SC430 Battery Drain?
09-19-17, 02:49 PM
#31
I actually installed insulation on my battery. And I trickle charge 1 day a week. Crossing fingers...
09-19-17, 06:50 PM
#32
Lead Lap
On the plus side, when I had the battery changed, they didn't preserve the memory settings (bummer). However, when I opened up the radio door, the CD that's been stuck in the changer was sticking out and ready for the grabbing. I've been avoiding working on the radio to remove the CD and fix the changer. Hopefully it will work fine again, I'll probably try a CD that I don't care about first though!
09-20-17, 04:02 AM
#33
So there is hope that my jammed CD's can one day spit out...
09-20-17, 10:06 AM
#34
Pole Position
That's why I don't use the CD changer. This unit is troublesome. I destroyed my 2007 Corolla CD changer just tried to remove the jammed disk. Now I am listening to the YouTube music from my Monster cassette adapter.
09-20-17, 10:25 AM
#35
Lead Lap
I would think so. I tried all the whack techniques that have worked for a number of other folks but it never worked for me. I had given in to the idea that I was going to have to remove it and go through the process that Retro spelled out for us in an earlier thread. (1 or 2 years ago.) I am kind of nervous about testing another CD though. I really should hook up an audio path to allow an MP3 or cell phone to play audio through the ML system.
09-20-17, 10:44 AM
#36
I would think so. I tried all the whack techniques that have worked for a number of other folks but it never worked for me. I had given in to the idea that I was going to have to remove it and go through the process that Retro spelled out for us in an earlier thread. (1 or 2 years ago.) I am kind of nervous about testing another CD though. I really should hook up an audio path to allow an MP3 or cell phone to play audio through the ML system.
09-20-17, 11:02 PM
#38
I just wish someone with more experience than myself would take on the chore of finding what circuit is causing the parasitic draw then we can truly be done with this thread that continuously returns to the top of the list every two months... And to the poster above.... Ask any owner and theyll tell you that this car came from factory with a parasitic draw. I had mine since 2002; first and only owner. Fresh from Japan. And you can check my service records, dead battery in a a few weeks of brand new, all while being stored in temperature controlled garage. Bone stock. Lexus replaced for free and battery was labelled "discharged." Many believe it's the AUTO headlight function but no one's got proof. I switched all interior and exterior lights to LED and am running the Interstate Megatron MTP and now I can make it about 3 weeks max storage and still get enough cold crank to turn the engine. I have a lot of goodies but have everything wired to be hot only with ignition.
PS. I have a 2002 and just rolled 55k
PS. I have a 2002 and just rolled 55k
Last edited by ShawnOk; 09-20-17 at 11:09 PM.
09-21-17, 09:19 PM
#39
I'm just glad this is an issue that I haven't had to deal with. I don't drive my Sc for weeks at a time, but usually no more than a month & it cranks when I get in it. I have replaced 3 batteries in 10yrs, but it has never been an ongoing battle of not starting, if it sits for a few weeks
10-28-19, 08:14 AM
#40
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Battery Drain
Thanks for sharing this valuable information. My SC430, 2003 will not start, if it sits for 48 hours.
The problem started about a month ago.
My car sits for about a week, before I drive it.
I turned off everything that is in auto mode, except for the alarm. No success.
I will have a circuit test done.
The problem started about a month ago.
My car sits for about a week, before I drive it.
I turned off everything that is in auto mode, except for the alarm. No success.
I will have a circuit test done.
First, my comments here are NOT to be construed to denigrate any posters here. Everyone wants to help and many have their own methods to fix their specific problems and I know the help is greatly appreciated. So.. I would like to chime in here after reading several threads on the subject of battery issues. A quick qualification: I have been designing, installing, upgrading, trouble-shooting power systems in automobiles, hotrods, classics, airplanes and even nuclear plants. I have designed and installed completely new systems in literally hundreds and hundreds of applications of all kinds.
Batteries are NOT supposed to discharge in a matter of days, weeks and even months for that matter. Especially in modern cars and trucks. Yes, these cars have parasitic drains, but of course... it does depend what each owner has "hanging off" the battery at rest. Stock SCs should survive months easily without a booster charge or disconnect. I know folks feel better doing that and that's fine! We have stored our SC for months without any extra efforts and it blasted right off! All my other cars do the same.. some sitting as long as 6 months without trouble. However, regular lead acid batteries need a topping charge every six months to prevent the buildup of sulfation.. so 6 months in storage is about the longest a battery should sit without charging to prevent possible damage. AGMs, if that is what you have.. not so much.
Usually the problem of continuous discharge and/or a dead battery can be traced to just several issues. One, the battery is weak or going that way. A fully charged battery should show at least 12.5 VDC at rest. Many will show around 12.6 VDC or slightly more. If your battery voltages are dropping below these figures over time... then it's probably a weak battery. Don't believe the "5/6/7 year" battery myth! Your battery life will depend on how baked it gets under the hood and charging/discharging cycles. So.. because our batteries on these vehicles are under the hood, they get baked usually within 3 years regardless, especially in warmer climates. Obviously autos with trunk batteries do last much longer. If you are sitting and playing the stereo and severely discharging your battery.. this too shortens life.. incredibly so. If you do this.. or have a monster wattage after-market set-up.. think about a "deep-cycle" glass-mat battery such as a Optima, which is perfect for those applications. Optimas are worth their weight in gold IMO and do not cook as readily as standard lead-acid models. There are other AGM batteries available as well.
If your battery is not charged to the maximum after driving.. again the weaker battery will NOT accept a full charge. It's chemically impossible for it to return to it's normal quiescent state and full voltage If the battery is not the issue, then I would be looking long and hard at the charging system including all your cables and connections (these too succumb to heat and moisture). It may be weak or connections could be involved. I am guessing that the alternator for these cars is capable of providing in excess of 100 amps which is plenty for adequately running and charging the SC electrical load, therefore will always charge the battery back to the full voltage required at rest.
While battery voltages at rest should be in excess of 12.5 VDC and preferably higher, charging voltages will vary. Stock alternators may only provide a 13.5 VDC reading at idle (probably lower with all the goodies on)... yet provide over 14VDC at higher RPMs. This is normal. If you have an after-market stereo that sucks down a bunch of wattage, I am sure there are upgraded alternators that will supply more charging both at idle and at speed. If you do an amperage upgrade.. think about upgrading your battery cables and charging wire specifically too.
If you live in high temp areas such as the Southeast or Southwest.... well you get the idea....I would consider further insulating your battery box with a heat blocking material such as Thermotec which can reduce heat build-up by a whopping 20%! Apply this to at least the bottom and sides of the battery box (there is usually room for a 1/16" material. With road temps that can easily see 120 degrees sitting in traffic, I have seen battery box bottoms in excess of 150 degrees that slow-cook your battery. I do this on all my cars here in Atlanta. Makes a difference in lifetime of the battery as well. And.. I am of the opinion that AGM batteries are far superior to the old lead-acid types. So.. keep that in mind the next time you invest in a battery.
Lastly, looking at the parasitic load that may be a culprit. Most security systems in the the low milliamp range intermittently. This is very low and should not have a huge effect on your sitting battery life! If you suspect a parasitic load is the culprit, then running a short test and/or circuit test to see where it's coming from.
I hope some of this helps folks understand a tad more on batteries.
Batteries are NOT supposed to discharge in a matter of days, weeks and even months for that matter. Especially in modern cars and trucks. Yes, these cars have parasitic drains, but of course... it does depend what each owner has "hanging off" the battery at rest. Stock SCs should survive months easily without a booster charge or disconnect. I know folks feel better doing that and that's fine! We have stored our SC for months without any extra efforts and it blasted right off! All my other cars do the same.. some sitting as long as 6 months without trouble. However, regular lead acid batteries need a topping charge every six months to prevent the buildup of sulfation.. so 6 months in storage is about the longest a battery should sit without charging to prevent possible damage. AGMs, if that is what you have.. not so much.
Usually the problem of continuous discharge and/or a dead battery can be traced to just several issues. One, the battery is weak or going that way. A fully charged battery should show at least 12.5 VDC at rest. Many will show around 12.6 VDC or slightly more. If your battery voltages are dropping below these figures over time... then it's probably a weak battery. Don't believe the "5/6/7 year" battery myth! Your battery life will depend on how baked it gets under the hood and charging/discharging cycles. So.. because our batteries on these vehicles are under the hood, they get baked usually within 3 years regardless, especially in warmer climates. Obviously autos with trunk batteries do last much longer. If you are sitting and playing the stereo and severely discharging your battery.. this too shortens life.. incredibly so. If you do this.. or have a monster wattage after-market set-up.. think about a "deep-cycle" glass-mat battery such as a Optima, which is perfect for those applications. Optimas are worth their weight in gold IMO and do not cook as readily as standard lead-acid models. There are other AGM batteries available as well.
If your battery is not charged to the maximum after driving.. again the weaker battery will NOT accept a full charge. It's chemically impossible for it to return to it's normal quiescent state and full voltage If the battery is not the issue, then I would be looking long and hard at the charging system including all your cables and connections (these too succumb to heat and moisture). It may be weak or connections could be involved. I am guessing that the alternator for these cars is capable of providing in excess of 100 amps which is plenty for adequately running and charging the SC electrical load, therefore will always charge the battery back to the full voltage required at rest.
While battery voltages at rest should be in excess of 12.5 VDC and preferably higher, charging voltages will vary. Stock alternators may only provide a 13.5 VDC reading at idle (probably lower with all the goodies on)... yet provide over 14VDC at higher RPMs. This is normal. If you have an after-market stereo that sucks down a bunch of wattage, I am sure there are upgraded alternators that will supply more charging both at idle and at speed. If you do an amperage upgrade.. think about upgrading your battery cables and charging wire specifically too.
If you live in high temp areas such as the Southeast or Southwest.... well you get the idea....I would consider further insulating your battery box with a heat blocking material such as Thermotec which can reduce heat build-up by a whopping 20%! Apply this to at least the bottom and sides of the battery box (there is usually room for a 1/16" material. With road temps that can easily see 120 degrees sitting in traffic, I have seen battery box bottoms in excess of 150 degrees that slow-cook your battery. I do this on all my cars here in Atlanta. Makes a difference in lifetime of the battery as well. And.. I am of the opinion that AGM batteries are far superior to the old lead-acid types. So.. keep that in mind the next time you invest in a battery.
Lastly, looking at the parasitic load that may be a culprit. Most security systems in the the low milliamp range intermittently. This is very low and should not have a huge effect on your sitting battery life! If you suspect a parasitic load is the culprit, then running a short test and/or circuit test to see where it's coming from.
I hope some of this helps folks understand a tad more on batteries.
10-28-19, 01:49 PM
#41
Lexus Test Driver
Thanks for sharing this valuable information. My SC430, 2003 will not start, if it sits for 48 hours.
The problem started about a month ago.
My car sits for about a week, before I drive it.
I turned off everything that is in auto mode, except for the alarm. No success.
I will have a circuit test done.
The problem started about a month ago.
My car sits for about a week, before I drive it.
I turned off everything that is in auto mode, except for the alarm. No success.
I will have a circuit test done.
10-28-19, 02:58 PM
#42
Pole Position
If you do need a battery I would recommend a Duracell AGM rather than a lead acid. Our SC can go weeks without starting and it has never failed to start. And yes I turn everything off.
Dennis
Dennis
10-28-19, 05:19 PM
#43
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HI,
An update from the UK.
I used one of those battery tenders on the maintenance setting but eventually it cooked the battery!
I removed it and the car was laid up for 3 months in the winter.
I invested in an AGM battery; the recommended Optima one isn't available here but I bought a UK-manufactured model,
name of Enduroline. At the same time, having read up on all the comments here, I bought a jacket made from one of these
wonder materials-this was German-made; I had to cut off the top to make it fit in the battery well and for the terminals to
sit easily. The engine bay certainly gets hot but I didn't want the drama of re-siting the battery in the trunk. We do get
heat waves here as well, have had some severe ones in recent years in the South.
By the way, I found no big drama when fitting the new battery-I programmed the 3 or 4 radio stations I use-dead easy, the
Lexus is really user-friendly compared to some horrors I can recall. Similarly, the clock is a doddle. The only other things I
had to adjust were the steering wheel and my seat-grand total of about 10 minutes. The car ran well immediately-what's
all this cr*p I read about it having to re-learn your driving?
The upshot of all this was that the battery holds its charge a bit better but, if the car sits for more than about 3 weeks, the charge
still gets down to below 12.4v. As reported before, I have had our Lexus main agent check everything and their view is that you
have to use the car once a week or so. As we have all long concluded, Lexus will not reveal what's really behind this and I guess they
are hoping that, as the models get scrapped, we will become a hardcore of owners fussing over these potential Classics and will
cope with the issue. (The new models certainly look magnificent, but I like my wood and leather and the swiveling doors on the
dash, so will be keeping mine for the duration!)
Having had that bad experience with the battery tender, I bought a solar charger and have installed it on the roof of the car port
under which my car sits. Interestingly, a friend of a friend told me that he had exactly the same problems with a big Nissan 4x4
and he resorted to using TWO solar chargers. Lo and behold, I found that the solar charger was indeed not man enough for the
task and the battery was still going down to 12.4v. after about 3 weeks. I subsequently linked up a second one which slightly made
things better but the AGM certainly-so far-holds a charge better and starts OK. If I don't use the car for a month and the charge has
got below 12.4v. (I wouldn't let it get below 12.3v.) I hook up the battery tender and put it on maintenance mode for 2 or 3 days,
NO MORE.
I shall be laying up the car in the winter and will disconnect the AGM battery, check it every month and hook it up to the tender
just occasionally to keep it tip top and prevent sulphation.
Hope this might help the latest poster here.
Best wishes to all....
An update from the UK.
I used one of those battery tenders on the maintenance setting but eventually it cooked the battery!
I removed it and the car was laid up for 3 months in the winter.
I invested in an AGM battery; the recommended Optima one isn't available here but I bought a UK-manufactured model,
name of Enduroline. At the same time, having read up on all the comments here, I bought a jacket made from one of these
wonder materials-this was German-made; I had to cut off the top to make it fit in the battery well and for the terminals to
sit easily. The engine bay certainly gets hot but I didn't want the drama of re-siting the battery in the trunk. We do get
heat waves here as well, have had some severe ones in recent years in the South.
By the way, I found no big drama when fitting the new battery-I programmed the 3 or 4 radio stations I use-dead easy, the
Lexus is really user-friendly compared to some horrors I can recall. Similarly, the clock is a doddle. The only other things I
had to adjust were the steering wheel and my seat-grand total of about 10 minutes. The car ran well immediately-what's
all this cr*p I read about it having to re-learn your driving?
The upshot of all this was that the battery holds its charge a bit better but, if the car sits for more than about 3 weeks, the charge
still gets down to below 12.4v. As reported before, I have had our Lexus main agent check everything and their view is that you
have to use the car once a week or so. As we have all long concluded, Lexus will not reveal what's really behind this and I guess they
are hoping that, as the models get scrapped, we will become a hardcore of owners fussing over these potential Classics and will
cope with the issue. (The new models certainly look magnificent, but I like my wood and leather and the swiveling doors on the
dash, so will be keeping mine for the duration!)
Having had that bad experience with the battery tender, I bought a solar charger and have installed it on the roof of the car port
under which my car sits. Interestingly, a friend of a friend told me that he had exactly the same problems with a big Nissan 4x4
and he resorted to using TWO solar chargers. Lo and behold, I found that the solar charger was indeed not man enough for the
task and the battery was still going down to 12.4v. after about 3 weeks. I subsequently linked up a second one which slightly made
things better but the AGM certainly-so far-holds a charge better and starts OK. If I don't use the car for a month and the charge has
got below 12.4v. (I wouldn't let it get below 12.3v.) I hook up the battery tender and put it on maintenance mode for 2 or 3 days,
NO MORE.
I shall be laying up the car in the winter and will disconnect the AGM battery, check it every month and hook it up to the tender
just occasionally to keep it tip top and prevent sulphation.
Hope this might help the latest poster here.
Best wishes to all....
11-03-19, 10:57 AM
#44
Similar issue
I recently bought an SC430 and my battery is randomly dying, I started it right up and went to Home Depot, I came back thirty minutes later and found it dead. Again, I started it up before and then shut it off, then went to clean my trunk. I then went to start it up and the battery was dead. The next morning it barely was able to start, and then the day AFTER that it was dead again, and was making noises similar to a jackhammer while trying to start it. So, I jumpstarted it and it runs just fine. I took it to sams club and they did a battery test and said it was fine, and now I have no idea what to do. I don't think it the alternator but I'm not sure.
