pakris

Looking for recommendations on what 12v batter to buy.

Since this last post, the car has been diving fine. There have been times after lightning storms or very hot weather, that the VSC light would come on.
I keep the battery wrench on hand to be able to disconnect the battery in those unexpected times so that I can start the car again after it is turned off.
Also, I noticed wear on my tires, and adding air would help. Just guessing...perhaps a quick change in weather hot to cold with rain could affect tire pressure too.
Not to mention the electricity and humidity factors.

So I got new and better tires (all 4) at once recently. The VSC lights were off after that service and the car drove 20 miles approx. over a week before randomly coming on again.
I forgot the important advice you shared about the 2006 RX400H 12v battery design issue. I have a battery charger now and checked before driving
one day and the reading was 11.7v. (Deep cell 51R by Optima).

This battery did last 3 years this time. I did get codes right after the car failed on the way to Advanced Auto and I disconnected and reconnected the12v to start the car and make it into the parkinglot.
Here is what was captured:
C1241 L/H volt 12v battery
C1300 VSC ABS
C1378 Capacitor communication malfunction
and then these that are mostly lost communication messages:
U0073 Control module BUS off communication
U0123 Lost communication w/ Yow - rate sensor module
U0124 Lost communication w/lateral acceleration sensor module
U0123 Lost communication w/Steering angle module
U0293 Lost communication w/Hybrid VSC vehicle system control.

I have since checked all of the fuses and they look good. I did not know how to
take any relays or larger fuses? off. So I didn't

Thank you in advance for your advice!
pakris

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

Walmart or Costco. Probably your cheapest options. I don’t think Costco will change it for you, though.

this car goes through batteries every 3 years like clockwork.

pakris

Thank you joedaddy1, I was looking for opinions on the type/brand of battery.

The current one that seems to be failing is a deep cell by Optima.
A rep at Advanced Auto recommended looking on Rock Auto Parts,
but I have had a few recommendations including a lithium 12v for my 2006 RX 400H

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

Not sure why anyone would put in a $1000 lithium 12v on a ~18 year old car that’s worth $5k. Especially if there’s no notable benefit in 99.99999% cars on the road. . I’d save that money and put it towards a new hybrid battery.

Costco and Walmart has like one type that fit our cars for $100

good luck! 👍

pakris

Thank you for clarifying. That's why I came back here to ask if there are new 12v types out there that last longer.

I guess the Optima deep cell is the best that has lasted 3 yrs as opposed to 1 yr and some months, for my car
and the climate I live in.
It may need new battery cables too. If it's not hard to reach, it's probably a good idea.

dpleticha

There are three fans under the rear seat that cool the hybrid battery pack and will eventually wear out causing “noise” on the digital bus. That noise will interrupt communication to various components and force the hybrid system to shutdown which causes the power steering and other systems to shutdown as well. Stopping the car, turning off the key and then restarting it will “usually” get it running again but with the VSC and other lights to remain on. Disconnecting the may get rid of those lights but usually they will go away by themselves in time. Replacing those three fans will solve the problem and you should be able to find another post or two on where to be the fans and how to replace them. I’ve fixed my 2006 RX400h and a friend’s 2007 RX400h with parts from Rock Auto but my friend had to buy two of his fans from somewhere else as they were out of stock. Hopefully they are back in stock as Rock Auto had the best prices. BTW the fans are 12V and even though they are next to the hybrid battery pack, they can be changed without any special equipment and/or expertise as long as you follow the directions you’ll find on this website. I saved hundreds of dollars doing it my myself but your mileage may vary…

pakris

Thank you very much for the added piece of information.
Do you have a link for these instructions by chance?
I'm sorta new with how to navigate this forum.
Could you DM if you meant to search how to and find instructions?
I've only heard a fan come on a couple of times where you mentioned.
When I disconnected and reconnected the battery to be able to start the car
and drive home the fan sound was gone.

pakris

This is the current battery that I have that is not holding a full charge. The last test was 11.7 and it's 3 1/2 years old.
Also, maybe a higher minute reserve capacity would be a battery I should look for.

jooksing82

The optima is a premium battery. I had it on a toyota Matrix but it still failed sooner then what i would expect. I would not buy one again. I had my batteries replaced at costco.. had one failed quite early but got an exchanged (they still charge me for the price difference since the price went up which was annoying)

I would just go to walmart or costco again.

Hobbes22

CostCo for me. Replace every three to four years. Lexus went with a bigger battery in the 450h for a reason...

pakris

Thanks. Since I wasn't able to drive to get a new battery. I needed to wait for a ride to buy it and bring it home to put it in the car in my driveway.
I did choose a Diehard AGM which is a gel pack like the Optima and 60.00 less expensive.

After switching it out and the car went through the reconfiguration mode when I started it up, I drove up and down my street to watch the dash view of how the
battery and system were operating.
The lights came on once more after the engine only was running and I disconnected the battery neg. side for 11 seconds reconnected and tried again.
All lights were cleared.
The battery icon looked low and would fill as I stopped accelerating (slowly). The arrows would change from battery to wheel icon and then wheel to battery and battery to wheel. Then the battery icon filled to the top after a few times driving slowly like this up and down my street.

So with all clear, I didn't drive it yesterday. I was able to start it up again right away tonight (no VSC lights etc). I noticed the same icon reading on the dash and drove up
and down the street until the battery icon was full.

This time before the battery icon filled the lights came on and also the engine light. That's when I realized even though the dash was not showing that the engine
was hot, it seemed slightly hot when disconnecting/reconnecting the 12v battery to reconfigure and start the car again. The lights all cleared and again The battery successfully filled full on the battery icon.

Since I have a short street I may need to continue driving when it is running on hybrid mode more.

So all codes are clear and it's in the driveway. I won't let it go another day without driving it.
Also, right away I noticed the lights on the dashboard were brighter w/o changing any settings.

I'll keep updating for anyone interested.

When it drives without codes it's great! When this happens after a storm and or the battery just wears out, resetting gets a little buggy.

iMSQ

1. Was the traction/hybrid battery icon green? If Yes, then you will have to replace it (hybrid battery) soon.
2. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...l#post11120000

Strlsn

Thank you all for posting this info!
I've had my RX 400h for 2.5y and I've been having issues w the car not showing READY, but wait a few minutes and it will start up. Now it won't and I have to jump the 12v w my portable. The hybrid battery hasn't been replaced (126k miles) and the fact that they're $7k freaks me out.

Along w other issues, like not being able to just sit in my car and listen to music w o the hybrid battery bottoming out to Red, has really swayed me away from every buying another Hybrid.

Love the car, but,, Nope!

pakris

No, it's only yellow for the traction icon that doesn't always come on. and the battery icon is in the center box of the dashboard when touching the display button on the
wheel. It's always a black background with white lights that shows you how the car is cycling in real time. That display is separate from all warning lights.

pakris

The 12v battery is a known issue and can cause all sorts of light to come on including check hybrid. When communication is lost between the two batteries, for many different reasons, the warning lights come on.

Try a new 12v and have an auto store scan and check your codes. Especially if you can't use the radio. That could be the fix.