01' RX300 electrical glitch?

This morning I tried to start our RX and experienced some type of weird electrical glitch. The starter solenoid was clicking furiously, but nothing else was happening with the motor. The dash display would blink on & off for several seconds before finally staying on, but the display was frozen and no radio/climate controls worked in auxillary. All warning lights are on. It did this several times, but would not start. I checked the battery & terminals and they are clean and solidly connected. The battery indicator says good. In fact, the battery is only about 4 months old, according to the service history that came with the car when we bought it a few months ago (certified pre-owned). All interior/exterior lights seem to be strong. A few hours later it starts up repeatedly without problems. The only thing wrong is the clock has reset.

I'm guessing there's a potential problem with the starter but would this cause the electrical system to fritz? This leads to another question about Lexus roadside assistance. Would they have come to my rescue for something of this nature, or just tell me to figure out a way to get the vehicle to dealer on my own? Any positive/negative experiences with the roadside assistance overall?

Murph

Reply to
Murph
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Lexus Roadside would most likely come to your rescue. If the car is now drivable I'd get into your Dealer as any issue like that would be a covered repair under the CPO warranty

Myles

Reply to
msb

I had a similar problem with my 2003 RX 300. I parked it in my garage space then wanted to move it a bit. I experienced what you experienced. I tried using the second set of keys that I had but got the same results. Since it was late, I decided to just leave the RX as is and come down the next morning. To my surprise the next morning, everything was normal, except the compass on the mirror said "C". I guess I had driven by an area that had a strong enough magnetic field to throw off the compass. I'm wondering if it threw off the electrical system as well? But that was also the day of the extreme solar flares so who knows. Since then, all is fine.

Reply to
Bobby G

Intermittent problems like this are frustrating. It is likely the dealer will tell you that they cannot find anything wrong. In the past, on older cars, I have experienced this problem when the battery ground was sulfated and not grounding properly. I'd try the dealer, in the off chance they can find something before you are stuck somewhere.

Reply to
twaugh5

I got lucky this time. I brought my RX300 in for its 15,000 mile service but because the electrical problem was intermittent, I didn't mention it. When the RX was at the dealer, the problem apparently occurred. They asked me to keep the loaner for an extra day (2 actually due to the Christmas holiday). Today when I picked it up, I noticed on the printout "Wouldn't start... battery replaced".

All seems fine now.

Bob

Reply to
Bobby G

Hi Murph,

I have experienced the exactly electrical glitch you described. Unfortunately, I purhased my RX300 (yr 2000) from a private party, thus I have no dealership recourse.

Have you taken your vehicle in? What was the diagnose? Do you have an estimate for the repair costs?

Any information would truly be appreciated!

Thanks

Tom

Reply to
Tom04

Tom,

The problem hasn't occurred again, so I haven't taken it into the dealer because I doubt they'll be able to diagnose or reproduce it.

Unfortunately, I purhased my RX300 (yr 2000) from a private party, thus I have no dealership recourse.

estimate for the repair costs?

Reply to
Murph

Bobby G tastet i news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Yes, I experiened the same with my RX, when the battery was bad. The battery was replaced, and now everything is ok.

Reply to
Knut Oddvar Riisoen

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