Rx440h Navigation Blacking Out

[graywolf]

Another newbie question please. The navigation screen on our new (to us) RX400h blacks out for a few seconds every once and a while as we are on a route. Does this happen to anyone else? Is this a normal function? I looked around the forums and did not find anything on it. I am used to using a Garmin.

[RX400h]

I have owned my RX400h since April of 2005 and that has never happened to its navigation screen.

[Gryphon]

I do not think that is normal. Mine has never blacked out either.

Tom

[Step Hen]

I could imagine the previous owner may have made some "adjustments" to the wiring to the nav unit. If you are out of warranty, I would pull the nav unit out and inspect the wiring. Perhaps there is a loose or cut connection back there.

[mowmow]

Did anyone play with the display button and turn off the screen ?

if not do you still have factory warranty to your RX400h ? if so take it in to the dealer, let them take care of it. No sense messing it around to make it worse

and give dealer a chance to blame it at you later on.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

I could imagine the previous owner may have made some "adjustments" to the wiring to the nav unit. If you are out of warranty, I would pull the nav unit out and inspect the wiring. Perhaps there is a loose or cut connection back there.

Rather than the NAV, I'd look at the MFD. Pulling out the MFD sounds like a huge job for someone who's not used to working on cars . . . but believe it or not, getting to the back side of the MFD is not that big a deal. The instructions come with the lockpic device, if anyone else here has put one of those in . . . they're installed in the wiring of the MFD. It takes all of maybe 30 minutes (even for the non-mechanical) to yank out the radio (part of the disassembly) to then get to the MFD. Most of the actual NAV DVD machines, on the other hand, are located under the tool set, that LEXUS puts under the floorboard. This is just a guess, but I'd think that it's more likely a loose conection would be on the MFD, than on the actual NAV. What year is your 400h ?? and what options ?? Without that data, the preliminary guesswork only becomes more sketchy.

[Step Hen]

By nav unit I meant the display. My mistake. As all wire splicing is done behind the display, I thought that would be obvious.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

By nav unit I meant the display. My mistake. As all wire splicing is done behind the display, I thought that would be obvious.

Sorry myself ... wasn't sure if you meant the MFD, or that some displays WERE up and running but the GPS data ONLY was blanking out. Well the connections on the MFD are modular for the most part. If your new/used car is still under warranty (under 48K miles) the dealer can chase it down. If over 48K miles (and no extended warranty), it wouldn't hurt to root around behind the MFD ... check to see if the connections all look/feel secure. That said, some of the earliest MFD's were subject to recall (you can find the Toyota/Lexus TSB on line) due to cheezy cold solders. Our Prius had one of the bad ones, and the dealer simpy replaced it with (what they call) a rebuilt one. If all else fails, it's not too big a deal to DIY by obtaining a MFD off ebay. They do seem to have them for auction now & then.

Good luck!

[mdchachi]

Another newbie question please. The navigation screen on our new (to us) RX400h blacks out for a few seconds every once and a while as we are on a route. Does this happen to anyone else? Is this a normal function? I looked around the forums and did not find anything on it. I am used to using a Garmin.

This is not normal. Most likely there's a loose connection. This is especially likely if the display has ever been pulled out for service, to add a satellite tuner or any other reason. If the tech didn't plug in the connectors until they "click" then this could cause a problem like this. Or there could be something going on in the unit internally.