New Member, 90' LS400 Starter/Electrical Problem

[Shaggs2Dope2]

Hey everyone. I have been trying to join this site for like a week and a half but didn't get the account email confirmation until today. Hopefully you guys can help me.

My girl has a 1UZ 1990 LS400 in the most common pearl/two tone white with silver lower panels. It has been a good car, just got it smogged. Lately there has been all sorts of problems. The battery died, just replaced it with a die hard gold because the Lexus Battery died after only a year or two which she had brand new when she got the car about a year and a half ago. Also, the alternator has just been replaced about 2 months ago.

The other day the car wouldn't start at all, and had a totally drained battery. There were no lights on to drain the battery overnight. I tried jumpstarting the car with my car with an 800CCA battery, still wouldn't start. I went through and checked the computer, backup, ign, and pretty much every other fuse in the fuzebox and everything is still intact. No blown fuses at all. Followed through with a test light and everything lit up.

I have been charging the battery for about two days, and it does hold a charge, and also tested it with a hygrometer. Now I can get it to just do a light clicking noise for a couple seconds, but every other time, it would be like a capacitive discharge and upon first turn the battery would go COMPLETELY dead like it was instant full drain. I have never seen a battery or electrical system do this, and I have worked on TONS of cars.

I was wondering if any of you have had similar problems, because I dont want to spend a lot of money fixing the car, as it has had more repairs already than the car cost to begin with. I am assuming that it is a dead starter, and Lowest I have been able to find them for is 135-140 for a bosch with lifetime warrantee. The Lexus Stealership wants 120/hr to even look at the car, which really sin't worth it.

I can take a video of the symptoms. The cars previous owner had all repairs done at the local lexus dealer and the repair/maintenence history is friggin long as hell. Can anyone else confirm it is likely the starter, or that they have had electrical problems as well in thier vehicles. If it is a bad ground or a short somewhere, we are gonna scrap the car. I have searched everywhere and haven't found anything close so I am not just some Idiot Noob. I also have moderated 4 honda forums as well as started Honduh.com. Lexus repairs are much more of a pain than honda repair due to the retarded design of the 90 friggen beauty panels and plastic covers, so you end up having an extra 3 hours of labor just pulling off cowlings.

Any Ignition/Electrical experts I am in desperate need of help. The LS400 has a nice block and engine, I just want it to last a while longer for my girl because she loves her lexo.

Also, I noticed that the dash panels would black out intermittently, and the stereo also would turn on and off like a short just before all of this happened, as well as the stereo antenna not dropping back down when the car is turned off. I like to provide as much detail so you have a clear picture of what I am up against.

Thanks in advance you guys
Matt(Shaggs)

 

[Zuffen]

I've waited hoping someone else would make a suggestion.

Try swapping the battery from your car with the LS. If this fixes the Lexus problem the battery has died. It does happen.

If not I'd look at the earths under the battery as they seem the perenial culprit for this sort of problem.

I agree with you everyone says these cars are outstanding but they are high in maintnance when compared to a Mercedes.

 

[Lextreme II]

I have battery problem all the time and i think i finally got a handle of it. I also experience your symptoms. U should try to open up the fuxe box and touch and move the black or green EFI relay and try to start again. Some time the EFI fuse is loose and contact would be bad. Move it around ( i think its the second relay from the driver size) A wire is loose in your fuxe box. Use a 10 mm socket and open up the fuse box and test it out.

 

[Shaggs2Dope2]

I checked the fuses under the dash, are the fuses you are talking about somewhere around the air filter, because I noticed some relays or something directly behind the air filter housing, but I figured it was probably for like air conditioning controller or something. Imma have to take a look because I checked all the fuses under the dash, and it didn't require a 10mm socket, just pull it off. Its also a pain because the car didn't even have a fuse puller so I had to snag one from my other car. I will check that stuff out, hopefully That will solve the problem. Glad to know I am not just going crazy on this friggen lexus. It definitely has some electrical demons somewhere.

 

[Lextreme II]

Under the hood near the battery....

 

[Shaggs2Dope2]

Well, I went through every fuse in the fuse box, and also under the dash, I used a test light as well, and went through each and every one. All of them had current but it was not constant, some had flickering source power, Sanded down the fuses so they have fresh metal contact, cleaned the battery posts, took off that stupid plastic battery cover because it looks like it lifted the positive side of the battery from vibrations and when the battery was tightened down after replacement it isn't Lexus OEM, so fitment was a lil different and the plastic cover was pushing terminal connection off a lil bit. Popped everything back into place, tightened the **** out of everything, started on first turnover. Glad we didn't bother with taking it to lexus, they woulda charged like 400-500 bux and fixed **** we didn't need.

Thanks for the input, The dash fuses were all good, but the ones in the engine bay had shitty contacts, probably the same ones that came in the car 15 years ago

 

[Lextreme II]

so the problem is fixed? or at least u find out some inconstantly current...

 

[Shaggs2Dope2]

Fixed everything, not enough electrical flow through everything due to poor contact on fuses and battery terminals. That plastic cover was pushing the posts off a lil bit, and the fuses were dirty. Look like the same ones that origianlly came on the car. 15 years and 225k miles can loosen alot of electrical stuff and allow gunk to get inbetween everything. Lot of cleaning and sanding contacts and everything runs better than ever

 

[Lextreme II]

Excellent!!!!!!

 

[Lextreme II]

By the way, this is what i was referring to:

Its either the GREEN or BLACK Relay

 

[Shaggs2Dope2]

That is a nice turbo you got on there, could probably throw the plastic shielding right over it and smog people wouldn't even know its in there. I am probably gonna have to custom an exhaust collector and wastegate if i turbo my accord, because I want to pop the OEM heatshield over it because in Cali they are nazis with smogging stuff

We swapped a JDM h22a Lude engine into my bros 1800lb stripped hatch. Hatchback with that much torque you skip about 15mph on every shift. Nobody even knew even though the engine barely fit under the hood, and sounded like a friggen tank with the super firm polyurethane mounts, shook the whole car

 

[V8TOY]

i think you should invest in a v8

 

[Shaggs2Dope2]

I am a 4banger person. I live in cali and our cheapest gas is expensive as hell. To go fast, I hop on my racebike, it hauls ass. But for 3-4 dollars a gallon, we avoid mobbin the v8 as much as possible, stick to the 4 bangers. If I had a lexo I would do a 96SC and turbo the mofo. Silver with black rims with a polished lip, and HID's

 

[V8TOY]

I am a 4banger person. I live in cali and our cheapest gas is expensive as hell. To go fast, I hop on my racebike, it hauls ass. But for 3-4 dollars a gallon, we avoid mobbin the v8 as much as possible, stick to the 4 bangers. If I had a lexo I would do a 96SC and turbo the mofo. Silver with black rims with a polished lip, and HID's

Holy **** ur gas is exspensive, i thought it was bad here but that is just stupid prices.

 

[Shaggs2Dope2]

Yea, thats why i ride the streetbike as much as possible. Like 12 bux for 3-4 gallons