Greetings! My LX450 with 305k is beginning to show a funny symptom and left my family and I stranded recently. When I put my key into the ignition I get dash lights half the time, and when i do get them they're in the process of dimming to off. When i turn the key to On i get no crank, or click. I 50/50 get a pulsing dashboard light cluster with a faint click 4 or 5 times in the dash when ACC, or the dash lights and instrument cluster immediately goes offline and i hear no noise. When i hook up to jumper cables the dash lights come on immediately and strong, and the car starts fast on the first crank. when I turn the car off even after 2 hours of highway driving the symptoms return and the car behaves starved of power again.
the things I've done or tried.
I've replaced the starter with a new Denso after some Starter issues. I was banging on the old starter and only getting a click. I added the aftermarket ford solenoid in line with the battery and starter after the new Denso didn't fix my no start. The new Denso, inline ford solenoid, new fusible link, and tested battery worked fine for about two or three weeks until the above symptom left me stranded.
I pulled my neutral safety switch connector and brushed the terminals and sprayed contact cleaner with no result. After not being able to get my car into N or our of Park while the car had no power, I disconnected the shifting arm to the NSS and jockeyed it back and forth. For one short moment that motion coupled with twisting the NSS connector gave me lights, but upon turning the key, i got no starter click or crank, and I lost all power and lights in the dash. I've inspected the outside of the NSS wiring and it looks fine. With that cluster pulled off the NSS and hanging down to be inspected I tried the ignition switch again, and all of my symptoms and issues remained.
the car starts right up when jumped and shut off once when I put it into park, and not again in a similar circumstances. I'm pretty confused. I've checked all of the brake fuses, and between that and cleaning the NSS I'm at a loss as where to turn next. Things I wonder may or may not be connected to this, one of my brake lights is dimmer than the other upon pressing the brake pedal and equally bright without the brake depressed. From time to time my key won't leave the ignition after turning the car off in park. I have to bump the shifting nob back towards N and something shifts and I can pull my key from the ignition. Not sure they're connected.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!
the things I've done or tried.
I've replaced the starter with a new Denso after some Starter issues. I was banging on the old starter and only getting a click. I added the aftermarket ford solenoid in line with the battery and starter after the new Denso didn't fix my no start. The new Denso, inline ford solenoid, new fusible link, and tested battery worked fine for about two or three weeks until the above symptom left me stranded.
I pulled my neutral safety switch connector and brushed the terminals and sprayed contact cleaner with no result. After not being able to get my car into N or our of Park while the car had no power, I disconnected the shifting arm to the NSS and jockeyed it back and forth. For one short moment that motion coupled with twisting the NSS connector gave me lights, but upon turning the key, i got no starter click or crank, and I lost all power and lights in the dash. I've inspected the outside of the NSS wiring and it looks fine. With that cluster pulled off the NSS and hanging down to be inspected I tried the ignition switch again, and all of my symptoms and issues remained.
the car starts right up when jumped and shut off once when I put it into park, and not again in a similar circumstances. I'm pretty confused. I've checked all of the brake fuses, and between that and cleaning the NSS I'm at a loss as where to turn next. Things I wonder may or may not be connected to this, one of my brake lights is dimmer than the other upon pressing the brake pedal and equally bright without the brake depressed. From time to time my key won't leave the ignition after turning the car off in park. I have to bump the shifting nob back towards N and something shifts and I can pull my key from the ignition. Not sure they're connected.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!
