hoosier58

I'm ready to start the water pump/timing belt on my SC300, but it seems that the coolant from the leaking pump fried the alternator (I'm also replacing it). The car has been parked in my backyard awaiting the work, and I need to move it and drive it up onto some work ramps (gravel work area, so jack and jackstands aren't stable). I pulled my van in and started it once, but it died as soon as I pulled the jumper cables. I moved the van back so I could drive the Lexus with the cables on, hooked it back up, and tried again --- it pulled enough juice from the van to kill it, and then my van battery was so weak it wouldn't start the van!

Fortunately, my daughter's Tercel was also in the yard, so I was able to jump the van. Now I have to try to keep all three vehicles there, in case it happens again. What a PITA!

Does anyone have any idea why the SC would pull so much from my van's charging system? I don't want to toast that alternator as well.

Grrrr!

bmxkeeler

There is no telling what it could be with the bad alternator. Your van isn't designed to run and charge two vehicles which is what is happening. The bad alternator could also be shorting things out.

hoosier58

Thanks. I did get it moved and up on the ramps. I just had my daughter rev the van while I cranked the starter. She had to do it again while I used the starter to break the crank pulley bolt free.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

yeah the sc uses alot of juice to just start and relies on you running it for a bit usually to recharge it.
alot of other cars wont have high enough cranking amps to keep starting the SC over and over, and with no alternator, it will def tax any battery its hooked up to. revving it up was the right thing to do.
probably wouldn't mess with it too much if its on the ramps now until you get another alternator on there.

hoosier58

Thanks, Ali. I'm thinking like my older daughter, who's been in Australia for three and 1/2 half years --- no worries!

I wasn't happy this morning, so vented a little. Now it all seems to be going by the book (famous last words). My wife is at Hobby Lobby picking up some paint pens --- I think I'll have it all apart today, then back together tomorrow.

My SC3 actually had a rigged alternator ---- not that I knew it when I bought it.
\It had charging issues from the start. I noticed that the indicator needle wasn't in the right range on the serpentine tensioner, then saw that bare wires were crammed into the factory wiring harness plug. The alternator on it had an oval shaped plug, instead of a round one, and someone cut an oval shaped female plug from another wiring harness, then just stuffed stripped wires into the round Lexus plug. I put blade connectors on the mini 'wiring harness' the PO made, and installed a shorter serpentine because the pulley size seemed to be different. It actually worked for over two years, but I never knew if I was getting the 100amps I should be.

I'm fixing a few issues as I do this timing belt job, and selling the car is going to be a heartbreaker.

Boltzmann

I agree with this. My spouses's car, which is in perfect working order with a new-ish battery and fully functioning alternator, has never been able to turn over my RX. Ever. Not even close. I assume it just can't supply the required amount of amps.

ToyotaPro

Technically you should never start the other car while jumping one off. It can cause the voltage regulator to spike and burn up the alternator.

hoosier58

Seriously? I've jumped off running cars all my life. With cheap jumper cables (though I have some good 6g now) it has usually required charging the dead battery for a while by revving up the running vehicle first. I never fried anything, except maybe a fusable link once by not checking the way somebody else hooked the cables on their end.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

yeah I don't think I have ever jump started a car without the working car being running.
If you try and jump an SC off another cars battery without it running, you will kill it even faster.. lol.
There is a reason the stock battery is huge.