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Electrical Freak Out

340 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  VWandDodge
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.
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Check for rodent activity. Electrical systems don't go haywire out of the blue after many years of reliable service.
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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Got pics of the grounds in question?
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