ES3hundo Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Hi everyone I'm new to this so please be patient. I was crusin' the net looking for answers when I found this website and I'm very glad I did. I am not here to sell any cars or parts but from the looks of it I might purchase some in the future. My girl owns a 1999 Lexus ES300 and like any older car the gremlins are starting to appear. When the car is parked two or more days the battery goes dead..........not all the way but enough for the starter to go(click,click,click). I would guess the car is drawing power from somewhere after it is parked but it takes two or more days for the battery to drain. I have load tested the battery and made sure no lights are staying on(glovebox, trunk, etc.) but I haven't been able to solve my problem. If anyone has encountered this delema before please reply or simply help point me in the right direction. I would like to thank everyone for letting me be a part of this club and the knowledge I will gain from it.......Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexucan Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 First off, welcome to LOC! It sounds to me like the battery is getting old and unable to sustain a charge for long. I see you are in Illinois so right now you are probably experiencing some pretty cold temperatures. That can further weaken an already dieing battery. The ES's security system uses power while it is parked. This could be the source of the drain on the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George_Jetson Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Having the battery load tested was the correct first step to take. Next you want to make sure that the alternator is charging correct, and that there are not phatom loads ( checking for lights staying on was also a good idea ). You will need a voltmeter to check the alternator, and loads. If you do not have one, Harbor frieght has one for $20 that should work just fine. To check the charging, run the car at fast idle, ~1200 rpm, and measure the voltage at the battery. You should see around 14.5 volts. If you see anything significantly less, check the voltage right at the back of the alternator. If there is a significant difference between the battery and the alternator voltage you have a issue with the cables. Assuming that the voltage is good, then you can start checking for phantom loads. Disconnect the neg battery cable, and hook meter in series (make sure the meter is in the 20 amp range), measure the amount of current. There should be around 20 ~30 ma, if it is much higher you will need to isolate which circuit is pulling the current. Start by pulling fuses, one at a time. Keep in mind that most modern cars take 20 to 30 min to go into the sleep mode, once after shutting it down and closing the doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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