I have a 2004 GX 470 and the battery won't hold a charge. After research, I pulled fuse 44: radio no. 2 and AC. The car now holds the charge and starts normally but it's too hot to go without AC.

It's just a work truck at this point and I'm not wanting to put much more into this car but if anyone has suggestions for where to go from here....

It's not terribly convenient to disconnect the battery cable after turning the car off but I'm also not willing to spend what the car is worth to repair it ... Thanks

UPDATE: EVIDENTLY, I did not completely disconnect the radio wires. The radio was dead and then the battery drain stopped. Then a few weeks later, the radio suddenly turned on! And the battery drain started again about a month later. I just disconnected the piece below the radio- all wires, the ash tray and car charger, and pulled it out. I don\t need it and it was in the way. Tomorrow, I will pull that radio down again and try to disconnect whatever was left connected then update if this resolves the issue for me.

 

The wiring diagrams are in a sticky post at the top of the forum. Find fuse 44 and follow it downstream to see what it powers, then start unplugging them one at a time until you find the source of the draw.

Chip H.

 

Thank you,

K

 

Update, pulled the battery out from the dash and disconnected the wires to the radio. They are on the right if you are facing the radio.

Put fuse 44 back in the car. AC now working and no more draw down on the battery.

UPDATE CORRECTION:
UPDATE: EVIDENTLY, I did not completely disconnect the radio wires. Initially, after my disconnects, the radio was dead and then the battery drain stopped. Then a few weeks later, the radio suddenly turned on! And the battery drain started again about a month later. I just disconnected the piece below the radio- all wires to the ash tray and car charger, and pulled it out. I don\t need it and it was in the way. Tomorrow, I will pull that radio down again and try to disconnect whatever was left connected then update if this resolves the issue for me.

 

Kiki, can you explain this further, I'm unclear on what to do, as I have the same issue with battery drain.
Do you mean you pulled the Nav/Radio unit? And you disconnected the wires so it no longer works?
Thanks

 

YES, but I have a caveat/ correction... Also, I will post two youtube videos tomorrow so you can see what I did... See my update below... I am a girl and not a mechanic but sometimes I figure this stuff out, sometimes I don't.... : (

UPDATE CORRECTION:
EVIDENTLY, I did not completely disconnect the radio wires. Initially, after my disconnects, the radio was dead and then the battery drain stopped. Then a few weeks later, the radio suddenly turned on! And the battery drain started again about a month later. I just disconnected the piece below the radio- all wires to the ash tray and car charger, and pulled it out. I don\t need it and it was in the way. Tomorrow, I will pull that radio down again and try to disconnect whatever was left connected then update if this resolves the issue for me.

Remember, this is just my spit and glue fix for my old secondary car. I am sure the mechanics on here think its nuts but if it works for me... I just can't promise it will fix your issue....

 

 

On my 2006 GX470, Nav, I have a parasitic draw of about 60 mA. I have 2 engine compartment fuses [ #30 Radio No.1 (20A) and #31 ECU-B (10A) ] which reduce it approximately in half. If I remove both, it drops to 9 mA. When I look at sticky of Power Dist 1, for #30 it lists Nav and Sound Systems, for #31 it lists many (Anti-theft, headlights, Interior Lights, Power Windows,etc, etc.)

1) Is 60 mA too much? I think it is draining my battery too much, especially for a vehicle that I drive 1/2 per week.
2) are there common items for these fuses I should look at first? My window controller doesn't have the light illumination issue when car is off.
3) How would I isolate the radio or navigation system? Do I literally have to get to the back of the radio and pull a plug/connector? How about for all the multitude of items on #31.

Any help appreciated.

 

If memory serves me right, in the past it was pointed out that the security system does create parasitic drain. This could be in addition other causes.

Earlier on in my ownership i was having issues with battery drain esp as the lead acid battery aged. The more a lead acid battery is discharged to such low levels, it damages the battery making it even less effective at holding a charge which could exacerbate the problem going forward.

I got tired of replacing batteries and instead invested in an Odyssey AGM battery with a higher amp hour rating/capacity, higher CCA. It's a battery that doesn't mind being discharged more and w/o damage. I have not had a problem since.

Based on this, my feeling was that maybe Toyota undersized the OEM battery for the load requirements of the GX (more bells and whistles etc) and going with a higher capacity, quality AGM battery like Odyssey addressed this issue. Now my GX can sit a very long time with out issue. This obviously won't fix an underlying electrical issue that might be compounding the amount of parasitic loss.

 

Hi cssnms,
Thanks for your reply. I like the idea of a more resilient battery. Armed with your reply I searched for "is 60mA too much" and the first hit discussed 50mA-85mA being more normal for highly optioned vehicles, so a battery like you described should help. It also discussed car manufactures using solar battery tenders between factory and dealer, as well as some premium manufacturers offering battery tenders with the vehicle. Sort of interesting. So my take for my situation, unless I can identify a leaker component (which I still want to do, but struggling with the next level down steps), get a deeper cycle type battery and smart solar tender during periods of lower vehicle usage.

 

I highly recommend Odyssey batteries if you can stomach the up front cost. 99% virgin lead, made in USA. Northstar is good also. The Odyssey battery equivalent is actually smaller dimensionaly so youll have to get a battery pedestal for it. Amp hours and CCA is where this battery shines. Good luck