Traction battery life - clean cooling fan & filter?

[David Batchelor]

Many websites advocate regular cleaning of traction Battery cooling fan and its filter, to prolong Battery life. Some say every 60,000 miles, some say annually. The fan & filter are extremely difficult to reach in my 2015 IS300h Advance. This cleaning not included in routine servicing specified by Lexus. What are members’ experience and recommendations? What does Lexus say?

[wharfhouse]

24 minutes ago, David Batchelor said:

Many websites advocate regular cleaning of traction battery cooling fan and its filter, to prolong battery life. Some say every 60,000 miles, some say annually. The fan & filter are extremely difficult to reach in my 2015 IS300h Advance. This cleaning not included in routine servicing specified by Lexus. What are members’ experience and recommendations? What does Lexus say?

Lexus doesn't say to do anything and it's not in any service schedule. The car will throw an error if the hybrid Battery is not working as it should due to eg insufficient cooling. Some on here have cleaned the filter - there is a good write up with images. Some have found the fan and filter dirty and some clean - may depend on whether you carry people / goods in the back frequently that shed materials that will get into the filter. Potentially lower mpg may be a symptom as the hybrid Battery may not be performing optimally if the filter is blocked. 

FYI my car is approaching 10 years old and has done 150k miles and I've not touched the filter and mpg is as good as when it was new. I am thinking of having a look within the next few months if I can find the time to do it but I don't feel in any rush as I am not experiencing any issues. 

[David Batchelor]

Thanks for this, Wharfhouse. Yes, if the Battery overheats or fails, an error message will come up. It will eventually fail a Hybrid Health Check. But by then the damage may have been done, according to those who advocate cleaning the cooling fan and filter. The battery’s life may have been shortened as its cooling system is increasingly obstructed. Has Lexus ever commented on this?

[wharfhouse]

26 minutes ago, David Batchelor said:

Thanks for this, Wharfhouse. Yes, if the battery overheats or fails, an error message will come up. It will eventually fail a Hybrid Health Check. But by then the damage may have been done, according to those who advocate cleaning the cooling fan and filter. The battery’s life may have been shortened as its cooling system is increasingly obstructed. Has Lexus ever commented on this?

Like many other things that people (and particularly YouTube "experts") comment on, I think you have to ask yourself would Lexus / Toyota with all their many years of experience in designing hybrid systems and many millions invested in R&D and testing to destruction, let the hybrid Battery be damaged in such circumstances (given they warranty it for 15 years with unlimited mileage with regular hybrid health checks) rather than throwing a warning message so someone could clean the filters?

Of course, there is no harm in checking and cleaning the filters yourself so long as you put it back correctly and don't cause any damage or create another issue. 

So if it gives peace of mind then I have no problem with people carrying out such maintenance (and I may do it myself given the age of my car and the mileage) but I personally don't believe all the YouTube "experts" craving views by spreading doom and gloom so they can get their monthly Adsense payments. 

Just my two penny worth... 

[IS300FSPORT]

2 hours ago, David Batchelor said:

Thanks for this, Wharfhouse. Yes, if the battery overheats or fails, an error message will come up. It will eventually fail a Hybrid Health Check. But by then the damage may have been done, according to those who advocate cleaning the cooling fan and filter. The battery’s life may have been shortened as its cooling system is increasingly obstructed. Has Lexus ever commented on this?

+1 consider it as preventative maintenance. It really does vary on the environment & vehicle use. I can only imagine a pet will contribute towards blocking the filter quicker than normal or if your regularly transporting materials that might block the filter than usual i.e recyle centre trips or if it's used as a Taxi. Ask yourself how likely are the back seats going to be used in a pensioners car? This may explain why it takes years for it to surface as an actual problem where the odd owner will get the cooling performance is low warning message. 

For info it is a mesh type of material that filters out the dust from reaching the fan/battery. I have done it twice in the last 3 years its a 30 minute job, looks intimidating but it really isnt. The first time it was evident the mesh had trapped dust around 6 years old may have been the first time it was ever done. The 2nd time I did it was 2 years later & it still looked nice & clean. Modern Hybrids have a paper type of filter that can be replaced I.e the corolla. It's the heat that typically reduces the Battery life.

If it's serviced by Lexus you have nothing to worry about for 15 years after that your on your own.

[David Batchelor]

Thanks again, Wharfhouse. I want and am inclined to believe you’re right. Especially as I owned a first and third generation Prius, both with high mileages, before the Lexus, with no Battery problems. Though I would love to see a specific statement from Lexus/Toyota on this point, that in normal circumstances Battery life is not shortened by leaving the fan and filter uncleaned. Having watched every video I can find, in French and English, on what you have to do to get to that fan and filter, there’s no way I’m going to do it. Can any other members contribute to this discussion? And Lexus, if you’re watching this, we’d like to hear from you!

[David Batchelor]

And thank you, IS300FSPORT, for your most informative comments. As someone who’s actually cleaned that fan and filter, you deserve much respect!

[wharfhouse]

Here is the original thread with how to get to the fan and filter to clean it in case you haven't seen it. 

 

[Rabbers]

See my post Hybrid Battery Fan Cleaning of 14 January 2022 on the RC Forum.  The cleaning job was recommended and carried out with the 45000km service, and I was told at the time that this was the interval recommended by Lexus internationally and not just by Lexus Italy.  Checking back, I now notice that I was not asked if I wanted it done with the 90000km service last year (or, indeed, with the 105000km one only two weeks ago).  I’ve made a note to enquire next time, but I have the feeling there may be different schools of thought about it within Toyota/Lexus.

[PCM]

6 hours ago, David Batchelor said:

And thank you, IS300FSPORT, for your most informative comments. As someone who’s actually cleaned that fan and filter, you deserve much respect!

My UX Lexus Manual says give it ( the vent ) a good vacuuming - which I did....

[wharfhouse]

15 minutes ago, Rabbers said:

See my post Hybrid Battery Fan Cleaning of 14 January 2022 on the RC Forum.  The cleaning job was recommended and carried out with the 45000km service, and I was told at the time that this was the interval recommended by Lexus internationally and not just by Lexus Italy.  Checking back, I now notice that I was not asked if I wanted it done with the 90000km service last year (or, indeed, with the 105000km one only two weeks ago).  I’ve made a note to enquire next time, but I have the feeling there may be different schools of thought about it within Toyota/Lexus.

There is nothing in the service schedule that Lexus publish, at least for the IS 300h. 

[RONNIE W HODGEKINSON]

1 hour ago, wharfhouse said:

There is nothing in the service schedule that Lexus publish, at least for the IS 300h. 

Nor The NX I Hasten to Add...And i don,t see it on the Service Schedule....At Least The one I have..!!

[ColinBarber]

There are several areas where Lexus could do more in the name of preventative maintenance (brake lubrication for example) but that would increase the service costs and make their vehicles look uncompetitive again the competition so they don't. Dust build up within the Battery cooling ducts has become a problem where Toyota now use a filter on their latest models (e.g. Lexus LBX) but on the IS300h this isn't the case.

The issue is more prevalent in hotter climates than our own but even then the issue should be apparent for months/years before it becomes an issue as the fan will just run faster and faster to compensate - the driver should hear that change and get the issue investigated. If the issue becomes so bad, the hybrid system will shut down to prevent damage to the Battery from overheating.

 

I'd personally clean it every 6 years - it really wouldn't need doing more often than this unless you drive a lot of miles, or if you consistently have multiple passengers in the vehicle.

[Rabbers]

2 hours ago, wharfhouse said:

There is nothing in the service schedule that Lexus publish, at least for the IS 300h. 

 

33 minutes ago, RONNIE W HODGEKINSON said:

Nor The NX I Hasten to Add...And i don,t see it on the Service Schedule....At Least The one I have..!!

And nor is it specified as a standard servicing operation for the RC300h.  Nor do I recall seeing any mention of it in the owner’s manual.  It was, I was given to believe at the time, a dealer recommendation intended as a response to customer reports of issues due to non-cleaning.   And, of course, if accepted, as in my case, it provided (provides) the dealer with an extra source of servicing income.

[RONNIE W HODGEKINSON]

7 hours ago, Rabbers said:

 

And nor is it specified as a standard servicing operation for the RC300h.  Nor do I recall seeing any mention of it in the owner’s manual.  It was, I was given to believe at the time, a dealer recommendation intended as a response to customer reports of issues due to non-cleaning.   And, of course, if accepted, as in my case, it provided (provides) the dealer with an extra source of servicing income.

Exactly Renato..!!!

[RONNIE W HODGEKINSON]

20 hours ago, wharfhouse said:

Lexus doesn't say to do anything and it's not in any service schedule. The car will throw an error if the hybrid battery is not working as it should due to eg insufficient cooling. Some on here have cleaned the filter - there is a good write up with images. Some have found the fan and filter dirty and some clean - may depend on whether you carry people / goods in the back frequently that shed materials that will get into the filter. Potentially lower mpg may be a symptom as the hybrid battery may not be performing optimally if the filter is blocked. 

FYI my car is approaching 10 years old and has done 150k miles and I've not touched the filter and mpg is as good as when it was new. I am thinking of having a look within the next few months if I can find the time to do it but I don't feel in any rush as I am not experiencing any issues. 

Sometimes If You Do Anything Do Nothing...!!!!

[Notamech]

I would recommend doing it. Its not that hard. All you need is a ratchet set a flat head screwdriver or a plastic trim removal tool. I did mine at 90k and it was very dirty i pulled out a large clump of crud which was composed of hair and dust. But @wharfhouse is right in saying that if airflow is reduced you will get an error on the dash saying hybrid cooling function low or something to that effect.

Whether to do it or not is completely down to personal preference and your situation. If you plan to sell the car after 3-5 years and just do normal 10k a year dont ferry around too many people in the back you will most likely be fine and can wait until 15 years are up and you no longer have a warranty on the Battery. 

To some people the car is a tool and its fine to treat it like that. To others its a hobby and they tend to pamper it a bit more.