denslexusgx470 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 It's caught my attention that I need to ask advice regarding my issue. At first I didn't mind the idea that the lights in my 01 RX300 slightly flicker when the car is turned on. It started to annoy me when my headlights were acting up. I installed HIDs in my RX300 but after a couple weeks my left headlight started to act up. Sometimes it will turn on, sometimes it won't. It's getting annoying so I'm trying to find a solution to this. I had a talk with a retired Lexus service manager and he mentioned that this vehicle has alternator issues. I had a new rebuilt alternator installed and that didn't solve the issue. Before the alternator was installed though the battery couldn't maintain the charge. Now according to the dealer, after installing the rebuilt alternator the battery is properly recharging. My question is, does anyone know what is causing my lights to flicker? It only flickers when the vehicle is turned on. Once the car is turned off, lights don't flicker. The HID kit sometimes turns on when the car is on, but when the car is turned off, the left headlight seems to have a hard time firing up. Could it be the wiring harness that I installed (which I know isn't necessary but I did it as a precaution). I'm thinking, if it's the wiring harness, how come it's only affecting the left headlight? It should be affecting both lights. I was also trying to think if the ground I used from the wiring harness is bad. Could the ground be causing the lights to sometimes turn on and sometimes not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cduluk Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 How's the quality of the ballasts to the HID bulbs? Most of the aftermarket ballasts that come with HID kits are complete junk... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denslexusgx470 Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 I think I may have solved my own headlight problem hehe Hopefully they won't give me any trouble again but I had a couple hours to spare today and decided to look at my wiring again. Turns out that the ground for both headlights may be either a bad one or just loose so I decided to re-route my ground wires to a different location. The kit was ordered from Xenondepot. I'll just live with the rest of the lights flickering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaswood Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 You have battery with a shorted cell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denslexusgx470 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 You have battery with a shorted cell. You think so? The battery is the only thing I haven't changed yet. I pulled the trigger for an alternator replacement but not the battery yet. Battery is charging better now but I think it's almost reached it's life by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacman61 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I've also noticed the flickering of the interior lights... I have a new car battery in my 2000 RX300... I'm also looking for a possible solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denslexusgx470 Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 I've also noticed the flickering of the interior lights... I have a new car battery in my 2000 RX300... I'm also looking for a possible solution. Still havent gotten around to changing my battery yet to see if this is the culprit. You mentioned that you have a brand new battery? Is it a Lexus battery or a Kragen battery? I'm having doubts if the battery is the culprit because based on my tests, I know the source has to be the alternator or some electronics in the car which is causing the disruption in the electricity flow. When my car is off, lights don't flicker at all. When the car is on (which means it's running on the alternator), lights flicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenore Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 did you get the alternator from Kragens, if so I have had terrrible luck with their rebuilds. I once changed three alterntors out before I got a good one...I never buy electrical from Kragens/Reilleys...They have junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denslexusgx470 Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 did you get the alternator from Kragens, if so I have had terrrible luck with their rebuilds. I once changed three alterntors out before I got a good one...I never buy electrical from Kragens/Reilleys...They have junk. Forgot to mention about the alternator. It's an OEM Rebuilt Alternator so it's not a junk immitation or OEM-Like Alternator. I don't go aftermarket on major parts of the vehicle. Actually I usually never use aftermarket parts on anything in the car to begin with aside from LED plates lights or something simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaswood Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Your OEM rebuilt probably came from the same rebuild house that the aftermarket parts stores use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenore Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Actually cars use the battery as a voltage stabilizer...The alternator has a regulator in it to convert AC to a rippled DC current, The battery further eliminates the spikes...I would check for grounds and poor battery cables...sometimes they corroad inside the plastic and cause poor current conduction. Check all of the grounds to the engine, battery, and frame and make sure they are not rusty etc. Other than that the rebuilt alternator may be defective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denslexusgx470 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Your OEM rebuilt probably came from the same rebuild house that the aftermarket parts stores use. Toyota OEM rebuilt products come from the same aftermarket parts store? It comes complete with a Genuine Toyota rebuilt part number that says "Rebuilt" on it and I ordered it from my Toyota dealer (long story short, I get my parts cheaper because I know a guy who works in my Toyota dealer) with the same exact part number that my Lexus dealer gave me. Actually cars use the battery as a voltage stabilizer...The alternator has a regulator in it to convert AC to a rippled DC current, The battery further eliminates the spikes...I would check for grounds and poor battery cables...sometimes they corroad inside the plastic and cause poor current conduction. Check all of the grounds to the engine, battery, and frame and make sure they are not rusty etc. Other than that the rebuilt alternator may be defective. I constantly clean my engine often and I have checked the grounds and cable for corrosion and haven't seen anything yet. One of these days I promise to get around to the battery. I presume its a crappy battery because the previous owner just went with a AAA battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denslexusgx470 Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Ok I finally got around to changing the battery in the RX. I swapped out the battery from the 4Runner since I'm selling the 4Runner. The flickering has greatly IMPROVED... But I did notice that there is still a very very minor flickering when the engine is turned on. I also noticed that the flickering happens more when you rev the engine in idle. Could it be a defective alternator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorchpaw Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I am having the same problem with my wife's RX300. while the engine is running, all lights, interior and exterior, constantly flicker. kind of a warm candle flicker glow. not good. I have churned through battery and alternators, to no avail. the shop says the alternator is good, but these remanufactured alternators seem very cheap. from reading this forum, How do I check for the ground leading to the engine or the chassis? has anyone figured out the problem? do I just need to stop buying the cheapest alternators, and buy a better one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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