Hey does anyone know if the interior cabin lights turn off automatically when you shut the car off for a 95 ls400 ? I’m kind of at a stump with my car right now, I let the car sit for about a week and it wouldn’t start because the battery died, when I replaced the battery the car started fine but I noticed one of the interior lights was on when I started it (so I assumed that’s what made the battery die), I turned it off while the car was still on so I’m not sure if they turn off automatically or not, I’m also not sure if it would still cause the battery to drain even if they do turn off automatically. while I was changing the battery the positive terminal was very rusty and it snapped as i was tightening the terminal with the new battery. I drove the car around for about two weeks with the new battery and the loose terminal and was driving fine with no power issues (15-20minute trips). I let the car sit for a week and some days again and the new battery was dead. The car cranked and made fast clicking noises when I went to start it, but today the battery is completely dead. So my problem is trying to figure out what caused the battery to die, the loose terminal or wether something else is draining the battery, I’m not sure what caused it to die the first time either, my guess was the light being left on in the cabin but I don’t know if they turn off automatically or not. I never let the car sit this long since I got it so I wouldn’t know if it was some type of drain. I’m also not very mechanically inclined so excuse my ignorance 🙏🏻

 

The interior lights remain on for a short period of time after closing the door(s) before shutting off. at least this is the case in my LS.

Under normal circumstances, the battery shouldn't get dead after only a week of sitting. Is the battery really dead or is it the sketch battery terminal? You need to get a volt meter and measure the voltage between the battery posts (not the cable terminal).

I would repair the battery terminal before doing anything else. Do the battery terminals look like these:


Lt - Positive Rt - Negative

To do any further electrical testing, the battery needs to be:

• Fully charged.
• Capable of holding a charge.
• Capable of providing ample voltage and current to the electrical systems.

 

Thank you for responding. They also shut off even when one is left on ? I know they all shut off when they’re not on but I don’t know if that’s the case when one is turned on. If they do then I assume it might be some type of drain because the positive battery terminal wasn’t snapped before I changed it, it snapped as I was tightening it with the new battery, although it was extremely rusty so maybe that could’ve also caused the battery to drain the first time? I can see why the new one would be drained since the terminal was loose, but I don’t know why the first one would’ve died besides for the light being left on or if it has some type of drain. Both batteries are completely dead. I do have a new terminal on the way. Would you recommend I just recharge the new battery I purchased or should I buy a completely new one ? How can I prevent this from happening again if it has nothing to do with the terminal ? Again sorry for my ignorance. I want to get a multimeter but I have no idea how to read it, where I would place it etc, I have no mechanical knowledge besides very basic things.

 

Thank you for responding. They also shut off even when one is left on ? I know they all shut off when they’re not on but I don’t know if that’s the case when one is turned on. If they do then I assume it might be some type of drain because the positive battery terminal wasn’t snapped before I changed it, it snapped as I was tightening it with the new battery, although it was extremely rusty so maybe that could’ve also caused the battery to drain the first time? I can see why the new one would be drained since the terminal was loose, but I don’t know why the first one would’ve died besides for the light being left on or if it has some type of drain. Both batteries are completely dead. I do have a new terminal on the way. Would you recommend I just recharge the new battery I purchased or should I buy a completely new one ? How can I prevent this from happening again if it has nothing to do with the terminal ? Again sorry for my ignorance. I want to get a multimeter but I have no idea how to read it, where I would place it etc, I have no mechanical knowledge besides very basic things.

 

The simple answer is the lights will not automatically turn off if one of them is left on.

Based on the timeline, I doubt the battery terminal has anything to do with the dead battery. If the terminal is not making good contact like in zero, there's no way this can drain the battery. It's like disconnecting the cables - no current flow.

This whole thing begs the question - what kind of damage did the wreck cause?

 

My new one died as well after a week of sitting, the thing I’m confused about is what caused the new one to die, the terminal was still making contact with the battery it just wasn’t tightened down, as I mentioned in the original post it was driving fine for about two weeks with the loose terminal then I let it sit for a week with the loose terminal then boom the battery died. No lights were left on this time and when I went to start the car it would turn over and click but wouldn’t start. I’m just wondering if the loose terminal connection would cause it to drain or if I have some other type of issue ?

the wreck was to the passenger side door and that’s it, there is no open door light on the dashboard and it didn’t cause any of the lights to stay on.

 

The important first step is to find out the exact fuse line which causes the current draw. It can be simply checked by the voltage measuring method just attaching test leads to the fuse's back as is shown here .

Every fuse has some resistance for an example Toyota's 10A fuse has a resistance of about 10mΩ and if the current is 100mA, the voltage drop is calculated as E=IR= 100mA X 10mΩ=1mV. To use a multimeter which can measure down to 0.1mV, you even can detect 10mA current draw. In case of a 30A fuse, the resistance is about 3mΩ.

 

Based on what you've said you should eliminate the obvious answer first. My guess is that you've had poor conductivity at the battery terminals with corroded and loose terminals. It's possible that when you were driving with your new battery, it was getting a poor charge, but just enough to keep running until you left it for a week. Then it couldn't maintain enough voltage to start the car. Put the new battery on a battery charger on low (12v setting) for several hours until it reaches 12.6 volts. Don't try to charge it by driving with a jumped battery. Meanwhile, fix your terminals. And get a multimeter. Doesn't have to be fancy, just some $10 unit will do the job. Put it on volts in the 20 volt and under setting and connect the red lead to the positive terminal and the black lead to the negative terminal to get the battery voltage. 12.6 is good. Any lower and your battery is undercharged or unable to be fully charged. Your new battery should be ok to keep using if you only killed it once. Multiple drains will compromise its lifespan, however.

 

thank you this is the answer I was looking for. That’s my guess is to how the second battery died, although if my first battery didn’t die because the light was on then do you still think a rusty/corroded positive terminal would still have conductivity even if it was tightened ? I’m still not too sure if the light being on would’ve caused the first battery to die or not, I’m still waiting on the positive terminal right now, the negative one is in pretty good condition still. I’m just hoping after I eliminate these issues one by one I’ll be able to let the car sit for a while without having to worry about it dying, I’m assuming if it dies again it’s some type of draining/draw issue ?

 

also I did only order the positive terminal since it’s the one that broke on me, the negative terminal doesn’t really have much build up on it and still seems in good condition, should I also order a negative terminal just to play it safe ?

 

To answer all your questions, yes a corroded terminal can drain your battery, as can a light that doesn't go out. I was detailing my interior and forgot to close the door. The battery drained overnight. Didn't take a week. And if your other battery terminal looks good, you don't need a new one. Just make sure it's clean. Wire brush the posts and the clamps and you should be good.
If you charge the battery and it dies within a week, you've probably got some parasitic draw.

 

My open trunk killed my battery overnight. And not just dead, but actually killed the cells. Couldn't recharge, needed to replace the battery entirely. I don't know how old it was, it came with the car with no date stamp. But those deep discharges do not do lead-acid batteries any good.

 

appreciate your time bro, the only thing I’m still a little confused about is wether or not the interior lights that are left on turn off automatically when you shut the car off. If not then I might have some type of draw.

 

I think if you manually turn a light on, it stays on.

 

The OP needs to re-establish a baseline. The baseline is:

1. Repair the battery terminal.
2. Confirm the "new" battery is fully charged, able to hold a charge and able to provide necessary power.

Once this is done, then (and only then) can further diagnosis be performed. To skip the above steps is only guessing and a waste of time (the OP's time, not ours).