I've heard of this happening but there is no drop in P/S fluid.If anything is a little over full. I'm pretty sure it was oil on there (the brushes). Not sure where it could have come from.

 

I had one car wher I replaces several batteries, alternator, etc., etc.,
It was the voltage regulator that was the culprit.
Ebay -- whole assembly including brushes & some diodes, + regulator - used to be in $30 range.

link

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I guess I'll find out tonight if cleaning off the brushes was all that was needed. I charged the battery last night then went out for about an hour drive today split between hwy/city. While out I had the a/c on for only a few minutes to clear the window the wipers and the blower motor. Tonight we're going out for supper and with the extra load from the lights being on I think that will tell the tale.

 

it is extremely rare for the original (Nippon Denso) alternator on the LS400 to die in less than 200K miles unless there is a power steering leak.

another thing to look for is a possible drain on your system when the car is off

you can get a rough idea of the alternator health by how many volts across the battery a mutimeter shows at idle (should be 13.3 or better)

you can also find out if you have a slow drain by installing a new or recent battery, measure the voltage with car off, and leave it parked for a couple of days and come back and see if you have the same voltage at the roughly same outside temperature. A battery should not be discharging when the car if off.

or if you are a little more sophisticated in your electrical troubleshooting skills you can hook up an ammeter in series between one of the battery cables and it's battery post with the other battery cable hooked up, car off, and see what the drain is. A couple of things stay live for a few minutes, seems like, so do this test after the car has been off for say an hour.

another way to do this test is to measure voltage drop if you have a sensitive meter

 

hi, auto elec here

go back to basics

lift all battery main cable connections..

so power and earth cables from the battery, trace them along the cable.
where ever they bolt to something. unbolt, clean the points its bolted to and the lugs with a wire brush.
place some vaso back on the contact point. then reconnect.

also what can happen is the solenoid in the starter can fill with dust which can hinder the throwing action inside the starter..

to fix it remove the starter and undo the solenoid off the starter. give it a wipe out of the inside of solenoid and also the plunger. then get a little bit of grease and wipe a very slight smear back into the solenoid for the pluger. then put back together. see how that goes..

to check for battery drain get a DC clamp meter and you can check it on the spot..
start removing fuses for main power stuff. the milliamps shouldnt drop on anything other than the clock. everything else shoudnt be registering amperage..
when you take a fuse out and a big difference in milliamps takes place then the issue is down that line. see whats attached and disconnect items to see where the drain is coming from.
this is always easier to do with a proper factory wiring diagram

usual main drain issues are wear on a cable against the body, dead regulator in the alternator. alarm system issues

being a load sensative alternator it should be charging at 14.1 volts.. when the car is running

 

ummm, this is not troubleshooting, that is a HUGE job on an LS400, you must have never done one!

 

hi mate,

yep definetly have.. it aint an easy job.. but there is a problem.. it sounds exactly like the solenoid is gummed up like i have stated..

being in the valley of the motor means they are under constant heat when running.. which i believe is the issue..

why dance around the issue ie it starting funny . attack it and look at the actual thing that is struggling..plus while you got it out you can disconnect the supply cable clean the joint and refit the cable after the starter is serviced..

ive done enough of these things its scarey.. and nine times out of 10 if the starter is acting up its usually a gummed up solenoid..

 

the alternator wasnt tested? only taken apart and inspected?

 

I've already done the contacts and plunger on the starter last month it works flawlessly when receiving a boost if it fails to start otherwise.

Also what I did a few days ago was I charged the battery to 100% then took it out for a drive for an hour and when I got back I put it back on the charger and it was still at 100%. So that night I checked it again and it read 100% still so it's not draining while just sitting. I then took the car out for another drive for 45 min but this time at night so the headlights would come on. When I got home I put it back on the charger and it was now at 65%. Also I noticed if I try to roll up the windows while they are already up the headlights dim and the blower motor slows down. My guess it's still charging but not enough to keep up with the headlights. The tests were controlled.

Anyway I bought a NEW not remaned Denso alternator the should be arriving next week. The total cost was $110 so checking to see if it's just the regulator wouldn't make sense. I don't seem to be losing P/S fluid but I do have an external oil leak somewhere although I'm a little confused how it's getting on the alternator. Anyhow I've seen what some people have done with plastic containers in terms of a guard for the alternator and will be doing the same.

Another thing is when I had the plug out of the alternator the plastic cracked up pretty bad. When I put it back in I wrapped it once to keep it together with electrical tape I could just put another connection on each of the wires but would rather replace the pig tail. I seen one thread where this had happened and the guy was given a part number for a replacement for his but it was for a 2001 lexus something or other. Does anyone know where I could get one for the 1994 LS?

 

No it wasn't tested. I just cleaned up the brushes as they were full of gunk.

 

I think you are confused on this, the real Denso alternator for this car, new, is about $300, even a reman would be very difficult to find for $110
please show us your source on this


that exact plug you need for the one that broke apart is not very hard to find at a junkyard, it was used on the alternator on many Toyotas in the 90's, just watch the wire position/color, don't get any of the 3 wires crossed up!

 

Here's the link. My bad it says it replaces Denso. None the less a starter local is $230.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/110787916806?...84.m1423.l2649

I think though I just found the real problem. I grabbed the neg post clamp and was able to wiggle it and then without loosening it I was able to remove it from the post. Funny thing is it was only put on this summer right around when I started to have starting problems. I never thought to look at it because it was tightened as much as possible, the nut couldn't be turned any further. Anyhow I put my old battery back in and went for a drive. When I got home I put it back on charge and it read 100%!! To early to celebrate but I think this **** may be over with.

 

here ya go!
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,ca...,parttype,2412

 

Nope! - $126 + core charge, and that is for a REMAN, my original statement stands, you can't get a real Denso, even reman, for $110 - and a new one is a long way from $110

 

Yeah, it didn't really make sense now that I think about it. Doesn't really matter now anyway I don't believe.

I replaced the terminal clamp with a new one then took it out tonight so the lights would be on. Turned everything on possible even the radio unlike in my previous tests and when I got back home it started straight away. Then when I put the charger on it it read 100%

It's hard to believe a faulty post clamp could cause so much trouble. Just because the nuts on battery clamps are fully tightened don't assume the clamp itself is tight on the post. Bloody Walmart!!!!!