ccc124

Hello, I am brand I to this forum and I am thankful in advance for those who may be able to help me with my issue.

I have a 2004 RX330 that has 80,000 miles on it and, until now, has been in excellent mechanical condition. I drove it last Friday and everything was completely normal. However, when I tried to start it yesterday, it seemed completely dead. By "dead"¯ I mean no lights or sounds when opening the door and no sound whatsoever when turning the key to try to start it...it is just dark and quiet as if it were magically unplugged or operating from a giant (on/off) switch, and it was in the off position. My initial thought was the battery, so I attached my battery charger to it and within five seconds, it indicated the battery had a full charge. That's about the extent of the information I can offer on this particular issue, having never experienced it before and having very minimal mechanical knowledge/experience.

And oh, one other point, after my "smart" battery charger quickly indicated a full battery, I also noticed another button on the charger that read "Alternator Check".¯ I pressed the button and an alternator icon appeared and the word "Check"¯ began flashing. After about 10 seconds, a triangle icon with triangle with an "!"¯ in it appeared above the alternator icon and a message to the effect of "not enough voltage getting to alternator." I then saw the "Battery Voltage"¯ button and it read 13 Volts. I found the instruction document for the charger and it said do to only check the alternator function when the battery was fully charged, AND to let the car run long enough to get to it's normal idle before testing. Since it is not starting, I'm not sure if the "fault" result was accurate.

Thanks!

tomr51

cannot check the alternator unless the car is running

Audiqv8

Get a battery post cleaner and clean the battery posts and terminals.

ccc124

Thanks for the good information. Please keep it coming!
The posts and terminals have a red gel-type substance all over them currently.