2001 Lexus Es300 Cd Problems

[Gotalexus?]

Hello everyone,

Have a 01 lexus es300 with a 6 cd changer in the glove compartment. The changer has power when i press eject it ejects i can here it doing its thing! On the radio player its self the tape works when clicked aswell as the fm/am but when cd is clicked nothing happens the tape or fm keeps playing

[gbhrps]

gotalexus?,

I've torn apart a lot of car electronics over the years and the fixes that commonly correct what you are describing usually track down to about three problems. The only way to correct them is to remove the unit from the car and take the case apart and look for the obvious, and then test from there.

The CD mechanism runs on motors and pulleys driven by rubber bands and gears. Frequently the rubber bands dry out and break with age or the gears break. Ocassionally a motor will die.

The control panel with the buttons is tied to the circuit boards that power the unit with ribbon cables. Ocassionally one mini wire in the ribbon cable will lose contact. Sometimes just unlocking the ribbon cable and reinserting it in its connector is all that is required.

The most common problem is a dirty switch that needs cleaning or replacing. Sometimes electrical contact cleaner is all that is needed.

On top of all this is a switch on the control board that has a cold solder joint. It could be many issues, but usually comes down to something simple.

Myself, I'd tear it apart and see what I could find. You on the other hand, have to decide whether to pay to have someone dig into it, or look through the wrecking yards for a replacement. Toyota used to have an exchange program for these units. Give them the old one to refurbish and they gave you a refurbished one for say $200 exchange. Maybe they still do. Worth checking out.

Good Luck!