I'm having starting issues on my 1996 SC400. It starts every time, but it takes noticeably longer to turn over then it used to and now I notice the idle seems a little funky and louder. It's as if the car is really struggling to start now. The problem started right after I sold my 1992 SC, and it may be because I used my 96 to jump the 92 after sitting all winter. I had the jumper cables on for about 30 minutes and they actually started to melt when I pulled them off. Ever since that day I've had a few weird issues.

The battery is brand new Duralast Gold purchased in February, so I was thinking maybe the Starter or Alternator is on it's way out? Any opinions greatly appreciated. And how could I test to see if my alternator/starter is good?

For what it's worth my lights dim since my audio install usually when the bass hits. I've been meaning to do the Big 3 wire upgrade, just haven't gotten to it yet.

I'm getting the extended timing belt kit from Sewell installed at the dealership tomorrow, and hoping that the car runs a slight bit better afterwards, up until now I haven't had a single issue with this car.

 

use a obd2 scanner to see what volts are coming from alternator. It also may show an error code that didn't trigger a check engine light.