Luscombe8A

When I started the car this morning it sort of grunted but caught and started.
Tonight when I was leaving work late it did not have enough juice to turn the engine over, it grunted then farted and then click, click, click. Kinda disappointed that I did not get much warning as I would have scheduled a check up. That said at least I was stranded at work and was able to grab a company vehicle for the night. Will try to jump it in the AM after I figure out where to take it.

So I need a new battery. Last new battery on it was in June 2015.
Is this something I can swap out myself or is Techstream invovled somehow when you disconnect the battery?
Is there an ecu update required for the 2011?

If I have a choice, what batteries should I consider?

I will call dealer in the morning but wanted to get a head start from the club.

TIA

yyymmm31

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First of all, you'll need to verify if it is indeed a dead battery problem by jumping starting the car. The symptom you described could also be a bad starter, or it could also be a failed alternator. Do a simple test. Try to jump start the car first. If you can jump start the car, it means that your starter is good. (if you can't jump start the car, it means that your starter is bad.) Next, while the car is idling, disconnect the negative terminal from the battery and see if the engine keeps running. If the engine keeps running after you have disconnected the negative terminal, it means your alternator is good. If your engine dies after you remove the negative terminal from the battery, it means your alternator or your charging system has a problem. As for the battery, the OE battery is National or Panasonic made in Japan and it usually lasts at least 5 years. Only very few US dealers in the West Coast carry the OE National/Panasonic battery. Most dealers carry InterState battery as OE replacement. According to InterState website, the right group size battery for LS460 is 24 (standard) or 35 (premium). Please check with the dealer for the right group size battery for your car. Costco carries InterState batteries at much lower price than the dealer and with a better warranty. You may go to Costco to purchase an Interstate battery and save some money. Yes, you can replace the battery with a 10mm wrench. You don't need Techstream or any other software tool to replace the battery. The owner's manual has instruction for removing the battery.
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Luscombe8A

Thanks for the input.
I tested the battery today. 10.5 volts, it would only surface charge and it flunked the load test. Was able to get car started with small hlp from the charger. Alternator is putting out 14 volts.

Concluded I have a bad battery.

Picked up an interstate group 24 with 800CCA. I tried a group 34 gel but the case was 1/2" too short for the brackets. This battery is actually larger than the OEM I removed.

Swapping batteries was easy peasy. took about 10 minutes. Pull off the passenger side plastic engine cover and the battery cover, about 10 plastic rivets or so. I did lose my presets on the radio. The programmed garage door opener and seat settings were not affected.

All in all, not a hard fix and I was out of pocket $150 for the battery and about an hour total with all of the messing around.

yyymmm31

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Thanks for the update. Glad to hear that it was only the battery that needed replacement.
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dlbuckls10

Seems as if the LS 460 battery don't last long. I've had my 460 almost seven years and this is my third battery.

Luscombe8A

Heat may be an issue for you in TX.
This is the 3rd battery for this 2011. 2nd one was June 2015 according to the service records. I will be monitoring it. Cost to replace was less than $150 ( 2 tanks of gas) for the battery. Thankfully the failure to start was at my work place so I was not stranded somewhere. Replacement took 10 minutes once I had the right battery. The inconvenience was the worst.

Dryrunner

iTrader: (1)

My 2011 LS sport battery died too. Lasted almost 3 years.
This time I am leaving the plastic covers off that surround the battery.
The heat gets locked in and cooks the battery.

VanCityLS4

iTrader: (1)

Johnhw2

My 2014 L with AWD would not start yesterday. AAA came out and jumped it for me and it seems ok. Going to take it in today. we belong to both Costco and Sams club. I had Sams check tire pressure and look for a leak last weekend, they were great. hey carry Duracell car batteries are those as good as OEM and Interstate?

Oliver Enterprises

My original Panasonic lasted more than 7 years. About 7.5 years. My money says the Panasonic is / was better than the average flooded cell battery. I wish I could have procured another Panasonic. Lots of factors in play regarding battery life. My replacement battery has got me all ticked off by making a big acid mess on top. The Panasonic was clean as a whistle when it was removed. It was still starting the car. But it sounded weak, and after 7+ years, it's a good idea to put it out to pasture. I've since cleaned up the new battery, and sprayed it with terminal protector, but I doubt it's going to do a lot of good. I need to check it again...


Jason Oliver

Johnhw2

Update, Im at Lexus dealer geting it replaced....it is covered under my warranty so no cost to me. Sams can not install a battery in my Lexus, their company policy is to not do them on cars where the battery is covered up as ours are. This has been there policy for about a year and a half. Costco has the battery but does not install it. So I called my dealer only to learn they will do it for free. They were not sure whch part of my warranty covers it but at less than 4 years and just over 40k miles it is covered. Thought some of you might like to know