90LS400 Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 All: My 1990 LS400 has developed a noise when the fan kicks on for the Heat/AC system. The local dealer here says the problem is with the Blower Motor; either something is in the fan or the motor is itself is beginning to go out. They were able to print out a drawing of the part which shows the fan and motor (#87103A - $394) or just the fan (#87143C - $50 appx.). The noise itself seems to be coming from the passenger side, either directly behind the glove box or underneath it. Two questions: (1) Has anyone else experienced this problem? (2) How do I get access to the fan so I can verify that there isn't simply a piece of paper or leaves that are in there? This forum has a lot of wizards so I'm sure that someone has the answer. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFeldes Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 From larryp...."You can remove the blower motor without removing the entire blower/evaporator unit which should save some time. Removing the whole unit is a pain. You'll have to remove the panels on the passenger side and unplug some wiring harnesses to gain access but there are screws on the bottom of the unit that will allow you to drop the motor out of the unit." That's the panel under the glove box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkansawyer Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Had this same issue on my wife's Echo. Ended up being a leaf that was in the blower making a ticking noise. Took forever trying to get that thing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obergc Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I had some foreign object that was rubbing against the blower squirrel cage fan blades. It was intermittent and would come and go. One day it caught on one of the blades and broke one of the blades off. The motor does drop out the bottom of the evaporator, it's a little awkward getting the screws out but possible. There is a metal rod that attaches to a nylon linkage at the right, rear side of the blower motor that operates one of the doors in the evaporator enclosure and it is a little difficult to get off and reconnecting it is even more difficult. I bought a replacement plastic fan from http://www.lexus-parts.com/ for a total of $26.24 including shipping. Be prepared to spend about half a day on doing the repair the first time, it won't take as long the second time once you know how to get at everything. I think you can get leaves, or other debris in the blower area through the screened air intake area in front of the windshield if you're not careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90LS400 Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 Do either of you have any pictures or diagrams on where exactly this fan is? Are there any special tools needed, or do I just need basic screwdrivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obergc Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 No special tools required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90LS400 Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 Thank you sirs for the excellent feedback! :) Using the diagram above, I was able to gain access to the blower motor and fix the problem. I definately agree that is very awkward getting some of the screws out. After about 1.5 hours, I dropped the blower out of the enclosure and removed a handful of what looked like fiberglass insulation (?) and some pine straw. It works fine now and the noise has gone away. Lexus would've charged for 3-4 hours labor so this information saved me at least $300!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonparekh Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 No special tools required. Thank you very much for the diagram. Had similar problem with the blades being clogged by some noise isolation-type material (the inside furry padding). It was truly amazing how much had gotten into the assembly. Cleared it all out, and no more vibrations/noise. I'd say total time was about an hour and a half with the diagram. jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amcdonal86 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Bah, I hope this is one of those 20 minute jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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