Hi,

I'm new to all this so bare with me. So i bought a gs400 of my neices husband due to him having some financial problems and wanted to help them out. I didn't really ask much about the car if it had any problems. From the outside it's readily nice 1 in of the ground, 18 in bbs rims and a pearl white paint job that i did a yr ago with spray cans lol. Inter was not that good but anyways wen i went to go pick it up battery was completely dead so i jump started it and turned on right way.right away saw that fuel gauge needle waa at 1/2 tank but low fuel light was blinking, temp gauge all of a sudden states going up n down once like every 3 min at the same time cluster backlight, center console got brighter then dimmed. Also radiator fan turned and stayed on as soon as the car turned on. Also i was able to shift into any gear without pressing the breakworth and without the car being on.lastly wen in manual mode every time the cluster lights and temp gauge flickered manual mode would some what work only problem would be i couldn't use shifter buttons which brings me to say shifter buttons both say down. Isn't one suppose to say up? So far theonly thing I've done is put in New battery on it. Anyone have any ideas what can be causing that problem or where to start. Besides all that the car runs perfectly fine. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

 

Could you rewrite this using paragraphs and better spelling.

I tried to read it twice but really cannot understand you.

 

Sorry about that it's just that the screen on my phone is cracked and it doesn't let me select the correct letter or word at times. So ok I'll do this again but I'll shorten the story and go straight to the point. As well as try and correct my spelling.

I have a 98. Gs400 that i bought of my neices husband. There is some type of short in it. Wen i tried turning it on, the car wouldn't crank so i jump started thecar and right away it turned on. Drove it home and on the way to my house (about 30 miles +/- from were i picked it up) i noticed the speedometer cluster and center console illuminating background lights would go from bright to dim about every 3 min. or so without me even switching on the head lights or it even being on auto, at the same time the engine temperature gauge needle would go all the way down to cold, every time the speedometer background lights went dim and the transmission shift indicator light displayed on the speedometer showing what gear your on would turn off as well when the speedometer dimmed too. When the speedometer background light went bright again everything would work as it should be, normal. Although that was happening through-out the whole trip home, performance-wise it ran without any problems. Since then I've installed a new battery since every time as soon as the car was turned off and an attempt to turn it on again the battery would be completely dead. With the new battery installed it turns on right away now but the electrical problem is still there. Any ideas what it could be or suggestions on where to start looking and what to look for?

Thank you

 

Thank you that was much easier.

When I read it the first time it sounded much more serious.

Sounds to me the only real issue you are having is the instrument cluster dims and brightens while you drive, correct?

So the car drives fine, starts up good now?

I would be interested to see what your voltage is why the car is running. It should be around 14 volts.

Typically your problem would be caused by a bad ground, I do not have a wiring diagram for your car so hopefully someone else will come around and point you into the right place to look.

 

Have your alternator tested. As mentioned it should be consistently above 14volts.

It could also be due to a slipping serpentine belt. Remember, the belt powers everything - alternator, a/c, power steering. If it's slipping you'll get intermittent fluctuations as well.

 

Hi

I actually spoke to soon. I went to turn it on this morning and the battery was drained. I jump starred and again turned on right away. I also noticed the radiator fan turns on at idle when it hits normal engine temp. But if im running it it doesn't turn on at all. Also I'm able to shift tranny into gear from park to any gear without pressing brake pedal, weather the car is on or off and without the key in the ignition too

 

Forgot to mention i hadn't turned on the car for 2 days with new battery and this morning battery was dead

 

You likely have a bad alternator. If the car is running off the battery alone the accessories will drop the volts low enough so that it's not able to crank the next time you try and start it.

 

Sorry for taking long to reply. Yea i tested the voltage on the alternator and it read 12.68 with the car running. I then turned the engine off and checked the voltage and it still kept dropping but slower. Left the meter connected to the battery for about 5 min and still kept on dropping slowly. I then disconnected the ground cable from the battery and it stopped dripping volts. Could the alternator it's self cause it to keep draining the battery?

 

Sorry meant dropping not dripping. I Still haven't had a chance to go get a new phone lol, so be patient with me

 

Now we are getting somewhere.

Voltage while the car is running should be higher than when the car is off.

You should see around 14 volts when running.

I would replace the alternator next.

Keep us posted.

 

Yep, you have a bad alternator. Did the battery light come on?

 

Sorry guys had a family emergency. Kevin, no the battery light didn't come on but the low fuel light started flashing even tho i have a half a tank in it. Also now my engine revs go up and down when cold but as soon as it starts to hit normal temp it'll settle down but not to normal idling rev. It'll stay at around 950 to 1000 rpm's, which isnt it to high for idling rev??..... Well i don't have the funds to purchase a new alternator at the moment. I ended up having to spend a few thousand on my mom due to some health problems but doesn't bum me out since the money went towards my moms health. So I'm gonna have to wait for a little and save up for an alternator but as soon as i get one and install it, I'll update you guys on it. Thanx for the help