[VIKING]

My brother-in-law's Innova (V) has a peculiar problem. If the vehicle is not used for a week, the battery drains and the vehicle has to be jump started.
Dealer says it is best to disconnect the battery if you plan to not use it for 5 days at a stretch.
But then last week, he was on a business trip for 3 days and the vehicle had to be jump started on his return.
Has anyone experienced this problem with their Innova?

[gpa]

Originally Posted by VIKING

My brother-in-law's Innova (V) has a peculiar problem. If the vehicle is not used for a week, the battery drains and the vehicle has to be jump started.
Dealer says it is best to disconnect the battery if you plan to not use it for 5 days at a stretch.
But then last week, he was on a business trip for 3 days and the vehicle had to be jump started on his return.
Has anyone experienced this problem with their Innova?

Viking,

A car's battery can run down for any of several reasons:

• The battery is not being recharged while the vehicle is being driven (you have a charging problem)
• There is an electrical drain on the battery because a relay is sticking, security alarm that constantly goes off when the car is parked
• Your battery is old (which prompts me to ask-how old is the car?) and will not hold a charge anymore. The battery needs to be replaced

Sometimes a bad alternator diode can cause a battery to run down. A good diode should only pass current in one direction. If it leaks current in the opposite direction, it may keep the charging circuit on when the engine is not running, causing the battery to run down.

This kind of problem can be diagnosed by disconnecting the alternator overnight and see if the battery stills run down. If the battery drain stops, you have found the problem. Replace the alternator.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
gpa

[Jai3033]

Originally Posted by VIKING

My brother-in-law's Innova (V) has a peculiar problem. If the vehicle is not used for a week, the battery drains and the vehicle has to be jump started.
Dealer says it is best to disconnect the battery if you plan to not use it for 5 days at a stretch.
But then last week, he was on a business trip for 3 days and the vehicle had to be jump started on his return.
Has anyone experienced this problem with their Innova?

Viking! I had the same problem in my 2006 model Innova (V). I had been using my Innova regularly earlier but after the arrival of my Octavia the usage was only once or twice a week and it was then I had this starting problem. The car would refuse to start if I cranked it after 4 or 5 days. I checked with the service guys in Lanson Toyota and as expected they replied that it could be because of faulty wiring of the DVD player or the reverse sensor. Anyway each time I had to get the battery recharged till I started to remove the positive terminal when the car was not being used for a long time.

Initially I suspected the battery but it lasted for 3.5 years when I changed it last month.

[ab1xlr8]

Looks like you have a weak battery or alternator , or something is pulling power when the car is not used.

[sushrutha]

Sometimes the (faulty) central locking system drains the battery.

[VIKING]

Thank you all for your replies. The service guys said the Innova draws a lot of power from its battery for running the central locking and immobiliser when standing still. Somehow 4-5 days seems to suggest something is wrong. The battery/alternator and the usual suspects were checked by the dealer and given a clean chit.

Hence my post to find out if anybody else is experiencing this problem.

Jai3033, you seem to have had the same problem, sadly without a solution from the Lanson Toyota.

[Anupam]

Viking, I have a 5 yr old G3, the battery is around 3 yr old now, all electricals are pure stock

the usage pattern is similar to yours and at times remains idle for weeks without even cranking

I have not come across this problem ever, last time when I had such problem was when the car had completed around 3.5 yrs and the battery was done with and was replaced with SF (an exide co), thereafter no such problem whatsoever

how old is your car, maybe it is time to replace or have the electricals checked for leakage

[joommen]

Hi,

I am facing a similar problem for my G4, which is 4 yrs old but has run only 24K KMs.
Checked with Tyres world on Whitefield road who quoted 4800/- for 1.5 guarantee and 6500/- for 3 yrs guarantee for Amron. Any opinion/suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

J

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by VIKING

My brother-in-law's Innova (V) has a peculiar problem. If the vehicle is not used for a week, the battery drains and the vehicle has to be jump started.
Dealer says it is best to disconnect the battery if you plan to not use it for 5 days at a stretch.
But then last week, he was on a business trip for 3 days and the vehicle had to be jump started on his return.
Has anyone experienced this problem with their Innova?

I have left my Innova upto 11 days at a stretch and it starts w/o an issue

[ramsatish1]

My Innova is three years old off-late i am facing alternator problem. i changed the housing twice in six months. The mechanic told me this is a problem with Innova's over time. My battery is in good condition. Otherwise the car has no issues. What could be problem?

[kousik]

Hi guys I can use some quick advice here. My innova is almost 6 years old, done 43K, had no trouble history so far. Wasn't in use for 2+ weeks in first part of December. Last couple of days, maybe twice or thrice, I as if had to crank a little longer to start. Didn't think too much assuming cold start.

On the weekend started our 1500km drive. All was well till we took a leg stretching break near Dandeli forest. The crank wouldn't start. Got some help with push start, came to small town hiliyul and got the battery checked by a small roadside shop. He checked with meter and says there's still enough life, just to be sure, I charged it for 2 hours, the start seems quick, and I reached my resort in Dandeli. Alas, after 6 hours, the problem reappeared.

Called Toyota hubli, tomorrow they will send someone with a new battery. I don't think I'll get a good one in Dandeli myself, and I have to move on.

Do you think the problem is with weak battery or something else snapped? I mean the battery isn't bad, but something drains it even when running (problem seen both in cold and warm start), in that case even a new battery won't help. The nearest service station in hubli but don't want to go there as the whole holiday drive plan will go for a toss. Again can't risk much because only company is wife and kid.

My worry is with a new battery everything will look good in first 5 mins, then there's overnight breaks planned at small resorts, and if the car misbehaves. Do you think I should abandon my plan and visit hubli Toyota tomorrow?

[parsh]

Originally Posted by kousik

Hi guys I can use some quick advice here. My innova is almost 6 years old, done 43K, had no trouble history so far. Wasn't in use for 2+ weeks in first part of December. Last couple of days, maybe twice or thrice, I as if had to crank a little longer to start. Didn't think too much assuming cold start.

On the weekend started our 1500km drive. All was well till we took a leg stretching break near Dandeli forest. The crank wouldn't start. Got some help with push start, came to small town hiliyul and got the battery checked by a small roadside shop. He checked with meter and says there's still enough life, just to be sure, I charged it for 2 hours, the start seems quick, and I reached my resort in Dandeli. Alas, after 6 hours, the problem reappeared.

Called Toyota hubli, tomorrow they will send someone with a new battery. I don't think I'll get a good one in Dandeli myself, and I have to move on.

Do you think the problem is with weak battery or something else snapped? I mean the battery isn't bad, but something drains it even when running (problem seen both in cold and warm start), in that case even a new battery won't help. The nearest service station in hubli but don't want to go there as the whole holiday drive plan will go for a toss. Again can't risk much because only company is wife and kid.

My worry is with a new battery everything will look good in first 5 mins, then there's overnight breaks planned at small resorts, and if the car misbehaves. Do you think I should abandon my plan and visit hubli Toyota tomorrow?

Koushik, your battery seems to have served well for 6 years and 43k. Had it been running more, you could have seen more usage out of the battery. It has aged now.

You have been able to start car with push start. Also, the car is showing same signs after sometime. Battery is most probably the culprit. Get it checked thoroughly at Toyota than at any outside shops. Why unnecessarily take risk of getting stranded with family on the remote roads.

We have an Innova, at 2 yrs 40k, which faced similar problem just yesterday. It also needed push start. Initial thoughts were if Starter motor or some other component went kaput. Kept it revving till reached dealership, checked at Toyota dealer and battery showed weakness. It needs replacement and will be replaced today.

You could take it to Toyota or try calling on the on-spot breakdown services. I had to do for my Innova about 2 yrs back in farther part of Pune and called upon breakdown services. They promptly attended in an hour and replaced the battery with Exide Xpress Battery costing Rs 6220/- b+w. I was told, these are ones they replace the original battery with.

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by kousik

Hi guys I can use some quick advice here. My innova is almost 6 years old, done 43K, had no trouble history so far. Wasn't in use for 2+ weeks in first part of December. Last couple of days, maybe twice or thrice, I as if had to crank a little longer to start. Didn't think too much assuming cold start.

On the weekend started our 1500km drive. All was well till we took a leg stretching break near Dandeli forest. The crank wouldn't start. Got some help with push start, came to small town hiliyul and got the battery checked by a small roadside shop. He checked with meter and says there's still enough life, just to be sure, I charged it for 2 hours, the start seems quick, and I reached my resort in Dandeli. Alas, after 6 hours, the problem reappeared.

Called Toyota hubli, tomorrow they will send someone with a new battery. I don't think I'll get a good one in Dandeli myself, and I have to move on.

Do you think the problem is with weak battery or something else snapped? I mean the battery isn't bad, but something drains it even when running (problem seen both in cold and warm start), in that case even a new battery won't help. The nearest service station in hubli but don't want to go there as the whole holiday drive plan will go for a toss. Again can't risk much because only company is wife and kid.

My worry is with a new battery everything will look good in first 5 mins, then there's overnight breaks planned at small resorts, and if the car misbehaves. Do you think I should abandon my plan and visit hubli Toyota tomorrow?

Its a pretty long life. None of my batteries have lasted beyond 45k / 4 years or so. Replace the battery and move on. It seems like a clear case of rundown battery.

[kousik]

Thanks to Shodha Toyota they sent one person from Hubli with a new battery. Exide express. 6+ for the battery and couple of hundreds more for delivery to jungle lodges resort at Dandeli. So I didn't have to make any change in holiday plan, and thankfully he attended during idle time so I didn't miss the safari rides too. Only problem is he didn't take my old battery back. I'll decide when I return to Bangalore. All seems well with the new powerhouse. So bottom line is very impressed with prompt service of Toyota, and lesson learned is never ignore the slightest problem indication before a week long drive!

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by kousik

So bottom line is very impressed with prompt service of Toyota

Well thats Q class service for you. I recently purchased my first Toyota (Innova) and am just beginning to realize what i had been missing so far.