tlsmikey

Anyone know what the power rating for the rear outlet is on the RX300? Mine's a 99 and I can't find a spec.

I want to plug something in that is 1150Watts but i'm worried that's too much.

bob2200

That's almost 100 amps! (1150 watts divided by 12 volts). It's a 12 volt outlet, that is only on when the ignition is on. I would think it is fused and you could check the rating of the fuse. I would just guess maybe 20 amps max., without checking. Did you miss a decimal point?

tlsmikey

I think that outlet operates on 120V.

I want to use it for some tire warmers on my race bike. They are rated at 1150 watts. Using P=VI, Power=Voltage*Current

1150W=120V*x
x=10Amps by my calculations.

Lil4X

That's WAY too much - like bob said, check the fuse to be sure. I've run a 140w inverter from that outlet at probably no more than 120w. That's adequate to run a a laptop, a small TV, a cooler, or a variety of battery chargers. If you are looking for something with more capacity, you may have to go to a much larger alternator, and special heavy-gauge wiring from the engine compartment. To save money, you might consider a small AD/DC generator package - separate from the car's system altogether.

Lil4X

That's 10 amps at 120VAC, which is about 10x what's available from that 12v outlet. By the time you factor the losses of an inverter to give you AC, you probably have a bit less.

The AC outlet on my 330 will produce about 140 watts - or about 1+ amps at 120VAC. You are talking about a LOT of power with a PAIR of tire warmers (assuming you will be operating both at once).

edbro

This will sound like a stupid question but, where is this outlet? I recently bought a used 99 RX but I haven't seen an AC outlet. I have one on my Avalon behind the center console.

bob2200

If it's like my 2002 RX300, the three accessory 12 volt outlets are: (1) on the front dash in front of the shift lever, (2) in the rear of the center console, and (3) on the left side of the cargo area about midway up the wall.

edbro

Ah, I see. It looks like the 330 has an AC outlet whereas the 300 only DC.

bob2200

In doing a quick web search, it looks to me that the RX330 doesn't have 120 volts AC either. They appear to use the term "power outlet" in referring to the 12 volt DC receptacles.

edbro

I got that from Lil4X's post above.

bob2200

Ahh, I see. My observation is that Lil4x was writing about the inverter he plugged into his RX330 (looking at his profile). Also, I see from the writeup below that the Toyota Avalon did have an AC power inverter available as an option:

New options include memory power seats and, for the XLS, 16-inch wheels and tires and a 115-volt AC outlet for household-type plugs. We're not sure where the 115 volts comes from, but apparently the car has a built-in DC to AC power inverter to run the portable PC or some other electronic device. Total watts available won't be much, so I wouldn't recommend taking the microwave or espresso machine to a tailgate party.

tlsmikey

Well, the plan was to try and avoid buying a $900 generator for my race weekends, but it looks like there's no way around that. Thanks for the replies.

Lil4X

The 110v outlet is a part of the 330's RSES package (probably intended to run video games) - the outlet and A-V inputs located on the right rear wheel arch in the rear compartment. The 12v outlet is on the opposite side, aft of the left wheel arch. The 330 also has 12v outlets on the dash where your would expect the cigarette lighter, and on the front edge of the floor tray forward of the console. My '00 RX300 did not have a dedicated 120v power outlet, but I picked up a nice inverter at Radio Shack to use plugged into the 12v outlet in the rear. When I need extra 110v capacity, say for running a photo printer along with the laptop and big battery chargers, I use this inverter as well.

Of course doing this for a long period of time will cost you a battery. Mine did.

edbro

Yes, thats what I thought. I bought my RX from my parents and now I remember that when I purchased my cheaper, '00 Toyota Avalon, it had the 120V plug and a few other luxuries that the Lexus didn't have, including a much nicer dash computer display. That really ticked my dad off at the time. Oh well, it's my vehicle now!

HarrierAWD

Guys, it's a 12V outlet with a 20-amp fuse. So the absolute max is 240 watts.