shire

Hi guys, I am here to share an issue I found on my Lexus es 350 2021. I hear faint chirping noise from the HVAC system.
To reproduce it, turn off the music, and then try to change your fan speed up and down, and then you can catch this noise. (The noise does not go away, but you may ignore it if you don't pay attention)
This noise is really bothering me since I am pretty sensitive to this kind of noise since I have had insomnia.

I have brought my car to the dealer, but they cannot do anything about it because they showed me another Lexus es 350 the same model, which has the same noise and is even worse.
They told me there is no fix for it from Lexus, so I am here to bring others awareness about this issue.

If you are having the same issue, you could go to your dealer and tell them to report this to Lexus.
Maybe with enough reports, Lexus will come up with a fix.

shire

The noise is likely associated with the main air blower. It is louder when the fan speed is higher, but the airflow noise at this time can drown the noise.
I am sure the noise is kind of once you get it, you can hardly forget it type.

Brianses7

I'm glad I'm not the only one. My 21' ES 350 does the same thing that's why I turn the music up LOL

shire

Yes, friend, you are not alone.

ESh

It is the bearing of the blower. Open the HVAC filter housing, remove the filter and spray the fan with silicone spray or WD-40. It will fix it.

shire

Thanks for the suggestion, do you know if it is a DIY job I can do by myself? Or does it require a technician to do it?

shire

Thanks for the suggestion, do you know if it is a DIY job I can do by myself? Or does it require a technician to do it?

shire

Thanks for the suggestion, do you know if it is a DIY job I can do by myself? Or does it require a technician to do it?

ESh

DIY, nothing special.

Check on youtube how to remove the filter. The fan is located under the filter, you can touch it with your fingers.

grp52

It should be a DIY job. The "HVAC filter housing" ESh is referring to is the housing where the cabin "Air conditioning filter" is located. See page 339 of the LEXUS 2021 ES250/ES350 OWNER'S MANUAL [pdf version] for directions to access the filter in the glove box. Once you have the filter removed, the blower fan is located directly below where the cabin air filter sets when inserted.

According to parts diagram figures, the blower fan is a squirrel cage type with the central rotating shaft in a vertical orientation. It would probably help to have a light and mirror so you can get a good look at what you're trying to get lubricated with "silicone spray or WD-40".

shire

Thanks! I also checked online about how to get the blower motor out, I will try to do it, and if I solved the issue, I would update with a solution.

shire

Some updates on noise diagnosis:
I have found the exact noise problem in other Toyotas from others' reports.
Here is the video that has the exact noise I heard from my car.

And here is a Toyota thread with this issue: https://www.toyotanation.com/threads...noise.1662910/
So far, this seems not only a Lexus es issue but a Toyota corporate issue, and Toyota has not yet offered to fix it.

About the silicon spray idea, I checked my blower motor, and the bearing is covered under the fan, so I don't think silicon spray will work.
Some dudes in the Toyota thread think it is an issue with the fan speed controller.
So far, the only way that seems promising is to get an aftermarket blower motor, but there are yet many out there in the market, and none of them can outperform the OEM in every aspect.

GoOil97

I have this issue with my new 22 ES F-Sport as well.