enycetony

Hey Guys,

I've been a lurker in this forum for about a month since I got my 92 sc300. I love the car tons and stuff but recently its been giving me problems. I should first come clean and say that I'm a newbie when it comes to car mechanics so don't expect me to know a whole lot.

Anyway, 2 weeks ago, my battery in my car died. (I'm pretty sure one of the doors wasn't closed tightly and my battery was drained from the light being on.) I went to autozone and picked up a new battery, installed it and the car was running fine again. I figured that the problem was the battery without second guessing. Yesterday, my car died on me again; I drove it around for a good hour, shut it off for 5-10 min, came back and then it wouldn't start. battery was again completely dead. horn wasn't working, lights weren't working, etc. One thing I did notice was, when i opened the door, i was able to use the automatic locks and seats. put the key in the ignition, turned it and the car looked for a second like it was gonna start then died. I got it jumped like 5 hours later, car has been running since. After the jump, I drove it around for an hour, then parked it for an hour and a half, and started it up again without a problem. I think it could be either the alternator, or the regulator, or maybe the wires, does anyone have any clue what could be going on here?

thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated

Lex-Fiend

I had the same problem with my first SC300, it is definately the alternator. Lucky me, my friend's 2002 GS300 feel off the his flat bed tow truck during a turn and I got the alternator off that one.

enycetony

=[, where should I go about getting a new alternator for as cheap as possible? i did see an alternator rebuilding thread.. but yeah like i said im a newb.

RLB

did the battery light flicker or is on???

it seems something is wrong with the charging system if your battery dies after usage. it is usually the alternator in most case but you should check the battery, the alternator, fuses, battery terminals, and ground wires as they are the easiest to check.

check the battery terminals for tightness. next get a multimeter that can check dc, and ohm or continuity (->+) voltage. check the battery to see that its at least 12 volts with the dcv setting. next start the car and check the battery again, it should be mid 14 volts. if not, its most likely the alternator.

now check the fuses, set the multimeter to ohm or ->+. use the probes to touch the small metal tips on the top, no need to pull them out. if it shows signs of any voltage, it should still be good unless its real low. check the engine bay and kick panel by your left foot in the driver side. to check the fusible link (the big block like fuses) you have to pull the tray out as they are screwed in and you cant test the other side w/o pulling it out. there are 2 tabs holding it, so to loosen it you unclip them then pull it up then you can test it.

if you still have problems you should check to see if the wires heading to the negative and positive terminals are in good condition as the ground wire (negative/black wire) is known to be a common problem.

the least expensive solution for an alternator is finding a shop that rebuilds them locally. i find replacing parts for it to be more costly especially if you use the place the alternator thread recommends, bad service and prices and doesnt often stock sc parts.

574-SC300

You could probably find a cheap used one in the SC300/400 classified section for just under $100. Or you could get a remanned one from a local parts store for $180-200.

orangecar

Cherplex is selling one right now for $65

turbopezz

the alternator probally died because it was getting oil leaked on it from the distributor because of a bad o ring.

enycetony

Thanks for the help everyone. I purchased a bosch alternator for 265 from an auto parts website. I did some research and bosch has a very high quality product so I decided to go with them to avoid future alternator problems. Hopefully this was the issue and replacing it would lead to a fix in the problem. I could have also purchased a cheap used oem alternator but going with higher quality parts is probably the better alternative!

enycetony

1 last thing, can anyone tell me where the alternator is located inside the engine. My friend has my key and I'm unable to pop the hood right now. thanks

19psi

THE ALT is underneath. you'll have to crawl under the car to do the job.

enycetony

what tools will be needed to change the alternator, i know ill need a jack stand to jack it up since its underneath the car, is it connected to any other parts that are going to have to come out to replace the alternator as well?

thanks

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

No need to crawl under the car to remove the alternator. I did it from the top. If you can loosen the fan and the fan shroud, it will make things alot easier. It will also be a good time to replace the serpentine belt if it is cracked or what not since you have to remove it anyways. This thread might be of help:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=175385

enycetony

What tools would be required to get the fan loose, just a regular adjustable wrench? or would i need something special

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

All you need is a good set of ratchets and maybe a breaker bar. I used a pipe as a breaker bar and it worked fine. Should be I think 4 bolts that are 8 or 10mm I forget. First loosen the 2 bolts that hold the fan shroud down and move it towards the firewall and you should be able to access the bolts holding down the fan. After the fan is removed, move the fan shroud back to its original place and now you should have more room to access the alternator.

gs350on22s

whats up man i do not recommend an aftermarket alternator i had an 01 gs430 hooked around with ps2 system in the trunk and i had problems with the alternator charging i put an aftermarket alternator and eventually after a lil while the bearings in the alternator got jammed and the whole engine stood i would get only stock alternator not juiced up or anything
lucky me that the car was in park not driving good luck