! i may have to try this as well!
have you reinstalled the liner cover over the amp yet too?
i'm sure that would make the area hotter

 

Yes, the cover is installed too. I'm very certain it gets very hot in there. I do believe the fan does an adequate job and provides good recirculation of air so the temperature in that area doesn't keep rising.

 

Have you considered trying something like this:

Inexpensive Ice Gel Packs

https://www.bunnings.com.au/esky-lar...1398&gclsrc=ds

It is not as elegant and permanent as the hard wired fans, but it might be worthwhile for someone not confident with auto electrical modifications - like me.

If it did turn out to work, that would be a means of verifying, and prompting a trip to the professional auto electrician.

 

Update #3

So far, I have driven over 1,126 miles. I did encounter an issue where the audio did cut off for a quick couple of seconds and then come back on. This was in recent temperatures with 100+ degrees. It did cut out twice during my drive but to be honest, the road was very choppy and I was in sport mode for the suspension. I was listening to my MP3 CD on the audio at the time so it kinda felt like like the audio had been skipping from the choppy/bumpy road. Those were the only issues I encountered. So far, under normal road conditions, I believe the FAN modification has really helped the Mark Levinson AMP from over heating and causing the audio to cut off completely during temperature of 80 degrees and higher. I am honestly impressed with what that little FAN modification can do.