Owaissidd

I have 2000 ls400. I think some fuse is blown. First it gave a burning smell, i opened the fuse box and i could see the second fuse giving fumes. I have attached a pic here.

The car was also giving me headlight levelling message, and low battery message.

Any idea what is it?
should i drive the car in this condition to the mechanic or get it towed?
Whats the fix for it?


Thanks

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

it's a fusible link.

LScowboyLS

It's actually the 120A ALT fuse.

you have a dead short somewhere.

do NOT drive the car like this (at best you would have no charging system)

the fix is finding and correcting the short, and then a new fuse, and hopefully you didn't melt the fusible link block it is sitting in, or you will need one of those too (from a junkyard or ebay)


PS - you smoked that sucker like a BBQ! (high five!)

steve2006

IIRC the only time that fuse link would blow is either due to a short on the wiring to the alternator or the alternator itself is faulty.
Never seen one melt like that though could also be loose screw terminals on the fuse itself which have been arcing.
Looks like a rewire as well as a new fuse.

LScowboyLS

yes, unless you have been doing some funky rigging up of something aftermarket on your car, or something you are not telling us about, such as hooking up the battery backwards, then the most common culprit would be a shorted diode or winding in your alternator, which is a pretty easy repair to do at home, and no towing required if you are mechanically inclined, just a new alternator.

the other possibility is that the main alternator power feed has become shorted due to being pinched or cut by something (usually would happen as a result of sloppy repair work or maintenance recently done.) and the power feed is now shorted against the engine or frame of the car or some other ground source.

PS - this very large fuse (or fusible link as some call it, but Toyota calls it a fuse) is held in by two bolts, so you cannot just pull it out like other smaller fuses.

LScowboyLS

this is what the fuse looks like originally - about $2 - $4 at better auto parts stores

Owaissidd

Thanks all for the replies.
Two weeks back i had a repair job done, they replaced the front jumpers with a used pair. Things were normal after that for the whole week.
The day this problem showed up, my car went into a small hole on the road, which was very new on the road, it was filled with water. in the night i could not measure its depth. I think water splashed into something and it started giving these fumes.
I will have to get it towed to the garage, and lets see whats the outcome.
Cheers

LScowboyLS

well now that you have explained more, you may not need to tow it, you might have had a temporary short from the water, and the fuse may have saved your alternator and electrical system

I would actually just try a new fuse, if the car has sufficiently dried out and you think there is no more water inside

the fuse is only $2 or $4 or so (in USA) - and things dry quickly in Dubai!

when you say "they replaced the front jumpers with a used pair." - what component are you referring to? - I don't know of any part of the LS400 or Celsior that is called a "jumper"

Owaissidd

The front shocks were replaced, some mechanics call them jumpers

LScowboyLS

oh wow - we don't have that term in USA, that I have ever heard

well we do, but it means a short piece of wire like the red wire in this pic on how to dump the codes on a 94 and older LS400