SW03ES Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Hey everybody. Up until about a week and a half ago my ES has always started crisply and quickly. Slowly over the last week and a half it has begun to start lazily, the starter cranks and it sounds weak and then it starts up. It just hasn't been sounding right. All the way until this morning when it barely started at all. When you shut the car off and restart it starts the same way, doesn't improve or get worse. It was so weak this morning I was afraid to drive it in case it left me stranded somewhere. Any ideas? Doesn't seem like the starter to me, battery is about a year old, alternator maybe? Last night we drove back from a wedding in West Virginia so it ran on the highway for an hour, so the battery should be fully charged. It runs great once its on. Premium fuel...no weird fuel or anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amf1932 Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 First things first: 1- Check the battery voltage when the engine is off. Should read approximately 12.6 volts. 2- Check the battery voltage with the engine running. Should read approximately 14.4 volts at idle. 3- If you get these approximate voltages than you have to get the battery "load tested". 4- Make sure the battery terminals are clean & tight. These are the first tests you should perform before you look further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 Its gotten worse...now the car won't start at all. Its definately a battery problem because everything's depowered, only one of the HID lights was firing now none, clock is dim, keyless entry is sluggish. Whether its the battery or an alternator problem I don't know. The car was in the shop 3 weeks ago and the battery passed a load test just fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amf1932 Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 OK.....Did you check your battery cables and terminal ends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 Yep, cables and terminal ends look fine, unfortunately I don't have a voltimiter to check the voltage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviej Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I am thinking it is time for a new battery. Even though you load tested fine a few weeks ago, today's batteries will die or drop a cell at a moments notice without any indication before hand. Expected battery life today is only about 5 years, anything beyond that is a gift. Do you know anyone with a portable jump box. If so, hook it up and see if you start right up. (Do you have AAA?, if so, call them, they will jump you with a portable unit.) If you start right up, then it must be your battery. steviej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 I hope its only the battery. I went back through my maintenance records and the battery was replaced on 11 May 2006, so almost exactly 2 years. Its an 84 month battery...I SHOULD be getting some prorated replacement cost. Genuine Lexus battery. I have a portable jump box, I'll try it in the morning. I plugged it in to charge up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatingupblacktop Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I know on the LS, quite often the terminals cannot be securely tightened because there's a plastic bracket on the top of aftermarket batteries that prevents them from going far enough down on the battery posts. I don't know if there's the same issue with the ES. If your battery holds a charge and has passed a load test, then the charging system is suspect. A load test on the alt will tell you if that's the problem. Another cause could be a slipping serpentine belt. Yet another problem could be something like a short discharging the battery overnight. A test you can do for this without using a meter would be to fully charge the battery, start the car to ensure the battery is charged and you have no problems starting, then turn the car off and disconect the battery until the next morning when you try starting it again. If it starts ok, then you have a short in the system somewhere. If it gives you a weak crank, then the battery is not holding the charge and has an internal short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenore Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I would say a battery too....You might want to invest in a cheap voltmeter, (sears, harbor frieght etc) handy for these times and checking fuses, batteries, and wall sockets.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexusfreak Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I'm with everyone on the battery too Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 Guess what it was? The battery! It fired up just fine with the jump box this morning and I drove it over to the dealer. They surmised that it had to be a bad battery they installed 2 years ago and they replaced it free of charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfish Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Sw, I thought you were making excuses so you could get the LS you have always wanted. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 Hey, I ran the numbers hahaha! The dealer has it sitting over there too, I saw it on the way out and had to stop and look ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amf1932 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Now that that's fixed, it's time for you to go to Radio Shack and pick up an inexpensive voltmeter. It could have saved you the aggravation of wondering where the problem was. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatingupblacktop Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Meter is good, LS is better. :whistles: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 LOL, I will definately pick up a voltimiter, its something I've been meaning to get for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviej Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 LOL, I will definately pick up a voltimiter, its something I've been meaning to get for a while While you are at it, pick me up a medium vanilla chai at Dunkin Donuts. you owe me one. steviej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 haha, I owe you way more than that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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