billy boi

its a 1993 lexus ls400 . i just did the brakes yesterday . rotors , pads and bled the lines. i think i might need to bleed the lines again though . brakes feels like mush . so the next day , i go to start the car and it doesnt turn on . all the elctrical turns on but the engine doesnt . so i connect a jumper box and it turns right on . i let it sit for about 10 minutes . cut it off .... same problem . does anyone have any idea what it might be ?

mmarshall

Could be a number of things but first try a new battery....and clean the terminals on the cables. If that doesn't work, maybe it is just an alternator that, after 12 years, is finally starting to crap out. Sounds like the battery has enough juice to light up bulbs, gauges, etc......but not enough to crank the starter motor. When you jump-start the car, the battery is boosted by the jumper and of course the engine starts right up, but if the battery is weak it won't hold an alternator charge and will just drain back down in a few minutes. Do you get a rapid click-click-click sound when you turn the ignition key?.....that usually means just a low battery.
If the alternator is weak it will not recharge the battery at all, and the engine will die shortly because the alternator is not keeping it charged, and the battery only holds so much juice.
Less likely, but still possible, is insufficient or slightly too much voltage at the starter. Modern cars are VERY sensitive to the amount of electricity needed at the starter for cranking. It must be EXACTLY 12 volts......11.9 or 12.1 won't do it. A test can be done to measure voltage drop at the starter.....I'm not enough of a technician to know exactly how it is done but any reputable service shop should be able to do it with proper equipment. There is a small chance you could need a new starter, but it will more probably be the battery or alternator.

billy boi

thanks marshall for the reply . went to strauss this morning , batttery was good . so i got friggin worried that it was the alternator .............. turns out to be ....... dirty terminals . what great news . no money out of pocket . problem so simple i was just thinking of the worst .