2002 Lexus IS300
Reader Question: My 2002 Lexus IS300 car worked fine for a few weeks after purchased a new battery.
It now will not turn over at all if left turned off for a while. It will jump start immediately with the boost of another vehicle.
I am wondering if it is the starter or alternator but not sure which one exactly and I do not want to get scammed by a mechanic in my town. Ill do the work myself.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Alec
Hey Alec,
If you can jump-start the engine from another car then I can only suspect YOUR battery is dead. You could have a bad alternator, which is not re-charging the battery when the engine is running or you could just have a bad “new” battery.
I would triple check your battery cable installation and make sure the cables are clean and tight. You should not be able to move the cables with your bare hands easily.
I would really like to see you get a complete electrical test, which should include the following:
1. Load test battery – is there an internal problem with the battery.
2. Check alternator output – is the alternator recharging the battery properly.
3. Check for a voltage drain – is something ON when the engine is OFF?
Blessings,
Austin Davis
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Had the same problem the past 2 weeks with my IS300. Worked for 2-3 days after a jump then dead. Sears spent 2+ hours today while they tested my 18-month-old battery. Voltage was lower than expected .. probably one cell died early. They gave me a new one. Problem: Sears doesn’t make a direct replacement for the old IS300 any more. They had to bump me to a 34 BCI which is too big for the battery insulator which means my new battery will die before its time. Oh well … at least it was free.
Alec – did you ever find out the solution to this problem? Our 2002 IS300 is currently at the dealer trying to have this same issue resolved. They had to leave it over night to believe us that it had a problem – everything tested fine (battery, alt, no noticeable draws on the system, etc) but when left over night, it would not start the following day. Would love to hear if you found a solution to this!