For the love.., I finally get some cash and then this

[importcrazy]

alright let me start from the beginning. Yesterday I was driving home from somewhere, and all of a sudden my ABS light comes on on the dash then about an 1/8 of a mile up the road my in-dash tv screen keeps getting really bright then dim then bright and dim...so on so forth. while this is happening my radar detector is doing the same thing bright then dim. No other lights went on, CEL, no battery light nothing. So i get home and turn the car off let it sit for a min. and then try to restart it. It doesnt turn over but it clicked like the battery was dead. Now this evening I went to autozone purchase my duralast red top and put it in. made sure all the connections were tight and that there was no corrosion on the ends of the cables. I try to turn the car over and nothing, nothing at all, no dome lights, no acc, nothing. So i then I tried the driving lights and wouldnt you know it they turned on.What the hell is that all about. Tomorrow I am having the car towed to the dealer but i was just wondering if anyone had any ideas of what it is so i dont get jerked around and end up spending my birthday stripper/hooker/casino/liquor/autosho money on this car.



To think only 2 months ago I almost bought that shiny speed six, but no i said ill just keep the P5 we are in love and shes running strong why mess with a good thing.

 

[A louie]

Could be a bad ground or altenator, both easy fixes.

 

[johnnyB5646]

Sux, maybe a bad ground or something fuse-wise. I miss my P5 but don't regret moving on. Hope it works out cause electrical gremlins are annoying as sh!t

 

[A louie]

Sux, maybe a bad ground or something fuse-wise. I miss my P5 but don't regret moving on. Hope it works out cause electrical gremlins are annoying as sh!t

It wouldn't be the fuse but I am thinking ground also, or the alt

 

[skullcandy]

alternator might give you a batt light...electrical bunnies....I'd say

 

[jville]

Sounds like the voltage regulator in the alternator was sugring then went out. Abs module needs 12v to function correctly, if its not there it will pop a code. Just go to autozone, they test them 4 free. If theres and option for a higher output, go 4 it.

 

[A louie]

Sounds like the voltage regulator in the alternator was sugring then went out. Abs module needs 12v to function correctly, if its not there it will pop a code. Just go to autozone, they test them 4 free. If theres and option for a higher output, go 4 it.

+1

 

[ramsayd1]

Sounds like the voltage regulator in the alternator was sugring then went out. Abs module needs 12v to function correctly, if its not there it will pop a code. Just go to autozone, they test them 4 free. If theres and option for a higher output, go 4 it.

the only problem you will have with this is A. you can't get your car there and B. when you disconnected the battery the codes that may have been stored for the ABS light coming on are now gone. Before towing it get back to me in the morning, I'm a service advisor at a mazda dealer, let me ask one of my guys, hell least i could do is save you the $100 diag fee.

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

The alternators in these cars are NOT meant to be tested out of the vehicle. Do not take alt out & take it to be tested. See service manual. Bright red sticker on new one says same thing.............and NO, I didn't blow mine up to find this out. It had been suckin ass around 11.7-12.4 volts of charge for some time before it gave up.

 

[ramsayd1]

so talked to one of my master techs, check your battery cables first for corrison, he siad you more than likely have a bad ground some where but it may also be a bad alternator. give me an update and if you have any more questions let me know.

 

[importcrazy]

well i just got off the phone with my insurance company and they said I am outside there roadside assistance range, hmmmm.... I wonder why they didnt tell me that 2yrs ago when I first started paying for it. anyway the gentleman I talked to at the dealer said the the same thing, said hopefully he can get me in and out of there by tomorrow. I havent bought an alternator in a while how much do they run these days.

 

[jville]

Year make and model please.

 

[Protege5Prncess]

Kind of sounds like something that happened to me in September. I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden my radio turned off. I didn't think much of it since it's an aftermarket stereo and I thought maybe something worked its way loose. I kept on driving and my windshield wipers started moving really slow, until they just stopped. Right when they stopped, my car stopped. I called AAA and the tower truck driver told me he couldn't jump my car because it was my altenator. He didn't even look under my hood first. Finally, I got the car somewhere where I got a new battery and installed it. The car turned over and I drove to Autozone where they did an alternator test. Nothing was wrong with it. The battery was just completely dead. My battery light didn't go on either.
If it is your alternator, the battery light should of turned on. I don't know what's up with your car.

 

[ramsayd1]

well i just got off the phone with my insurance company and they said I am outside there roadside assistance range, hmmmm.... I wonder why they didnt tell me that 2yrs ago when I first started paying for it. anyway the gentleman I talked to at the dealer said the the same thing, said hopefully he can get me in and out of there by tomorrow. I havent bought an alternator in a while how much do they run these days.

majority of the time your battery light should come on it the alt. fails but not always. If a bearing went bad in the alt. the light may not come on. I priced an alt through my parts dept. and for an 02-03 p5 it runs about $285. Thats for a mazda one you can always go aftermarket for cheaper. good luck!

 

[jville]

03 p5 (my cost 150) at advanced, list at 175$. .8 hr labor 41.60 @65hr.

 

[aMaff]

sounds like a problem one of our local MSP guys (baconbitz) had. It would keep popping the fuel injector fuse. It would drive for a while, then once he killed it and try to turn it back on it would pop the fuse again. Try sending him a PM, I don't remember what the final issue was determined to be

 

[importcrazy]

thanks everyone for the quickness in your replys,should have mentioned this at the beggining its an 02 protege 5 80000 miles well maintained.

I was talking to a friend that is an audi tech and he said that because of all the salt and slush we get here in chicago that the wire connecting the starter to the battery could be corroded. even though its on snug it may have too much resistance. well I should find out tomorrow hopefully its good news.

 

[aMaff]

if it's the connection to the starter, why did it work briefly when you changed the battery??

 

[dominoy2k1]

could it be the factory alarm module?

 

[autoxes]

Kind of sounds like something that happened to me in September. I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden my radio turned off. I didn't think much of it since it's an aftermarket stereo and I thought maybe something worked its way loose. I kept on driving and my windshield wipers started moving really slow, until they just stopped. Right when they stopped, my car stopped. I called AAA and the tower truck driver told me he couldn't jump my car because it was my altenator. He didn't even look under my hood first. Finally, I got the car somewhere where I got a new battery and installed it. The car turned over and I drove to Autozone where they did an alternator test. Nothing was wrong with it. The battery was just completely dead. My battery light didn't go on either.
If it is your alternator, the battery light should of turned on. I don't know what's up with your car.

Megan, that was totally a Microsoft answer...Technically correct, but completely useless...

I <3 you though!