Hey CLM's, well I didn't think the day would come but it came and went yesterday. My car finally had a problem I noticed only one day earlier that the car wasn't starting as it usually does; very quick and sharply. As I turned the key over, the dash lights would come up a little less powerful than normal, yet the engine would eventually turn over.

Then the next morning i went to the car, tried starting it and nothing all but a series of clicks when starting. The dash lights all came on fully bright, radio too but the clicking sounds didn't turn the car over. When i did hold the key turned over, it would simply continually click. I looked at the indicator on the battery to check it's health and all was good. And I have never had any problems starting the car previously.

My question is, can a starter simply go bad or does it usually give symptoms over a period of time? can the alternator do the same? Although I guess it wouldn't be my alternator because I had driven the car the day before the no-start and the battery was fine when I tried it. I have been searching the forums getting some things to check like the starter relay fuse, any loose wires, battery terminals etc. I am just wondering if anybody else has any quick checks i can do before caving in and taking the car to the dealer. Which will likely run me $500 for a starter or alternator installed. Any help would be great. I am going to check the battery and other simply checks again today.

Thanks,
V

 

Well its not your alternator that's for sure because it would start without it it would just run untill it killed your battery. It sounds like a starter to me or maybe your battery if you have an old battery. You might wana try tapping on the starter with a hammer and have someone try to start it. If it starts then you have a flat spot in your starter and should get it replaced soon.

 

Well, at least it died while you were still at home and didn't leave you stranded somewhere. My money is on the battery being your problem. Colder weather can often lead to such problems if your battery was already on its way out.

 

well, your lexus never failed you yet so don't take it out on the car it was more of an "engine accessory" like battery, alternator, starter. Nothing internally on the engine. It's not like you have to scrap it or anything like that, Alternator, starters, Batteries all will fail at some time.

 

Take it down to the auto parts store and ask them to check the alternator. You need to find out what the charging voltage is, also ask them to check battery. Unless you have the proper test equipment you are just quessing. Of course on that note, with as much as some of those shops charge, you could almost replace the battery, alternator, and starter, (if you have the tools to do it yourself), and still save money.

 

Just wrapping this thread up with an update and some info in case someone searches this down the road. I hate dead end threads After doing a little of my own trouble shooting; checking battery voltage at rest 10.0 volts! checked EFI fuses, starter and ECU fuses, checked starter and alternator connectors for looseness and jump starting the car, turns out that it was obviously the battery. Upon closer inspection, it also turns out that the battery was the original battery that came with the car And would have been sitting in the car for about 8 years now, incredible since their lifespan usually range in the three to four year area. The model number on it was Panasonic 80D26L-MF (NX105L-MF).

Being this was the first time I had ever had to look into the engine bay for something seriously wrong other than cosmetic, I thought I would put up some diagrams so that others can benefit. I didn't know anything about starters or alternators or where they were four days ago, so here is some reference pictures from the FSM's. I hope this helps somebody out. Here are some diagrams of the Starter and Alternator / Generator locations and battery information.







Happy winter motoring

Cheers,
V

 

I knew it wasn't the alternator. Cold weather typically causes a weak battery to fail I should has known that.

 

I think it was a combination of age, the weather changing and the fact that I hadn't driven the car for about a week. The roads were to wet and filthy with salt so I decided to bus it for a couple days. Yeah, I might be a little crazy, but aren't we all just a little bit

V

 

Thread title changed.

 

The sound that you describe is that associated with a flat battery that has enough to power for low-current drain items (radio, dash lights etc) but not enough to power the high-current-drain ones (cranking the motor). I think that the clicking sound that you hear is the starter solenoid kicking in and releasing continuously.

The indicator on the battery roughly indicates the specific gravity of one cell (only) in the battery, but that cell may not be the one (ones) that has failed.

A free auto-shop battery load test will give a far better indication of yr battery's condition.

Batteries are more likely to fail with the onset of winter as the temperature drops, and should be considered consumables.

Cheers, peter.

 

It is not your alternator. Your battery is probably too weak. I had the same problem and changed both of them since I fix these parts at my shop haha.. It worked after I changed the battery before I touched the starter.. but still fixed my starter because it was only 2 bolts and was easy to rebuild.

 

I had the same thing happened to me last night... I didn't drive the car for a whole week and I must have left the cabin lights on or something b/c everything worked except starting the engine... I was freaking out too. Finally, I just decided to jump the car it worked just fine.

This morning I wanted to drive my car for Thanksgiving lunch and the car wouldn't start again unless I jumped it. I went to O'reilys and bought a new battery and changed it outside in their parking lot. I was so glad it was the battery and not anything else!

Glad everything turned out ok.. a Thanksgiving Miracle!