Cleaning the hybrid fan motor and filter

[Mr_Groundhog]

4 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

In CT air intake to hybrid battery is next to rear seat:

  

Why Lexus did not take a tube from AC is not for me to understand, nice clean cool air to keep temperature down. Where it is, clothes etc. could easily block air intake.

Ah right so it is the same filter we're mentioning here, only for the CT. Do you also have to dis-assemble half the boot to access it?

[Las Palmas]

1 minute ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Ah right so it is the same filter we're mentioning here, only for the CT. Do you also have to dis-assemble half the boot to access it?

No, it takes less than a minute to take the filter out, and a minute more to dust it off and very little time to put the filter back on.

Do not know if there are more filters, though.

[Mr_Groundhog]

17 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

No, it takes less than a minute to take the filter out, and a minute more to dust it off and very little time to put the filter back on.

Do not know if there are more filters, though.

You mean in the CT it takes a minute, not in the IS ? The other people in this forum are saying how it takes them about an hour

[Las Palmas]

39 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

You mean in the CT it takes a minute, not in the IS ? The other people in this forum are saying how it takes them about an hour

Have never been in the IS so have no idea what it is in that. We have the tiniest of Lexus and are OK with that.

[Notamech]

Finally did this today. Took only around 15-20 mins to remove the fan and the filter. Cleaning it took really long but thats because i opened the fan and cleaned the fins thoroughly. My car is at around 91k and i think it was never cleaned. I was shocked at what came out. Glad i cleaned it. 

[IS300FSPORT]

To add this was mine at 46,000 miles or when it was 6 years old I have since comittted to doing it every 2 years. Keep in mind it has been withhin the main Dealers network since new! For those that prefer the Lexus stamp in the service book its questionable considering we pay top dollar for the reassurance!

I Dont know why its not a service item, in fact I know why more revenue for dealers when a customer has a warning cooling performance low for the Hybrid Battery. Blocked vents will impact Battery life in the long term however because most cars will be out of warranty by then its not their problem.

[Notamech]

1 hour ago, IS300FSPORT said:

To add this was mine at 46,000 miles or when it was 6 years old I have since comittted to doing it every 2 years. Keep in mind it has been withhin the main Dealers network since new! For those that prefer the Lexus stamp in the service book its questionable considering we pay top dollar for the reassurance!

I Dont know why its not a service item, in fact I know why more revenue for dealers when a customer has a warning cooling performance low for the Hybrid battery. Blocked vents will impact battery life in the long term however because most cars will be out of warranty by then its not their problem.

Yeah it's like their transmission fluid that lasts a lifetime. What they don't tell you is their idea of a lifetime is the warranty period. Given the amount of crap that came out I think it should definitely be taken care of at one of the major services. It doesn't take too long to do. 

Also i dont know if they do this already but just makes sense to have a simpler design with a serviceable cartridge type filter like we have for for the ac. Might be easier for their technicians and also DIYers to do. 

[Mr_Groundhog]

On 3/25/2023 at 7:37 PM, Notamech said:

Yeah it's like their transmission fluid that lasts a lifetime. What they don't tell you is their idea of a lifetime is the warranty period. Given the amount of crap that came out I think it should definitely be taken care of at one of the major services. It doesn't take too long to do. 

Also i dont know if they do this already but just makes sense to have a simpler design with a serviceable cartridge type filter like we have for for the ac. Might be easier for their technicians and also DIYers to do. 

When I hear them say something "lasts a lifetime" I think of the first girlfriend (or boyfriend) you have when you're 16 and you think it will be forever...

[ColinBarber]

On 3/25/2023 at 6:04 PM, IS300FSPORT said:

I Dont know why its not a service item, in fact I know why more revenue for dealers when a customer has a warning cooling performance low for the Hybrid battery. Blocked vents will impact battery life in the long term however because most cars will be out of warranty by then its not their problem.

There is a lot of over capacity so in a climate like the UK it isn't an issue for older cars with some efficiency lost (not aware of any Battery failure as a result of this on these forums). The driver should know there is an issue long before it is an actual problem because you will hear the fans spinning faster and for longer than what you may be use to.

It might only take 20 mins but that would add £80+ to a major service. Maybe they should do it every 60k/6 years as a compromise, but they should also be doing things such as lubricating brake pins etc which is a cause of actual problems that owners suffer.

[IS300FSPORT]

2 years in since I last cleaned the Hybrid filter/mesh & cooling fan back in 2021 done less than 10k it was very lightly covered in dust pictures wouldnt really pick it up. Although this time round I removed the vent panel located next to the rear right seat to see if any dust or dirt built up & it was pretty clean safe to say it doesn't need attention for at least 3-5 years unless you regularly travel with pets or have a dusty environment.

No tools required just make sure your reseat the rubber seal properly around the frame otherwise you risk water coming in. 

On Youtube seen a couple of videos people are fitting filter screens to the vent to aid better filtering. Watch from 3:20 onwards

Good to get your thoughts if its worth finding one compatible with the IS300H?

 

 

[Mr_Groundhog]

Ah one day I will gather the courage to try and do it.... Lucky I only have 26k miles on mine for now...

[IS300FSPORT]

1 hour ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Ah one day I will gather the courage to try and do it.... Lucky I only have 26k miles on mine for now...

Its a 1 hour job if that.. & the hardest part is removing the plastic push clips for the trim panels. 

26k is low but whats the age of the car? I'd give it a once over & then forget about it for a couple of years. Although it will warn you cooling performance is low if it was blocked anyway.

Heres one from a Prius guessing its had hard life with mega miles.

 

[Notamech]

2 hours ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Ah one day I will gather the courage to try and do it.... Lucky I only have 26k miles on mine for now...

Id say do it. Give it a go you will feel good about doing it once you've done it. Mine is a 2014 with 90k and the dirt build up was significant. Below is a before and after of the fan i took the fan apart and cleaned it thoroughly but feel like you'd be good even if you just clean the filter. 

[Mr_Groundhog]

3 hours ago, IS300FSPORT said:

Its a 1 hour job if that.. & the hardest part is removing the plastic push clips for the trim panels. 

26k is low but whats the age of the car? I'd give it a once over & then forget about it for a couple of years. Although it will warn you cooling performance is low if it was blocked anyway.

Heres one from a Prius guessing its had hard life with mega miles.

 

You want me to have a nightmare today! 😜

[Mr_Groundhog]

3 hours ago, Notamech said:

Id say do it. Give it a go you will feel good about doing it once you've done it. Mine is a 2014 with 90k and the dirt build up was significant. Below is a before and after of the fan i took the fan apart and cleaned it thoroughly but feel like you'd be good even if you just clean the filter. 

Maybe this summer bank holiday will be a god time! Is there a risk of breaking any of the clips?

[IS300FSPORT]

29 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Maybe this summer bank holiday will be a god time! Is there a risk of breaking any of the clips?

Your more likely to lose them than breaking them, just remember when you unplug the cooling fan connector to remove it from the car make sure you plug it back in unless you want a brown pants moment. (Error messages) 

The Rest is easy!

"Whats the matter with you! There is no tomorrow!" 

 

[Notamech]

2 hours ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

Maybe this summer bank holiday will be a god time! Is there a risk of breaking any of the clips?

Naah its super simple. You can do it with basic DIY skills. Just follow one of the videos online. All the clips come off quite easily. The only part i was a bit concerned about before I gave it a try was pulling out the entire rear plastic trim but even that came off quite easily.