1998LC

Hello my son just purchased a 1998 Lexus LS 400. And it’s in very good condition. It has a phone in the center consul and it turns on but quickly powers off. we think it’s the battery pack on the back of the phone and we would like to replace it just to have it turn on again, but I can’t seem to find a replacement battery pack for it, anybody know where I can get one or how to make it function again thanks!🙏🏼

clipster

The 3G networks (in the USA) were decommissioned a few years ago so even if you got it to power on you'll never be able to activate it with today's cell service providers.

CELSI0R

Congrats on the LS and welcome. Do you have a photo of the back of the phone, or the area you are referring to?

I thought that the phones were powered through the car, but I might be wrong

If it does in fact have a battery, finding a replacement may prove quite difficult for a 26 year old defunct device

Kansas

Cables leading to the phone ECU under the false floor on the right side of the trunk are prone to corrosion which can prevent the audio system from functioning. Don't bother attempting to get this old phone system to turn on. Maybe a previous owner has already taken care of it but if not, disconnect the cable connectors from the phone ECU and secure them in a way that they can't get exposed to moisture. These phones were all dealer installed. The large connectors that plug into the phone ECU were originally plugged together through a white plastic bracket attached to the bottom of the tool kit receptacle.

You might as well remove the phone ECU and discard it. And you might as well remove the phone handset and cradle itself from the upper console tray so that the tray can be used for storage. The upper console tray insert can be pried out with a trim removal tool by working your way around its edge prying a little at a time. Take care not to break the insert since a replacement was never available and the entire console tray that contains the insert may not be available after all these years. Don't cut any wires since some may be powered and doing that may cause the audio system to permanently mute. Disassemble the console as much as necessary to unplug the phone handset from the connector inside the back of the center console.