HELP!! Car is in Limp Mode

[ksrogue]

I recently had an issue with the battery terminal on the car, took the battery out to get it tested, put it back in that night... and the car hasn't come out of limp mode since. I have tried to reset the ECU and that hasn't worked, when started, the idle is very rough, stalls and dies, I drove the car around the block a few times, and that didn't take it out of limp mode. I am not getting any CELs and don't have any idea what could be causing this issue. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[HighSpeed]

So what was the issue with the battery?

Remember.....jsut because the battery fits and has the right connections doesn't mean its the right battery.

If you have a bad ground, then you could have that issue.

Did you happen to do anything else that could have caused and issue? changed the air filter? anything?

 

[dacquesta1]

ecu needs something like 40-50 miles to calibrate.

 

[ksrogue]

the battery was the right one, and it was working fine before i disconnected it to test everything.
as for the driving part... I'd be lucky to get about 2 blocks or less from my house without the car sputtering and giving in. I have started the car and let it run as long as it will... which is usually a max of 2 minutes (no revving, just idle) and it will try to "save" itself from shutting down, only to jump back up to about 650-700 and then back down again. I have tried resetting the ECU again, but to no avail. It recently started idling fine, and acting normal, I let it run for a good 5 minutes just idling like that, backed out to the bottom of my driveway, and BOOM... Limp Mode again.

 

[mazdaspeedp]

maybe your cold side pipe is leaking

 

[ksrogue]

if the pipe was leaking, then it wouldn't have been fine before the battery... i'm just stumped. i'm going to sleep on it tonight, and mess with it in the morning.

 

[mikeySS]

EGR valve? our cars had a 7yr warranty for the EGR replacement recall i think.. have you changed yours? That used to happen to me, but found out that my EGR had to be replaced...

 

[orng1]

maybe your cold side pipe is leaking

This is my guess right here. I bet he knocked the charge pipe loose.

 

[ksrogue]

I haven't checked it yet, was actually just reading about cleaning it, and might try that tomorrow. I am trying not to spend too much on the car, i've got a baby coming in december that I need to save money for.
I have over 91k miles on it. Same parts aside from the rear bushings, spark plugs, clutch, battery, and some other minor things. I'm thinking the o2 sensor might need to be replaced, but since I'm not getting any CELs, I'm curious as to what might be going on.

 

[MAZDA_SPEED]

I recently had an issue with the battery terminal on the car, took the battery out to get it tested, put it back in that night... and the car hasn't come out of limp mode since. I have tried to reset the ECU and that hasn't worked, when started, the idle is very rough, stalls and dies, I drove the car around the block a few times, and that didn't take it out of limp mode. I am not getting any CELs and don't have any idea what could be causing this issue. PLEASE HELP!!

I'm guessing you've owned a VW once in your life. (cabpatch)

 

[ksrogue]

i'm guessing you've owned a vw once in your life. (cabpatch)

never!

 

[MAZDA_SPEED]

haha!

 

[ksrogue]

when the MAF is disconnected, the car idles just fine. could that be the issue?

 

[dacquesta1]

Bingo

 

[ksrogue]

i am going to test it with an ohm meter and see what it says. trying to avoid the dealership like the plague since they want $100 just to diagnose the problem.

 

[ksrogue]

ohm meter tests with resistance on the wires coming from the harness... no resistance, sometimes a slight spike from the sensor itself.

 

[HighSpeed]

If it runs better with the maf disconnected.....there you go. Did you try cleaning it out.

I was leaning towards fuel issue but seems like you might have found it.....GL

 

[dacquesta1]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123772162&highlight=mass+airflow+sensor

see if he still has it. thats a good price.

 

[ksrogue]

turns out that one of the tubes that connected the boost system was loose, and one was disconnected. I checked all that I could see and feel, but apparently I missed those. everything else they said was good. i should have my car back in less than a couple hours.

 

[orng1]

So I got it right? Did you send it out to get it figured out? Hope it didn't cost you to much.