jroe Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Alternator went out while my son was driving the car last night. It sat with a dead battery overnight and we replaced the alternator today. I forgot to disconnect the battery and shorted on the alternator blowing the alternator fuse. That led to no start + almost everything not working in the car. Following alternator fuse replacement the same symptoms. What we do get: Check Engine Light + Door Chime What we don't get: Security Light, Dash lights / guages, Radio, Fan, Power windows I've checked every fuse under the hood and any that appeared related to ECU / Ignition / etc under the dash. I haven't had a chance to start testing relays or power locations yet. Initial though was something related to immobilizer - I tried the key clockwise / counterclockwise bit in the door as well as no battery discharge for 30+ minutes with no change. Any other thoughts on what I can try? Forecast is rain tomorrow and windows are down = ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RX400h Posted July 24, 2021 Share Posted July 24, 2021 This happened to me one time when I accidentally swapped the battery cables in a Nissan Quest. I believe most vehicles have what is referred to as a "Battery fuse". It is normally a 120A fuse but if it blows, many accessories will not work. You may find that this large fuse had blown. I did find this video which may or may not show exactly what you have. Main power alternator fuse breaker replacement in Lexus, Toyota, etc. - VOTD - Bing video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jroe Posted July 24, 2021 Author Share Posted July 24, 2021 Thanks! We did find such a fuse which was labeled "Alternator" and replaced it, but the issues noted above occur after that taking place. I've not found another 120A fuse on the vehicle and my ignition fuse looks fine as well. The odd bit is I get power to some systems and not others. I was able to confirm the remote keyfob locks work as do the headlights in addition to what is noted above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bykfixer Posted July 24, 2021 Share Posted July 24, 2021 When my son hooked the battery up backwards it blew the alternator fuse along with several others. If I recall correct in his 04 GS 300 (now mine) there were fuses blown on the panel on the right side kick panel fuse panel and the left side kick panel fuse panel. The last one replaced was the alternator fuse. But I want to say there were 5 or 6 blown. Also on the GS there is a fuseable link that runs beside the positive wire that may have fried. Check that one with a volt meter since it's insulated and may hide the burnt spot. A fuseable link 101 video Best of luck finding the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jroe Posted July 25, 2021 Author Share Posted July 25, 2021 Thanks! Very helpful - I'll dig into these today and update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jroe Posted July 26, 2021 Author Share Posted July 26, 2021 Problem solved. The fusable link in the ES300 is the alternator fuse referenced -all my other fuses checked out. I managed to get ahold of the electrical schematics online and starting tracing the failure. Eventually pulled the airbox back out to check power at the starter and figured I'd check the Alternator fuse while in there. Turns out - one of the main buss wires inside the fuse assembly had fallen out of it's location when we pulled the bolts to replace that fuse. Re-attached and all better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bykfixer Posted July 28, 2021 Share Posted July 28, 2021 Happy endings are 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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