EcalLexus

2002 Lexus LS430

Car sat for 7 months with weekly starts, and am flying back soon to drive it to my new home. Am told by caretaker (who works is a tractor mechanic) it now won't start but jumped off okay but battery won't hold a charge when put on charger. New battery (O'Reilly Super Start Extreme) installed by caretaker and am told by him it won't crank at all now, although it seems to have power (lights, horn, wipers, etc.). He's wondering if there's an electronic reset process he has to go through?

No mem-keeper was used during the battery swap. Is there a reset procedure on this car to maybe reset security or something?

(I told them to check loose cables and test battery. Also told them to reset security by closing all doors and hood, then lock doors to see security light, followed by unlocking them. Have not heard back yet.)

Thanks,

rkw77080

The LS430 does not have a battery-reset requirements for starting the engine after battery replacement.

You mentioned that the caretaker was able to jump start the car with the old battery. I would ask him/her to do the same with the new battery to see if the engine would crank. I suspect that a primary fuse may be blown during his/her last jump start. Here's what the owner's manual says about jump starting the LS430...

Johnhav430

Agreed, LS430 seems to be very straightforward with the battery. It's the only car we own that a) battery does not use a vent tube (it's in the hood area of course), gives a true battery test reading under the hood, all memory settings held by the 9V into the lighter tool.

The other cars lose memory with the 9V trick, and under the hood from the posts the resistance is way up causing a failed test if done from there.

There is something to be said about 2000 technology and it's more simplistic ways 18 years later....

My only tip would be check the terminals. On mine? Even though they are screwed down tightly, they were not making good contact as they slightly deformed and did not grip the new posts. Also, don't throw away the sleeve that came with the original--it keeps the gassing off of the fender. My maxima rusted away because I stupidly threw away the sleeve (I also stupidly let an auto store talk me from a 24F to a group 35, cuz that's what they had in stock)...

EcalLexus

Thanks, all. I'll see if he's able to start it and report back.

Passed on to caretaker...
No security reset
Check tightness and fit of terminals to cables
Check fuses (located both fuse boxes for him)
Try to jump the new battery
If need be, swap old battery back in and try jump start again to see if it starts
Check new battery for power

EcalLexus

Thanks, everyone. Word came back car started and I heard generally it was the cables. I'm guessing they were loose because I had that happen before on this car. Did I actually need a new battery? I dunno. I'm just glad it's running again so I can go bring it to my new home. Here, I'll work on it and get that issue (along with others) corrected. I look forward to talking to you more about this car. I love my 2002 Lexus LS430 and want to keep it running. Thanks again!!