1999 Lexus ES-300 won't start after sitting for a day or so.

Asked by GuruF1VR6 Apr 26, 2020 at 10:01 AM about the 1999 Lexus ES

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

On my 1999 Lexus ES-300 in the last 4 months, the following have been
replaced: Battery, Alternator, 6 Ignition Coils, 6 Spark Plugs, 2 Engine Intake
Hoses, Engine Intake Manifold Gasket, Oil/Filter Change, Power Steering
Flush, & Diagnostic Engine Check.  After sitting idle for 2 weeks during this
coronavirus crisis it wouldn't start until it was jump-started.  
I left the car for two weeks at the auto shop which replaced all the above-
listed parts and they claimed that they had no problem starting the car each
time after letting it sit idle for days at a time.  Apparently I now can't even let
it sit for a day or so without requiring a jump-start.  Any ideas?

1 Answer

157,615

Something is staying on and draining the battery. Check to be sure all the interior lights are off. Make sure any map lights, the blower for the heater and air conditioning, radiator fan, etc. are not running when the ignition is off. Does the vehicle have any aftermarket equipment, like a stereo, that might be staying on? Is there an automatic leveling system that might be running the air compressor periodically to maintain the vehicle height? If you can't find anything a circuit by circuit check needs to be done to find out what the draw on the battery is. This involves hooking up a meter to the battery and removing then replacing each fuse, one by one, until the meter drops. Then the circuit is isolated and the components on the circuit need to be checked. It's tedious but that's the only way to find the problem if it's not something kinda obvious. Hope that helps! Jim

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