LX/40th blower resistor - another way to handle it (1 Viewer)

[shaggy_mutt]

The blower resistor in my LX gave up recently. The usual: fan worked on high, but none of the lower settings did anything.

I picked up a blower resistor for an 80 recently, $13 or thereabouts. Great.

I pull out the resistor from the LX -- being thankful my hands aren't any bigger than they are (it's so cramped that even with a very low profile ratchety screwdriver, I still had to cut down a Philips #2 bit with the angle grinder) -- and realize that the two parts are not the same.

Ah. LX's and 40th's have a fancy version of the heater, with - why not? - a different resistor.

And the resistor for that version is NLA from Toyota. Oof.

I still need a resistor.

It occurs to me, while looking at the broken old one and the new -00220 one (not -00230 like my truck was expecting), that they use the same plug end. That's interesting...

I try plugging it in. We have low speed! Weirdly all 3 of the speeds between high and off are the same, but I'm just happy to have another choice. High, low, off: that's all the more choices the 40 has, anyway.

It doesn't fit the hole in the side of the heater housing, the -00220 is significantly bigger than the -00230. I cut the broken resistor part off of the -00220 so I have something to put back in the hole in the heater housing, remount that, and use the -00230.

Right now, the -00220 is just hanging down below the dash. Any idea how much heat it produces while in operation? From the robust wires going to it I'm thinking it doesn't want to be next to anything too delicate, but maybe that's pessimistic. There would be room for it up above the AC stuff, below the ductwork to the dash. But too much heat for there? Any other suggestions?

 

[baldilocks]

Apparently there is a Denso part number on the side of the original resort which was declared available in this 2023 thread.

1997 40th anniversary/ LX450 blower motor resistor help!

As everyone who has a 40th anniversary or lx450 probably knows, the blower motor resistor (p/n 87138-60230) has been discontinued. In my search for any OEM or even aftermarket replacement, I saw a discontinued parts thread for the 80 series and saw the part mentioned by a fellow mud member...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[shaggy_mutt]

I had read that thread, maybe I'm missing something but I don't see where people found a Denso number that can still be ordered? One poster got one from a place called Advantage Auto, not sure if he meant Advance Auto but Advance Auto doesn't appear to have anything like it.

Edited to add: they also mention Rock Auto, but I don't see one for sale there either - just a rear one

 

[baldilocks]

I had read that thread, maybe I'm missing something but I don't see where people found a Denso number that can still be ordered? One poster got one from a place called Advantage Auto, not sure if he meant Advance Auto but Advance Auto doesn't appear to have anything like it.

Edited to add: they also mention Rock Auto, but I don't see one for sale there either - just a rear one

I saw another thread where aftermarket options at RockAuto were point out that gave high and low and something about adding a part from an LS400 to attain the other blower speeds but I didn’t investigate beyond that post.

Blower resistor for LX450

Hey guys, I am about to go crazy looking for Part# 87138-60230 Blower Resistor for 1997 Lexus LX450. This AC has the automatic climate control, which makes it a different part from the Toyota. Anybody know where to get one? All the usual suspects don't have any and the part is discontinued.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[shaggy_mutt]

Ah there we go! The posting there with the links to the vendors is helpful: even though rockauto doesn't list it for the 96 LX450 anymore, apparently they still sell it. Interesting.

According to that thread it sounds like the AC amplifier has failed in some way. I'll try to keep my eyes peeled for an LS400 next time I'm at pick and pull, they sometimes have one. Wish I knew what year LS they were getting their AC amplifiers from, there were 2 basic generations.

Coming back to the original question I was scratching my head about: how much heat do these things throw off? Enough that I shouldn't just find a home for the -00220 Toyota one somewhere else under the dash? In other words: does Toyota put it inside the airbox to give it a breeze and help it not overheat? Or do they just put it there to get it out of the way?

 

[baldilocks]

Ah there we go! The posting there with the links to the vendors is helpful: even though rockauto doesn't list it for the 96 LX450 anymore, apparently they still sell it. Interesting.

According to that thread it sounds like the AC amplifier has failed in some way. I'll try to keep my eyes peeled for an LS400 next time I'm at pick and pull, they sometimes have one. Wish I knew what year LS they were getting their AC amplifiers from, there were 2 basic generations.

Coming back to the original question I was scratching my head about: how much heat do these things throw off? Enough that I shouldn't just find a home for the -00220 Toyota one somewhere else under the dash? In other words: does Toyota put it inside the airbox to give it a breeze and help it not overheat? Or do they just put it there to get it out of the way?

Other blower resistors I’ve dealt with in previous vehicles were located the same way in the air flow path.

 

[oilbrnr]

The resistors are in the flow of air for a reason, not packaging convenience. That extra energy that would normally be used by the fan motor on high has to be expended somewhere at the lower speed settings, that's the resistor in the form of heat. It will get hot on a high amp circuit like the blower.