2011 ES350 doesn't blow heat, help!

[CMRX]

Good afternoon, fellow forum members. I'm kind of at a loss here... maybe someone here can guide me in the right direction. Does a 2011 ES 350 have a heater control valve? I'm looking for it, but can't find it. I've followed both hoses that go to the heater core (without taking anything apart) and see nothing there. Is it hidden somewhere in the engine bay? I've seen diagrams for the ES300 online and they show it has one, but I can find anything on the ES350. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

[RX400h]

7 hours ago, CMRX said:

Good afternoon, fellow forum members. I'm kind of at a loss here... maybe someone here can guide me in the right direction. Does a 2011 ES 350 have a heater control valve? I'm looking for it, but can't find it. I've followed both hoses that go to the heater core (without taking anything apart) and see nothing there. Is it hidden somewhere in the engine bay? I've seen diagrams for the ES300 online and they show it has one, but I can find anything on the ES350. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

CoPilot:

Quote

The 2011 Lexus ES350 does indeed have a heater control valve, but it can be a bit tricky to locate.

The heater control valve in the ES350 is typically located under the hood, near the firewall. It's often hidden behind other components, so it might not be immediately visible. Here are a few steps you can follow to help locate it:

1. Check the area near the firewall: The heater control valve is usually located on the passenger side of the engine bay, near where the heater hoses connect to the firewall.

2. Look for the heater hoses: Follow the hoses that run from the engine to the heater core. The heater control valve is usually situated along these hoses.

3. Consult the service manual: If you have access to a service manual for your vehicle, it can provide detailed diagrams and instructions for locating the heater control valve.

If you're still having trouble finding it, it might be helpful to have a professional mechanic take a look.

 

[TNflash]

The heater control valve may not be the problem.  Your engine thermostat could be stuck wide open. This would keep your engine from getting up to operating temperature. The thermostat being stuck open can cause other serious problems over time. Your engine will carboning up inside, causing sticking rings, and poor gas mileage due to the computer keeping the engine running rich in warmup mode to cut down on air pollution. After you drive your Lexus, see how much heat is coming off the radiator. If it isn't more than just warm, you have found your problem. Toyota (and Lexus) also installed heat and air servo damper motor gears made of plastic. They become brittle over time and break apart or strip out. They usually make a clicking noise when the gears strip. When they go you can loose the heat on the passenger side if the damper motor, located on the right of the glove box under the dash, goes out. You can also lose the ability to switch from defrost vents to cabin vents if the damper motor gears go out on the drivers side. You can easily check the operation of the dampers by seeing if the air flow switches between the vents as you change the air flow mode settings.The gears are hard to find and people that have them charge almost as much for them as buying the whole damper motor drive unit. So, if the dampers are the problem just replace the motor assembly. The big cost is the labor charge in having to disassemble the dash to get to the damper motor on the drivers side. The passenger side is not too bad.You should be able to get to the damper motor on the passenger side by removing the glove box and using a stubby screw driver to remove the mounting screws. If you do have to remove the damper motor be sure to attach the damper lever before mounting the damper motor. (I will give a plug for YouTube here. You may want to watch.)

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[CMRX]

Thanks, very much! That was very informative. The problem is on the driver's side, it heats well on the passenger vents. I tried opening and closing the vent manually (after removing the old actuator) and it made no difference. Both the hoses that go to the heater core feel warm to the touch and the temperature gauge goes just bellow the halfway point. This leads me to believe the problem lies elsewhere. I read that the HVAC may need to go through an adaptation with a scanner. At this point, it's anyone's guess. 

Edited January 25 by CMRX
Forgot to close a parenthesis.