Hey, whats up...i have and this problem for the 2nd time now, i have sylvania silver star low beam lights in my 95 sc300 and when i hit the brake or use the power roof or anything electronic (turn signal etc...) at night when my lights are on the console (gauges and console and lights) will flicker or dim for a split second...i replaced my battery with a better one and got my electrical system looked at by a toyota tech...now the problem is back and im wondering if its the sylvania silver start lights that are causing this ...maybe they are sucking up too much amps of power??...any ideas?...im thinking about picking up an HID kit if i cant fix it. thanks

-Justin

 

I had the same problem, and I fixed mine by replacing the connector at the end of the negative battery cable and cleaning and tightening the end that goes to the engine block. From what I've read, it seems that the ground cable on the SC300s can be problematic. I've heard that some people have replaced the ground cable with one that's for the GS300 because the SC300 cable only comes as part of an assembly and is much more expensive. I even ordered the GS300 cable but never put it in because my repairs on the existing cable were successful. It looks like it would fit, however.

 

Either buy a grounding kit, or make your own. Ground at least the alternator and neg battery cable I resolved alot of my problems by buying a grounding kit...

 

Seems just like what I'm dealing with now! I was hesitant to buy a new battery because our cars use the big international sized battery and I didn't want to drop the $110 at Sears unless I was POSITIVE it was the battery that was causing the problem. I had a mechanic check the grounds (supposedly) but he couldn't find a problem. Now I hear mention of a "grounding kit" and possibly changing the negative battery cable connector. I think I'll do that this weekend and see what happens, this is really a pain in the butt but I doubt it's the silverstars that are causing the problem. I have PIAA Super Whites in mine and it works just fine with no issues, like you said, the problem happens when I use anything electronic in the car. I haven't experimented with the sunroof yet as it's been raining in L.A. but I bet it would happen then too. Geez, where can I get one of these grounding kits and what cable would be best? The GS cable?

 

The grounding kit I purchased was from http://www.lexusgrill.com/ but you can make a kit yourself that at least takes care of the alternator and neg battery cable using amp power/ground wires and crimping on some ring terminals. I purchased my kit for a little over $100 from http://www.lexusgrill.com/ (includes 8 wires I believe, cut, soldered and shrinktubed) but the site seems to be down at the moment.

 

What all does the kit include? I'm gonna put together my own kit as I don't have a c-note at the moment to burn on a pre-packaged one...

 

It included two longer bolts, some washers, and 8 precut ring crimped soldered and shrink tubed cables. Just go out and pick up some amp wire and those gold or whatever ring terminals to fit it. Crimp them on and that should work out fine for you.

 

thanks for all the help, ill see if i can order one of those grounding kits...is there any other place you can get them other than the internet?

 

Not that I can think of(off the internet) But making one yourself as I mentioned is pretty easy and should take you less than an hour and about $15 tops depending on what wiring you use and what connectors. Good luck

 

Thanks 97 SC, I'm gonna make my own kit and see what happens....what city are you in by the way? I'm in the LBC...

 

I'm in Newark, SF Bay area, right across from the Peninsula off 84. GTG, leaving work early, good luck One thing, you may want to solder your connections if you have time for reliability.

 

oh yeah i forgot to add that when im driving and i put the car in neutral...as soon as the RPM's hit 0 the lights flicker for a second too....weird...

 

JSC300,
Do the headlights also dim when you step on the brakes? I do not think it is your battery. It could be a loose or corroded cable. Most probably your alternator's regulator is bad. Pull the alternator and have your local parts store check. If everything is within spec, you should not have any dimming or flickers, putting on a grounding kit would only be a band-aid repair.


Regards

 

Question -

Aren't grounding kits basically hyped-up, thick, insulated amp wires?

 

Yes, basicly. That's why I mentioned making one yourself.
Here's a small review on ground wires from an RSX tuner... http://www.ivtecdaily.com/rsx/mods/groundWires.html