Intermittent alarm sounding…. (2001 LC)

[Cathar_Knight]

Intermittent alarm sounding….

I have a 2001 LC with almost 320K miles J

Today on my commute into the office a strange whining sound started. It is at that odd frequency that is hard to localize but after pulling over to confirm it wasn’t coming from the engine compartment I was able to localize it to the dashboard area. I stopped all the fans and turned off as much of the electronics as I could – no change. I also stopped and restarted the car. There was a brief pause (about 20 seconds) and the whining returned.

I took it to the local repair facility and after checking it out they could not determine a cause. They did say that Toyota had issued a “service bulletin” for the fuse box to be replaced in the event of a similar problem. My fuse box is apparently the original hardware. It was never updated. Has anyone run into this issue before? Any confirmation on what solves this problem?

Thanks,


Mark

PS. I posted another thread a year or so ago regarding my door locks. I can only lock and unlock the doors using the key FOB and of course manually. The internal buttons for locking and unlocking the doors electronically no longer works. I was never able to isolate a root cause and have gotten used to working around this issue. Not sure if these problems might both be related to the fuse box. Thoughts?

 

[Justin Alderson]

From a previous experience I had with a '94 Ford Explorer... do you have the venting set to fresh or recirculate and does it make a difference when you switch it?

They did say that Toyota had issued a “service bulletin” for the fuse box to be replaced in the event of a similar problem.

Did they give you the Service Bulletin number?

I've been fighting a door locking, key/remote programming, alarm sounding issue for the last few months. I finally put it out on the forum, but haven't received any responses yet. Below is the thread I posted to:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/re...oors-but-door-switches-do-lock-unlock.512912/

While I haven't yet taken the leap and replaced the "CONTROLLER & JUNCTION, INSTRUMENT PANEL", I've come to the conclusion that just about anything to do with the locking, key/remote/programming, alarm, etc. might be related to this controller. In my 1999, it's about the size of an external hard drive (~4" x 6" x 1") and clips in the dash above and a little forward of the radio unit w/easy access once the radio is removed.

I'm guessing the likelihood of this being the cause of your issue is pretty low, but wanted to throw it out there just in case.

Also, don't forget to checkout the lexus forums as you may find your issue/solution there:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/lx-1st-and-2nd-gen-1997-2007-202/

 

[Marshmallow]

We recently had locking issues (random re locks, alarm going off while driving, etc.) narrowed it down to the remote fob, issues went away when I pulled its battery, and was fixed with a new battery. Try the simple stuff first.

John

 

[Smapty]

We recently had locking issues (random re locks, alarm going off while driving, etc.) narrowed it down to the remote fob, issues went away when I pulled its battery, and was fixed with a new battery. Try the simple stuff first.

John

You mean you replaced the battery in your key and that fixed things?

 

[Justin Alderson]

I purchased a CONTROLLER (see my post above), located behind the radio in the dash. Much to my chagrin, that used $200 part didn't fix the issue. No change at all.

My door lock motors were very slow and I sometimes had to click it multiple times to get it to lock. I purchased the motors off eBay for cheap and replaced them... note there seem to be two different types and I originally purchased the wrong type, so pull out the assembly and crack it open first, then order the type you have. There are other threads re:replacing the motors out there, so no need to repeat it all here. I did mess up the passenger door unit though and had to buy a full assembly.

In the end I replaced all 5 and that solved it for me. Don't remember if it was the tailgate lock or maybe one of the rear doors that was actually the culprit.

Wholeheartedly agree with John! Start with the easy (and usually cheaper) options first, before going on the the complex stuff. I still have that $200 controller if anyone needs one btw.

Good luck and please let us know what ended up being the issue.
/JA

 

[Justin Alderson]

Looked up my solution post on a diff thread and apparently have selective memory.

remote does not unlock or lock doors, but door switches do lock / unlock

The alarm had worked prior to replacing the door locks and a combo of weak battery in the key and screwing up the passenger door assembly caused the problem... much to my embarrassment.

The local Toyota repair shop I used resolved the key issue and I replaced the passenger door lock assembly (being a pro at getting in and out by that time).

Sorry for the inaccuracies above. Good luck!

 

[Smapty]

Yeah I have been told by a mechanic to try replacing the door switches (not the actuators). Gonna check that out!

 

[Smapty]

By the way when you say "door lock assembly" what do you mean? A picture or part number would be really helpful!

 

[Dwight S]

If you go to Toyota, they will sell you complete door lock actuator assemblies for your truck. They cost $$$$ EACH. If you research door lock actuator motors on MUD, you can find multiple threads about opening up the actuator assembly in each door and replacing the small electric motor that is failing, causing the door lock issues. Read through those threads and be careful removing the actuator assemblies and opening them up because if you break something, then you have to replace the complete assembly.

 

[Smapty]

If you go to Toyota, they will sell you complete door lock actuator assemblies for your truck. They cost $$$$ EACH. If you research door lock actuator motors on MUD, you can find multiple threads about opening up the actuator assembly in each door and replacing the small electric motor that is failing, causing the door lock issues. Read through those threads and be careful removing the actuator assemblies and opening them up because if you break something, then you have to replace the complete assembly.

But the switch is different than the actuator isn't it? I've already replaced my actuators using that Camry actuator hack and the alarm still sounds.

 

[Dwight S]

Yes, switch is different from actuator. I have always thought that the lock not fully disengaging is the cause of the alarm.

 

[Smapty]

Yes, switch is different from actuator. I have always thought that the lock not fully disengaging is the cause of the alarm.

I mean anecdotally it seems like there is a link from people's posting. I paid for a consult with a Toyota mechanic and he said that he would look at the door switches - not actuators - as the primary cause of my alarm sounding. I'll post my eventual fix for this because it's driving me insane. Currently taking the battery offline every time I park lol!

 

[2001LC]

Intermittent alarm sounding….

I have a 2001 LC with almost 320K miles J

Today on my commute into the office a strange whining sound started. It is at that odd frequency that is hard to localize but after pulling over to confirm it wasn’t coming from the engine compartment I was able to localize it to the dashboard area. I stopped all the fans and turned off as much of the electronics as I could – no change. I also stopped and restarted the car. There was a brief pause (about 20 seconds) and the whining returned.

I took it to the local repair facility and after checking it out they could not determine a cause. They did say that Toyota had issued a “service bulletin” for the fuse box to be replaced in the event of a similar problem. My fuse box is apparently the original hardware. It was never updated. Has anyone run into this issue before? Any confirmation on what solves this problem?

Thanks,


Mark

PS. I posted another thread a year or so ago regarding my door locks. I can only lock and unlock the doors using the key FOB and of course manually. The internal buttons for locking and unlocking the doors electronically no longer works. I was never able to isolate a root cause and have gotten used to working around this issue. Not sure if these problems might both be related to the fuse box. Thoughts?

I've seen similar issue when water runs down the inside of "A" Pillar into electronics. If you been in rain, snow or car wash lately try drying out for few days.

This may be the TSB they spoke about:
From the TSB... EL00202, NHTSA # 629437
ALARM NOISE FROM COMBINATION METER
Service Bulletin : EL00202 - FEB 22, 2002 NHTSA Item #: 629437
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Intro:
Some 1998 – 2002 model year Land Cruiser vehicles may experience a continuous
chime/alarm noise emitting from the combination meter after the vehicle has been started or the key has been turned to the “run” position after the bulb check has been completed.
The Cowl Side Junction Block was upgraded from January 2001. For further
improvement, the Wire Harness (Instrument Panel Integration) has been upgraded to correct the above condition.

Applicable Vehicles:
1998 – 2002 model year Land Cruiser vehicles produced within the VIN range
shown below.

STARTING VIN: All 1998 Model Year
ENDING VIN: JTEHT05J#12007563

and
STARTING VIN: JTEHT05J#12007564
ENDING VIN: JTEHT05J622020543

 

[Justin Alderson]

By the way when you say "door lock assembly" what do you mean? A picture or part number would be really helpful!

Sorry for the confusion. Thanks to those of you trying to clarify.

The door lock assembly was really the black-box actuator assembly... the one the replacement motor sits inside. It sits a little below armrest level inside the door and has both mechanical and electrical connections. The best pic is on the following thread:
Door Lock Actuator Replacement

Then there is the key lock cylinder associated with the outside door handle, which also has an electric connector (this is part of what screwed me up). I can't find a good picture of this online so will find the one I took at the time and post it.

Then there is the interior "armrest" controls for window & lock, as well as the manual lock/unlock. I didn't have any problems with these components.

I'll try to be more clear on the terms in future posts.

/JA

 

[Justin Alderson]

Then there is the key lock cylinder associated with the outside door handle, which also has an electric connector (this is part of what screwed me up). I can't find a good picture of this online so will find the one I took at the time and post it.

1999 TLC, interior passenger-side front door, back of key-lock cylinder.

1999 TLC, interior passenger-side front door, electric lock sensor cap that snaps on to the back of the key-lock cylinder. 2 views.

You should be able to see how the notch in the center of the sensor fits onto the back of the key-lock cylinder (looks like the head of a screw). That and the small plastic connector where I accidentally broke the 2nd one off... only allowed me to place that sensor 2 different ways. I picked wrong and that sensor would send signals to the ECU that the door was unlocked.

I doubt this will help in your situation, but it may help someone down the road.