05WineLS

Hi. I have a 2005 LS430 with 95,000 miles on it. It was running perfectly yesterday, and when I tried to start it today, it barely turned over. For the first couple seconds, it acted like the battery was almost dead. Then it turned over and fired. The engine ran for about two seconds and then died. I tried this about half a dozen times and it kept doing the same thing.

To me, it sounds like it is starving for fuel. I would suspect the fuel system, but what has me confused is the low battery level. The lights on the interior and the dash seem to be very strong, but when I try to start the engine, it sounds like the battery is low. The battery was perfect the day before. Does anyone know what could be causing this?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

How does a low battery sound lol? Once the car starts the battery is out of the equation for the most part unless you start turning lots of accessories. Have you check the battery connections and the voltage while the car is off and also while running?

rkw77080

If you were able to start the engine half a dozen times, I would agree with sha4000 that your battery was not the culprit. It sound as if maybe the alternator, A/C compressor, or power steering pump is locking up and putting extra load on the engine. I would take off the serpentine belt and try to turn the pulley for each of the accessories to see if any of them are hard to turn.

lildann

My car sits in the garage the majority of the time. I have a similar issue for the first couple of times that I start it with a weak battery. However, I did leave the car in the garage for nearly four months and then went to start it. It wouldn't start even with a jump box on it. I put a charger on it. It took several times doing exactly what you described before it would start. I attributed it to the ECU loosing it's memory. On the LS 430, the ECU controls idle be fluctuating the throttle body. My thought was: when the ECU lost base idle setting due to low voltage, it couldn't relearn it before voltage dropped again. Now I just start the car and let it run for 15-20 minutes so I don't have a battery.

05WineLS

Thanks for the responses everyone. I've gotten to the age where I don't really want to be getting under the hood and working on my cars too much anymore, so I will probably just bring it in and have them check it out. I will post on here when I get it fixed and let everyone know what was causing the problem. Maybe that will help someone else in the future if they encounter the same problem.

Have a great day, and thanks again for your input!

greg s

Sounds like low battery. Mine would do that if it sat for more than about 2 days without starting. Try giving it some gas when it turns over, that would make mine catch and actually stay running. The culprit though was a bad battery, new one fixed it.

05WineLS

Thanks for your input, Greg. Based on what all of you have said in your posts above, I'm going to get the battery checked. I also have a 2006 Mercedes S500 and have been alternating between the two cars, so each one usually sits for 3-4 days between uses. I did drive the Lexus the day before this problem began, and it started right up, but I'm hoping that maybe I'll get lucky and a new battery will solve the problem.

05WineLS

Well, I got lucky. It turned out to be a dead battery. I brought it into Sears and, after testing, they determined that the battery had a bad cell. I put a new Diehard battery in it and it started right up.

Thanks to all of you for your input in this thread. Good luck with your own cars, and happy motoring!

coug66

Lucky a battery is a cheap fix. glad it wasn't a fuel pump.

warminwisc

Another simple solution to an otherwise trouble free car!