electrical issue?

[grey200]

been reading the forums on mud forever, but never posted. Having my first issue...

Went to leave the house today and my 2009 LC won't start. Nothing lights up, key was not detected (did not get the key not detected message as it seems as if there's no power to anything). No light on the push start button, etc, nothing at all. Tried holding the FOB to the dash below the start button and still nothing... Disconnected battery hoping it would reset and whatever was going on would resolve. didn't work. Battery is a 1 year old Group 31 Marine battery so it should be fine. Any tips or suggestions?

 

[indycole]

What's the battery's voltage?

 

[grey200]

I put a charged jumper pack on it that has a volt meter built in and the voltage did not drop. In the past when I've put the charger pack on a low battery the voltage reading would dip.

 

[indycole]

Hmmm... I just ask because it sounds like the battery is dead which isn't uncommon with AGM batteries since the LC usually doesn't put out enough voltage to fully charge. Is it the X2 Power? I have to put mine on a charger every month or two to keep it performant.

 

[40Man]

Test your battery cables and make sure they have good contacts.

 

[40Man]

Test your battery cables and make sure they have good contacts.

 

[grey200]

it is the X2 battery. I will try jumping it.

It just seems so completely dead and that I didn't think it would be the battery.

 

[TeCKis300]

Agreed to first check battery and battery terminals.

Next would be the battery to chassis ground.

 

[grey200]

jumped it and nothing... complete power loss

 

[grey200]

think it could be a security system fault?

 

[TonyP]

Check all fuses? Engine bay and driver's kick panel? Was anything recently installed or the vehicle serviced?

 

[indycole]

It could still be a dead battery. I'd rule that out before rolling up your sleeves on other parts of the electrical system.

 

[grey200]

I just swapped in a 950 CCA battery that I know was working from another vehicle. Still nothing. No lights, no power to seats, no radio/touch screen power up, no message or power to start button...

This was 100% fine 36 hours ago and now its behaving as if there were no battery.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Most vehicles will have a "master" fuse. (Can't remember the correct name for it.) It will be around 150amp, and can be located on the underside of the fuse panel (ie. hard to get to). I'd check that.

And as some folks have mentioned above, ensure battery connections are clean & clear, and the same for body grounding points. I'd also grab some good lighting and do a good visual across all wiring under the hood - a mouse could have done some damage overnight.

 

[TeCKis300]

No surprise that all the symptoms you describe are pointing to the fact that the car is not "seeing" the battery.

There's a break in the electrical connection along the main battery to electrical system path.

Sounds like you've eliminated that it's the battery. Between swapping in a second battery, jumping showing no load on original battery, etc.

The main wires are beefy and not likely broken or chewed through. Definitely check the main fuse. Though that's again a beefy fuse and not likely to just spontaneously blow unless there is a serious short for which is a bigger problem.

Focus on the junctions and bolted connections of the main wires traced from the battery. Take a wrench to them (typically 10mm) and make sure they are all tight. I've more than once time come across grounds that have not been completely secured causing similar issues. The negative wire coming off the battery to body in particular. You'll see it terminated to the body right near the battery.

If you have a volt meter, that tool will be golden. There a "continuity" mode to check that things are connected. The symbol looks like a sound or beep type icon. Use that to trace between junctions to know there there's actual electrical continuity. Meaning if you know a wire links between point A and point B, put a probe on point A and probe on point B, and the meter should sound indicating continuity. Don't worry as this can't short anything.

 

[indycole]

The above recommendations are great. The only thing I'd add is inspecting the main ECU and its connectors. Also, to the point above, if you find a blown main fuse then I wouldn't immediately just replace it. You'll want to find out why it blew in the first place.

 

[619TOY]

Step number one of any electrical troubleshooting: Make sure you have a DMM digital multi-meter (even a cheap one). While your eyes can make a great troubleshooting tool, you can't see electricity, so you'll need the meter for that. If truly nothing in the vehicle works, even the things that don't need the key or for the ignition to be on such as the horn, parking lights, etc. the process of elimination should be pretty quick with a meter.

 

[ckkone]

Mouse, rat or squirrel chewed your harness somewhere. And no i'm not just saying that to be funny. Check for chewed up wires under the engine bay.