kylesc400

i read this article before on how to cushion the cd changer in the trunk so that it wont skip, but it appears the page is no longer up

http://www.lexus.australia.as/entry.htm

it used to be under techinical, then #9 cd changer removal. had pictures and everything, details on what thickness foam to get, how to remove the trunk lining and the screws to get for the cd changer once you have the foam in place. i have a general idea of this but dont know how to remove the lining, what screws to get, and i think the foam is like the kind that fishing hooks come on and its about 1/2 inch thick?

what should i be concerned with when disconnecting the wires from the cd changer? any tricks i should know? can anybody help me in regards to what size/length screws to get and how to remove the trunk lining?

Bentley1

Mine used to skip quite a bit, until I stuck in one of those CD laser cleaners. It's a CD that has a small brush on it that cleans the laser eye. I very rarely get any skips now.

Another thing you may want to look at, would be your rear shocks. You figure, the CD changer sits right above the back right shock. If yours are shot, then the CD changer is getting jolted around more than it should.

Try the little $10 cleaner first, and then go from there if it doesn't fix it. Regardless, you should still clean it on a regular basis.

9inarow

Bentley, would the cleaner help with reading CD-R's? I'd hate to have to change the stereo if I can simply clean it. I may give it a try. Any CD cleaner will work?

Bentley1

I can play CDR's just fine in mine. I use only Imation CDR's, burnt with Easy CD Creator. I've heard a lot of guys complain about not being able to play CDR's on their Lexus system, but then later on, you find out that they are using some off brand of cheap CDR, and they used some free program they downloaded to burn the CD. Amazing how they can think that those types of things don't play any role in whether or not the CD will play in the Lexus. Sure, the Nakamichi is a bit more sensitive than some of the newer CD players out there today, but hell- at least they'll play CDR's if you feed it good quality ones. I've heard of some car stereos that won't play them at all, period.

You can get the CD/DVD laser lens cleaner from any electronics store or record store. I just keep mine loaded in slot 10 of the changer, and clean it for 20 seconds every once in a while.

siniquezu

I tried this before with the 12 disc cd changer. Doesn't the brush get pushed down by the magazine?

pcmw

kylesc400,

The cushioning does work well. What you need to do is pull the changer and measure the distance you have between the bottom of the changer and the bracket assembly. Get some foam about 1/4" thicker. Then you rig the mounts to use that spring effect setup. This just allows the changer to handle the jolts from the car. Another option is to just get a newer changer, or rebuild your changer with the newer parts.

It is not recommended to use those cd cleaner contraptions to clean a changer. They tend to jam the cd feed mechanism.

MW

mynoles1

What actually was the nature of the foam or other cushioning material from that Aussie "fix"? Anyone remember??

Thanks

kylesc400

from the pictures it looked like pretty thick foam, the kind that fish hooks come on. im not certain tho, can anybody could confirm/correct me?

pcmw

Kyle,

Sorry but I do not fish. However, you could use almost any foam with some cushioning effect. Standard density would be just fine. I would think that a nice car wash sponge would even do the trick.

The key to the design on that website was to remove the screws to the frame bracket. This reduces the amount of shock the cd changer takes when you encounter any bumps. I think the best design would be to use several layers of foam glued together, and then cut out a space for the changer in the center. Hence using no screws and just the carpet to hold the foam in place. That would fully isolate and protect the changer.

MW

Bentley1

Hmmm, let me get this straight... It's NOT ok to use a lens cleaner, but it's perfectly OK to rip your changer out, slap some foam down, and install some sort of brackets?????

I have never had problems with the cleaning disc jamming, and I also don't have problems with excessive skipping