Strange Occurrence!!!
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From: new Jersey
Strange Occurrence!!!
Greetings!
Drove my 92 Sc400 today...parked it and came back...nothing, not even a click. Unhooked the battery for a minute, put terminals back on...and it started right up. Had to do same procedure later in the day!
Any thoughts on why? Is it a sign of trouble to come? Does unhooking battery reboot the system in some way?
Thanks for your comments.
Drove my 92 Sc400 today...parked it and came back...nothing, not even a click. Unhooked the battery for a minute, put terminals back on...and it started right up. Had to do same procedure later in the day!
Any thoughts on why? Is it a sign of trouble to come? Does unhooking battery reboot the system in some way?
Thanks for your comments.
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 381
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From: Bay Area CA
well I may be wrong, but unhooking the battery causes it to recuperate a bit, perhaps something is draining it all the time, maybe a short. or it could just be a bad battery. go take your battery to be tested.
Test battery, and check the grounds. Loose ground wire will cause the engine to start sometimes and other times it wont more often than not. Could be a drain, but that's if the alternator isn't doing it's job, if the alt is, than it's a weak battery.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,220
Likes: 14
From: IL
I'm having a very similar issue with my 96 sc400. I had a brand new Bosch battery installed last wednesday, and after the car sat for two days outside in the cold, it would not crank. So i took the key out, re-inserted it, tried cranking again, and nothing. I did this two more times and the car finally started up. I drove it around for a bit, turned it off, then tried starting it back up, and it fired right up. Then today (monday) i went out to the car, dash lights lit up, but would not crank again, no matter what i did. So then i jumped it and it started right up.
So, do these symptoms sound like parasitic drain, or is something else going on? I've had the alternator replaced about 3 years ago, and the power steering fluid doesn't seem to be leaking because it looks full when i unscrew the cap. What might be going on here? How do i narrow down what it can be?
So, do these symptoms sound like parasitic drain, or is something else going on? I've had the alternator replaced about 3 years ago, and the power steering fluid doesn't seem to be leaking because it looks full when i unscrew the cap. What might be going on here? How do i narrow down what it can be?
Last edited by myLEXsc400; Dec 9, 2013 at 04:39 PM. Reason: forgot one important bit.
sometimes the stock battery terminals will loosen up to a point where you max out the tightening nut but its not actually 100% tight. give it a tap on the edges with something non metallic like a back end of a screwdriver to tighten it up or replace the terminals if that is your issue, it tends to come up when its been cold out.
If you hear the click when you turn the key and nothing happens, that is a sign of the starter, but if you turn the key and all the lights go off on the dash and you hear no click, then that is probably battery or alarm related.
If you hear the click when you turn the key and nothing happens, that is a sign of the starter, but if you turn the key and all the lights go off on the dash and you hear no click, then that is probably battery or alarm related.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,220
Likes: 14
From: IL
sometimes the stock battery terminals will loosen up to a point where you max out the tightening nut but its not actually 100% tight. give it a tap on the edges with something non metallic like a back end of a screwdriver to tighten it up or replace the terminals if that is your issue, it tends to come up when its been cold out.
If you hear the click when you turn the key and nothing happens, that is a sign of the starter, but if you turn the key and all the lights go off on the dash and you hear no click, then that is probably battery or alarm related.
If you hear the click when you turn the key and nothing happens, that is a sign of the starter, but if you turn the key and all the lights go off on the dash and you hear no click, then that is probably battery or alarm related.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,220
Likes: 14
From: IL
Ok, so today I had my alternator tested, and it puts out 14V under all conditions, or something like that. Basically, its healthy. So they determined the Bosch battery I had was defective, so they replaced it free under warranty. But I still figured there has to be something wrong. So I checked to make sure none of the lights were on after I turned off and locked the car. So I took my phone, put the camera on video, and closed the trunk, and for the whole two minutes the phone was recording, the trunk light never turned off. So I pulled the bulb, but idk if i should pull the fuse as well. If I do, which fuse is it? When i looked at the diagram i couldnt figure out which is for the trunk light.
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Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 527
Likes: 56
From: MA
Ok, so today I had my alternator tested, and it puts out 14V under all conditions, or something like that. Basically, its healthy. So they determined the Bosch battery I had was defective, so they replaced it free under warranty. But I still figured there has to be something wrong. So I checked to make sure none of the lights were on after I turned off and locked the car. So I took my phone, put the camera on video, and closed the trunk, and for the whole two minutes the phone was recording, the trunk light never turned off. So I pulled the bulb, but idk if i should pull the fuse as well. If I do, which fuse is it? When i looked at the diagram i couldnt figure out which is for the trunk light.
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