90LS400Lexus Posted June 7, 2009 Posted June 7, 2009 None on any LS that I know of, except the trunk hinge wires on the 90-94 LS400s, but someone said that also lingered on into the 95+ models. Also, there was someone here awhile back with a '96 LS400 that had alot of fried electrical wiring... I forgot what caused it though. What exactly is your issue?
Tommy_B Posted June 7, 2009 Author Posted June 7, 2009 None on any LS that I know of, except the trunk hinge wires on the 90-94 LS400s, but someone said that also lingered on into the 95+ models. Also, there was someone here awhile back with a '96 LS400 that had alot of fried electrical wiring... I forgot what caused it though.What exactly is your issue? well i have a few but one is that wen i go to adjust the seat..everything dims down and sounds like the car is about to cut off.. any ideas what it could be?
lexfourcam Posted June 7, 2009 Posted June 7, 2009 it could either be your battery not holding the full charge that it used to. it could also be your alternator. also if you have a sound system in your car subs or any powerful amplifier hooked up it can dim the lights. also check your batter terminals and make sure they're tight and dont have corrosion on them. my lights dim when i roll up one of the windows not really bad but i can tell, and if i roll 3 up, its a very noticeable dim.
Tommy_B Posted June 7, 2009 Author Posted June 7, 2009 it could either be your battery not holding the full charge that it used to. it could also be your alternator. also if you have a sound system in your car subs or any powerful amplifier hooked up it can dim the lights. also check your batter terminals and make sure they're tight and dont have corrosion on them. my lights dim when i roll up one of the windows not really bad but i can tell, and if i roll 3 up, its a very noticeable dim. yeh i replaced the battery and i noticed that one of the terminals was all ****** up..so im gonna replace that and see what happens.. and im probly gonna buy a more powerful alternator because i plan on getting a pretty banging system.. actually i might just get another battery just for the system..but i know ill need a more powerful alternator. i saw a 200 amp (high out put) one on ebay for like $200..is it a good deal? ill give you a link if you want
curiousB Posted June 7, 2009 Posted June 7, 2009 It could be the seat motor is starting to seize up causing a larger current draw than normal. Has the seat motor fuse popped recently? Was it replaced with too large a fuse? Is behavior the same with or without engine running? If so then I suspect the motor may need some clean and lube. Hard to see it being battery terminals as starter motor draws 100x what seat motor draws so if terminal restricting seat motor car wouldn't even start. They should be checked anyway for clean and snug.
Tommy_B Posted June 7, 2009 Author Posted June 7, 2009 It could be the seat motor is starting to seize up causing a larger current draw than normal. Has the seat motor fuse popped recently? Was it replaced with too large a fuse?Is behavior the same with or without engine running? If so then I suspect the motor may need some clean and lube. Hard to see it being battery terminals as starter motor draws 100x what seat motor draws so if terminal restricting seat motor car wouldn't even start. They should be checked anyway for clean and snug. im thinking its probably the alternator..because i can get it to start fine..but like i said when i mess with the seat it dims everything down and sounds like its gonna cut off..then when i turn the car off after about 20 minutes or so..i have to jump it to get it started (well 90% of the time) so it sounds like its not charging the battery. but like i said before i plan on gettin another alternator anyway because of my system....i plan on puttin 1 15" L7 kicker and 2 12" l7 kickers in it :D
Brett in AK Posted June 7, 2009 Posted June 7, 2009 After reading through several of your posts I'm inclined to agree it's a bad battery, and you're right those corroded anodes or posts will wreak havoc with the charging. As long as you are looking at the cable ends, follow the ground cable down to where it attaches to the engine and ensure it hasn't worked loose. How long has it been since you last replaced the battery? If you replace it go ahead and pick up a set of those red and green felt anti corrosion washers. Clean the inside of the cable connector with a battery terminal brush. If the connecter is really bad, you can clean it in a solution of standard baking soda and water. I don't think the alternator is at fault as you would/should have seen a warning light. Let us know what you discover.
lexfourcam Posted June 8, 2009 Posted June 8, 2009 thats alot of bang. ive got 3 12s and 2 1600watt amps and my trunk vibrates soo much that it makes me worry about my trunk latch. i wonder if a dynamat would help? the alternator couldve went bad. theres some kinda of power steering leak i believe that leaks onto the alternator, which can cause it to go bad. once you get the new terminal installed get a voltmeter and test the battery cut the lights on, move the seats and put on a turn signal and see if the meter drops drastically.
curiousB Posted June 8, 2009 Posted June 8, 2009 I think you need to do some testing to determine if you have a battery or alternator problem. If your battery is bad then it won’t hold a charge and you’ll have issues like unable to start car with cold engine and so on. Under normal conditions the alternator is powering everything in your car. Think of the battery as just a big capacitor that stores energy. The battery is storage, the alternator is creation of electrical energy from mechanical energy. If the alternator is faulty you will see battery voltage drop as you turn on more electrical items. If you have a good alternator the battery voltage won’t sag from these loads. So I would measure battery voltage at + and – terminals of battery with engine off and everything electrical off, Should be around 12VDC, then start up engine with nothing electrical on except engine, voltage now should be 13.6VDC or so. Now start switching on things like AC, blower fan to max, high beam headlights, rear window defrost and so on. If the alternator is working properly the battery voltage should still stay above 13.3VDC. If battery voltage drops to 12 or lower then you have an alternator output problem. If the alternator is bad you make be able to fix it as it is likely the brushes worn down.
Tommy_B Posted June 8, 2009 Author Posted June 8, 2009 I think you need to do some testing to determine if you have a battery or alternator problem. If your battery is bad then it won’t hold a charge and you’ll have issues like unable to start car with cold engine and so on. Under normal conditions the alternator is powering everything in your car. Think of the battery as just a big capacitor that stores energy. The battery is storage, the alternator is creation of electrical energy from mechanical energy. If the alternator is faulty you will see battery voltage drop as you turn on more electrical items. If you have a good alternator the battery voltage won’t sag from these loads. So I would measure battery voltage at + and – terminals of battery with engine off and everything electrical off, Should be around 12VDC, then start up engine with nothing electrical on except engine, voltage now should be 13.6VDC or so. Now start switching on things like AC, blower fan to max, high beam headlights, rear window defrost and so on. If the alternator is working properly the battery voltage should still stay above 13.3VDC. If battery voltage drops to 12 or lower then you have an alternator output problem. If the alternator is bad you make be able to fix it as it is likely the brushes worn down. yeh i talked to the previous owner and he said that as long as he drove it everyday it was fine..but if he let it sit for a day or two then the battery was dead...and he replaced it with a new one and it did the same thing..so im sure its not a battery problem. and i should be buyin a new alternator pretty soon anyway, for my system
Tommy_B Posted June 8, 2009 Author Posted June 8, 2009 thats alot of bang. ive got 3 12s and 2 1600watt amps and my trunk vibrates soo much that it makes me worry about my trunk latch. i wonder if a dynamat would help? the alternator couldve went bad. theres some kinda of power steering leak i believe that leaks onto the alternator, which can cause it to go bad. once you get the new terminal installed get a voltmeter and test the battery cut the lights on, move the seats and put on a turn signal and see if the meter drops drastically. ha yeahh...have you heard anything about hifonics subs? and wow thankss that is def my problem then because i know there is a power steering leak. so ill go have that fixed and my new alternator put on..thanks alot man
curiousB Posted June 8, 2009 Posted June 8, 2009 Before you drop a lot of $$ on an alternator make sure you don't have some leakage current that is draining the battery. That could produce similar problem you are seeing. As for upgraded alternator make sure you need it. While audio gear may have very high power levels on average the power is only a small amount of the top end potential. The alternator only needs to deliver the average power not the total of the power of each AMP at peak power. If you size for that you're putting in a bigger alternator than you need. You could otherwise use the savings to buy some other goodies for your system. I believe the stock alternator is 160A so this is roughly 2000 Watts of output to power everything. A simple test would be the same one as before. Turn on car, power up everything possible. Crank the audio to mind numbing levels and then measure voltage at battery. If its stable at 13.3VDC or above you’re alternator should be able to cut it. I suggest ear plugs for this test. ;)
Tommy_B Posted June 8, 2009 Author Posted June 8, 2009 Before you drop a lot of $$ on an alternator make sure you don't have some leakage current that is draining the battery. That could produce similar problem you are seeing. As for upgraded alternator make sure you need it. While audio gear may have very high power levels on average the power is only a small amount of the top end potential. The alternator only needs to deliver the average power not the total of the power of each AMP at peak power. If you size for that you're putting in a bigger alternator than you need. You could otherwise use the savings to buy some other goodies for your system. I believe the stock alternator is 160A so this is roughly 2000 Watts of output to power everything. A simple test would be the same one as before. Turn on car, power up everything possible. Crank the audio to mind numbing levels and then measure voltage at battery. If its stable at 13.3VDC or above you’re alternator should be able to cut it. I suggest ear plugs for this test. ;) yeh ill check.thanks
lexfourcam Posted June 11, 2009 Posted June 11, 2009 i wouldnt get an aftermarket alternator unless you really need one. i would get a capacitor. they are much cheaper and it will work great, your lights wont dim due to your subs ever, make sure you get one with a digital readout.
VBdenny Posted June 13, 2009 Posted June 13, 2009 Sure sounds like a battery issue to me. Just because it is new, doesn't mean it is good. I have seen brand new batteries that are defective. I say put an Optima Red Top in there and be done with it for 10 years. Clean your connections and you should be fine. Unless the alternator is proven bad, you would be wasting your money to replace it
Tommy_B Posted June 13, 2009 Author Posted June 13, 2009 Sure sounds like a battery issue to me. Just because it is new, doesn't mean it is good. I have seen brand new batteries that are defective. I say put an Optima Red Top in there and be done with it for 10 years. Clean your connections and you should be fine. Unless the alternator is proven bad, you would be wasting your money to replace it well like i said before i talked to the previous owner and he said that he had replaced the battery several times..and each time the battery kept going dead if he let it sit for a day..and also i have a power steering leak like lexfourcam said.. so thats why i was thinking the alternator. but ill get my friend to check it out.
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