 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Lexus Cars / May 2009Bad battery or something worse?
For the past 7-10 days, my 1999 LS400 has had a bit of a problem starting. When I turn the key, the lights (instrument panel and headlights) come on, but nothing happens. If I turn the key off and back on, it will usually start within 1-3 tries. At first, I thought it might be an electrical or electronic problem, but I am starting to think that it might be the battery. I noticed that the problem is worse the first time I start it each day. After driving it even a little distance (few miles), it usually starts on the first try. Yesterday and today, I 2-3 times without success. I then turned the headlights off (they are usually left in the auto setting), and it started right up. And the problem seems to be getting worse the past day or so. All this seems to indicate a weak battery. Is that reasonable? About 6 months ago, a door was left ajar, which laft an interior light on for 12-15 hours, maybe more. When I tried to start it, it was completely dead. AAA jumped it. I asked them to test the battery. They said it was not 100%, but difficult to test until fully recharged. When I took it in for regular service about 2 months ago, I asked them to test the battery. They said it was OK. Before I take it in for service, I would like to know what you all think the problem might be and, more importantly, what it cannot be. Thanks >For the past 7-10 days, my 1999 LS400 has had a bit of a problem >starting. When I turn the key, the lights (instrument panel and [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >Before I take it in for service, I would like to know what you all >think the problem might be and, more importantly, what it cannot be. If your battery is close to or more than two years old, REPLACE IT.  Signaturegburnore@databasix dot com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How you look depends on where you go. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gary L. Burnore | ÝÛ³ºÝ³Þ³ºÝ³³Ýۺݳ޳ºÝ³Ý³Þ³ºÝ³ÝÝÛ³ | ÝÛ³ºÝ³Þ³ºÝ³³Ýۺݳ޳ºÝ³Ý³Þ³ºÝ³ÝÝÛ³ DataBasix | ÝÛ³ºÝ³Þ³ºÝ³³Ýۺݳ޳ºÝ³Ý³Þ³ºÝ³ÝÝÛ³ | ÝÛ³ 3 4 1 4 2 ݳ޳ 6 9 0 6 9 ÝÛ³ Black Helicopter Repair Svcs Division | Official Proof of Purchase =========================================================================== Want one? GET one! http://signup.databasix.com =========================================================================== >>For the past 7-10 days, my 1999 LS400 has had a bit of a problem >>starting. When I turn the key, the lights (instrument panel and [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > If your battery is close to or more than two years old, REPLACE IT. Agreed. One other thing to check is the battery cable connections - at both ends. Make sure there is no corrosion & they are securely fastened at both the battery & the chassis/solenoid sides. A "fragile" connection could reproduce the problems you are experiencing. I am new to this group as I just inherited a '93 GS300 with 85,000 miles. Rich On May 14, 9:08 am, <z...@tink.net> wrote: > >>For the past 7-10 days, my 1999 LS400 has had a bit of a problem > >>starting. When I turn the key, the lights (instrument panel and [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > Rich I Agree with Rich. I've seen several strange electrical problems due to bad grounding connections. After a few years (or several years) corrosion starts to build up on the ground connections. Make sure all your ground connections are clean. Take them off and clean them with sand paper or wire brush. I'd also suggest changing the battery wires if the car is about 10 years old. these parts aren't expensive. Good luck, Oskar Why should you have to change a battery every two years? That is maybe valid for junk batteries. What kind of battery do you put in your LS430 or 460 so it gets normal life of 6 to 10 years? And why would you ever need to replace battery cables? The normaly are made of metal and large enough that they offer minimal resistance even if the outer shell gets rusted. >Why should you have to change a battery every two years? With as little as they cost compared to what happens when they croak in the middle of nowhere, it's worth it. >That is maybe valid for junk batteries. What kind of battery do you put in your >LS430 or 460 so it gets normal life of 6 to 10 years? 10 years? Bull. With premium sound systems, sat navigation, and other goodies, batteries take a beating when the car ISN'T running. A few cold winters wear them down too. It's just not worth the trouble of having one die. >And why would you ever need to replace battery cables? Good question. Ends, I could see. Perhaps he refers to the connections on the block or starter end. >The normaly are made of metal >and large enough that they offer minimal resistance even if the outer >shell gets rusted. Corroded. Not rusted. Signaturegburnore@databasix dot com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How you look depends on where you go. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gary L. Burnore | ÝÛ³ºÝ³Þ³ºÝ³³Ýۺݳ޳ºÝ³Ý³Þ³ºÝ³ÝÝÛ³ | ÝÛ³ºÝ³Þ³ºÝ³³Ýۺݳ޳ºÝ³Ý³Þ³ºÝ³ÝÝÛ³ DataBasix | ÝÛ³ºÝ³Þ³ºÝ³³Ýۺݳ޳ºÝ³Ý³Þ³ºÝ³ÝÝÛ³ | ÝÛ³ 3 4 1 4 2 ݳ޳ 6 9 0 6 9 ÝÛ³ Black Helicopter Repair Svcs Division | Official Proof of Purchase =========================================================================== Want one? GET one! http://signup.databasix.com =========================================================================== |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2010 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.