Hey all,
So I had an adventure while on vacation in Lake Tahoe (apparently LC land!).
Part 1:
I was returning some kayaks and went to drive back to the cabin and the LX turned over but wouldn't start. It had the battery light (drain?) on, but everything was working electronic wise (starter sounded normal, just didn't fire). I tried to jump it but that didn't do anything. I took the battery out and went to the Napa in Tahoe City. They tested the battery and said it was nearing needing replacement, but wasn't "bad" yet. I opted to buy a new battery. I installed the new battery, and it still didn't start (turned over normally). I pulled the IG 1, IG 2 and Start fuses and reset them, turned the AC on and then off. After a couple tries, it started fine!
Part 2:
The same day, since it was starting ok after several tries, we drove out to Reno to meet some friends for lunch. Never had any issues. On a hunch, we stopped at o'reilly back in Truckee and I had them test the alternator. They said the voltage regulator was bad and that the (brand new) battery might have a dead cell. I was heading out to Yosemite for 4 days in the morning and scrambled to get an alternator. I had to drive back to Reno to find the only one available for the LX. It didn't have any issues all the way back into the garage. Thanks to this forum, I was able to buy a socket set and birth the alternator out between the hoses in the rental house garage. 2.5 hours total and I was back in business!
We drove all the way to Yosemite and all the way home (SoCal) with no issues.
Part 3:
Tuesday, I was in LA getting a replacement passenger window (bronze tint, used for $100) and a replacement front passenger leather seat ($300 in great shape). I went to move the LX to pick up the parts and it didn't start (same symptoms). I tried again and it started up and didn't have any issues.
Part 4:
Yesterday, the wife called from work to say the LX wasn't starting. I drove over, it turned over strong, same battery light on the panel and it wouldn't jump. I took the battery out, got it replaced at Napa (they said it was fine, but gave me a new one anyways). I put the battery in and literally the exact same steps i took during the first battery replacement got it to start. It didn't at first, i reset those fuses, tried a few times and it started. I drove it to my trusted mechanic to have him do some diagnostics.
Today:
Mechanic called and said it didn't start this morning but he didn't have his diagnostic tools with him for whatever reason. He went back later to go over it and it started up!
He's going to keep it another day and try to find out the deal.
I'm throwing this thread (essay) up to see if anyone else has had this strange issue and also document what my mechanic finds in case i'm a lone wolf.
Besides the symptoms I've described, there hasn't been a single issue on our 2k mile road trip. I was 4.5 miles into the Rubicon trail the day before it died! Got a bit lucky!
Thanks in advance.
So I had an adventure while on vacation in Lake Tahoe (apparently LC land!).
Part 1:
I was returning some kayaks and went to drive back to the cabin and the LX turned over but wouldn't start. It had the battery light (drain?) on, but everything was working electronic wise (starter sounded normal, just didn't fire). I tried to jump it but that didn't do anything. I took the battery out and went to the Napa in Tahoe City. They tested the battery and said it was nearing needing replacement, but wasn't "bad" yet. I opted to buy a new battery. I installed the new battery, and it still didn't start (turned over normally). I pulled the IG 1, IG 2 and Start fuses and reset them, turned the AC on and then off. After a couple tries, it started fine!
Part 2:
The same day, since it was starting ok after several tries, we drove out to Reno to meet some friends for lunch. Never had any issues. On a hunch, we stopped at o'reilly back in Truckee and I had them test the alternator. They said the voltage regulator was bad and that the (brand new) battery might have a dead cell. I was heading out to Yosemite for 4 days in the morning and scrambled to get an alternator. I had to drive back to Reno to find the only one available for the LX. It didn't have any issues all the way back into the garage. Thanks to this forum, I was able to buy a socket set and birth the alternator out between the hoses in the rental house garage. 2.5 hours total and I was back in business!
We drove all the way to Yosemite and all the way home (SoCal) with no issues.
Part 3:
Tuesday, I was in LA getting a replacement passenger window (bronze tint, used for $100) and a replacement front passenger leather seat ($300 in great shape). I went to move the LX to pick up the parts and it didn't start (same symptoms). I tried again and it started up and didn't have any issues.
Part 4:
Yesterday, the wife called from work to say the LX wasn't starting. I drove over, it turned over strong, same battery light on the panel and it wouldn't jump. I took the battery out, got it replaced at Napa (they said it was fine, but gave me a new one anyways). I put the battery in and literally the exact same steps i took during the first battery replacement got it to start. It didn't at first, i reset those fuses, tried a few times and it started. I drove it to my trusted mechanic to have him do some diagnostics.
Today:
Mechanic called and said it didn't start this morning but he didn't have his diagnostic tools with him for whatever reason. He went back later to go over it and it started up!
He's going to keep it another day and try to find out the deal.
I'm throwing this thread (essay) up to see if anyone else has had this strange issue and also document what my mechanic finds in case i'm a lone wolf.
Besides the symptoms I've described, there hasn't been a single issue on our 2k mile road trip. I was 4.5 miles into the Rubicon trail the day before it died! Got a bit lucky!
Thanks in advance.
