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- 2023 CX-5 Premium; 2018 Mazda 3 GT hatch
In my experience, with a completely flat battery in a CX-5, those things aren’t much good. Only way I’ve been able to start is with a jump from another car. Just sayin’
What have you done to your CX-5 today?
- Thread starter Kayger12
- Start date
Have used a couple, though not this brand/model. Haven't had issues with them. So long as they are charged-up and have well above the amps required for the given car, in my own experience a modestly "flat" battery has a good chance of being cranked.
Now, for a completely dead battery as you suggest, I wouldn't want to rely on one. But in a pinch, on the road, in a spot where there aren't others to rely on, ...
EDIT: Used it once, recently. On a battery that had an accessory light on long enough to weaken it so it wouldn't crank. After fully charging this jump starter unit and connecting it, the car started right up. Of course, the "charge" lights on the unit subsequently showed half-charged (if the lights are correct). Took an hour to recharge the unit (USB-C), after the jump start.
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N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
Right. You will have to charge it for a bit before attempting a start.
But I've used one of these to start a car a few times, and a scooter once. Very handy.
One thing prevents it from being super handy, though: I do not leave it in the car. I don't trust lithium battery packs inside a 120° F car.
Mine is not NOCO brand. I choose mine based on all of the capabilities it has, so it should ideally provide 19V to run a laptop computer, 5V to charge phones and tablets, and 12V for other things, in addition to being able to start a car.
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- 2020 CX-5 GT AWD
Today I decided to clean the engine bay. Never done it before but after few YouTube instructions and some careless(!) considerations, I went for it. I only spent, maybe 15-20 minutes with the cleaning process. but I am satisfied with the result. The more time you allocate and the more patience you have, the better the engine will look. I used an electric hand spray pump, a cleaner called P21S and a brush. Rinsed at the end with water using a hose with low pressure and a shower like nozzle. Before the start of the process I bagged the alternator, removed the car battery and bagged the terminals and the ECU connector. I've seen some videos where they did not remove the battery at all, left it all connected. I am glad that I took the battery off because I found that the battery tray has no drain, so the water was accumulating on the tray. I would not want to have a battery sitting in water. With the engine off and hot (I did not want to wait few hours for the engine to cool off), started to spray the cleaner all over the bay and the engine block. Let it soak for 5 minutes, then used the brush to clean in tight spaces and at the end tried to rinse everything really good. Used some rags to wipe of the water and that's it. When done, went for a ride to the supermarket to help drying the water. While driving I felt an odor inside the car, probably the chemical residue getting hot from the engine and burning which makes me thinking that I should have spent a little more time on rinsing. In the end, I am satisfied with the results and next time I'll try to clean it better.
Cleaner used: P21S 13001R Auto Wash Refill, 1000 ml, Clear, 33.8 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)
Spray pump used: Electric Foam Sprayer Car Wash, 60PSI
Brush: Car Detailing Brush Kit
Cleaner used: P21S 13001R Auto Wash Refill, 1000 ml, Clear, 33.8 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)
Spray pump used: Electric Foam Sprayer Car Wash, 60PSI
Brush: Car Detailing Brush Kit
Attachments
N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
I don't think this is necessary on modern cars. Pros clean hundreds of engine bays per year and never have an issue, and they are using pressure washers.
Good tip about the battery tray, though. That would be a reason to remove the battery. I'm surprised there isn't better drainage there.
N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
Here are the brushes I use:
Soft Grip Wheel and Body Brush | The Rag Company
EZ Detail Brush Big (Choose Color)
For cleaner I just use my car soap with a squirt of Dawn Ultra mixed in.
Soft Grip Wheel and Body Brush | The Rag Company
EZ Detail Brush Big (Choose Color)
For cleaner I just use my car soap with a squirt of Dawn Ultra mixed in.
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- 2020 CX-5 GT AWD
That's good stuff. Next time I'll try to get some of these. On the connectors matter, the modern cars have seal tight connector and water should not make contact with the pins. But high pressure water, all the instructions I've read said no to high pressure. And it makes sense to me, considering that it might be something loose in there, maybe a weak connector, maybe a loose wire or something else and I would not want to make any damages with high pressure. Definitely cover the alternator, I'd say.
N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
Everything I've seen about modern cars tells me that the alternator is designed to handle being wet, no problem. Not saying you can submerge it while driving...that is probably different. But there is no need to cover it for a wash.
But you need to really rinse the engine thoroughly to not leave cleaner residue behind.
I would recommend a strong leaf blower to blast the water out of the engine. Think about spark plug holes, etc.
This video isn't bad:
But you need to really rinse the engine thoroughly to not leave cleaner residue behind.
I would recommend a strong leaf blower to blast the water out of the engine. Think about spark plug holes, etc.
This video isn't bad:
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Looks pretty good.
Funny, though, how many little nooks and crannies there are in the engine bay, what with all the hoses, cables and whatnot. Can take several hours to go through everything, even a second go at it once the initial crud's gone.
It's been awhile since I last did mine. High time to get to it. Myself, I've used the BlackFire Super Degreaser product. Full strength, it gets everything, but diluted it can also make quick work of recent deposits.
Haven't used the P21S product previously, but many have. Once my BlackFire stash is gone, I might well pick up a jug of the P21S stuff.
Like you, I try to be a bit cautious about water in the engine bay. Elbow grease, with a 'spritzer' type cleaning bottle, and time, followed by another 'spritzer' bottle of water for the rinse, does pretty well.
Many put on a "dressing" coating on the cleaned bits, after all the cleaning and rinsing is done. Have yet to do that, on my own vehicles.
Wipey, wipey, wipey ...
yieldchase
2016.5 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech Pkg
finally got around to 1/2 installing them...
Got driver side done yesterday
Also, glad I did the breaks as I found my sway bar link kit undone ... added a new nut and we are good.
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- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD titanium/black 2016 Miata Club ST MT white
You sprayed cold water on a hot engine? Not something that I would recommend doing.
Warm engine, yes. Hot engine, no. No need to take the chance of messing something up.
Did the cleaner that you sprayed on sizzle when spraying it onto the hot bits like the exhaust?
Another possible issue with cold water on a hot engine is that as the engine cools from the water, the water can get sucked into areas where you do NOT want water to be sucked into.
YMMV
N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
Every public building I went into was cold in Houston.
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- 2020 CX-5 GT AWD
Well, I get that. The water from the garden hose wasn’t cold, not enough to mess with the engine. And you’d have to pour a lot of cold water on that engine to mess it up, to crack the engine or something. With low pressure, most of the water was evaporating rather quick.
