mikepgs350

Hi there. I have a 2013 gs 350 AWD F Sport

https://imgur.com/a/oK4l3tF

It says determine which post is grounded.. Which one would that be? And also where would I clip the other one? Is the side of the hood ok? I don't want to scratch it. Also how long do I charge it for? Sorry I'm a complete newbie with this. I can provide more info from the instruction manual or my car battery if need be. Thank you!

swfla

iTrader: (1)

This is a trickle/maintainer charger. Red clip goes to positivities/+/red side of battery. Black clip goes to negative/-/black side of battery. The red plus sign above the battery post on the right is positive.

bclexus

I'd say it's probably best that you don't even open the box.

jonathancl

I wired this exact unit last week.
If you are not sure which is the positive terminal, though, you're asking for trouble.

mikepgs350

I've just never had to fix anything on a car before. Knock on wood this car has been completely problem free. I've taken apart a few washing machines but have never had a battery die on me. Will the light change from orange to green when it's charged? How long do you think? 1-2 days?

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

This isn’t meant to charge your battery, it’s meant to maintain your battery. If your battery is fully dead, you’ll need a battery charger, which in most cases, can be used as either a battery charger or a battery maintainer. What you purchased is a maintainer. It’s no length or time, simply disconnect when you use the car

jonathancl

It took mine nearly two days to go from charging to green as it was nearly dead.
After a drive, it went from orange to green in less than an hour.

Did your battery die on its own?
You may have the faulty network module we were talking about here. Lexus TSB.

Re the maintainer: the clip connectors made me nervous, felt much better bolting directly to the terminals.

mikepgs350

Yes it died on it's own after not starting it for 7 days. I've gone 10 days before and never had this happen (although they were weak starts). The battery is at least 5 years old. If i have the faulty module is a no charge fix/recall? Thank you!

bclexus

Why don't you just replace your old, worn out dead battery? And, return the battery maintainer you bought thinking you could somehow save the life of your old, worn out dead battery...

mikepgs350

The store won't take it back because of Covid-19 and it was the only place walkable. Yeah I bought the wrong item but it was only $50 and I should actually be using something like this for when I do go away for 10ish days at a time. I'd probably have to pay $40 to get a boost for a drive to the dealership anyway. Thank you for being so concerned with my decision making process lol.

NickDangr

Your best bet would be to go to Princess Auto or whatever store is near you and have them do a battery test. It might be free! If the battery is bad, or even just borderline, replace the battery. Since it's more than 5 years old, it's at the end of its useful life. Don't try to squeeze a couple more months out of a weak battery because it will fail at the worst possible time and you'll get stranded.

mikepgs350

that's what I was planning on doing. seeing if i could stretch it out to when I need an oil change but you make a very good point. I can just check this with a multimeter right? I don't mind buying one of those, it would have came in handy when I was taking apart my washing machine.

bclexus

To get an accurate test of the health and condition of your battery you need to have the battery 'load tested'. When a battery is load tested a heavy load (amperage) is drawn from the battery and it is determined how quickly the battery recovers. Most auto stores that carry batteries have a load tester they can use to test customer's batteries at no charge.

If you keep spending money on chargers and multimeters you could have replaced your old, worn out dead battery with a brand spanking new one you wouldn't have to worry about for years to come.

mikepgs350

I would find use for a battery maintainer and a multimeter so it wouldn't be a bad thing to have. The dealership is now a 35ish minute drive for me and they don't have the lobby open and I would have a hard time arranging transportation to and from. I could actually be carless till this thing is over. I have a good supermarket and hardware store only a few minute walk. I'm just going to leave this thing on charge for 2 days and then take a 45 min drive to go visit my parents and pack this thing with me. It'll be ok my battery is completely dead there. I still have a bed there and my pops has a 2018 A7. ..but there's no where to go lol

NickDangr

A multimeter is a good tool to have. But as bclexus says, it's not the right tool to check if your battery is worn out. It will tell you that the battery is putting out 12V at rest, which is just the first question. It won't tell you if it has the energy reserves to start your engine every time.