My 2004 ES330 started making a very odd sound/noise today (90k mi) from behind the glovebox, sort of like a hamster is back there playing around. Clicking, Popping, Mechanical type sound. It happens whenever the car is running, regardless of whether the A/C is on/off, but when the A/C is working hard it is much more apparent. After searching around here it sounds very similar to the A/C servo issues that I found in the RX section... Does the ES300/ES330 suffer from this same servo problem? I guess I need to remove the glove box and start some diagnostics to figure it out, but I'm just not looking forward to doing so.

Thanks.

I have a similar problem. However, in my case it sounds more like a geiger counter than popping. Did you have any luck investigating?

Take the cabin filter out and check the fan below it. It is possible that there is some debris bouncing around on top of the fan.

i found on my wife's car that it was the linkage having to do with the temp selector. it was binding up & you could hear it moving/clicking. i found that when changing the temp, it would either stop or at least not be as noticeable. we havent changed it out since it looks like a pretty involved job.

Thanks for your input. I'll check on both and post my results.

I figured I would post an update. After a quick look under the glove box it appears that my servo/damper is the problem. I need to figure out the part number so that I can order a replacement and install it though; I'll update when I get time to do this.

Mine has done that sporadically for years. Let us know how that works out...