Hello all,

I recently dropped a new battery in my 1999 LS 400 and I found it had some electrical issues that caught me off guard. The "Check VSC" light was on, and my touch screen/nav screen was very dim, like it wasnt fully getting power, and I couldn't get the heat to turn on. I have been told that when putting a new battery in its important to wait 30 seconds in accessory mode before starting it, which I forgot to do because I was in a rush to get the car to the mechanic to get its belts replaced. Any ideas on what I should do to get things back to normal? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Disconnect the battery once again and wait a few minutes to reset the navi. Then connect the battery and then twist the engine key up to ON position (not accessory position) until the VSC light turns off. It takes 20 seconds or so. Then start the engine and you will be happy. The VSC computer needs to do the calibration when the battery is replaced, you know. The calibration is done while you are waiting at the ON position.

 

Turn off the climate control and stereo/navigation systems, unhook the battery posts (negative post first), wait 15 minutes or so, then reconnect (positive post first). Then turn key to the on position (don't start the car) so all the instrument panel lights come on (and the message display), let it run through its process and then start the vehicle.

 

A general tip I once heard that I sometimes follow when trying to be extra careful during a battery connect / disconnect is:

Turn the parking lights on while doing the connect / disconnect.

That circuit should be simple enough (if incandescent bulbs and nothing like a multiplexer to complicate things) so the lights will provide a simple resistance to effectively dampen any voltage spike that may occur at the instant the circuit is opened or closed at the battery post / battery clamp interface.

And if this does not actually help, it at least won't hurt unless you mistakenly leave the lights on afterwards.