Embarrassing Question!

Mike Floutier · September 29, 2008

Hi all,

With my old car I had the habit of keeping a biro stuck in the air-vent next to the steering wheel.

When I got my Lexus I wanted to continue this but unfortunately it doesn't grip the pen quite as firmly and, yes you guessed it, the pen has fallen into the heating system and seems to be rattling - all very embarrassing!

Can anyone help me out with any ideas as to how I could get it out; it's the vent next to the window.

Many thanks!

Mike :blushing:

jcrome04 · September 29, 2008

Biro? Driver's air vent?

You can take the lower dash apart to get to the vent ducting. You can on my 97 anyways. I'd assume there's a same procedure for your 3rd gen

1990LS400 · September 29, 2008

Since I have one, I would first try using a lighted borescope to fish the pen out. I have the 36 inch VO-36 shown on this webpage: http://www.mdsincorporated.com/VO6.htm As a test, I just now pushed the borescope tube down the driver's side air vent and took a look -- no pot of gold was found.

My borescope came with a variety of hooks and magnets that attach firmly to the tip of the flexible fiber optic tube without interfering with the view through the eyepiece. If your biro has enough metal content, a magnet might grab on to it. I originally bought my borescope after my wife dropped her favorite ring down a small floor vent. $270 was a small price to pay to stop her crying.

Or, try an inexpensive collapsible magnet -- mine looks like a small six inch auto antenna with a magnet on the tip. It expands to about 36 inches. I don't think it is meant to be bent much but you might be able to force one down the duct work leading to the vent register.

The borescope is more "fun" though -- I can see what I am doing when using it.

If all else fails, you may be doing a bit of disassembly.

landar · September 30, 2008

Cool beans, 1990ls400! Never knew such a device existed. And when not working on the car its good for a colonoscopy :D

Mike Floutier · September 30, 2008

Thanks guys,

Well, there's no metal in it and in terms of cost/benefit I don't think I'm going the boroscope route so I guess I'd better start hunting down the bit in the workshop manual dealing with heater dissasembly. I find the hardest bit is actually finding things in the manual, i wish there was a search facility.

Thanks again!

Mike