Battery Voltage Required to Turn Over (1 Viewer)

[TheBog]

Thought I'd put this up for posterity. I got in my 06 LX470 this morning to drive to work, and it wouldn't start up.

It would click, loudly and regularly. The fan, radio, etc., all came on. But, it wouldn't turn over. I tried to quickly jump it with our minivan, but no dice.

Playing around with it this evening, I got the same symptoms. But, I also found out the passenger windows rolled up/down but the driver's side didn't respond (weird). The dash lights and headlights/running lights would go dark as the starter clicked and come back on after.

I took my DMM to the battery and clocked it at 9.8 V. I pulled our van back up and charged the battery more. at 13.2 V, it started to try to turn on - the typical ruh-ruh sound. But, it wouldn't run.

At 13.8 V-ish, it started up like there had never been an issue.

The window symptom was curious, any ideas why that happened?

 

[morganism]

this is almost always a ground issue on the older models.

Sounds like i would check the grounds on ignitor packs, and the wire going from coil to block and body.

Would also take it in soonest to AZ or Oriles, and hav em test Alternator. May have bad internal diode that is draining the batt.

Does that have fusible link on batt pos? check that connection also.

 

[TXLX100]

Inspect the grounds throughly and have battery load tested (or you can check battery voltage drop while truck is being cranked). 12.7v is a fully charged battery, but a good battery at 12v might be enough to crank it.

 

[toyotaspeed90]

Amperage, not voltage, is what caused your starter to not turn. What was the amperage of the battery when you had it tested?

There are electronics that can be voltage sensitive (meaning they need at least a certain voltage) but Toyota is usually pretty good about not having that problem.... and a starter isn't one of those things.

 

[2001LC]

I've had batteries marginally pass a load test which don't hold a charge well. Some of these, as I charge them only reach 12.7 or 12.9 V, and may take three or four charge cycles to get them to show 13.2 or 13.14V on my chargers readout. These batteries tend to be weak, often have sat long periods without being charged which cause a condition that may give a reading of bad battery that cycling will often correct.

Grounds in our aging fleet as oxidation builds in cables increases resistance is a small issue. But issue that nonetheless worsens with time. As does starter contacts as they becoming worn & pitted with age. We then require more AMP to obtain the same results as was need when new.

One thing I see most often that is most preventable, is oxidation on battery post. Again this increases resistance inhibiting charging and available AMP. Cleaning and greasing battery post prevents this one.

 

[TheBog]

It started up great again this morning, so I suspect I may have just completely drained it with a light or something the night prior. I was late for a meeting when it wasn't starting - I think I probably just didn't let it jump long enough .

I did not test the amperage, it would be interesting to plot that out.

I did also cinch down the ground connection to be a little tighter, but that didn't solve the issue.

 

[knewstance]

Requires more cranking amps than a 2010 civic can provide when being jumped. Ask me how i know...

 

[Hugh Calgary]

I found this on line at:
3 Ways to Check for a Bad Battery – Tech Tips & Tricks | BatteryStuff

“if your battery is:

• Reading 0 volts, chances are the battery experienced a short circuit
• Cannot reach higher than 10.5 volts when being charged, then the battery has a dead cell
• Fully charged (according to the battery charger) but the voltage is 12.4 or less, the battery is sulfated

Sulfation is the natural byproduct when the battery discharges. Naturally, re-charging the battery will reverse the sulfation crystals and turn it back into electrolyte, ready to produce power again. But if a battery sat, uncharged, severely discharged, and/or drained for extended periods of time, the sulfation will increase in size and harden onto the plates. This covers the surface area of the plates, removing the chemicals needed to produce power.

Sulfation decreases the potential to reach a full charge, and it self-discharges the battery quicker than normal. Charging a sulfated battery is like trying to wash your hands while wearing gloves. At this point, charging alone will not restore the battery to a healthy condition. The majority of replacement battery purchases occur when the original battery has reached this point.”