SophieSleeps

I moderate the IS300 forums and do all my own work. I've torn apart quite a few cars and I know my way around Lexus/Toyota especially well for a weekend warrior.

This one is stumping me at the moment so I'd like to throw it out here to see what you guys come up with.

The car: My mother's 05 RX330 with 80k miles on it. Not a ton of maintenance done on it, but really not much needs to be done.

The problem and timeline:
About a month ago the stereo would not produce any sound. Immediately I thought it was a blown amplifier but I have been a little lazy and did not order a replacement. She has been doing without any music whatsoever. She took her car in for service and their tech said it was the amplifier as well. Not sure if he physically checked somehow or just assumed.

A week ago she (my mother) complained that one night she went out to her car and it wouldn't start. A jump fixed this issue. I blew it off as a possible "left my dome light on overnight"

2 days ago she said she had problems starting the car and that on the 3rd try it started. This had me worried that perhaps the battery was dying.

I tried starting it and all I got was "tick tick tick" and then a mellow electric hum as if you had a fan and stopped the blade. I began to think it was a bad starter.

Regardless I took the battery to a local auto parts place and they tested it. They said it didn't look horrible but it didn't look good. I bought a new battery tonight.

Car starts up perfectly fine now.

Amazingly the radio works! (After over 1 month of not working)

However a few things do NOT work now.
All the passenger windows fail to move. Auto-up did not work on the drivers side window. Miraculously it started working after a short drive. (This is with the window lock on as well as off)

The sunroof controls are haywire. When you use them it automatically stops when the sunroof is closed. Currently there is no stopping point. It will go from fully open to tilt and all the way back to open.

I have checked every fuse in the car. All fine. No CEL's.
When I start up the car the maintenance light blinks 6 times but I think that's just scheduled maintenance crap.

Ideas?

I'm wondering if it's possible to fry some window control ecu...but that wouldn't explain the stereo not working for 1 month.

I also know that some of the auto-up and down features don't work if the battery is low, but I just got this battery tonight.

hmmm. I may go trickle charge the thing overnight.

Destron250

iTrader: (5)

Its similar to the IS250/350 when you disconnect the battery the auto switches for the windows take a couple of tries going up down before things get back to normal. Just open and close all the windows a couple of times and the car should relearned it. Happens all the time when I take the battery off the Is250 to work on stuff.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

It could be you need to do the normalize procedure for the windows and sunroof as outlined in the owners manual. You have to do this when ever you disconnect the battery. The flashing maint light means it is close to maint time, the light will be steady on when it is time. Not sure about the stereo but it could have been the battery or a bad battery connection.
Jeff

jfelbab

Power resets from my memory which regrettably is getting flaky.

Windows... Be sure the window lock in not on. Go to each window and run it through a full cycle.

Roof... Ignition to on, press and hold the tilt switch and the roof will tilt up, down, open and closed, Release the tilt switch and it is now reset.

Rear hatch... Manually open and close the hatch to reset it.

Maintenance Required light... flashes at 5k and solid at 7.5k. Ignition on press and hold the ODO button until light is extinguished.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Sophie, the 2nd gen IS has what sounds like a similar issue that I recall reading about - might try the fix we have in our 2IS FAQ (linked thread below)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...isconnect.html

SophieSleeps

wow wtf?

Thanks guys I think that'll probably do the trick.

again wtf?

SophieSleeps

Went out to the car. Windows and sunroof are fine now.
Thanks a bunch.

Now to ponder why the stereo stopped working for a month.

grouch

It got tired of elevator music?

mandyfig

Gremlins...or goonies...LOL!

Kidding aside, why would the radio do that?

visual

Replaced the battery and everything fixed itself. The radio might requires more current from the battery than it can handle.

veleno

iTrader: (3)

I'm wondering if Zero Point Calibration only applies when an alignment is done or if the battery is disconnected. You might want to check, there's a TSB on it.

For the stereo, I have no idea but let us know what you find out.

ColdLexus

Don't you love electronics? Think of all the different resistors, capacitors, solid state boards and all their individual needs for a specific ohm or volt or amp.
Now change the dynamic with your depleted battery, varied use and mulitiple inputs.
It's a wonder it all works at all.
The "relearning" thing seems to work on all my various vehicles, Japanese and German.

pjm207

just wanted to give you kudos on this advice. the sunroof has been bugging me because it would only move when I was holding the button. this fixed the problem. THANKS!

rcy

Isn't the zero point calibration only for the hybrid, which has electric steering?