Constant issues with blinking amber i-stop light on 2.0 151 HP Mazda 3

road_runner

Member
:
Mazda 3 2010 2.0L
I apologize if i happen to post in the wrong forum,

I just wanted to share my problem and ask for possible workaround as my local dealer has pissed me off

I have a 2009 Mazda 3, which i don't drive much like 7k kilometers per year. I don't use it in the city , so it stays locked in my garage during the week and gets sporadic 5-10 km runs. During weekends i go for long runs. So here is my issue. Often my i-stop would turn on (green light) and stay like this for some time, When trying to ignite the car back, the amber light starts blinking. (I even get my lights and radio stop for a second) and it would not go off even if after i drive 300 km and i-stop battery is fully charged.
They said i was not driving enough for the battery to charge, and it gets drained after few runs. but wtf, no one said in order to get the istop working smooth you should drive like 50 km daily?
And i don't even need the damn thing, i don't care for the fuel consumption.

Plus i was trying to get them understand that if the battery's level is not good to sustain all possible consumers like lights, radio, A/C etc, why it starts the i-stop system at all.

So anyone had similar problems? I am sick of going to the dealer every 2 or 3 months, and i can't make myself to remember to turn i-stop every time i start the engine. What is even more irritating, is that they could not tell me a way to clear the blinking amber light by myself. Because i often ask them to do just this, and then i charge the battery later when driving.
As love as i like Mazda cars, i am not buying one again i think
 
Some update - Dealership tested the battery and they say after two i-stop cycles the main battery is drained more than expected, so they checked the error in the mazda portal and they say main battery needs replacement

Guess i will ask in the CX-5 forum as i read lot of people with the same problem are asked to upgrade to some Q85 battery type.
 
getting pissed with it already, new battery same problem,

i wish i could find a way to clear the error message by myself, there should be a way - like disconnecting the main battery or the i-stop battery or whatever.
Anyone can help with the above?
 
Just a follow-up , after replacing both batteries the issue seems to have been resolved. May be the early 3s had a different batteries that were not that suitable
 
Just a follow-up , after replacing both batteries the issue seems to have been resolved. May be the early 3s had a different batteries that were not that suitable


Clear the amber blinking i-stop light:

http://www.************.co.uk/index.php?topic=13442.0


I had an i-stop amber flashing light on my Mazda 3 BL, which on the owner's manual suggested I took it to the dealer for inspection. After being charged 53 by the Mazda dealer (battery not covered by Mazda Used Car warranty) to put a volt meter on the battery to tell me I had a dying main (not auxillary) battery, I decided I would not let them charge me again for clearing the damn amber flashing light.

I took both my main and auxillary battery out and charged them using a mains charger. And the following is how I clear the code after re-installing the batteries:

You will need
1. Torque Pro iPhone or Android app (Pro version, not the free lite version. Cost 2.79).
2. a bluetooth or wifi OBDII adapter (I bought an ELM327 adapter, available on various online websites for under 10).
Note: Torque Pro works better with bluetooth version of the adapter.

Once you have installed Torque Pro and got it connected to the OBDII adapter, you can clear the "body" error code found by Torque Pro easily.

After you have cleared the error code, when you press the i-stop OFF button you can make it illuminates (i.e. i-stop function switched off). But when you press it again it would go flashing again.

To make it go back to normal, follow the instructions on this website from Mazda Japan: https://euroesi.mazda.co.jp/esicont/eu_eng/mazda3/20110724140058/html/id0117h5800900.html

I skipped all the battery condition verification steps as I knew I had my battery problem fixed, and started from "battery condition learning verification":
1. switch ignition to ON
2. press i-stop OFF button for 10 seconds. The i-stop light would become green and start flashing.
3. switch ignition OFF

Then I did the ISC learning verification which is:
1. switch ignition to ON and within 5 seconds, press i-stop OFF button for 3 seconds to make it go amber and illuminated (not flashing).
2. start engine
3. long press the i-stop OFF button. The i-stop light would go back to green and flashing.
4. keep the car idling with no electrical load. After around 5-10 minutes the green i-stop light would go off completely.

There you go. It should fix the i-stop issue. I hope this is helpful and will stop people from being charged many arms and legs by the dealer.

Edit: I can confirm that i-stop is fully functional after this procedure ;)
 
Is the I-stop an engine shutoff feature? If so, we don't seem to have that feature (Mazda 3s), here in the US.
 
Clear the amber blinking i-stop light:

http://www.************.co.uk/index.php?topic=13442.0


I had an i-stop amber flashing light on my Mazda 3 BL, which on the owner's manual suggested I took it to the dealer for inspection. After being charged 53 by the Mazda dealer (battery not covered by Mazda Used Car warranty) to put a volt meter on the battery to tell me I had a dying main (not auxillary) battery, I decided I would not let them charge me again for clearing the damn amber flashing light.

I took both my main and auxillary battery out and charged them using a mains charger. And the following is how I clear the code after re-installing the batteries:

You will need
1. Torque Pro iPhone or Android app (Pro version, not the free lite version. Cost 2.79).
2. a bluetooth or wifi OBDII adapter (I bought an ELM327 adapter, available on various online websites for under 10).
Note: Torque Pro works better with bluetooth version of the adapter.

Once you have installed Torque Pro and got it connected to the OBDII adapter, you can clear the "body" error code found by Torque Pro easily.

After you have cleared the error code, when you press the i-stop OFF button you can make it illuminates (i.e. i-stop function switched off). But when you press it again it would go flashing again.

To make it go back to normal, follow the instructions on this website from Mazda Japan: https://euroesi.mazda.co.jp/esicont/eu_eng/mazda3/20110724140058/html/id0117h5800900.html

I skipped all the battery condition verification steps as I knew I had my battery problem fixed, and started from "battery condition learning verification":
1. switch ignition to ON
2. press i-stop OFF button for 10 seconds. The i-stop light would become green and start flashing.
3. switch ignition OFF

Then I did the ISC learning verification which is:
1. switch ignition to ON and within 5 seconds, press i-stop OFF button for 3 seconds to make it go amber and illuminated (not flashing).
2. start engine
3. long press the i-stop OFF button. The i-stop light would go back to green and flashing.
4. keep the car idling with no electrical load. After around 5-10 minutes the green i-stop light would go off completely.

There you go. It should fix the i-stop issue. I hope this is helpful and will stop people from being charged many arms and legs by the dealer.

Edit: I can confirm that i-stop is fully functional after this procedure ;)
Hi,
I cant find Torque Pro on App Store. Im determined to do this myself as I am sick of garages not knowing what the fix is as my i-stop wont stop flashing amber!
Thanks
 
Back