Buggeroff6

I just came from an independent dealer, who was ready to use a scanner and spend hours diagnosing what I have felt from seat, or foot of pants. The scenario I know well after about a year owning the 2002 sc is: when I go driving TOP DOWN, open air, nominal exterior temps (60-87F), after about 20 mins around town, I start feeling a slow but searing sensation at my feet. It seems to get a bit worse at 35mph or so, and settles at a stop light-BUT DOES NOT COME FROM THE LOWER SIDE CENTER PANEL VENT OUTLET..ONLY FROM SOMEWHERE UP ABOVE THE PEDALS. IT MAY BE ALIEVIATED SLIGHTLY IF I RUN VENT FAN, BUT ALL CLIM. CONTROLS OPERATE NORMALLY
Here's the weirdest part: I SWEAR, this does not happen with roof closed. The shop pointed out a couple of vacuum TSB's on my car-2002-but I just don't understand what would be causing the cabin air with top down to be enough force to pull an engine heat flap open onto my feet.
Does anynone know of a scenario like this? I remember my mom's XJ6 and Olds Cutlast in 70's and 80's were "designed" to force a bit of air into the cabin even when all vent/ac/heat was off...supposedly this was to keep anyone from not having enough air, I guess.
I assume this is a costly diagnostic to pay a tech, even though they say everything's got an electronic fail code. I just think there's something physically opening, but why it wants to ruin my top down driving (at first I thought my foot was getting a suntan)....?

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure if you're experiencing a true problem. There has always been a complaint of drivers that say that they feel heat when the top is down on their feet. I believe this was an intentional element by Lexus designers. I'm not sure of the purpose of such a design element. I recently had my Lexus Customization (C-Best) features changed and there was an option to turn off this "fan feature". Since I've turned it off, I do not feel the heat on my feet when I drop the top. Just something to think about before chasing down a gremlin that might not be a true gremlin. Here's the link...https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...-function.html

Buggeroff6

That is incredibly helpful-you saved me sev. hundred dollars w. a indep. repair shop who wouldn''t find that adjustment...all they had was info suggesting there were vacuum issue TSB reports on Lexus scan tool results. I doubt they'd ever find this "optioin"!! Thanks again!

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

I really hope this solves your problem. Please give us a sit rep when possible.

Habious

This is one of those things that I've never been able to sort out. You just learn to work around it. Here's a post I made about it back in 2012.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...ml#post7428362

(and THAT post references a post by JohnnyCake from back in 2007)

I've fumbled around with the C-BEST settings at the dealership. Each time, i was sure I "got it", only to have the demon rear its ugly head again and again.

On my car (03 model) the problem is predicable and repeatable, but the dealership was never able to tell me why, or come up with a solution for it.

Toysled

Thank you for posting this thread!! I always feel the heat blowing upwards from the foot well and could never understand why it does that. I can add this to my C-Best things to do list.