andy350

My battery warning light on the dash keeps coming on.

Went to autozone and they said battery and alternator is fine.

This morning, i turned the car on and there was no warning lights on...

then drove over 50 mph and battery light came on again...

turned the car off and on...still battery light is on...

everything works...windows, lights ... everything works...

what could be wrong?

please help...thank you!!!

andy350

now the car just died...

while i was driving back home, my passport escort radar said powering down low volt and turned off by itself...

but i continued to drive...after a mile, all the warning lights came on...check vsc, check engine, brakes, etc...

still i continued to drive and was almost home ... made a turn into my subdivision and noticed that the steering got tight...could barely turn...i guess i lost power steering...

kept driving slowly and made it to my house...

glad i made it home safely

checked the window...it was going up and down very slowly...

turned car off...tried to start it...and it was dead...

just making a clicking noise with all warning lights on...

window barely moving ...

now i think my battery is dead...

what do you guys think???

3sm1l

Your alternator is on its way out and took your battery with it.

andy350

will power steering not work with dead battery or bad alternator

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

No it won't work. I also think it's your alternator

andy350

about how much will this cost with labor & parts for alternator at Lexus Dealership?

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

Yes sound like a alternator and here a way to test. Charge the battery up again and it should start back up. Once it running with a charged battery unplug either the negative or positive terminal and if it stop dead that your alternator. I had to change one on my wife IS250 about 3hrs total cause i had to do it outside in 20 degree weather. I bought one off Partsgeek. If you go to a dealer your probably looking close to $1000 range. DIY $200

andy350

Any other ways to check the alternator...

i don't think i want to unplug a battery terminal while the car is on...

i only have 79,000 miles on this car...i hope the alternator is not messed up...

will try jumping the car in the morning...

Wht95scort

It is your alt. when you see the battery light come on the ecu is not seeing the voltage it needs. At that time you are running off battery power only and slowly that too will drain. If you have a good service history with Lexus they may goodwill the part and you will have to pay the labor.

andy350

just woke up...cranked the car on...and it cranked on right away with the battery light on...

felt happy and excited...

i let it run for 3 minutes...then pressed the gas...

then all the warning lights came on and the car slowly died...

now it won't start...

steering wheel felt stiff...no power steering...

waiting for friend to give me a jump start ...

do u still think it's alternator or battery???

minato

iTrader: (1)

hey Andy, most people would think its just the battery, you have to put in mind that the alternator is what keeps the battery charged , if alternator not working properly , battery will not function properly , put it this way if the battery dead and you jump the car you should be able to still drive around without lights or nothing , but when the charging system is bad in the car , the battery is just depleting power while running , thats why you are loosing power while car is on.

I think you should get the alternator tested again , its most likely the alternator , if not its pretty easy get a new battery or get the current one tested and charged
like laobo979 said , easiest way to test this is to take of the + battery terminal while car is running , if the car dies its definately the alternator

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

you need a new alternator...

andy350

jump started the car...

after i unhooked the jumper cables, the car died within one minute...

called geico to get car towed to Lexus Dealership...

i hope it's not the alternator...

i hope it's the battery...

don't wanna spend $500 to $1000 for alternator...

waiting for tow truck and praying it's not the alternator...

3sm1l

Sadly, i wouldn't be surprised it is indeed your alternator. Heck, I could even say that your battery is good, as you got to your house with a depleted battery and turned the car on in the morning with a depleted battery.

andy350

ok...made it to Lexus Dealership

got a little problem here...

my Lexus battery is stamped February 2013...and says 84 months warranty

previous owner of my car put this battery in...

it is a Lexus battery...but they said since they can't pull up the invoice...

it is NOT covered under warranty...

then i argued with them that it says Lexus and it is stamped February 2013...

should be under warranty...

he said he can not pull it up ... so going to have to pay full price...

I said go ahead...

then after 10 minutes...he came back and said it looks like my starter is bad...

can this be possible???

car was starting up easily when i jumped it...

can it be the starter???

they said the tech guys are still checking...

please let me know ... what should i tell them about my battery being covered under warranty???

and is it possible to have a bad starter???

please reply soon...while i am still here at the dealership....

thank you