ser67

The car wouldnt start this morning.

Battery & voltage appear to be okay - tested with meter - but changed to a new one anyway.

Lights on dash come on, but engine won't turn at all.

Aircon shows 'E' as the outside temperature, and some fans under the bonnet start up straight away - as if its been running for some time.

Thought my problems with the ML amp was too simple, is there something fundamentally wrong with the vehicle - never had 'E' as the outside temp on the aircon before.

I've disconnected the battery for 30 minutes, but no joy.

Anything else I need to do to reset the vehicle ?

Started and ran fine yesterday......

scyul

Maybe using an OBDII code reader would help?

ser67

This is driving me nuts (as they say) I've put the AM2 fuse back in and car starts fine now......

I was going to unplug the ML unit and have a look at it today - any reason why I shouldnt do this ???

scyul

I’m not familiar with what the AM2 fuse does… I can’t see why unplugging the amp would cause a problem, but removing the fuse probably kills other vital organs… Thus causing your “E” on the display. What is the problem with your Amp?

ser67

I think this is me being a dope.

AM2 must be something ignition related - put it back in car works fine

I thought it was the ML amp fuse

Doh !

ML is on the fritz, works either not at all or perfectly if cool - and then only for a few mins.

It refused to shut off last week, and drained the battery overnight - in spite of key removed

Sounds to me like PSU problems within the ML - so going to remove today and open up to see if there is a cold-solder joint i can fix easily

scyul

A cold-solder or cracked solder sounds right...
In my wife's Infiniti, the radio doesn't play during very cold winter mornings, until the car warns up.

Good luck, I hope you find the faulty solder!

VVTiBob

Besides the Audio system, Radio No. 2 fuse covers: Trip–information display, Seat belt warning light, Shift lock system. If you pulled the AM2 fuse it protects "All components in “ST” and “IG2” fuses and starting system". That's why your car would not start.

Many fuses protect more than one system even if their label only indicates one. Coverage is shown in the owners manual. If you don't have your owner's manual you can get the info online at http://drivers.lexus.com.

cjs18

If you don't find something obvious wrong with the amplifier you might look at the accessory relay located in the passenger side junction box (behind the kick panel on right side of vehicle). If I'm seeing the diagram correctly it looks like a sticking or faulty relay could explain your battery drain as well as a no-radio condition. I believe these are extremely reliable so it's probably a long shot. I hope whatever you find wrong is simple (and cheap).

ser67

I think the relay is a long shot - but quite a simple one.

BUT how do I access or change this relay ?

I thought it was only fuses in these junction boxes ?

Got the ML out anyway - got most screws out apart from two which will either need drilling out or something as I smoothed out the hex-slot in both of them......

cjs18

Couldn't find much for reference in the service manual but here's a line drawing of the pins on the bottom. The only other relay they show in that location has a different base. This gives you an idea how to test also. I'll look in some of my other material to see if I can identify an exact location.

cjs18

Ok, here's the best i can do - looks like the ACC relay is on the side of the J/B. It's in the "A" position. Hope this helps.

VVTiBob

Hopefully this diagram makes it a little clearer....with the understanding the junction box were are referring to is on the passenger side of the car. Getting to it will mean removing more than just the access panel to the fuses.

This North American diagram shows the steering wheel on the proper side of the car, yours will be the opposite. On the diagram, the relay is listed as 85930K in the #4 position as shown in the legend table.

The US part number is 90987-02020, not sure if its the same in Europe.

BTW what year is your SC, this diagram is for an 02. If you have a multimeter and know how to us it, there are several measurement you can make to test the relay, wiring and connectors in the FSM.

azkaty

As always Bob.. you are amazing!

Katy

ser67

Lost patience, and purchased a used one off ebay from the US.

Price is £UKP same as me taking it into an indie for them to fix.

I now have a used/partially working ML amp to sell !!

Just hope that it really is plug and play.....