Some weird stuff happening with the LS... Go figure!

[DENNISJR60]

Lord knows I've had a ton of problems with the LS as has many & now some weird things are happening.

Pretty often when I start the car the red light on top of the dash by the windshield will continue to blink sometimes fast & other times slow. If I turn the car off & restart it the light doesn't do it anymore.

Also when I start the car in the morning it seems like my headlights flash twice right as I start my car. I do not have the auto headlamps on.

Any idea what is wrong now?

Thanks for the help!

 

[joegr]

How old is your battery?

 

[05 LS8]

Something could be wrong with the Anti theft system. There is a whole section on it in the owner's manual. The procedure for reprogramming the system is also in there... just eyeball through it, see if you can come up with anything.

 

[1LoudLS]

as Joe is hinting at, a weak or old battery will cause all sorts of weird stuff to go wrong with most of the systems in the car, especially when there is nothing in common with the different systems, such as headlights and the PATS light

 

[LS4me]

as Joe is hinting at, a weak or old battery will cause all sorts of weird stuff to go wrong with most of the systems in the car, especially when there is nothing in common with the different systems, such as headlights and the PATS light

Ditto. As my alternator was dying the speedo said I was doing 140 and the tach showed ~6500 RPM. I was actually travelling about 25 MPH.....

 

[joegr]

as Joe is hinting at, a weak or old battery will cause all sorts of weird stuff to go wrong with most of the systems in the car, especially when there is nothing in common with the different systems, such as headlights and the PATS light

Yes, I suspect a weak battery. However, the headlights and PATS do have something in common. PATS is a part of the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster reads the light switch position and light level and tells the FEM to turn the headlights on or off.

Have a load test done on the battery, or check battery voltage while cranking the car.

 

[1LoudLS]

PATS is a part of the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster reads the light switch position and light level and tells the FEM to turn the headlights on or off.

Have a load test done on the battery, or check battery voltage while cranking the car.

interesting, the cluster seems to be quite the busy little fukcer, as i have found out in the past few weeks that it handles a lot more than i thought it did



this is a must however

Have a load test done on the battery, or check battery voltage while cranking the car.

 

[1LoudLS]

Joe: what would be the lowest acceptable voltage one should see while the car is cranking?

 

[DENNISJR60]

Yes, I suspect a weak battery. However, the headlights and PATS do have something in common. PATS is a part of the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster reads the light switch position and light level and tells the FEM to turn the headlights on or off.

Have a load test done on the battery, or check battery voltage while cranking the car.

I'm pretty sure it's the battery so I'm just going to replace it however AutoZone says they don't carry the battery for my car? Is this going to turn out to be an expensive hassle? Does anyone other than the dealership carry the LS battery?

 

[oddball]

There's been tons of battery threads.
The problem is the battery is in the truck. I think series 34 "fits", but isn't safely vented. The OEM battery has a connector for the vent tube that goes out the bumper. If you don't use the OEM, then you either find an innovative, safe and effective way to vent, or settle yourself with battery venting into cabin space. Note that even Optima and any other glass mat batteries vent.
My dealership wanted $114 for the battery, which really isn't that bad.

 

[SoonerLS]

Joe: what would be the lowest acceptable voltage one should see while the car is cranking?

At rest, the battery is supposed to be at least 12.7V. It doesn't have to get much below that for the oddities to begin.

 

[joegr]

Joe: what would be the lowest acceptable voltage one should see while the car is cranking?

I've seen it work okay at 9 volts while cranking. Even a fresh new battery may drop below 10 while cranking when it is cold.

I suspect that the bad stuff starts when it goes below 8 volts.

 

[DENNISJR60]

I've seen it work okay at 9 volts while cranking. Even a fresh new battery may drop below 10 while cranking when it is cold.

I suspect that the bad stuff starts when it goes below 8 volts.

I had my friend at Lincoln load test the battery & it was for sure bad. I have an 03 & the battery was from 03 as well so it sure did last a while. The car starts a ton better now as I didn't even realize starting was an issue, but I can for sure tell there's a difference.

 

[1LoudLS]

The car starts a ton better now as I didn't even realize starting was an issue, but I can for sure tell there's a difference.

when the battery slowly starts getting worse over time and starting takes just a little longer every day, its very hard to notice.