What is a good battery for the SC? I have not replaced minie for 4 years now and I think it is near its death . I have an aftermarket headunit, amp, sub, speakers... at around 300W. Please let me know what is a good battery that I should buy for relatively decent price and where I should go to get it. Thanks.

 

Optima Yellow Top, I think it's available at any auto store, if not, do a Froogle.com search and pick the cheapest online vendor

 

NY Lex is right on. Optima Yellow top is ideal, especially if you plan on having the stereo on without the car running since the yellow top is a deep cycle battery. Meaning the battery can actually recharge itself. A slightly more cost effective option is the Optima Red Top. High cold cranking amps without the deep cycle. A bit cheaper than the Yellow Top. I currently have the red top and even on the coldest mornings she cranks right up.

 

I was in a hurry and went to local costco 5 mins away to pick one up for only $43. It is 670 CCA... that is a little higher than I think is recommended, Shouldn't hurt right? I also got the fitment 3...

 

No, higher CCA won't hurt your car a bit. Some people think it is overkill...then their non-gel batteries fail them. You are doing the right thing.

The fitment was a little bit of murder in my RX300 as I had to stretch the batter cables a bit (think that was what the Orange Top was for), however the Red Top 34/78 works like a charm.

 

Crap guys. I just installed the battery and now it starts fine. However, the odometer and the indash light are no longer working. I see pitch darkness instead of the instrucment panel light up. Did I fry something? is there a breaker I can reset? Something I can do? Anyone with experience or have an idea why this happened?

 

Check all your fuses, both under the dash and in the engine compartment. Then, just to be on the safe side, make sure you didn't accidently turn the dimmer **** for the dash lights .

I seriously doubt you damaged anything. changing a battery just wont do that. Fuse is always possible though.

 

I experienced the exact same issue. Ended up having to get a new negative battery cable and let me tell you, it is no fun replacing the cable when the alternator is under the engine and the mount for the cable is on the back of the alternator!!

 

mkorsu,

Thanks for your help. Assuming it is fuse (stoopid question coming...), what can i do to fix it? Do I need to buy a new fuse, and just remove old and plug in new? Is that how fuses work? Also, where would I go to buy a new fuse? Any auto store or must i goto the stealership?

 

No problemo! Just pull out the old one and plug in a new one. Go down to your nearest Pep Boys/Autozone/Strauss/whatever and get a box of fuses for about $1.99. These will be the "prong" style fuse, not the "stick" style fuses. If your unsure when you're at the store just ask one of the employees and they'll help out. Also, remember that you have 2 fuse boxes in the SC. One is under the dash, far left side. You may need to pull back a bit of carpet to open the door. Also, there is another fuse box under the hood. I have a 400 and my underhood box is on the right hand side (when looking at engine from the outside), behind the battery. It is a black box with 2 large recessed plastic screws through the top. Inside that (look inside the cover when you open it) will be a pair of fuse removers. Makes it easier than doing with your fingers.

 

I just looked at the panel inside next to the dead pedal (next to my left foot).
i removed the box and the cover actually shows 2.

PANEL 7.5A

or

GUAGE 10A

Not sure which one is the actual one that controls the backlight of the instrument panel / guage.

I took both out and looked at them and by sight alone I can't tell if they are bad or not.
I guess I'll just goto autozone and pick up a couple new ones and just plug & play trial & error?

 

You should be able to see though. The metal filament inside the plastic housing will be burnt out.

 

while this is almost always true, not always. I've had fuses before that won't conduct, but appear good. When I answered your question in another thread I said check ALL the fuses, and I meant ALL the fuses. They are chain linked to each other on a few of them.

Also, when you pull a fuse that says gauge, it usually means sensor, not lighting. So check ALL the fuses.

 

is there a easier way to check ALL the fuses without pulling each one out to check?

 

D.M.M. will do the trick