AmyLeigh

I have a 2007 SC 430. I am at a second home about 90 miles from a Lexus dealer. I am in nowhere Texas. Stupidly, I heard a faint whine when I drove car for the last few days that I ignored, thinking I would take care of it next week. Drove 90 miles here on Thursday. Took car out today to a local store, upon leaving car would not start. Lots of warning lights came on (engine, oil, tires low, airbag etc). They were steady, not blinking. On third try, car started. Brought it back to house, about 8 miles...warning lights came on just as I pulled in. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong and if it is safe to make the 90 mile drive back to primary home? I realize this is vague, any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Harold57

First of all, welcome to the forum.

• First thing that I would check is the battery. Did it seem to struggle turning over when you started it?
• Be sure to check the oil while you have the hood up also.
• Did you hear any funny sounds or smell something different than normal?

AmyLeigh

Harold57, Yes, it struggled to turn over today. I thought it was dead. Tried it a third time and it started, all warning lights came on and went off. Drove 8 miles and at the end of the trip all of the warning lights came back on. I did not notice any odor. I just checked the oil, about 1.5 inches on the stick. Is that the problem?

The only thing out of the normal was the whining sound for the last few days.

Assuming I can get it started tomorrow, what are your thoughts about making my 90 mile trek home? I think I can buy oil, if that is the problem, about 1 mile from here.

'Thank you!

JohnnyCake

Let's break this down:

Was this whine a constant all the time whenever the engine was on?
Did the sound increase or change in pitch as you accelerated?
Did it sound like a whistle, air escaping, screeching?
Any description?

Did it crank (turn over) and just not start, or did it not turn over (crank) at all?
When it did crank and start, did it seem normal or like it was cranking slowly?

AmyLeigh

JohnnyCake,

The whine was constant. More like a whistle, sharp and thin if that makes sense.

It started, I was sideways on a low slopping parking lot. I then pulled out and faced forward, the front of car was on the higher slope. I turned the car off because the lights all came on. I turned it back on and it did nothing, no strain or clicking, nothing. All the warning lights were on. Tried a second time, same thing. Started to call AAA, tied a third time and it went on. Lights came on and went off. Drove 8 miles and the warning lights came on as I started down a small hill.

Does that help?

Thank you.

AmyLeigh

Is the 1.5 inches of oil normal range, there was no high or low mark that I could see?

Coleroad

I would take bets on bad alternator bushes. Or not sure if Lexus used an overrunning pulley on the alternator. If so it could be that too. I just went through the same problem with my bmw on the move from Texas to Kansas. Sounds real familiar. Autozone will put the multimeter on the see if it's charging.

AmyLeigh

If that is the isssue, what could happen on a 90 mile drive? Anything blow up or just go kaput?

Coleroad

A dead battery, and the car stops running.

AmyLeigh

Any estimate as to how long that might take to happen? I have a lot of highway time, I would not want to get caught on. I realize anything is just a guess, but I am trying to decide if I am making a run for it.

JohnnyCake

It may be that these symptoms are related to two different issues, especially since one preceded the other by a week.

Would a battery/alternator issue throw a code (i.e. check engine light)??? I don't know the answer to that for sure, but I really don't think so.

If the car starts (or you can jump it), I think 90 miles is going to be no problem for the battery. It's tough on a battery to start the car. It's very little stress once the car is running.

A million things can trigger the check engine (which then triggers all other lights so that you notice it). My guess on that is that you have some sort of vacuum leak. If the car is otherwise normal (not sluggish, sputtering,, knocking, I would feel AOK about driving it 90 miles. In the unlikely event that the car showed any of those symptoms, I would stop asap.

Disclamer: you get what you pay for and we really aren't going on very much information. All I am saying is that *I* would feel fine about driving it 90 miles since the check engine light can mean 1001 things, many of them innocuous. You have to make your own decision -- don't sue me!

P.S. On the dipstick, look for a little hole or hash marked area (like XXXXXX), I forget what we have. If the oils is to or near that point, it does not need more. Do not overfill.

JohnnyCake

Also, you are new to the forum, so a head's up that its consider a good thing to circle back after you visit the dealer and let us know what the actual problem was. It's helpful for the next person who has the same problem, does a forum search, and lands on this thread.

AmyLeigh

I will let you all know what the problem turns out to be.

It was all of the warning lights at once, not just engine light.

I am am on the fence about the drive, it is either Dallas highways or very rural. I could just have it towed tomorrow morning. If it is the alternator, it would just cut out.

Thank you all.

Harold57

Let me clarify what JohnnyCake said about the battery. If the battery is at full charge, it could make 90 miles. However, it sounds like if this is part of the problem, your battery is already somewhat discharged. If there is a auto parts store nearby, call them and ask them if they can do a battery load check for you. If they can, go there and have it done and have them check your alternator. If your battery is discharged or bad, don't attempt the drive back home.

You should have this diagnosed. If the autoparts place says that your alternator is bad, you can try replacing that first and hope that cures the issues.

What part of Texas are you currently in?

JohnnyCake

The check engine light automatically triggers all other lights. That is done so that it gets the driver's attention.

I really don't think this is an alternator problem (as opposed to a more common incident like a loose battery connection or corrosion). If the car starts and seems reasonably strong in doing so, I think you are good to go. A quick search of the Internet has tales of people with no alternator at all making it hundreds of miles on a charged battery. Again, the electricity needed to keep a car running is a fraction of that needed to start the car.

If you want to minimize drain on the battery, don't use electrical stuff like air conditioning while you are driving. And like Harold57 said, if you have an AutoZone nearby they could diagnose, although I thought you implied you are in the middle of nowhere.

Finally, was the battery problem sudden? Like it started fine on the previous start, then you had the problem. That also points to a connection issue and not the alternator.