I killed the battery! Well temporarily anyway :-)
06-07-05, 05:37 PM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
I killed the battery! Well temporarily anyway :-)
Actually my mother did. The other day I left the car (GS430) at my parents house because I needed to borrow their truck (RX400h). A few hours later I received a frantic call that both my mother and my nephew were trying to start the car but were unsuccessful. I told them to press the brake and once the green light on the start button illuminated to press that button. To no avail. So they ended up somehow driving around it.
Later that evening, they were to come over and swap cars. My dad said the battery was dead and he (he's started it before) couldn't start it. He tried jumping it with a 30amp/70amp crank charger, but no luck. The amp meter kept clicking back and forth and trying to start it accomplished not a thing with the press of a button.
I followed them back after dinner to see the patient and noticed the Start button was on. This apparently was the problem from before. When my mother couldn't start it, she probably didn't realize the ignition was on and walked away. Thus the car battery continued to sink in an acidic nightmare.
I immediately tried the same charger 30amp charge/70amp crank charger and was unsuccessful. I then remember my Dad had a 40amp charge/200amp crank charger. You know the one on wheels. I rolled that baby out from behind the 360 Modena (My Dad's quite the car afficionado) and strolled in near the GS430. Connected the leads, plugged it in, switched it to 200AMP Carnk and vrooom. The GS started on the first try. I always try to disconnect quickly (about 10 seconds) to see if the car will run on it's own steam. So I turned off the charger, disconnected the leads and man you could hear the load on the V8 as soon as I did. I then let it run for 30 seconds longer, shut off the car, and attempted to start it again. Thank god, I'm in the clear. The GS started right back up with no hitches. As I said, this helps me determined if I'm going to be in trouble down the road. If the battery can't hold most of its charge after 30 seconds..."We've got a problem".
The moral of the story is if you've got a GS430, make certain you've got a battery charger that can handle it and jump it in the event of a problem. The GS must have a heavy draw starter and a very demanding electrical system to require more than 70amps to start. The good news is the Alternator must be a good one to get things back in order after 30 seconds.
The GS hasn't had a problem since then. We're all happy in the garage now :-)
Later that evening, they were to come over and swap cars. My dad said the battery was dead and he (he's started it before) couldn't start it. He tried jumping it with a 30amp/70amp crank charger, but no luck. The amp meter kept clicking back and forth and trying to start it accomplished not a thing with the press of a button.
I followed them back after dinner to see the patient and noticed the Start button was on. This apparently was the problem from before. When my mother couldn't start it, she probably didn't realize the ignition was on and walked away. Thus the car battery continued to sink in an acidic nightmare.
I immediately tried the same charger 30amp charge/70amp crank charger and was unsuccessful. I then remember my Dad had a 40amp charge/200amp crank charger. You know the one on wheels. I rolled that baby out from behind the 360 Modena (My Dad's quite the car afficionado) and strolled in near the GS430. Connected the leads, plugged it in, switched it to 200AMP Carnk and vrooom. The GS started on the first try. I always try to disconnect quickly (about 10 seconds) to see if the car will run on it's own steam. So I turned off the charger, disconnected the leads and man you could hear the load on the V8 as soon as I did. I then let it run for 30 seconds longer, shut off the car, and attempted to start it again. Thank god, I'm in the clear. The GS started right back up with no hitches. As I said, this helps me determined if I'm going to be in trouble down the road. If the battery can't hold most of its charge after 30 seconds..."We've got a problem".
The moral of the story is if you've got a GS430, make certain you've got a battery charger that can handle it and jump it in the event of a problem. The GS must have a heavy draw starter and a very demanding electrical system to require more than 70amps to start. The good news is the Alternator must be a good one to get things back in order after 30 seconds.
The GS hasn't had a problem since then. We're all happy in the garage now :-)
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