Issues after hibernation

[royoftherovers]

7 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

People don’t believe you BUT it is true! LS400’s DO repair themselves!

Evidence Davey please.

[Spacewagon52]

I have posted about this before somewhere on the forum John. An electrical issue that fixed itself. My brain is a bit fuzzy at present so can’t remember exactly but there have been a number of contributions on this subject to prove the point!

[royoftherovers]

Just now, Spacewagon52 said:

I have posted about this before somewhere on the forum John. An electrical issue that fixed itself. My brain is a bit fuzzy at present so can’t remember exactly but there have been a number of contributions on this subject to prove the point!

ok,thanks fuzzy brain.

[harrylime]

Perhaps I should call her Christine

[Spacewagon52]

15 hours ago, harrylime said:

Perhaps I should call her Christine

That is a very creepy film!

[brendangeorge]

On 1/30/2021 at 6:38 PM, Malc said:

OK now let me put your issue into perspective

After a couple of weeks laid - up and being drenched by stormy weather, the old gal was fine going to hospital to pick up my partner ............... BUT towards the exit on the M2 in pouring torrential rain and lorry spray etc the wipers just STOPPED upright on the screen, dash lights vanished and blower stopped

radio and headlights still working .....  what to do ......  carried on, off at the exit and by now the power steering was a little stiff on the junction, lights, roundabout etc  ............  got to the hospital car park ok, challenging manouvering to park facing outwards ........  leave the engine running tho

windows don't work but radio and aerial up&down does, so I turned off that battery drain ...................

Call RAC Breakdown and Recovery ... they say about 30 mins ....... BRILLIANT.......  maybe an hour later the RAC guy calls to tell me he's around the corner when WHOOOAH  .............  the wipers start to work, dash lights appear and all seems normal ...........  what a relief ....  the RAC guy is still coming thankfully ......... puts his meters and computer all over everything and can't find anything wrong at all .............  telling me that if it hadn't self-healed he would have a better chance of finding the issue ..... thinking it might be a bad earth somewhere ( under the car -----in the pouring rain ! ) or just damp in there somewhere .............

telling me all the time that Ls400s never break down and I'm the highest car mileage he's been out to for a very long time ..... 232k miles

All this while liaising with my indy mechanic who tells me we replaced the alternator on 6th January last year ( at 228k miles on original with the car ? ) and maybe the alternator belt had slipped off ....  new belt then too ...............

So I guess it was a damp issue from being effectively moribund for a while ...  then driving thru' torrential stormy weather ......  thankfully the often understated " self-healing" took place

Nowt wrong nor on-going I hope .......  let's see, she's going to be almost moribund for a while yet too ...  no more hospital appts etc for a while

Malc

Hi Malc

They don't fix themselves - I wish they did then my old 265K miler would still be running.  Your float charger will have kept your Battery in good nick but there are a few electronic bits to look at.  I am a bit out of touch with the LS eletrical system (despite being an electrical engineer).  You have an intermittent fault caused by something warming up - the clue is it sorted itself out in the car park when you turned it off.  When some componets cool down they will work again but not for long.  I think Herbie pointed you in the right direction when he said the alternator should be running the car - if it does not then you will discharge the Battery.  It could be the voltage reg on the alternator - you mentioned a replacement was fitted so it could have developed an intermittant fault.

If you have an earth fault that develops when a connection warms up - again it may work when it cools down.  If you need help with fixing a problem it is always a good idea to leave it in the failed state so it can be inspected - this is not always possible or optimal in a car.

Good luck.

Bren

[Malc]

30 minutes ago, brendangeorge said:

the clue is it sorted itself out in the car park when you turned it off. 

But I didn't, I left it running the whole time ......  and it, wipers, dash lights, electric windows and whatever else just sparked back into wonderful life 

Malc

[brendangeorge]

On 2/1/2021 at 2:40 PM, Malc said:

But I didn't, I left it running the whole time ......  and it, wipers, dash lights, electric windows and whatever else just sparked back into wonderful life 

Malc

I missed that Malc - I had a relay problem that cased my light to turn off - a 50p fix (replacement relay) but it took a while to sort it out because it was intermittent, like my brain.

I think you mentioned the fault occurred in pouring rain and cleared up after you left the engine running in the car park.  Sounds like time to get a hose pipe and a hair dryer out mate and do some testing 😀.  I'd look at the last things that were worked on and see if they are water tight - if everything went out that should give an auto-electrician a place to look.

Good luck

Bren

 

[Malc]

Been out and about today in the Lexus ...... a grocery Click and Collect doing a 20 mile round trip in the rain etc

All fine and tickety boo .........  as usual ................ and I'm just not capable of getting under the old gal now to check anything at all .......  it's all down to my indy to do whatever when I get down to him 

Malc

[Malc]

On 1/31/2021 at 3:44 PM, Malc said:

no other car " self heals "  quite like the Lexus Ls400

well guys .......  it's done it again today 

Been a couple of weeks since she's been out and  about ...  started fine today, a bit warmer and sunny and dry ..  going to get some essential cat food at P-at- H a 5 mile drive ......  just approaching there and POP it all goes off again ............  so I didn't stop, just carried on home ..  at the traffic lights put her in P and when the lights change she won't move into Drive .... so I pressed the Gear Override button on the console and she pops into D ok and off I go .........  5 miles to home and radio works, cigar lighter works ( my phone charges in there )  but all else looks a bit " dead "  ...  just getting into my turning and BLIMEY  it all sparks into life again and seems fine 

So if it self heals it also likes playing around 

Asked my indy and he says electrics not his strong point so I'm awaiting his positive suggestion

I guess it's a local Auto-Electrician I need then ?

Anyone know of one on Sheppey, Kent

Malc

[Herbie]

6 minutes ago, Malc said:

I guess it's a local Auto-Electrician I need then ?

Absolutely. Auto electrics are a completely separate trade and it's the old 'horses for courses' thing.

[Malc]

I'm still hunting, unsuccessfully thus far .........  for this elusive Specialist Auto Electrician

Maybe a drawback of having an elderly Ls400 with high'ish mileage ( 232k ) is that the electrics aren't all they once were 

Malc

[Herbie]

42 minutes ago, Malc said:

I'm still hunting, unsuccessfully thus far .........  for this elusive Specialist Auto Electrician

Well I don't know exactly whereabouts in Kent you are, but a very quick search on Google brings a couple up.

1. Caesar Auto Electrical in Rochester, rated 4.9 out of 5 stars by 14 reviewers https://www.caesarcaralarms.co.uk/
2. Vehicle Electrics and Security in Aylesford, rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by 7 reviewers https://www.vehicle-electrics.co.uk/
3. South Eastern Auto Electrics in Maidstone, rated 4.4 out of 5 stars by 47 reviewers http://www.seautoelectrical.co.uk/

[Malc]

Thank you ...  I've used the South Eastern Auto ........ at Tovil, Maidstone prior .............  they rewind alternators and such like ..........  but wouldn't answer me for mine on the Ls400 BUT I did get a new Battery from them for the Honda Legend ...  which lasted about 18 months ! ..  I didn't see them as Specialists for Auto Electrical gremlins tbh

The Caesar guys don't seem to be Specialists in Auto Electrical ( complex maybe ) repairs ....  more of a general business it looks to me

I actually have now made contact with my preferred Specialist ....  on this list too ........... the Aylesford guy ......... he responded to my whatsapp today, just now and given me his email addy to send over the story of the gremlins on my Ls400 ...............  they are in Lockdown it seems but expect to be back into doing stuff by end February .................

 

So thank you to all those contributors ..... Herbs ..  let's hope that end February sees me having a sensible resolution to this issue.

Ls400s are just so so reliable and generally INVINCIBLE .......  aren't they 

I'll keep you posted

Malc

 

[Malc]

OK it's Feb 27th. and 50+ miles today and all's well right now 

I'm praying it's sorted itself out

Time will tell eh !

Malc

[Malc]

it's 6th. March and another 40 odd essential miles ( return trip to the hospital ) and no gremlins at all .......  I think they may have abandoned me on the M2 hopefully ...... so not hearing back from what I thought could have been the local'ish Specialist Auto Electrics guy ...... ( and I'm disappointed in that tbh )........ I'm beginning to rest easier in my mind .......  hope it's not ill founded 

Malc

[LexusRbest]

This sounds like a sticking voltage relay.

It isn't clicking in to allow alternator to charge Battery.

just because alternator was replaced ,don't dismiss it as not the problem.

if it was an exchange recon unit it may previously have been removed due to this intermittent  fault.

[Malc]

David thank you ............  guess I'll be living with it all then for a while ........  just so long as ( if it is this ) it unsticks at an ok moment then I'll be " happy "

Thanks again for your thoughts

Malc