Thank you for figuring out this problem! This car was sitting at my house and different mechanic shops for months because no one can figure out the issue. Their lack of expertise costed my brother an arm and leg but your experience was something worth waiting a few months for!
Thank you bro lol. But yes, the patience was worth it and AMD explaining it to me on how he figured it out was a great learning experience! Definitely coming back again for future maintenance! EDIT: Want to give a big shoutout to my good friend who helped me IMMENSELY when it came to diagnosing the car!! Couldn’t have done it without his help prior to sending it to TCCN!
I admire people with good work ethics. Even though I am a software engineer which is a completely different field, the problem solving approach is very relatable. Keep up the good work AMD.
Very detailed explanation. Most repair shops and even dealerships, unfortunately these days, have "mechanics" that really have very little knowledge and experience. They are, for the most part, no better than a DIY home mechanic who has access to repair shop bays and equipment.
Great camera work! I appreciate that your camera person follows the conversation then zooms in appropriately on the test meter and the pins he is testing or pointing too. Thanks for doing such a good job on your entire video presentation.
I had the same problem with a Honda not long ago. The dealer could not repair it. The dealer told me that the alternator and battery were dead. I couldn't accept that explanation because after charging the battery, the car started. In addition, the alternator charged the battery. So I took the car home after the shop charged the battery at my request. I decided to do my own diagnosis using the methods outlined here. The problem was caused by the audio amplifier. The parasitic draw with all systems shut down was over 3A. Unplugging the audio amp solved the issue. Thank you for a most informative video.
You expect a mechanic to be able to diagnose any issues with a car. The sad reality is that all mechanics are not educated the same. That's why I love this channel and that is also part of the reason why this man's business is becoming very successful. He has done the work. He has been properly schooled in his field. This man is not going to rewire your house when all you need is a light bulb. Keep up the good work Sir. You have earned my respect. Good job.
I use my infrared camera to look for heat. That relay would have stuck out like a sore thumb, but why. That's what makes the CCN channel so great. He makes you think and come to the correct resolution.
I had a seized brake calipers on my '07 MDX. After driving home and parked the car, I could smell heated metal from the wheel. I narrowed down to the driver's rear wheel from the smell. I used an infrared thermometer and checked all 4 brake disc rotors. Three brake rotors were at around 170F, can't remember exactly. The seized caliper was about 250F+. I removed the pads and found the inner pad was worn down to about 1/8" and the outer pad was still around 1/4" thick. Replaced the caliper and problem solved.
I was dealing with a parasitic draw on my 03 ES300 for years. I just accepted it as I could still drive it, but in 3 days the battery would be dead. One day last summer the A/C light was blinking and it turns out the magnetic fan clutch relay was dying, so I replaced it with the updated one per the service bulletin. Not only did it fix my A/C system, but the draw went away! I had no idea a relay could cause a draw like that. I now know how to fix this in the future, thanks!
Wow I have a 02 ES300 with no parasite draw, but my A.C. don't work I bought the car like this, and at one point the A.C. button light was blinking I don't remember if it started blinking on its own or I push the A.C. button, but THANK YOU so much for sharing this info. you said in the 'service chart' it calls for replacement of a.c relay with a updated relay, I will buy 'updated relay' & install hopefully will make a.c work.😮
We went through the same drama with my brothers 05 Element. A/C relay took a poop & would kill the battery over night😱Found a RUclips video that told us to check the relays.
What worries many people is even if a relatively “cheap” part is actually the problem, (and the problem is actually fixed), they will still be charged for a new alternator, battery, etc. With modern cars, it’s very difficult to argue with what a shop tells you. That’s why finding a shop like TCCN is like finding solid gold.
First of all, what a beautiful Lexus. Second, pretty bad that the owner knew more than the garages. Third, another great job AMD, & thanks for explaining multimeter & how to diagnose. You are so correct on the state of charge of battery. I always test & boost or charge a NEW battery before I install it to get it off to a good start. 👍🏼
The issue is that some of these shops employ young kids. I normally take my Honda for oil changes as they provide free multipoint inspection. Well during my recent visit they identified a couple of oil leaks, valve cover, vtec solenoid near the front and oil pan $2200-2600! I got home found valve cover bolts were loose. I cleaned the area and no more leaks. Thankfully I maintain my vehicle religiously and get to know my vehicle that my dad taught me is important. However I know my mechanical limitations and have an honest local mechanic.
I bet those 2 shops will not give them 1 dime back and you have a new life-time customer lolololool Thx for sharing I wish we had more shops like yours. From Casper Wyoming
I have a Honda Civic Tourer back in SA. By day 4, if I haven't driven it, the battery is flat. Now I know what it's called. Parasitic draw. But after seeing the hassles this customer had, I am not giving it to anyone. I will just drive it every day. Thanks for the schooling😊
Parasitic draws are a pain in the butt, you’re simple explanation of everything is outstanding, don’t own a Toyota only worked on one before my whole life, but I’ve learned so much from your channel, and you are a great salesman and a great spokesman. 💪👍
AMD, if you're not the best thing that's ever happened to youtube, then you're definitely the 2nd. I appreciate your honesty and informative videos. Thanks!
Having been in electronics repair since the 80s this would have been a fairly normal troubleshooting diagnose done within a reasonable amount of time with just VOM. Diagrams are nice to have and sometimes a necessity however this kind of symptom even without a diagram still could have been done in a reasonable amount of time, but like you mention one has to put in that time. Seems some shops just want to do the gravy repairs but when it comes to the time-consuming tough dogs, they will drag their feet which I can understand that is to a point. I enjoy the tough dogs; don't make any money on them especially on the first repair but the knowledge learned and knowing that in electronics there will be others with the very same symptom/s it was worth it. All mechanical/electrical/electronic machines have weak points finding them can be frustrating & fun. Thank you for the video I enjoy and learn a lot form them.
Yes, it's the best looking Lexus in my humble opinion. My brother has one just like this and he loves it. It's unfortunate Lexus decided to end production of the GS line.
@@Mac-t4y My Dad owned several Mercedes Benz cars from 1966 through the early 2000;s. When Mercedes Benz merged with Chrysler they completely lost focus and their quality dropped. Dad switched to the Toyota Lexus brand and never looked back.
wow 23 - 5A 😮. Thank you for sharing. It is amazing that those shops did not know how to test a relay which rather a very simple test. I love these videos. God Bless.
To be fair to the owner, access to accurate diagrams are usually locked behind paid services. Parasitic draws can be a serious pain to find and repair. If the manufacturers weren't so proprietary and trying to force the DiYer to a shop, these types of things would be easier to deal with. Great video.
Awesome job AMD! You gained a customer for life and everyone he tells! I so appreciate the shops that are dog on a bone, find the real issue! Your shop, South Main Auto, Rainman Ray and Jimmy Making It Work are the shops that I watch for the hardcore diagnostic work.
This is why you are my favorite vehicle diagnostics channel ever. You are so methodical and clear and concise on your explanations of how you find the solutions. Absolutely outstanding. I always learn something from you. Thank you so much. God bless you.
Even a 1999 Park Ave has a large draw under normal conditions. Manufacturers don't care. Good find. I was the guy that had to do these jobs in the shop.
Thank you for sharing the diagnostic technique, as a diy'er I appreciate it! Thank you TCCN channel, you are one of my go-to resources along with South Main Auto LLC abd BC Auto Solutions!
My sister bought a brand new 1975 Plymouth duster that would take a lot of cranking to start. The dealership never found the problem it went through a few diehard batteries over a few years, I had taken basic auto mechanics classes in high school, I found the ignition start run resistor on the fire wall was installed backwards at the factory.
This happened to my stepson and his BMW. 2 shops, brake ABS sensor. He took it back to the first shop and had them "fix it like he recommended the first time". This costs customers time and money. This is why, even if you buy a car with a great warranty it is still not enough. Just buy the most reliable car in the first place.
Thank you for the lesson in parasitic draws. This video could save someone thousands of dollars. Seven months off the road unbelieveable the owner put up with this for that long.
With relays my first reaction is always check the relay as the high voltage contacts arc and over time "weld" the contacts together. Simple OHM test of the relay would be my first move
Thanks, very useful info to understand with today's ever so complicated cars, so many parasitic draws exist, including especially Lexus lineup now offering their App to help you communicate back and forth with your car. Alerting you of doors left unlocked, windows left open etc. I own a '22 NX350H and have already had my battery replaced under warranty at 17,000 miles. I am on a Lexus forum and this issue is absolutely HUGE with the current NX and RX models. Many including myself, have chosen to install bluetooth enabled battery monitors and use a trickle charger to maintain 12 volt battery health. I would imagine to a lesser degree all late model Toyota hybrids and plug in hybrids are struggling with this to some degree too. I would LOVE to see you address this concern in our newer modern cars as many many new car owners are hopelessly suffering with this and some are leaving the Lexus brand altogether. I myself mainly only drive short city trips every few days and I can see the DC to DC convertor does not designate enough power to recharge the 12 volt sufficiently while running the car. And it appears Toyota does not utilize the traction battery to recharge the 12 volt when car is not on, (unlike Hyundai can do). So there is a way to recharge the12 volt in a hybrid by using the traction battery but Toyota chooses not to, instead letting 12 volts die, replaced by dealer and start over again. We would love for you to wade into this important 'current' :) issue with new cars and shine some light on it to help explain to everyone what we can do to help alleviate our problem.
My last new Toyota was awful. Only kept it for 2 years & 10K miles due to all the problems, defects, & issues. it left me stranded across town twice while I had it & in need of towing back to dealership for repairs/fixes. It was a 2020 TNGA Corolla SE Sedan (J-VIN, built & purchased in late 2019). That experience convinced me to buy my first Mazda in early 2022 (which I have had for 3 years now with no problems whatsoever).
@ long story short car had 340k miles 2014 camry transmission wouldn’t pass 2nd gear on the highway i guess it was limp mode. One week later i was getting intermittent misfires from cylinders 3,4 which automatically went into limp. I thought it was spark plugs but turned out to be some rat started chewing in my ignition coil wires. Dam car still managed to get up to 50mph with 2 cylinders
In the 1980s, my Grandmother's 1980 Buick Skylark 2.5L Iron Duke. Battery would die intermittently, always in her garage, on a farm 20 miles from our house. Jump start it and everything would be fine, for some random length of time. Dealer could never identify the problem (maybe because it wasn't doing it for them). Finally, one time when I was jumping it I had her crank it up, and I noticed the A/C clutch spun the compressor during cranking - I had her shut it back off and we'll just say I didn't need a thermal camera to notice that clutch was HOT. I was astonished that the A/C clutch could be powered with the ignition off, but apparently GM thought the little Iron Duke might diesel on shutdown, so it had a secondary A/C clutch relay on a timer circuit, that was supposed to engage the clutch for 5 seconds at shutdown to help stall the engine. That was the relay that would sometimes stick. My poor boy method for chasing parasitic draws is to check for voltage drop across fuses. It's typically a little faster than pulling them, but I'll admit that this stuck relay probably would have stumped me.
AMD, What a shame those 'professional' shops caused such a parasitic draw from the owner's bank account. Now that the GS has arrived in your shop, I hope they have many more years of service from this Lexus. 🤞🤞
Thanks for the clear explanation. We junked a 94 s500 over parasitic loss. Two dealers and a shop couldn't find the cause. Recharged every two days. Wish we had CCN nearby? Not for this. The car was junk. A curse. Needed thousands in deferred repairs. It's passing was a blessing.
To be a Master Diagnosric Tech, you are pretty much a vehicle detective. You figure out what is wrong with a car (specially when it comes to electronixlc systems), when all others fail.
I've never had to chase down a parasitic draw, but I did know about removing fuses while watching the amps. I did not know about pulling relays. Hopefully I would have thought of it on my own, but I can't guarantee that. Now, I definitely will. Thank you for some education.
In my third career as an automotive technician, I learned great investigative skills and seeking the truth (forensic psychophysiologist) from my previous 2 careers. Many younger technicians will not make the time for diagnosis. They are time consuming, boring and don't always lead to the great pay off (in terms of labor). I work with younger technicians now and spend time learning, but also teaching. This video is a great example of what I've experienced. Great video and still learning!
Great tech talk here. While teaching my youngest son how to work on cars I always go back to the need to be absolutely precise in his initial diagnosis. Then I go into how many times I have had to start all over again when I failed in that objective. But as always, people have to make their own mistakes and learn for themselves.
You can test the relay directly with your multimeter in seconds. There should be a short between the in/out terminals-- you can use a continuity check or simply look at the resistance. That's a quicker than checking the voltage on all the pins in the fuse block. Thanks for the tip on using an IR camera to check for bad fuses/relays.
Wow! Another excellent video. I had a 2003 4runner the A/C stopped working. The ac light was flashing. A quick google search found a TSB for the relay sticking. Called the Toyota dealership they confirmed and had an updated relay in stock.
Good thing no fire happened and nice the customer brought it to you. I am DIY mechanic and I could have figured this out. Its sad that the other “professional” shops could not figure this out. Electrical issues are a pain but interesting. I helped a few people diagnose their issue over the phone with ideas with electrical issues and solved them .
most shops are just parts changers. i usually diag my own issues but i dont have a lift and im older so i cant work on my own cars. so i just find the issue and tell the shop to what work or parts it needs
This video is a brilliant example. As a precaution, I will measure (or have someone measure) the resting current of my battery when the vehicle is in good condition and/or new. I will write the value in amps as a reference in the immediate vicinity or on the battery, and possibly also in the manual. For future diagnostics in car electrics, this is certainly not a mistake and won't hurt. Thank you very much!
Usually is a relay that stays on and you can check that with an advanced scanner it will show you which relay s staying on and that's how easy it's to find a battery dropping charge problem this guy is good 👍
I have a '15 GS too, and kept getting an evap code. Dealer wanted to replace the charcoal cannister and the purge valve for a large expense. A friend of mine suggested I replace the gas cap for $25 and...that was the problem.
Could have just test continuity of the relay legs to see that connectors are stuck to each other to confirm bad relay; it should be open circuit without power. Not sure why you didn’t mention that. Great work overall though.
My 1997 Suburban died on a road trip with no breakdown lane, going uphill, hauling a huge trailer. 350 5.7 gas, 335,000 miles. I thought my recently replaced fuel pump failed, because it was a cheap Chinese one. I checked for fuel pressure, there's none. So obviously it's the fuel pump. I cut the back floor open, after I remove the Olds W31 350 engine that had stashed on top, after I got towed 100 me back to a friend's house, and put a new fuel pump in, and it turns out the relay had burned up, because I'd run out of gas. So the fuel pump was still good, it just overheated a very well used 335,000k mile relay. Alot of wasted time and aggravation, when all it needed was the relay from the adjacent air conditioner relay, simply popped into place. They're the same, and easily available from the junkyard for $3 Oh well, lesson learned
@AMD this emphasizes what I've been observing. Whether its a dealership, independent shop, or DIY mechanic, the difference lies in Passion. Are you passionate about cars and are you treating your customers car as if it is your own. Sad to say but there are many shops who just want to get folks in and out and focus strictly on the numbers and profit and don't care about the outcome because its not their problem. Thank you for your videos and what you do its really an inspiration to Toyota/lexus owners.
Awesome video. I prefer to measure the voltage drop across a fuse as this can be converted to current. On newer cars, pulling fuses can wake up the sleep mode.
Well good thing my 2015 Corolla doesn't have an electric pre-heater thing. Seems like the extra bells and whistles are usually the first thing to break
Good job Ahmed, as always. One advice from Engineering Electronics Tech, If you have load that takes high current in beginning, 22A in this case, and rapidly goes down and settles to 5A, in this case again, it is 100% some type of heating element running. My first guess was rear window or seat heater being powered on all the time.
👍👍 I do have a relay tester in my tool box now, before I used my multi meter on continuity for testing relays and I do have a clamp meter also ! I totally agree with you, find the problem and why it happened. Throwing parts at it is not a good policy for the shop and the customers wallet ! I do not understand shops that do it ! Bad thing. Thanks for the vid, be well !
I had a bad out of the box alternator once. Was drawing one amp and would kill the battery overnight. If you remember Trak Auto, absolute garbage parts. I had three bad alternators in a row and thought it had to be something else, finally gave up and took it to a shop. Bad alternator. He replaced it and no more problems. After that I swore off any place but NAPA or the junkyard for anything more than brake pads. Life has been a lot easier for the past 30 years.
I was thinking it could be a faulty ignition switch at the beginning of the video, but hey, what do I know? very little apparently...LOL. Great diagnosis sir.
When you said we won't believe what was the culprit, i don't know why but i instantly thought about a relay :)) not some big, complicated and expensive part, but a cheap, little, but yet an essential one. And about the method with the thermal camera, i think it can be done even with a infrared thermometer, too look for the relays or fuses that are significantly higher on temperature than others when the car is stopped and locked.
Blimey, this was hard work. A quick check with a multimeter set to the ohms range would have proved that the contacts in the relay were stuck in the on state. This can happen if the relay is underated, which in my experience is not uncommon. Do these other shops employ anyone with the right training ?
Thank you for figuring out this problem! This car was sitting at my house and different mechanic shops for months because no one can figure out the issue. Their lack of expertise costed my brother an arm and leg but your experience was something worth waiting a few months for!
Love the color on that lexus! Looks like liquid metal.
@@chaingliderreddup4222Thanks!
Thank you bro lol. But yes, the patience was worth it and AMD explaining it to me on how he figured it out was a great learning experience! Definitely coming back again for future maintenance!
EDIT: Want to give a big shoutout to my good friend who helped me IMMENSELY when it came to diagnosing the car!! Couldn’t have done it without his help prior to sending it to TCCN!
@@chaingliderreddup4222Thank you! Appreciate it!
@huzefajoly9452 Yes, The Best. Honest, Smart. Beautiful Lexus. Is it 2015 or 2016 model. Enjoy your Car.
I admire people with good work ethics. Even though I am a software engineer which is a completely different field, the problem solving approach is very relatable. Keep up the good work AMD.
Very detailed explanation. Most repair shops and even dealerships, unfortunately these days, have "mechanics" that really have very little knowledge and experience. They are, for the most part, no better than a DIY home mechanic who has access to repair shop bays and equipment.
Great camera work! I appreciate that your camera person follows the conversation then zooms in appropriately on the test meter and the pins he is testing or pointing too. Thanks for doing such a good job on your entire video presentation.
I've been a master mechanic for 60 years and this man knows what he's talking about (😅). Facts this man knows his Toyota.
Words of Wisdom. That is what this channel is totally about.
I cannot state how I love watching these videos.... This man knows what he is doing, he is a genius...
not a genius ... a competent mechanic. there are so many bad ones out there now that a good one seems like a genius.
I had the same problem with a Honda not long ago. The dealer could not repair it. The dealer told me that the alternator and battery were dead. I couldn't accept that explanation because after charging the battery, the car started. In addition, the alternator charged the battery. So I took the car home after the shop charged the battery at my request. I decided to do my own diagnosis using the methods outlined here. The problem was caused by the audio amplifier. The parasitic draw with all systems shut down was over 3A. Unplugging the audio amp solved the issue. Thank you for a most informative video.
Dealer couldn't even hook up an amp-clamp? That is just disgraceful. Honda dealerships are pretty bad in the US it seems.
This car nut mechanic has such a cool demeanor. Relaxing and enjoyable to watch even though I do not own a Lexus, but a Toyo.
You expect a mechanic to be able to diagnose any issues with a car. The sad reality is that all mechanics are not educated the same. That's why I love this channel and that is also part of the reason why this man's business is becoming very successful. He has done the work. He has been properly schooled in his field. This man is not going to rewire your house when all you need is a light bulb. Keep up the good work Sir. You have earned my respect. Good job.
This video is much needed. As a tech that’s been building his electrical diagnostic skills. God bless you
enjoyed the heck out of this video. I'm a Navy trained technician and everything you said made sense. To many electronic things in cars now a days
You’re certainly a honest and trustworthy mechanic. We need more of you in this country.
Retired technician here Parasitic draws can be nightmares I serviced a fleet of ambulances, one had a draw that took me 3 full days to find
Had a friend that bought an old ambulance. Nightmare of an electrical system.
Ambulances in general are 1 big parasitic draw.
As a former Lexus/Toyota technician, I love these types of job,not too many individuals take up the challenge .
Incompetence of supposed experts! I love this channel ❤
I use my infrared camera to look for heat. That relay would have stuck out like a sore thumb, but why. That's what makes the CCN channel so great. He makes you think and come to the correct resolution.
I had a seized brake calipers on my '07 MDX. After driving home and parked the car, I could smell heated metal from the wheel. I narrowed down to the driver's rear wheel from the smell. I used an infrared thermometer and checked all 4 brake disc rotors. Three brake rotors were at around 170F, can't remember exactly. The seized caliper was about 250F+. I removed the pads and found the inner pad was worn down to about 1/8" and the outer pad was still around 1/4" thick. Replaced the caliper and problem solved.
Many thanks, infrared camera.
@@DIY-AutoMech, how much you paid for the infrared tool !?
I was dealing with a parasitic draw on my 03 ES300 for years. I just accepted it as I could still drive it, but in 3 days the battery would be dead. One day last summer the A/C light was blinking and it turns out the magnetic fan clutch relay was dying, so I replaced it with the updated one per the service bulletin. Not only did it fix my A/C system, but the draw went away! I had no idea a relay could cause a draw like that. I now know how to fix this in the future, thanks!
Wow I have a 02 ES300 with no parasite draw, but my A.C. don't work I bought the car like this, and at one point the A.C. button light was blinking I don't remember if it started blinking on its own or I push the A.C. button, but THANK YOU so much for sharing this info. you said in the 'service chart' it calls for replacement of a.c relay with a updated relay, I will buy 'updated relay' & install hopefully will make a.c work.😮
We went through the same drama with my brothers 05 Element. A/C relay took a poop & would kill the battery over night😱Found a RUclips video that told us to check the relays.
I do not know anything about cars but I keep watching this man's videos.
What worries many people is even if a relatively “cheap” part is actually the problem, (and the problem is actually fixed), they will still be charged for a new alternator, battery, etc. With modern cars, it’s very difficult to argue with what a shop tells you. That’s why finding a shop like TCCN is like finding solid gold.
My favorite CCC tutorial! Excellent simple explanation. Avid DIYer, Average guy only going to see this very rarely.
Good point on alternators on recent cars not designed to charge from dead but only to maintain...
First of all, what a beautiful Lexus. Second, pretty bad that the owner knew more than the garages. Third, another great job AMD, & thanks for explaining multimeter & how to diagnose.
You are so correct on the state of charge of battery. I always test & boost or charge a NEW battery before I install it to get it off to a good start. 👍🏼
Another great video. Many mechanics dont know the basics of electrical testing. They love replacing parts and batteries.
Wow. Loved how you explained it & top marks to the owner for fault finding.
I love this guy he has it together.
The issue is that some of these shops employ young kids. I normally take my Honda for oil changes as they provide free multipoint inspection. Well during my recent visit they identified a couple of oil leaks, valve cover, vtec solenoid near the front and oil pan $2200-2600! I got home found valve cover bolts were loose. I cleaned the area and no more leaks. Thankfully I maintain my vehicle religiously and get to know my vehicle that my dad taught me is important. However I know my mechanical limitations and have an honest local mechanic.
You're a great mechanic very few of you guys left
One of the best teachers... Respect...
I bet those 2 shops will not give them 1 dime back and you have a new life-time customer lolololool Thx for sharing I wish we had more shops like yours. From Casper Wyoming
I have a Honda Civic Tourer back in SA. By day 4, if I haven't driven it, the battery is flat. Now I know what it's called. Parasitic draw. But after seeing the hassles this customer had, I am not giving it to anyone. I will just drive it every day. Thanks for the schooling😊
Love these gs350s! I had a gs400 for 18 years and it was unbelievably reliable. SO cool to hear about DIY people working on them.
Thank you for dumbing it down, now I have a better understanding as a DYI’er. I was leery about learning parasitic draws.
Thanks a lot for this video! I learned something new! So this is how new alternators work! Maintain a healthy battery! Not charge a weak battery!
Parasitic draws are a pain in the butt, you’re simple explanation of everything is outstanding, don’t own a Toyota only worked on one before my whole life, but I’ve learned so much from your channel, and you are a great salesman and a great spokesman. 💪👍
AMD, if you're not the best thing that's ever happened to youtube, then you're definitely the 2nd. I appreciate your honesty and informative videos. Thanks!
Is the other one Scotty K? 😊
Having been in electronics repair since the 80s this would have been a fairly normal troubleshooting diagnose done within a reasonable amount of time with just VOM. Diagrams are nice to have and sometimes a necessity however this kind of symptom even without a diagram still could have been done in a reasonable amount of time, but like you mention one has to put in that time. Seems some shops just want to do the gravy repairs but when it comes to the time-consuming tough dogs, they will drag their feet which I can understand that is to a point. I enjoy the tough dogs; don't make any money on them especially on the first repair but the knowledge learned and knowing that in electronics there will be others with the very same symptom/s it was worth it. All mechanical/electrical/electronic machines have weak points finding them can be frustrating & fun.
Thank you for the video I enjoy and learn a lot form them.
This model is the best body design of any Lexus. It looks all around better than the Mercedes, Audi, & Cadillac models too.
Yes, it's the best looking Lexus in my humble opinion. My brother has one just like this and he loves it. It's unfortunate Lexus decided to end production of the GS line.
Agree with "best body design of any Lexus". Parking next to any Mercedes E Series, it is just another Toyota.
@@Mac-t4y My Dad owned several Mercedes Benz cars from 1966 through the early 2000;s. When Mercedes Benz merged with Chrysler they completely lost focus and their quality dropped. Dad switched to the Toyota Lexus brand and never looked back.
wow 23 - 5A 😮. Thank you for sharing. It is amazing that those shops did not know how to test a relay which rather a very simple test. I love these videos. God Bless.
To be fair to the owner, access to accurate diagrams are usually locked behind paid services. Parasitic draws can be a serious pain to find and repair. If the manufacturers weren't so proprietary and trying to force the DiYer to a shop, these types of things would be easier to deal with. Great video.
Yeah, you really need a wiring diagram.... There can be like 10 things on a single fuse. Hard to narrow it down when you don't know what it feeds.
You are the best and honest mechanic, I wish your in my place.
Best mechanic on RUclips!
Awesome job AMD! You gained a customer for life and everyone he tells!
I so appreciate the shops that are dog on a bone, find the real issue!
Your shop, South Main Auto, Rainman Ray and Jimmy Making It Work are the shops that I watch for the hardcore diagnostic work.
In my opinion, Ivan (at Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics) is the best diagnostician of them all.
This is why you are my favorite vehicle diagnostics channel ever. You are so methodical and clear and concise on your explanations of how you find the solutions. Absolutely outstanding. I always learn something from you. Thank you so much. God bless you.
AMD, you are the man, and our hero!
What a beautiful car
Even a 1999 Park Ave has a large draw under normal conditions. Manufacturers don't care. Good find. I was the guy that had to do these jobs in the shop.
Thank you for sharing the diagnostic technique, as a diy'er I appreciate it! Thank you TCCN channel, you are one of my go-to resources along with South Main Auto LLC abd BC Auto Solutions!
My sister bought a brand new 1975 Plymouth duster that would take a lot of cranking to start. The dealership never found the problem it went through a few diehard batteries over a few years, I had taken basic auto mechanics classes in high school, I found the ignition start run resistor on the fire wall was installed backwards at the factory.
This happened to my stepson and his BMW. 2 shops, brake ABS sensor. He took it back to the first shop and had them "fix it like he recommended the first time". This costs customers time and money. This is why, even if you buy a car with a great warranty it is still not enough. Just buy the most reliable car in the first place.
This type of negligence and enept professionals are why people dislike most repair shops !!! Very few give proper attention to details like your shop.
Thank you for the lesson in parasitic draws. This video could save someone thousands of dollars. Seven months off the road unbelieveable the owner put up with this for that long.
With relays my first reaction is always check the relay as the high voltage contacts arc and over time "weld" the contacts together. Simple OHM test of the relay would be my first move
Thank you for the teaching moment, as a DIYer myself I appreciate this moment 😁👍 and thats why I keep supporting your channel.
Excellent work..and the customer is now stuck with an aftermarket alternator and 3 batteries and a lighter wallet.
Thanks, very useful info to understand with today's ever so complicated cars, so many parasitic draws exist, including especially Lexus lineup now offering their App to help you communicate back and forth with your car. Alerting you of doors left unlocked, windows left open etc.
I own a '22 NX350H and have already had my battery replaced under warranty at 17,000 miles. I am on a Lexus forum and this issue is absolutely HUGE with the current NX and RX models. Many including myself, have chosen to install bluetooth enabled battery monitors and use a trickle charger to maintain 12 volt battery health. I would imagine to a lesser degree all late model Toyota hybrids and plug in hybrids are struggling with this to some degree too.
I would LOVE to see you address this concern in our newer modern cars as many many new car owners are hopelessly suffering with this and some are leaving the Lexus brand altogether. I myself mainly only drive short city trips every few days and I can see the DC to DC convertor does not designate enough power to recharge the 12 volt sufficiently while running the car. And it appears Toyota does not utilize the traction battery to recharge the 12 volt when car is not on, (unlike Hyundai can do). So there is a way to recharge the12 volt in a hybrid by using the traction battery but Toyota chooses not to, instead letting 12 volts die, replaced by dealer and start over again. We would love for you to wade into this important 'current' :) issue with new cars and shine some light on it to help explain to everyone what we can do to help alleviate our problem.
This was a very good educational tutorial video. I learned some things about troubleshooting electrical issues.
You have changed my perspective on Toyota.
Before, I was a hater because one left me in the dust on the highway.
Jesus not even when my transmission failed and 2 bad coils my toyota left me stranded
My last new Toyota was awful. Only kept it for 2 years & 10K miles due to all the problems, defects, & issues. it left me stranded across town twice while I had it & in need of towing back to dealership for repairs/fixes. It was a 2020 TNGA Corolla SE Sedan (J-VIN, built & purchased in late 2019). That experience convinced me to buy my first Mazda in early 2022 (which I have had for 3 years now with no problems whatsoever).
What happened? it very well could have been unavoidable or happened due to poor maintenance which affects all cars and hurts their reliability
@ long story short car had 340k miles 2014 camry transmission wouldn’t pass 2nd gear on the highway i guess it was limp mode. One week later i was getting intermittent misfires from cylinders 3,4 which automatically went into limp. I thought it was spark plugs but turned out to be some rat started chewing in my ignition coil wires. Dam car still managed to get up to 50mph with 2 cylinders
@@jayden56858 I might have a similar rat problem in my garage that terrorized us. Not sure why they are attracted to ignition coil wires?
In the 1980s, my Grandmother's 1980 Buick Skylark 2.5L Iron Duke. Battery would die intermittently, always in her garage, on a farm 20 miles from our house. Jump start it and everything would be fine, for some random length of time. Dealer could never identify the problem (maybe because it wasn't doing it for them). Finally, one time when I was jumping it I had her crank it up, and I noticed the A/C clutch spun the compressor during cranking - I had her shut it back off and we'll just say I didn't need a thermal camera to notice that clutch was HOT. I was astonished that the A/C clutch could be powered with the ignition off, but apparently GM thought the little Iron Duke might diesel on shutdown, so it had a secondary A/C clutch relay on a timer circuit, that was supposed to engage the clutch for 5 seconds at shutdown to help stall the engine. That was the relay that would sometimes stick.
My poor boy method for chasing parasitic draws is to check for voltage drop across fuses. It's typically a little faster than pulling them, but I'll admit that this stuck relay probably would have stumped me.
AMD, What a shame those 'professional' shops caused such a parasitic draw from the owner's bank account. Now that the GS has arrived in your shop, I hope they have many more years of service from this Lexus. 🤞🤞
Thanks for the clear explanation.
We junked a 94 s500 over parasitic loss. Two dealers and a shop couldn't find the cause. Recharged every two days.
Wish we had CCN nearby? Not for this. The car was junk. A curse. Needed thousands in deferred repairs. It's passing was a blessing.
Great analysis AMD. Thanks for showing this. Electrical troubleshooting is the most difficult thing for my DIY stuff.
As always informative and most importantly humble
This video should be sent to those two repair shops as a training video on this!!
To be a Master Diagnosric Tech, you are pretty much a vehicle detective. You figure out what is wrong with a car (specially when it comes to electronixlc systems), when all others fail.
LOVE how damn good He is. Thats why I keep coming back to watch.
I've never had to chase down a parasitic draw, but I did know about removing fuses while watching the amps. I did not know about pulling relays. Hopefully I would have thought of it on my own, but I can't guarantee that. Now, I definitely will. Thank you for some education.
AMD you are such an amazing experienced professional. Thanks alot for sharing your knowledge.
In my third career as an automotive technician, I learned great investigative skills and seeking the truth (forensic psychophysiologist) from my previous 2 careers. Many younger technicians will not make the time for diagnosis. They are time consuming, boring and don't always lead to the great pay off (in terms of labor). I work with younger technicians now and spend time learning, but also teaching. This video is a great example of what I've experienced. Great video and still learning!
Excellent & Impressive diagnosis.
Beautiful looking car
Please expose those 2 SCAM shops for us please please please. That's more important than anything else.
And THAT is why I avoid dealers/pros ... a good shop like TCCN is almost as rare as hen's teeth.
Great tech talk here. While teaching my youngest son how to work on cars I always go back to the need to be absolutely precise in his initial diagnosis. Then I go into how many times I have had to start all over again when I failed in that objective. But as always, people have to make their own mistakes and learn for themselves.
Legit good guy. May the Lord bless you and keep you well!
Thank you for explaining it! Dianostics is everything.
You can test the relay directly with your multimeter in seconds. There should be a short between the in/out terminals-- you can use a continuity check or simply look at the resistance. That's a quicker than checking the voltage on all the pins in the fuse block. Thanks for the tip on using an IR camera to check for bad fuses/relays.
Wow! Another excellent video. I had a 2003 4runner the A/C stopped working. The ac light was flashing. A quick google search found a TSB for the relay sticking. Called the Toyota dealership they confirmed and had an updated relay in stock.
Your the best mechanic i know! Thanks for sharing❤❤❤ subscriber from🇨🇦 and i owned 2 lexuses😊
Good thing no fire happened and nice the customer brought it to you. I am DIY mechanic and I could have figured this out. Its sad that the other “professional” shops could not figure this out. Electrical issues are a pain but interesting. I helped a few people diagnose their issue over the phone with ideas with electrical issues and solved them .
most shops are just parts changers. i usually diag my own issues but i dont have a lift and im older so i cant work on my own cars. so i just find the issue and tell the shop to what work or parts it needs
This video is a brilliant example.
As a precaution, I will measure (or have someone measure) the resting current of my battery when the vehicle is in good condition and/or new. I will write the value in amps as a reference in the immediate vicinity or on the battery, and possibly also in the manual. For future diagnostics in car electrics, this is certainly not a mistake and won't hurt. Thank you very much!
Usually is a relay that stays on and you can check that with an advanced scanner it will show you which relay s staying on and that's how easy it's to find a battery dropping charge problem this guy is good 👍
I have a '15 GS too, and kept getting an evap code. Dealer wanted to replace the charcoal cannister and the purge valve for a large expense. A friend of mine suggested I replace the gas cap for $25 and...that was the problem.
That is amazing . Did you buy a Lexus OEM gas cap at the Dealer. $25 fix.
Could have just test continuity of the relay legs to see that connectors are stuck to each other to confirm bad relay; it should be open circuit without power. Not sure why you didn’t mention that. Great work overall though.
Looked up the PTC2 relay: OUCH! $$. Still cheaper than the other shops parts cannons.
My 1997 Suburban died on a road trip with no breakdown lane, going uphill, hauling a huge trailer. 350 5.7 gas, 335,000 miles. I thought my recently replaced fuel pump failed, because it was a cheap Chinese one. I checked for fuel pressure, there's none. So obviously it's the fuel pump. I cut the back floor open, after I remove the Olds W31 350 engine that had stashed on top, after I got towed 100 me back to a friend's house, and put a new fuel pump in, and it turns out the relay had burned up, because I'd run out of gas. So the fuel pump was still good, it just overheated a very well used 335,000k mile relay. Alot of wasted time and aggravation, when all it needed was the relay from the adjacent air conditioner relay, simply popped into place. They're the same, and easily available from the junkyard for $3
Oh well, lesson learned
335,000. Wow. Same engine and transmission?
@AMD this emphasizes what I've been observing. Whether its a dealership, independent shop, or DIY mechanic, the difference lies in Passion. Are you passionate about cars and are you treating your customers car as if it is your own. Sad to say but there are many shops who just want to get folks in and out and focus strictly on the numbers and profit and don't care about the outcome because its not their problem. Thank you for your videos and what you do its really an inspiration to Toyota/lexus owners.
Awesome video. I prefer to measure the voltage drop across a fuse as this can be converted to current. On newer cars, pulling fuses can wake up the sleep mode.
Very good diagnosis....as a DIY'r I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge
Brilliant diagnostics! You are the BEST!
Well good thing my 2015 Corolla doesn't have an electric pre-heater thing. Seems like the extra bells and whistles are usually the first thing to break
Yep, dumb cars run forever.
Excellent Video, Most mechanics can not diagnose electrical issues....keep up the good work
Good job Ahmed, as always. One advice from Engineering Electronics Tech, If you have load that takes high current in beginning, 22A in this case, and rapidly goes down and settles to 5A, in this case again, it is 100% some type of heating element running. My first guess was rear window or seat heater being powered on all the time.
👍👍 I do have a relay tester in my tool box now, before I used my multi meter on continuity for testing relays and I do have a clamp meter also ! I totally agree with you, find the problem and why it happened. Throwing parts at it is not a good policy for the shop and the customers wallet ! I do not understand shops that do it ! Bad thing.
Thanks for the vid, be well !
I had a bad out of the box alternator once. Was drawing one amp and would kill the battery overnight. If you remember Trak Auto, absolute garbage parts. I had three bad alternators in a row and thought it had to be something else, finally gave up and took it to a shop. Bad alternator. He replaced it and no more problems. After that I swore off any place but NAPA or the junkyard for anything more than brake pads. Life has been a lot easier for the past 30 years.
I was thinking it could be a faulty ignition switch at the beginning of the video, but hey, what do I know? very little apparently...LOL. Great diagnosis sir.
When you said we won't believe what was the culprit, i don't know why but i instantly thought about a relay :)) not some big, complicated and expensive part, but a cheap, little, but yet an essential one.
And about the method with the thermal camera, i think it can be done even with a infrared thermometer, too look for the relays or fuses that are significantly higher on temperature than others when the car is stopped and locked.
Blimey, this was hard work.
A quick check with a multimeter set to the ohms range would have proved that the
contacts in the relay were stuck in the on state.
This can happen if the relay is underated, which in my experience is not uncommon.
Do these other shops employ anyone with the right training ?
Great timing!!!! Just what I needed to see as I am troubleshooting a similar issue. Thank you!!