bclexus

Thanks for that information - very helpful!

Did either end of the ductwork that delivers cooling air have a filter of any kind?

Is there any additional information you can offer about this topic that may be helpful to others?

Thanks again!

Adicar

There was no filter. Everything is easy to understand and assemble.

bclexus

Now we just need to get @peasodos to take a look to see what kind of dust is on his fan after 128k miles.

You got this!

bclexus

@peasodos - A bunch of us were counting on you to reveal your findings! What happened?

bob256k

I bet Lexus is depending on the Cabin air filter to filter out anything before it gets to the battery cooling. I wonder if there is a way to turn on the "pass thru filter" mode on the AC permanently. I know you can turn it on , but I dont know if it is persistent. Good news is the cabin air filter is cheap, works very well and is easy to replace regularly. You can find 3rd party filters on amazon for under 20 and change it out every 3-6 months, thats what I do.

bclexus

@bob256k - The air from the HVAC, filtered or not by a CAF, is not what seems to clog-up the hybrid's traction battery cooling blower/fan and related ductwork. The debris that clogs the blower/fan and ductwork appears to be made up of stuff bought into the cabin primarily by cabin passengers (e.g. clothing fibers, hair, skin flakes, dust, grass particles, etc.), not through the HVAC system. This clogging happens primarily because Lexus decided not to use intake filters on the early (2012 - 2014) GS 450h models. In fact, it's my understanding that many of the early models Lexus nonsensically had a filter placed at the extreme far end of supply ductwork (that is much like where the CAF is in the HVAC system which is understandably so for pollen and odor control)! Only beginning in 2015 did Lexus start using filters directly underneath both the driver and passenger side GS 450h air intake vents located at the rear seats next to the door jamb. This is where the clogging debris needs to be filtered (trapped) before it gets to the blower/fan... They finally got it right!

lockedlex

FWIW, I noticed when putting rear heated seats and power lumbar, my 2013 with 130k miles had almost a new looking fan/ductwork. There was really no dust or debris in my car and the ductwork was clean. Also since it is a 2013, #nofilter.

gripau1

Thanks BCLexus for the write up. I have a 2020 model and just notice the mesh filters on each side of the rear seats. I haven't had a chance to really look if it is easy enough to remove the mesh filter grill and blow air from the opposite side. Its very clean at the moment but as time goes no I bet it will accumulate dust and lint.

How easy is it to remove and clean these mesh filters?

bclexus

@gripau1 - You're very welcome!

For late model GS 450h like ours that have the mesh filters behind the vent grate openings I just use a strong vacuum cleaner when vacuuming out the car to remove the tiny bit of cabin dust it collects. I've never attempted to remove the vent grates

F4RT

Unfortunately, I looked over the information for 2013 GS 450H and it has 2 motors, one on each side. The passenger side gets to cool the main battery, is the lower battery cooling blower, and the driver side is the battery related hardware that is upper side. Seems like there is a need to remove the hybrid battery junction block assembly to access the driver cooler, does not seem straight forward.
Update: I was able to scope the passenger side, and I saw that the blades of the blower looked well, there was no hair or major debris. On the driver side, the ducts had too many turns, and I could not scope to see the blower. The ducts looked 'meh,' not where I would need to clean them out, but probably where they would benefit from a clean out, so I just assume the same thing for the blades of the blower as well.
I also took a chance that the filter and sheets of the later models would fit the tubing for the 2013, so I ordered:
G92DH30130 Filter
G92J130040 Sheet
G92DH30140 filter
G92J130050 sheet
I don't know if it will work, but I do know that if it does not fit perfectly it is probably better to not install something that can be dragged into the blower and burn out the motor, one of the many times when it is better to not introduce a problem when everything is pretty good. I don't have any battery temperature codes, and my work is purely preventative.