I get a very annoying high pitched electronic whine on an AM radio station that I like. It occurs all the time. Its like a grounding problem. It is so bad I can't listen to the station in my 2009 LS. Only one station, AM 810, has the issue. I don't have ML. Just a regular radio. No other radio issues.

Anyone have this issue? How did you fix it? I am in Kansas City.

 

Factory or aftermarket radio?

It's normally the sign that something under the hood is making a spark it should not. Common causes include spark plugs and alternator.

Could also be a coil pack or other high voltage part.

 

I think jgbackes has given you some very good advice in his response at Post #2 above.

The noise you are hearing is probably due to a broken spark plug or defective spark plug wire or some defective ignition component that is allowing a high-voltage arc to occur. Often you can see these arcs while the engine is running if you remove the engine covers and look while the car is in a very dark area. And you can often hear them too.

The reason that only one station seems to have this problem is due to the signal strength of that station. Because of the modulation and detection technique employed in AM radio, weak signals are more susceptible to noise than strong signals - the Automatic Gain Control circuitry decreases the noise in the presence of stronger signals. The arcs are like spark-gap transmitters in that they generate very broadband RF signals, much like lightening or EMPs and the noise produced by those occurring at the tips of the spark plugs is shielded by the engine components (block and heads) and the spark plugs usually have builtin resistor that helps with that too.

Fixing this problem will likely improve your engine performance - more power, better gas mileage.

 

Lexus dealer looked at the whine noise in the AM radio. Diagnosed it as antenna grounding connection corrosion where the antenna is grounded on the power steering rack. Yes, the power steering rack in the engine bay. Bottom side.

$140 repair is not covered under Toyota Platinum Warranty. Claims that corrosion is wear and tear.

I kid you not.

 

Heh, nice. I'm sure I could define many failures on a vehicle as wear and tear, like any of the computers failing, yet they'd be covered. I get not covering parts, like brake pads, whose job is to wear. But I'd think an antenna lead would be considered a non-wearing part, that should not corrode too quickly. Did they solve the issue at least? It'd really suck to pay that and then not have the issue fixed.

 

Being repaired next Thursday. Told them I wasn't paying if it didn't fix the issue. Lexus tech said he had fixed an identical issue a few months ago. Swears that is the issue. I will let you know.

 

Greetings from Holland (not the one in Michigan - the one in Europe).

I'm writing to thank you for solving a problem I had with AM reception. I have a LS 460 and over the last few months, my AM reception was getting steadily worse and, especially, when turning the steering wheel.
Being a baby boomer and remembering all the problems I used to have with old cars and radios, I reasoned that this was, probably, an earth fault. However, in a machine as modern as a Lexus, where to look?

In fairness, my local Lexus garage was very helpful and, since I have an extended warranty, they tried various things including a new battery ?????

I decided to try Google and found this thread. When I mentioned this to my Lexus garage, they were very sceptical but agreed to send the car to an auto electrical specialist. I sent this thread to the specialist and they fixed the problem in 30 mins. It was, as you suggested, the earth lead on the electrical steering box.

So, once again, thank you........I can now listen to the BBC at my leisure ( I'm a Scot living in Holland)

 

pasirris21, glad it helped you.

The technical improvement listed on my repair order was as follows: Removed corrosion from the EMPS Rack Connector and Waterproofed the EMPS Rack Connector with DI-Electric Grease.

The waterproofing prevents this bad connection from occurring again. The repair 100% fixed the whine on my LS AM reception. The corrosion issue is not that common, but does occur occasionally on cars in snowy areas that use salt on the road....at least according to the technician.

 

Does anyone have a picture or an idea where the EMPS Rack Connector is located on the LS's steering rack? The whine is back. I want to see what the issue is.

 

Lexus repairs are guaranteed for 12 month/12,000 miles. Take it back and tell them to fix it again.

 

My car has exceeded the 12K miles. Thus I would have to pay for it....again. Anyone have a picture or an idea where the EMPS Rack Connector is located on the LS's steering rack?

 

Could use some forward going help on this