Kahseim

My 2000 lexus LS 400 that i got just won't start anymore, okay i got caught in the snow when I was driving i had to go up a hill 15 minutes of struggling up the hill i made it then the VSC light came on , the next day the car woould not start , I connected jumper cables to it from another car then it turned on but when I disconnected the cables it **** right off what can be the problem please help .... First time car buyer

Kahseim

I had charged the battery at auto zone when I put the battery the car turned on and I even drove it but when I came home i just let it sit and run for a couple of minutes then it turned off again , then when I had the portable jumper cable connected to the car turned on then while it was running and it turned off what can be the problem please help .... First time car buyer

fixmiester

You have a bad alternator, or a bad connection. You should have a charge light warning in the gague cluster, but these don't always work. The VSC light will come on if cranking voltage is low. Have AutoZone check the alternator output. Do you have signs of an oil leak above/on the alternator? Common problem; search the topic.

Legender

Did you have them check the battery? I would imagine with snow comes cold. Perhaps the battery was borderline and will hold a charge long enough to start immediately after starting, but won't hold it in the cold weather. I don't think there is a relationship between the hill climbing and the car not starting. If you've got some decent tools and some troubleshooting experience you might be able to narrow this down to battery, alternator, cabling, battery posts or negative grounding cable. It's a process of elimination.
Verify the battery is good and holding a charge over time
Verify the car, in the off position, is not pulling a load from the battery
Verify the alternator is charging the car properly when running.
Verify the batter cables/connectors are in good condition and have a good connection. The positive battery connector is a weak link in this design.
Verify the negative ground cable is securely attached to the frame under the car and has a good connection.

This is a place to start...

RA40

iTrader: (6)

+1 to check the battery and connections then the alternator.

Scraape

power steering fluid possibly leaking on the alternator. Bad alternator will kill the battery.

Or maybe the battery itself is the culprit