We were going to drive around today looking for spots / lakes we could visit in the future.

But, the LX570 battery was dead this morning. Meter was reading 8.4V. Used the car Friday and it seemed fine - the meter in the car reading 12V+.

Costco doesn't seem to carry the size I need (27F). Checked Pep Boys, Walmart, Autozone. Battery is hard to find - ended up with a Autozone Duralast Gold.

Are these good? (I usually buy batteries at Costco). Should I be planning to replace with something else soon? Is there an alternative to 27F? For example, could I use 24F (from Costco) - seems like it would fit but not sure what's different between a 27F and a 24F other than physical size.

Is there a way to check if there is some parasitic drain when the car is supposed to be off? I'm thinking it was just about time to replace it (I think the battery was installed in 12/2013; a 3 dot and a Dec dot were checked on the battery); and then the recent heat just killed it. But want to make sure the power system is all in good working order.

The shop supposedly checked the battery during inspection and it tested okay. But here I am w/in a week with a dead battery. I trust the shop so at a loss at how to explain this.

Going through same problem with my wife's Tahoe. She noticed that she nicked her rear window defroster and since she bent it back up she has been OK.

Been told that a parasitic drain can be costly to find. Good luck.

How old is the battery? When I get 3 years out of them, I buy a new one.

Yes, take your VOM and set it to measure amps. Hook it in series with the negative battery terminal and the negative battery cable. This reading is your resting draw. If it seem particularly high, start pulling fuses to see when it drops. If it drops, you have found one source of your parasitic draw. DO NOT open doors, or the glove box as this draws current. DEFINITELY DO NOT ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR with the VOM in series Unless of course you like new VOM's and fires.

Had to do this on one of the BMW's not too long ago. It was the factory CD Player in the trunk. Usually its something stupid like the glove box light not shutting off when the box is closed.

Hope its easy.

RMD

Check out this youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdIKNnwEjIs

This explains how to test battery, test for drain and find the drain if you have it. You may not have all this equipment. Since you already have a new battery installed, one simple check will be does the new battery stay "up"? If it doesn't discharge then you probably have the answer. The video is technical but excellent! Another thing you can do is fully charge your old battery then check voltage on it each day and see what happens. If it does not drop while uninstalled, you have another answer. Happy testing.

Awesome. Thanks!

What's a typical resting draw - ballpark range for this type of car (2008)? What current draw would you consider high and suspicious?

50 milliamps max

When checking for a parasitic draw, and after hooking the the DVOM up properly, don't start unplugging things or yanking fuses right off the bat. It takes some time for all of the modules to go to sleep, most times up to an hour.

Search Youtube for Humblemechanic's video titled "The best way to perform a parasitic draw test". Much easier than putting your current meter in series with the battery and no pulling fuses until you find the actual suspect fuses.

I used the mV voltage drop method across the fuses in the engine compartment. All fuses were 0mV.

Too dang hot to do the rest. I'll check them later and/or maybe see if there are continued problems. If the battery really was from 12/2013, then maybe it's about due for replacement based on my experiences with the GS and ES (replacement every 3 years or so).

Maybe I'll move the key fob further away from the garage too.

You say it is hot where you are. Heat can kill a battery just as easy as cold.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I used the mV voltage drop method across the fuses in the engine compartment. All fuses were 0mV.

Too dang hot to do the rest. I'll check them later and/or maybe see if there are continued problems. If the battery really was from 12/2013, then maybe it's about due for replacement based on my experiences with the GS and ES (replacement every 3 years or so).

Maybe I'll move the key fob further away from the garage too.

Do you have a cell phone charger that you leave in the vehicle? Some but not all of them will be the source of a slow drain if left plugged in. I have had several customers who had this problem.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BillF,

quote:

Do you have a cell phone charger that you leave in the vehicle? Some but not all of them will be the source of a slow drain if left plugged in. I have had several customer who had this problem.

Yes, with a cigarette adapter. I checked to make sure it's not live when the car is not turned on (by plugging in the phone). But I'll unplug it from now on just in case. It's an Anker so should be fairly reputable. Still, easy to unplug and plug in when needed. I have the same one in my GS and no issues.

Here is the physical size chart:

https://www.jegs.com/Sizecharts/bcigroup.html

The 24 is smaller in size then the 27. You also have to get the correct terminal location and type...top or side mount terminals.

The width on both batteries shows 6 13/16 inches so the hold down clamp would work the same.

Cool. So if I use 24f in a pinch, is the only thing thing I'm giving up is battery life? Replace in two years instead of three? Or are there functional differences?

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Cool. So if I use 24f in a pinch, is the only thing thing I'm giving up is battery life? Replace in two years instead of three? Or are there functional differences?

No, you're giving up capacity. A 24 will have less amperage available than a 27. Think of it this way. If the vehicle manufacturer specifies a 27 which costs more than a 24, they must have had a real good reason to specify the larger battery. Vehicle manufacturers don't spend one penny more than is absolutely necessary when producing a vehicle.

You may have something that is draining the battery. Charge it up and check the voltage after it has been setting for 12 hours or more. It should hold 12.5 volts or more.

You want the cold cranking amps to be close to the 27F rating.

My wife has a Lexus. The car has been great but the battery sucks.
We went through three from the dealer while under warranty until I just bought a different brand.
No problems since.

Was it a Toyota battery???
Toyota batteries flat suck as I have found here lately. Had to replace the one in the Sienna that was less than 3 years old. Toyota even realizes they suck as they do not warranty them on CPO vehicles.And just had to replace the Highlander battery that was 4 years old. It actually burst and corrosion had built up something fierce under the positive terminal cap. Also it had been leaking under the tie down and ate through the metal tie down.

I put NAPA Legend AGM batteries in both.

 
My wife's 03' Sequoia has an inherent parasitic draw, especially since she drives it only once a month. It's the computer stuff. I've been through the troubleshooting steps of hooking up a multimeter and pulling fuses to find what is drawing. There are several draws. The biggest problem is she only drives it occasionally. My solution (as opposed to having to pull out jumper cables every so often) is to equip her with a Deltran Battery Tender. We are good now.