Electric Problem

[hayden1981]

Hi Everyone, this is my first post here.

I bought my IS200 in August and love it, best car I have had, picture http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/wp000143.jpg/

In November whilst shopping in tescos, some idiot drove into my car and didnt leave any details and my car looked like this http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/wp000216.jpg/

I managed to get a replacement wing of eBay which my mate fitted for me, at the time I didnt have the replacement indictaor bulb so he wrapped some electrical tape around the side repeater wires.

Following this incident on a Saturday I had a week of work as i was really ill, the following Sunday when I went to start my car up it was completely dead and had to jump start it, for 2 weeks it was starting fine and then one weekend I didnt use the car by the Monday morning it was dead again, so jump started it again, and then it was fine again, only seams to die when I leave it for more then a day or so.

I assumed it was the Battery that had gone as it was the original Battery from the car (Y reg 2001) I took the car to Halfords for there Battery check, the guy said he couldnt check the Battery as the numbers on the sticker had worn away but he checked the alternator and said it was overcharging?? I had it checked by 2 more people my brother in law and a mate who works at Kwik fit and they both said the alternator was fine, so when I got paid in mid December I got a brand new Varta Battery which has been fine, I last drove the car on New Years Eve and then it has been left for a few days, went to start it this morning and it was dead, not completely dead like before the alaram and everything still worked and when I turn ignition all the lights come on just wouldnt start.

I have a baby due in 2 weeks so really need a car I know will start, Im on quite a limited budget too with Christmas just gone.

So I have been told by 2 people who I really trust that its not the alternator and had a brand new Battery put in and its still playing up so thought I would ask people here if they had any advice, any help would be very much appreciated :)

[dave1]

Have you replaced the bulb yet? wrapping in tape is not a good idea as it could cause fire. If it is still taped up, then that might be the cause of your problem.

[Lance]

I know it sounds so obvious but did you make sure all the interior lights go off when the car is left? It sounds like something is putting a small drain on your Battery, what it is I don't know but make sure all lights go off (boot included) when the car is locked.

[steve2006]

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

One thing that often gets overlooked is the light in the boot and the only real way of checking this is to ask some one who you trust to lock you in there while you check the light goes out and will immediately release you.

All cars drawn a small amount of Battery current when stood but it should not be enough to stop your car from starting after a couple of weeks being stood,if you have or know some one with a digtal multimeter it is easy to check the current draw of the Battery when the car is stood, it should only be a few milliamps for the alarm system

I would try trickle charging the Battery overnight and then see what happens.

With the present cold weather upon us my van batery went down a few weeks ago, this was due to only driving to and from work in the dark and an overnight charge sorted the problem.

I have in the past suggested one of those sloar panel type trickle chargers to keep the Battery topped up.

The link below explains more fully

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair/how-to-stop-car-battery-drains

You could of course have a duff new Battery or an alternator which is under charging but if it has been properly tested it should be OK.

Car looks very nice,shame on the culprat that caused the damage and ran,I hope theirs was more serious,cost them a fortune and they got stopped by the police and prosecuted!

[wayne-m0]

How many times has one come across yet another idiot in a carpark usually tescos or somesuch who damages a nice motor and drives off.

For me it was a nice door dent, suspect either an old person leaning on the door to get out and hitting mine or a 4x4 with the kids getting out and again whacking my door.

makes you wonder why you have a nice car to be honest, always wonder if some idiot will damage it and no one seems to care anymore or maybe I am being synical!

Anyhow have you checked the earth bonding on the car. This if rusty and making a poor connection can cause charging problems.

Make sure also that the indicator wires and not taped together as can cause a short causing a Battery drain. Insulate them seperately but any good auto electrical place can check the Battery output and drain etc.

Funds are tight for us all I feel these days. Will it ever get better?

Anyhow best of luck

[ormi]

have you got the oem stereo in your car?

[hayden1981]

Thanks for all the reply sso far, had my baby so not been able to sort this problem.

Have replaced the Battery and the alternator and still having this drain problem, have had both Battery and alternator checked and there is nothing wrong with them.

Have done a bit of research and the internal clock light is meant to go out after you take the keys out of the ignition and mine stays on?? something to do with the aftermarket stereo plugged in.

I have removed the head unit completely now and see how I go, anyone have any other tips or advice?

[hayden1981]

Ok have had the alternator and Battery checked and they are both fine, checked to see what the Battery draw is when ignition is off and its 43mamps and from what i have read anything under 50 is normal, so my Battery is still dieing and both Battery and alternator are fine and there is nothing drawing power when it is off so im at a complete loss to what it is.

Only 2 things i know is that the light on the internal clock stays on all the time and there is meant to be a warning sound whne you leave your lights on which I dont get, not sure if that effects anything??

[Geoffers]

Ok have had the alternator and battery checked and they are both fine, checked to see what the battery draw is when ignition is off and its 43mamps and from what i have read anything under 50 is normal, so my battery is still dieing and both battery and alternator are fine and there is nothing drawing power when it is off so im at a complete loss to what it is.

Only 2 things i know is that the light on the internal clock stays on all the time and there is meant to be a warning sound whne you leave your lights on which I dont get, not sure if that effects anything??

You are right, 43mA is nothing.

Congratulations on your new one!

How often has it been dead since the Battery and alternator replacement?

How far are your journeys? The starter does take a lot out of a Battery and in cold weather they aren't as efficient at charging and lose charge quite quickly. You would have to be making quite a few small journeys for that to have such an impact though, and so frequently too.

It does seem like something is draining the Battery. Do you know anyone with a peak flow meter? Leave one on for a hour or so and see what it peaks at. It may be something sticking that is switching in when you've left the car for a while. (Like when the vents close a few minutes after you've switched off). If you've not got a peak meter, the only option is the watch a normal ammeter for a little while. (not troo bad if you can park near a window - lay it on the sill so you can see it and go inside)

Make sure you tape down the bonnet switch so you can set the alarm to properly test a locked up condition. The alarm doesn't activate until you've left the car for a while.

If there is something taking a lot of current, the easiest way to identify it is to remove the fuses one by one and it will at least help you identify the circuit involved.

[hayden1981]

Ok have had the alternator and battery checked and they are both fine, checked to see what the battery draw is when ignition is off and its 43mamps and from what i have read anything under 50 is normal, so my battery is still dieing and both battery and alternator are fine and there is nothing drawing power when it is off so im at a complete loss to what it is.

Only 2 things i know is that the light on the internal clock stays on all the time and there is meant to be a warning sound whne you leave your lights on which I dont get, not sure if that effects anything??

You are right, 43mA is nothing.

Congratulations on your new one!

How often has it been dead since the Battery and alternator replacement?

How far are your journeys? The starter does take a lot out of a Battery and in cold weather they aren't as efficient at charging and lose charge quite quickly. You would have to be making quite a few small journeys for that to have such an impact though, and so frequently too.

It does seem like something is draining the Battery. Do you know anyone with a peak flow meter? Leave one on for a hour or so and see what it peaks at. It may be something sticking that is switching in when you've left the car for a while. (Like when the vents close a few minutes after you've switched off). If you've not got a peak meter, the only option is the watch a normal ammeter for a little while. (not troo bad if you can park near a window - lay it on the sill so you can see it and go inside)

Make sure you tape down the bonnet switch so you can set the alarm to properly test a locked up condition. The alarm doesn't activate until you've left the car for a while.

If there is something taking a lot of current, the easiest way to identify it is to remove the fuses one by one and it will at least help you identify the circuit involved.

Thank you for the congratulations :)

It has died at least 5 time since then, I did a big journey of about 60 miles when they were first replaced, since then it has been too and from work which is only 8 miles and to the shops which is only 3 miles, so I have been doing lots of small journeys.

I will see if I can get hold of a peak flow meter and try that.

Thanks for your help :)

[fjcfarrar]

With a fully charged Battery, a permanent drain of 50mA will take about 10 weeks to flatten a fully charged Battery. So, some investigative steps if you have a multimeter.

(1) After a journey taking more tha about 20 mins, the Battery voltage should be about 14.4 volts with the engine running a little above tick-over.

(2) When you then switch everything off this will gradually drop to about 12.8 - 13.5 Volts over an hour or two.

(3) The Auto headlight system can cause strange problems, so try leaving them in the off position on the column stalk.

(4) If you can afford to completely disconnect the Battery over a weekend, and afterwards all is OK - then the Battery is not the problem if a weekend is usually enough to flatten it. If it still dies, then (new or not) the Battery is the cause of the problem.

(5) If you bought a new Battery and have since only done short journeys (particularly with lights on), you may have never fully charged it, so try a journey taking an hour or two or charge it with a cheap charger. One of these is probably a good idea anyway to tide you over until you find the fault!

(6) When you try to measure the current drain on the Battery with a multimeter, you have to disconnect the main lead to connect the meter in series it - and this can temporarily reset things that can cause current drain giving your problem; so you need to beg, borrow or steal a non-contact DC current meter that just slips over the Battery lead without disturbing anything - such as a DC Clamp meter, or a Fluke T5 electrical tester.

(7) Having proved for yourself the problem is not Charging or Battery but is current drain; just take out each fuse in turn to try to find the cause. There are several fuse boxes to check.

(8) Finally, make sure that there are no visible electrical modifications like new wires joined-in or non-standard goodies fitted. These are often the source of confusing electrical problems such as your clock illumination remaining permanently on.

Good luck, you will get there in the end.

[Dollaz]

Hi,

I am having an electrics/battery/immobiliser issue (not quite sure which).

Your problem may be similar, maybe completely different, but you may want to keep an eye on my post for any clues.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=76308

To see if yours is the same prob, next time it doesnt start try unhooking the Battery, leave for 1 min, then hook back up and see if it starts. If it does I guess you know its not a batt or alternator issue and must be something else - probably the same as my problem.

Anyway, good luck!

D.