Ripmaster

Hello all,
I own a 1999 RX300, all service and maintenance up to date. Recently, my wife was driving the car when the stereo shut off, then the panel went on and off, and she reported seeing lights go on and off in the dash display. She also stated the vehicle was "jerking".

She pulled over, turned off and then back on the car, and it starts fine, no problem. She drove it a little further, and the stero went off, then came back on (but in radio mode), followed by the other symptoms.

I could see a potential fuse issue for the panel electrical problems, but she was adamant that the vehicle was also driving poorly.

Any ideas on what could be happening here? Vehicle has 90,000 miles on her...

Many thanks in advance!

salimshah

Start by checking the battery connections and the ground straps.

It seems you are loosing 12v and that can lead to engine shutdown.

Salim

Ripmaster

Thanks salimshah,

I am beginning to think along the same lines, will report my troubleshooting efforts back on this thread!!! Thanks again for the tips!

thomas1

Did you notice whether the clock has not been keeping time lately? I am not joking, it has been reported a great deal, indicates the battery is failing even though the car starts fine. Alot of us have had this experience. But check the terminals first. By the way the clock usually resets to 0100. Dont know why, just does.

Ripmaster

UPDATE 01/21/08

OK, so the problem happened again to me while driving the car. To be more specific (in order), the sound cuts out from the stereo system, even though the display continues to show the music counter, etc. Then I notice that the "D" drive light indicator pulses at a steady rate. I tried the dome light, and it too pulses at the same steady rate, and so does the seat warmer light, with a frequency timing like a turn signal.

Then the blue center display will lose data; the blue background stays on, but all the information goes away.

At one point, when I touched the brake all of the illumination of the tach and speedo console went out, and for a brief second the red battery light came on.

At that point, I took it right away to the dealer but guess what? Of course; they are unable to replicate the problem...they load tested the battery and alternator and both checked out OK. The dealer does not believe it is a grounding issue, either. They want me to come and pick the car back up.

Any ideas from anyone else here? I just know this problem is going to leave my wife stranded and I don't want that!

Thanks very much!

lexus114

The pulsing you describe, sounds like the voltage regulator to me.I would bet you have some type of altenator problem,or as someone elese mentioned,bad ground.

salimshah

The brake, puts a heavy demand on 12v (brake lights), and if the supply is not strong, every thing shuts down.

I still suspect the problem is from battery (the battery has been checked) so the leads out of the battery and fuses need to be checked.

Wiggle the wires if you can, visually look around the fuse box, and if need, smell. There has to be a short or an almost open. Short would have popped a fuse.

Was any electrical work done (audio, lights, remote starter etc)?
Do you park your RX outside ... critters love to nest in there and some have a craving for copper .. where they will gnaw through the insulation.

Do you have a trailer hitch .. check all connectors are clean.

Salim

onepointon

I would think there is some kind of issue with the alternator going on. Its really hard to diagnose something like that over the internet. It is also unfortunate that the dealership cannot duplicate the concern.

It is hard for a tech to have a customer say they have an issue, and not be able to duplicate it. Its not that they think you are lieing, its that they just cannot throw parts at the car aimlessly. Say the tech puts an alternator on the vehicle due to a good guess, and it doesnt fix it. You come back upset with the dealership and service, and they end up fixing it for free.

Its a loose/loose situation I'm afraid.

Out of curiousity, has the vehicle ever been wrecked? Any major work ever been done? (ie: timing belt, valve cover gaskets, engine gel repair, ect.)

salimshah

It very well could be the alternator, but the battery is supposed to be huge damper. If after the episode(s) the battery is weak or dead, then the prime focus would be the alternator.


Salim

onepointon

I would say if you are going to fix it yourself, try replacing the battery first. Anytime I get a car with weird electrical issues and the battery tests either decent or bad, I replace it. You need a fresh battery, they can do some weird things if not in proper condition. If the problem continues, I would put money on it being the alternator. You could even take it to the dealer at that point and tell them it is still doing it and you replaced the battery. If they cannot duplicate the problem, let them keep it overnight, or even have a diagnostic tech drive the vehicle home for a day.

I would try beginning there.

Francis-99

What had been done on 90k miles service? Have you replaced the battery yet and when? I think there are some error codes stored in the computer, you can read the code from Autozone and report back! GL

Ripmaster

Wow, thanks for all of the replies on this problem, - sorry I haven't updated in awhile (was traveling on business).

So the car sat at the dealer for 5 days during which they tested everything, drove it for miles & miles...and could not replicate the problem.

Again, the dealer checked the battery and alternator and informed me both check out OK.

Since picking up the car the problem hasn't re-occurred for me, either...

But my wife is so nervous to drive it now, especially here in Colorado where she doesn't want to get stuck in the winter.

I have checked all the battery terminals, leads etc. No, the car has never been in a wreck nor have we had any kind of work done on it.

The 90,000 mile service was the usual Lexus $400.00 pop but I also had the timing belt replaced per recommendations, as well.

Other than that, the voltage regulator idea kind of sticks with me; how can I test that?

bob2200

I don't think you answered whether or not the battery has ever been replaced; and, if so, when and with what brand battery.

salimshah

Voltage regulators are things of the past (when we used to have generators) .. now with alternators the regulators are not needed ..the alternator as a unit self regulates by the field coil.

What you have is a loose connection or worse still what we call a "crowbar" ... like throwing a crowbar to short out the 12v. Usually one is protected by fuse which pops when ever there is a crowbar in one section of the wiring tree.

The only circuit that does not have a fuse is the battery -- starter circuit. If problems happen there, typically the battery will deform due to excessive short circuit current.

A very careful examination of the battery is required and one should look around the starter as well. A left over socket can roll around and cause intermittent shorts.

Unfortunately a hard failure is easy to diagnose. The gremlins are very hard to find.

Salim

Ripmaster

To answer one question I've missed:

The original battery was last replaced 2 years ago with a fairly expensive and top-rated unit, forgot the brand right now.

I also thought about a potential loose connection but would this result in a very constant pulse? Remember, when the problem occurs, the interior lights (dash and interior illumination) pulse at an exact rate, not intermittently...

I did check around the battery and saw nothing out of the ordinary, like corrosion, discoloration, etc and of course, neither did the dealer.

The problem still has not re-occurred so for now I guess all I can do is drive it until it happens again; hopefully I'll be in the vicinity of the dealer when it does.

Again, many thanks to all who have helped so far.

To be continued...