vuvision

My wife's RX300 has an intermittent start up problem yesterday. Today her car started up just fine, however, the clock gets reset to 1:00 every time she turn off the ignition & restart.

I had the car battery tested at the local Sam's Club, and the battery is in good shape. I was told that this could be the sign of a failing alternator or the belt might need to be tighten or replaced.

Any suggestion before I take it to the shop?

TIA

salimshah

I would have the battery checked at another place and under load.

The symptoms you describe are of a battery whose voltage drops below the min for clock when you try to start. If the battery discharge light in the dash does not light up, I would say charging system is ok [exceptions can be there but with other things you mention, I am willing to bet it is the battery on its last few breaths].

If the battery is 3+yrs old just get a new one. Buy any brand but do buy one that is sealed. Till that time carry jump cables.

Salim

vuvision

Bad battery was my first thought as well, and I took it to the local Sam's Club tire & battery shop ready to purchase a brand new one. But the technician there hooked it up to his diag. machine and tested the battery and concluded that the battery is still good.

I've been driving her car all day today, and had no problem with starting up, but noticed the clock got reset to 1:00 every time I restarted the car. I am going to take it to a near by Interstate Battery shop to have the battery tested again for a second opinion tomorrow.

Mean while, any other suggestion?

salimshah

Sorry, I shot from the hip. I have since then edited my post.

How old is the battery?

Do you recall a drain test performed by the tech?

When you go the second place for test, do tell them that the first place who checked the battery said it is OK. Just in case the second place is tooo motivated to sell you the battery, and your problem is not solved after the swap, you will have a leg to stand on in case you decide to return it.

I still think it is the battery.

with apologies.
Salim

vuvision

Thanks for your prompt response. I've also have seen this similar symptom in the past with my other cars. I do recall the meter from the technician's handheld diag. tool showing on the green bar (still good battery according to the tech).

Doesn't appear to be a bad alternator, if so the battery would have been drained by now. I agree with you, my money is on the battery being on it's last leg as well.

koolaidman

sounds like an open circuit for the clock. also could be a bad clock.

also possibly starter issue. need more info on when it doesnt start up

ie is it the first start up of the day. hot cold ect.

rxdriver

I agree with the battery theory. There are a lot of posts on the forum about strange experiences with various electronic accessories, and replacing the battery always solves the problem. With the RX, the electronics must draw enough power such that they start having problems before you see the normal signs of a bad battery, like difficulty cranking. Like salimshah said, if you got 3 years out of the battery, you got your money's worth.

Lexmex

I have written about this before.

I had those problems a few years ago. Replaced it with another Lexus battery. Problem repeated itself.

Turns out the battery was developing a memory from sitting around (since I was always on trips).

Ended up getting the Red Top Optima 34/78 model. No problems and much better performance on start up.

Would recommend you check out one of those if you plan to keep the car for a lot longer.

You can get them at Coscto or at Interstate Batteries.

mikey00

I also agree with the battery theory. I don't know how old your battery is, but if it's the original one, it will need to be replaced soon anyway. Pick up a new one at Costco. Kirkland battery for the RX is only about $40 and is made by Johnston Controls, the best battery company and also manufacturer of the Optima. It's cheap and easy troubleshooting and just about guaranteed to fix your problem.

Lil4X

These guys are right on!

We've had many posts over the years about all kinds of weird electronic gremlins, almost all of which involve the clock resetting, caused by a failing battery. If one cell is failing, during periods of high current demand (starting), the output voltage will pulled beneath the threshold voltage required for the electronics to function normally. That is probably why your clock resets when you start the engine.

Since a battery replacement is a far cheaper undertaking than digging into the stack, I'd start there.

Good luck!

vuvision

Thanks for all the inputs, sounds like an easy & cheap fix ... new battery it is!

Now next question, I have had good luck with First Interstate battery in the past, but a friend is recommending the Die Hard battery, I"ve read somewhere that it's not worth the extra dough, and the First Interstate is just as good if not better for the money. Any thought on the Die Hard?

Tammy

Go with the Interstate..

salimshah

Which battery?

You will get host of opinions and all based on personal experience. You will hear one person vouch for Exide and yet another who has had terrible experience. In the bigger picture, one or two good or bad experiences can be abboration in data and not necessarily statistically valid.

In the end just pick one which suits your price point and gives you longest warranty [once you are assured that it can provide the cca needed.]

But do buy a sealed battery. Fumes/spray from the battery ruins the engine bay [I am **** about it]. I am not sure if Die Hard are sealed or not.

I and quite a few have switched to Optima [red for me] and had to jury rig the setup to make the battery fit. They are high priced but have performed well for me. Lexmex said it well, that if you plan to keep the RX for long, buy Optima. The extra cost can be justified.

If you are not sure that the fix for your problem is a new battery, hesitation to spend extra $$ is understandable.

Salim

HarrierAWD

I agree with the moderator that it's the battery. I've seen a few posts from '99 RX owners reporting blank screen, self-resetting clocks, etc. Replacing the battery always fixed the problem.

If I were to replace the battery, I'd insist on the OEM Panasonic battery. This battery seems to be better than any other junk that I've experienced. My battery and my RX300 are over 3.5 years old now. I never had a battery that lasted this long. (Except a Ford Motorcraft battery that lasted an amazing 8 years. It still worked when I junked the car..... I should've kept that battery.)

vuvision

Got new battery, problem solved ... thanks everyone. I took your advice and bought the Costco brand for around $40. Best warranty for the money, 100 months pro-rated, 60 months free replacement; and best yet, Costco has the best return/refund policy anywhere to boot.

On a side note, talk about good timing, the day after I replaced the battery, we had to bail out of Houston in preparation for hurricane Rita. It took us 12 hrs to get to Dallas, and we were fortunate enough to get a room at Holiday Inn. Just got back in town yesterday, the house is still intact, and all is well now.