Power Failure after start

[y2mas]

Hello All

I have a few issues with my car.
After trying to start my car up one night it failed to start.,
turned off the ignition and tried again then started..
but afterwards heres what happened.

Car: 2003 Mazda Protege5 (Automatic w/tiptronic)

Symptoms:
1. Trip odometer resetted (mileage still there)
2. A/C No more cold air
3. Radio is dead
4. Viper car alarm screwing up .

Changed fuses but still no luck, brushed clean battery terminals (dirty), no luck again.

5. After turning on engine (after cleaning the battery terminals) and while pressing the brake, I cannot shift out of park (i would have to use the manual override)
6. Power mirror controls dead
7. "AT" and "Check Engine" light stays on or blinks
8. Stays in gear 3

Friends say its an electrical problem.. usually I have my cousin fix up my car but he got shipped off. Changed battery... still no luck

Any ideas on whats wrong or what to do?
Thanks

 

[pasadena_commut]

The main ground, from the battery to the chassis, may be bad. Either the wire may be coming apart inside the insulation or, more likely, the connection at the chassis may be corroded. Unhook the ground lead at the battery, then at the chassis. Thoroughly clean the chassis and that end of the cable. Then put it back together again. See if that helps. If not, have somebody watch the instruments inside while you move that lead around with one hand. If the cable is coming apart the circuit will probably go in and out somewhat, in which case you have to replace it.

Anyway, that's what I would do first.

It would help if you got a voltmeter and give us some voltage measurements across the battery.

 

[ItIMazdaMP3]

Could be electrical but it may also be the alternator is not capable of charging the battery anymore and after starting it won't have much juice left to run other functions on the car if it is not being recharged. But that could really only explain the minor electrical problems not so much how it only stays in 3rd gear.

 

[pasadena_commut]

Car: 2003 Mazda Protege5 (Automatic w/tiptronic)

Symptoms:
1. Trip odometer resetted (mileage still there)
2. A/C No more cold air
3. Radio is dead
4. Viper car alarm screwing up .

Changed fuses but still no luck,

Were the fuses blown, or did you just think they might be bad and swapped them as a test? Double check that each position currently has the right capacity fuse in it.

brushed clean battery terminals (dirty), no luck again.

5. After turning on engine (after cleaning the battery terminals) and while pressing the brake, I cannot shift out of park (i would have to use the manual override)
6. Power mirror controls dead
7. "AT" and "Check Engine" light stays on or blinks
8. Stays in gear 3

Friends say its an electrical problem.. usually I have my cousin fix up my car but he got shipped off. Changed battery... still no luck

You need a voltmeter to diagnose this sort of problem. Pick up a cheap digital one at Harbor Freight (around $5) or your local hardware store. Measure the voltage directly at the battery (both with car off and on), and in the car, for instance at the cigarette lighter (ignition in accessory position, car not actually running).

Be very careful not to short the two test leads when they are probing +12V and ground - the resulting spark can be most impressive. That won't happen when you measure the battery since those terminals are far apart, but when working in close, like with the cigarette lighter, it is a possibility. To avoid it, one option is to push one lead against a bare metal part of the frame (ground), and then probe for +12 with the other. This is basic stuff, but it sounds like you don't do any electrical work.

Report the voltages you see back here and maybe we can help.

 

[Mad Mike]

I'd almost guarantee that its the car alarm thats the problem. might try taking it back to the installer and having him check. or try taking it to a respected stereo shop that does installs if you dont know who installed it. If its a viper system then i would bet that circuit city installed it.