My 2006 Mazda 3 electrical system is freaking out. All was working fine but the drivers side window motor was slipping and not rolling down the motor. So I took off the panel and removed the two wire motor. Also the lock actuator wasn’t locking the door but I didn’t mess with that. I left the motor disconnected and put the panel back on. The next day I came out my battery was completely drained and it would not start. I tried to jump it with another battery but even then it just freaked out. All the guages would sputter and flop around. I finally thought about it and decided that maybe that removed motor was not working well with the system. So I reinstalled the slipping motor and put the panel back on. Finally I was able to jump the car again and I got it started but it still wasn’t stable. I had to jump it a few times. I decided to take he car for a drive to try to charge up the battery. I was able to drive for 30 min but when I parked at home it would not start again. I took the 3 month old battery in and got it replaced but when I put it back in the car all the lights came on like normal for 1 second and then everything went black. Every once and a while I get a lite to show on the dash or the gauges would dart around. But no head lights, no start, nothing.
I am suspecting some kind of ground issue since the battery drained out. Maybe something on the door panel? Also the 10 amp climate fuse was blown? Also suspect maybe a security feature kicked in? Are there any tricks to putting in a new battery? Does anyone have any suggestions? I disconnected the battery for now.
Turns out it was some bad negative ground battery connections. Mazda only sells the whole replacement loom. I’m not gonna pay $590 bucks for that. I separated the two negative connectors and got a new negative terminal from autozone. I soaked the wires in baking soda and water overnight and cleaned them up with a small wire brush. I put it all back together and it works like a charm. I’m sure the dealer would have charged me $1000 to fix this. My cost under $10. I tried to send the bill to my wife but I haven’t got paid yet.
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