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CHECKING BATTERY CONDITION
Precautions
CAUTION
BATTERY PRECAUTIONS
The battery produces flammable and explosive
hydrogen gas.
Do not cause a spark by contacting the battery
terminals with tools.
Do not smoke or light a match near the battery.
The electrolyte contains poisonous and corrosive
sulfuric acid.
Avoid contact with eyes, skin or clothes.
Never inhale or swallow electrolyte.
Wear protective safety glasses when working near
the battery.
Keep children away from the battery.
EMERGENCY MEASURES
If electrolyte gets in your eyes, flush your eyes with
clean water for at least 15 minutes and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, continue to apply
water with a sponge or cloth while traveling to the
medical office.
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If electrolyte gets on your skin, thoroughly wash the
contacted area. If you feel a pain or burn, get medical
attention immediately.
If electrolyte gets on your clothes, there is a
possibility of its soaking through to your skin, so
immediately take off the exposed clothing and follow
the procedure above, if necessary.
If you accidentally to swallow electrolyte, drink a
large quantity of water or milk. Follow with milk of
magnesia, beaten raw egg or vegetable oil. Then go
immediately for emergency help.
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Checking battery exterior1Terminals2Hold-down clamp
Check the battery for corroded or loose connections,
cracks, or loose hold-down clamps.
1. If the battery is corroded, wash it off with a solution of warm
water and baking soda. Coat the terminals with grease to
prevent further corrosion.
2. If the connections are loose, tighten the clamp bolts Ð but
do not overtighten.
3. Tighten the hold-down clamp only enough to keep the
battery firmly in place. Overtightening may damage the battery
case.
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NOTICE
Make sure the engine and all accessories are turned
off before performing maintenance.
When checking the battery, remove the ground cable
first and reinstall it last.
Be careful not to cause a short circuit with tools.
Take care no solution gets into the battery when
washing it.
If the battery is disconnected or run down
The power windows and moon roof may not operate
automatically and the jam protection function will not function
correctly after you reconnect, replace or recharge the battery.
In any of these cases, you should normalize the power
windows and moon roof. To normalize the power windows and
moon roof, see pages 45 and 104.
Checking battery condition
Check the battery condition by the indicator color.
1BLUE Ð Good condition.
2WHITE Ð Charging necessary. Have the battery
checked by your Lexus dealer.
3RED Ð Have the battery checked by your Lexus dealer.
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NOTICE
Do not refill the battery with water.
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BATTERY RECHARGING
PRECAUTIONS
During recharging, the battery is producing hydrogen
gas.
Therefore, before recharging:
1. If recharging with the battery installed on the vehicle, be
sure to disconnect the ground cable.
2. Make sure the power switch on the recharger is off when
connecting the charger cables to the battery and when
disconnecting them.
CAUTION
Always charge the battery in an unconfined area. Do
not charge the battery in a garage or closed room
where there is not sufficient ventilation.
Only do a slow charge (5 A or less). Charging at a
quicker rate is dangerous. The battery may explode
causing personal injuries.
NOTICE
Never recharge the battery while the engine is running.
Also, make sure all accessories are turned off.
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CHECKING AND REPLACING THE
BLADE TYPE FUSES
The engine compartment fuse box is located under the left
side engine compartment cover. Before checking the
engine compartment fuses, remove the cover. (For
details, see Removing the engine compartment coversº
on page 500.)
Engine compartment 1 Pull-out tool 2 Spare fuses
Driver's side instrument panel
1. Turn the ignition switch off and open the fuse box lid.
Determine which fuse may be causing the problem. The lid of
the fuse box shows the name of the circuit for each fuse.
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2. Make sure the inoperative component is turned off. Pull
the suspected fuse straight out with the pull-out tool and
check it. If it has blown, push a new fuse into the clips.GoodBlown
a. Look carefully at the fuse. If the thin wire is broken, the fuse
has blown. If you are not sure or if it is too dark to see, try
replacing the suspected fuse with one of the same value that
you know is good.
b. Only install a fuse with the amperage rating designated on
the fuse box lid.
If you do not have a spare fuse, in an emergency you can pull
out the CIGº, RADIO NO.1º or SEAT HEATERº fuse, which
may be dispensable for normal driving, and use it if its
amperage rating is the same.
If you cannot use one of the same amperage, use one lower
than, but as close as possible to, the amperage. If the
amperage is lower than that specified, the fuse might blow out
again but this does not indicate anything wrong. Be sure to get
the correct fuse as soon as possible and return the substitute
to its original clips.