Dear all,

I am now coming across a very weird problem.
When I am driving my RX300, all a sudden, all my lights including headlight / instrument cluster light goes flicking. It just happened suddenly without any warning. And then, I stop my car and restart it again, everything goes normal again.

The voltmeter in my car should that the voltage is around 13.5V-14.4V. And then 2 seconds later, it drops to 12.1V, and 1 second later, it went back to 13.5V - 14.4V. And then 2 seconds later, it drops to 12.1V again. When I step on my brake, it will drop to around 11.5V and then raise back to 13.5V.

It doesn't happen every time I drive. It just drive randomly. I have replaced the generator two weeks ago since I thought it causes the problem. And now, obviously, it is not the root cause.

Any clues?

Many thanks for the help.

 

Stable voltage is the battery's job.

Here is a list of things:
Bad battery
loose or corroded terminals.
Loose thick wires from to battery.
Main fuse.

and last of all

a haywire load.


Ordered list of things to do:
Check terminals and wires.
Look for burned-melted plastic around thick wire terminations (smell as well).
Replace battery (just because it is cheap vs diagnosis fee). Do that if the battery is 2+ yrs old.

Start disconnecting one load at time. Any add-on accessory (remote starter, amp etc) should be the first one to go. You do this by removing fuses at a time and driving around.

Last of all, expect flicker when ever heavy load is turned on .. like brake lights, headlights etc .. but it should be instantaneous. Weak battery might cause a bit prolonged flicker as it needs help from the alternator to provide juice. By flicker I mean like a ripple and not OFF and ON.

Salim

 

How old is the battery, it might be that 1 cell is going bad. Each cell is 2.2 volts or so. The battery also pays a crucial part in keeping the voltage regulator/ alternator under load.

 

Thank you very much for the quick response.

My battery is less than 1 year old.
When I have upgraded my amplifier 1 year before, I have changed my battery also.

I can't explain why when I stop my car and restart again when my headlight on, all the things return to normal.

I haven't used my radio, so my amplifier and 2.0F capacitor was not switched on when the symptoms comes.

 

Your weakest link in the setup is the 2.0F cap and the Amp. Try disconnecting them for a day.

RX along with other modern vehicles, depends upon sensor and computer. All of the stuff is based on certain acceptable voltage. In this closed loop set up the reset is generally turning off the vehicle. I can assure you that what goes on in the closed loop is beyond my comprehension, the best thing is trouble shoot by elimination of possible reasons.

Out of curiosity what preventative circuit has been added to the 2F cap to prevent current surge when it kicks in. It is a huge instantaneous short.

Salim

 

Had a similar thing happen to me a few years ago, except that my internal directional lights would come on dimly every now & then (and stay on).

Brought the car in for normal service (Toyota dealer) & mentioned it. At that time, it wasn't doing it. They couldn't find anything.

2 days later, my wife gets pulled over for having no tail lights! The cop checked to make sure the inspection sticker wasn't expired, then told my wife to walk to the back of the car, where he showed her that there were no lights.

Fortunately, my work order was still in the car, which made note of the weird electrical issue. Cop let my wife off, telling her to bring it back to the shop.

I drove the car back to the shop shortly before they closed (with my hazards on, which worked). The following morning, they called & told us that it was probably a "complex electrical issue". 1/2 hour later they called back; turns out it was a loose electrical wire coming from one of the fuses. However, It was causing "feedback" on the directional, and cut off all external lighting except for the headlights.

 

I would like to disconnect my amp.

However, before I disconnect, I would like to know if there is 2.0F capacitor doesn't switch on, does it still get electricity from the battery?

I know that the shop has put a 30A fuse (big fuse) between the battery and the capacitor.

 

So, how did they check that out?

 

You are asking almost the same question I posed .. what is the mechanism of connecting the cap-amp to +12v (some have a relay, soft on etc). Just take the 30amp fuse out, which should kill 12v to the addon.

Salim

 

I don't know the mechanism between the cap-amp to the 12V.
All I know is ... when I switch on my car audio, I can hear the cap has a beep sound to let you know that it has been switched on. However, I would like to know if I do not switch on the car audio, the cap does not look like switched on. But is it still connect to the battery and drain it?

Here is the photo on the 30A fuse.


And here are the videos showing the light are flicking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ-kjhi0uBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dRH9MBuqnA

I sit the car in the car park. When I took the video, the light was flicking. And then after a while, it stop flicking. And then a while later, it start flicking again. I have plugged in my ODB II scanner, and it said no pending and stored codes.

One more thing, the ((!)) emergency park indicator keeps stay on today and something it has "dong dong dong" sound.

 

Sorry I cant be of any help in answering your question ... maybe some one else may know or the best suited person is the person who installed the aftermarket.

Salim

 

I am trying to disconnect the cap tonight to see if the situation improve.

 

OK, here is the update, I have disconnect the amplifier and the capacitor.

However, the situation still occurs. But this time, the clock reset by itself after I have restarted the car in the middle of the road.

So, I am now changing to a water-based battery to see if the battery problem.

 

I have just changed the battery to see if that is the problem.
I will let you know the result.

 

Clock resetting is a classic weak battery symptom for RX. When you start, the drain on the battery makes the voltage drop from 12v. With a weak battery and or bad terminals the drop can fall below the threshold to keep the clock running.

Water (acid) or gel based has very little to do with good battery. Either can go bad.

Salim