As I promised a few days ago, I got around to taking of fthe glove compartment and will show where the ECM is. Many refer to this as the ECU or Engine Control Unit, but Lexus says it is Engine Control Module.

Anyways, on both side of the glove compartment you will notice two screws as show in the picture below. Open the the glove compartment to take of the top screws and close the glove compartment to take of the bottom screws. Only 4 of them, so it ain't hard.

 

Next there is an underpanel beneath the glove compartment when it is closed and it is quite easy to pull out.

 

The glove compartment also comes off very easy after taking off the screws.

Then you should see the following.

The ECM is a vertical silver piece just to the right of the CD player and just to the immediate right of those two yellow wires (has two little diagonally placed screws on it.

 

This is a closer view. It is held together by one two screws. If you look at where those two diagonal screws are on the top of the unit, the top screw to take the ECM off is immediately to the right and you see the bare side angle of that screw. The other screw (and I forgot to take picture of it) is on a clamp that just out from the bottom and to the front of the ECM unit (not hard to find). The 4 harness inputs are the only other things you need to take to do to take it off.

 

One other view. Nearby is the passenger compartment air filter (where it say UP).

 

do not mean to bring this thread from the dead (great DIY on how to access the ECM, by the way), a friend of mine in Europe claims that the ECM on his 2006 RX400H got fried, so he is looking for a replacement. naturally, he is pinging me to see if I can source one out in the US. natural place is to go to the dealer but I am sure the unit isn't cheap. are there any second-hand units that are worth looking for? I wonder...

 

You can check fleabay.

Word of caution would be on US/Canadian/European ecm. They may be the same, but I think they are different for various gauges and display [MPH vs KPH and degrees C vs degrees F]. Some home work is needed.


Salim