Notices
SC - 1st Gen (1992-2000)

EFI Fuse killing battery overnight

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 08:44 AM
  #1  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default EFI Fuse killing battery overnight

Long story short...My battery has been dying after only sitting for a day or two for an extended period of time and after months of prodding and testing I've finally found that when the EFI fuse is removed the battery does not die.

Does anybody have an ideas of what component/s, that utilize the EFI fuse, could be causing the drain? Ways to test the specific component?

Thanks!
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 01:36 PM
  #2  
NemeGuero's Avatar
NemeGuero
Lexus Test Driver
15 Year Member
iTrader: (15)
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 864
Likes: 1
From: WA
Default

Check your engine grounds. You know what EFI is right? Electronic Fuel injection?

That probably means that your injectors aren't grounded right or your ECU ground..

That is where I would start.
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 01:55 PM
  #3  
O. L. T.'s Avatar
O. L. T.
Keeper of the light
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 34,122
Likes: 483
From: My little world
Default

Sounds like a sticky relay or a fault in the ECU.
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 04:04 PM
  #4  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

Originally Posted by O. L. T.
Sounds like a sticky relay or a fault in the ECU.
I was just reading through a lexus workshop manual and that's exactly what I was thinking. I hope that it's just a bad relay; I need to fix my voltmeter to check continuity on the relay. Is there another way to check if the relay is faulty or do I need to buy a $20 fuse?

Thanks,
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 04:43 PM
  #5  
O. L. T.'s Avatar
O. L. T.
Keeper of the light
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 34,122
Likes: 483
From: My little world
Default

It would be most helpful to know if the relay were fused on the hot side or the switch side. If it were fused on the switched side and you pulled the fuse it wouldn't matter if the relay was stuck closed and it would answer your question...... however I can't find a good reason to fuse a switched control wire to a relay.

The bad news is the stuck command can come from a bad ecu as well. You'd just have to find way to remove the acc to the relay once running to know if it is sticking.
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 05:01 PM
  #6  
O. L. T.'s Avatar
O. L. T.
Keeper of the light
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 34,122
Likes: 483
From: My little world
Default

We both have 400's so I haz the FSM's

Here's one circuit.
Attached Thumbnails EFI Fuse killing battery overnight-img_0173.jpg   EFI Fuse killing battery overnight-img_0174.jpg  
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 05:08 PM
  #7  
O. L. T.'s Avatar
O. L. T.
Keeper of the light
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 34,122
Likes: 483
From: My little world
Default

Actually screw that, here's the money shot........

Full res: https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da.../IMG_01755.JPG

That's going straight into the ECM. You can see the injector fuse (30amp) center bottom of this pic below.
Attached Thumbnails EFI Fuse killing battery overnight-img_0176.jpg   EFI Fuse killing battery overnight-img_0175.jpg  
Reply
Old Dec 23, 2009 | 06:21 PM
  #8  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

I'm kind of just learning about all this electronic stuff so I got a little lost;did you believe that the relay was the problem or not? And the switch side is the side between the relay and ecu not the battery and the relay, right?

I can't post a pdf pic here but what I is see is from the manual: Battery - Main 60A fuse - EFI 30A fuse - EFI Main Relay - Main ecu & Fuel pump ecu

And one last question I have is if the relay is the problem, then wouldn't I get a big drop in parasitic drain (ma) when the efi fuse is removed; b/c I don't

Thanks for the help!
Reply
ClubLexus Stories

Celebrating Lexus & Toyota from Around the Globe

story-0

TRD Off-Road Premium: Best 2026 4Runner, Except This One Thing

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

Top 10 Lexus & Toyotas to Drive Before You Die!

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

Top 10 Lexus/Toyotas With The LEAST 5-Year Depreciation

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

Lexus LC500 Convertible Auction: A Preview of Rising Values?

 Brett Foote
story-4

GX 550 vs TX 550: Best 3-Row Luxury Lexus Family Hauler

 Michael S. Palmer
story-5

9 Best Lexus Models You Can Buy for Half Price (And 1 You Shouldn't!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

2026 Lexus NX Buyer's Guide: Models, Features, Prices & More!

 Brett Foote
story-7

Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Lexus TX 550h+ (& 3 Reasons to AVOID!)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

Top 10 Lexus & Toyota Models of the 1990s RANKED!

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Great Toyotas That Could Have Been Lexus Models

 Joe Kucinski
Old Dec 24, 2009 | 08:10 AM
  #9  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

Update:

Alright I went to radio shack (10 min drive) and got the fuse I needed for my dvom. So I then open the fuse box to take out the "main efi relay" to test it and, to my surprise, I almost burn off my fingertips

After letting it cool, it pass all of the tests: There is continuity between termials 1 and 3, no continuity between 2 and 4, and there is continuity between 2 and 4 when 1 and 3 are connected to the battery.

Now about the relay being super hot; is this normal? I've heard that a hot relay is a bad relay but then I've heard that a relay that works with fuel may get hot during operation. I know, being THAT hot, has to be a problem but I just want someone to confirm.

Can someone with an SC please touch their "main efi relay" (under the hood fuse box) after more than 5 minutes of operation and tell me if it's really hot or not?

Thanks!

Last edited by JKBHEAT; Dec 24, 2009 at 08:34 AM.
Reply
Old Jan 13, 2010 | 06:15 PM
  #10  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

Anybody?

"Now about the relay being super hot; is this normal? I've heard that a hot relay is a bad relay but then I've heard that a relay that works with fuel may get hot during operation. I know, being THAT hot, has to be a problem but I just want someone to confirm.

Can someone with an SC please touch their "main efi relay" (under the hood fuse box) after more than 5 minutes of operation and tell me if it's really hot or not?"
Reply
Old Jan 13, 2010 | 07:21 PM
  #11  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

Also, can someone with a fairly stock SC, and a voltmeter, check what's a normal drain reading for an SC300/400? (in milliamps)

Thanks
Reply
Old Jan 13, 2010 | 08:58 PM
  #12  
TroySC300's Avatar
TroySC300
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,531
Likes: 1
From: Colorado
Default

Originally Posted by JKBHEAT
Long story short...My battery has been dying after only sitting for a day or two for an extended period of time and after months of prodding and testing I've finally found that when the EFI fuse is removed the battery does not die.

Does anybody have an ideas of what component/s, that utilize the EFI fuse, could be causing the drain? Ways to test the specific component?

Thanks!
This exact thing was happening to my mom's LS400. Turns out the main ECU was bad and causing the fuel pump to stay on all night (you can hear it under the hood or in the trunk behind the carpet). We replaced the main ECU and it fixed it.
Reply
Old Jan 13, 2010 | 09:37 PM
  #13  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

Originally Posted by TroySC300
This exact thing was happening to my mom's LS400. Turns out the main ECU was bad and causing the fuel pump to stay on all night (you can hear it under the hood or in the trunk behind the carpet). We replaced the main ECU and it fixed it.
I can't really hear the fuel pump come on at all. What do you mean the "exact same thing", what symptoms were similar?

Thanks,
Reply
Old Jan 14, 2010 | 06:46 PM
  #14  
JKBHEAT's Avatar
JKBHEAT
Thread Starter
Driver
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Default

Can anybody check if their EFI relay (under the hood fuse box) gets extremely hot after the car runs (even if it'd only a couple of minutes)?

Also (if you have a multimeter), what normal parasitic draw do you guys measure on your SCs?

Thanks
Reply
Old Jan 16, 2010 | 08:13 AM
  #15  
MAJones's Avatar
MAJones
Driver School Candidate
 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: TX
Default

Your relay being hot may just be from excessive current being pulled through it, it could be bad also having a high internal resistance. Bad grounds would not kill a battery, that would create the opposite effect as far as current flow goes, the rest of the circuit would not have the voltage it needs because of the added resistance of a bad ground. Current draw with the car off differs from car to car, it prob shouldn't be more than 5 milli amps. I have notice aftermarket cd players sometimes have a higher current draw for the memory than stock. That shouldn't be your prob if pulling efi fuse stops the excessive draw prob.

Start unhooking things that are in the EFI circuit and compare the current draw(with the car off and key off). I would start with the ecu. Other than the ecu you could have a direct short from any hot wire to chassis ground. Isolating individual parts of the circuit and comparing the current draw is the way to find the problem.

The ecu grounds the injectors so I doubt any of them are the problem. It would be continually dumping fuel when the engine was off and that would most likely be from a bad ecu.
Hope this helps, good luck
Reply



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:44 PM.

story-0
TRD Off-Road Premium: Best 2026 4Runner, Except This One Thing

Slideshow: diving into 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium's pricing, performance, fuel economy, features, and amenities!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-23 13:09:18


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Lexus & Toyotas to Drive Before You Die!

Slideshow: the 10 Lexus and Toyota vehicles you need to drive before you die.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-23 10:34:24


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Lexus/Toyotas With The LEAST 5-Year Depreciation

Slideshow: Top 10 Lexus/Toyota models with the lowest 5-year depreciation rate.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-08 12:19:06


VIEW MORE
story-3
Lexus LC500 Convertible Auction: A Preview of Rising Values?

The LC hasn't even disappeared from the Lexus lineup yet, and we're already seeing signs of an explosive market.

By Brett Foote | 2026-04-06 09:25:02


VIEW MORE
story-4
GX 550 vs TX 550: Best 3-Row Luxury Lexus Family Hauler

Slideshow: comparing the pricings, specs, power, fuel economy, fun-factor, and features of the GX 550 Luxury+ and TX 550h+ Luxury.

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-03-19 13:44:11


VIEW MORE
story-5
9 Best Lexus Models You Can Buy for Half Price (And 1 You Shouldn't!)

Slideshow: 9 best Lexus models you can buy for half price and 1 you should avoid

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-03-19 12:01:07


VIEW MORE
story-6
2026 Lexus NX Buyer's Guide: Models, Features, Prices & More!

Here's everything you need to know about the latest NX.

By Brett Foote | 2026-03-19 11:56:59


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Lexus TX 550h+ (& 3 Reasons to AVOID!)

Slideshow: reviewing the 2026 Lexus TX 550h+ Luxury plug-in hybrid crossover SUV!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-03-05 19:04:47


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Lexus & Toyota Models of the 1990s RANKED!

Slideshow: Top 10 Lexus and Toyota model of the 1990s ranked.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-03-04 12:35:11


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Great Toyotas That Could Have Been Lexus Models

Slideshow: 10 Toyotas that could have been Lexus models.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 11:44:33


VIEW MORE