[trogdor]

Car sat in the driveway for a week while on a trip with the Subaru. It acts like it has epilepsy [i.e., needles and dash lights spazzing out with clicking sounds emanating from the passenger footwell/under dash area...but no starter turning over]. I have never in all my life experienced this sort of situation. It appears that the moisture may have attacked an electrical connection and it is shorting...hence the epilepsy!

Car has 18k miles and was purchased new 16 months ago. After the purge valve solenoid fiasco in October on a trip to upstate New York, this Mazda may be on it's way to a trade for a Civic Si really, damn soon!

Help if you can with a similar "no-start" issue.

Cheers,
Ed

 

[jhershorin]

its ur battery...if we have very lil charge it does that....
jump it and leave the car on for a while

 

[ViperKillerWannabe]

Definitely a dead battery.

 

[f4i kyle]

You get it back to normal?

 

[azazel1024]

Yup, battery is DOA. The clicking like crazy sound is the starter soleniod closing then opening in rapid fire. It happens because once it closes the starter begins to draw current to turn the motor over and it causes the voltage to drop below the threshold needed to keep the soleniod closed due to the nearly dead battery, the soleniod opens causing the starter motor to stop drawing current raising the system voltage enough that the soleniod starter closes again, the motor attempt to draw current, repeat in rapid sequence.

Jump it and be done with it. Oh yeah, and maybe try to find out what caused the battery drain while you were gone. 1 week and a dead battery is not normal, even leaving a security system on. Might be time for a new battery if there wasn't anything draining it while you were away.
-Matt

 

[MetalCord]

Did you leave a light on in your car? It'd be pretty sad to take the hit trading your car in for a Civic if your problem is something you or someone else caused.

 

[trogdor]

Thanks for the responses, folks! Turns out the local dealer [Millenium Mazda in Durham, NC] must not have fastened the battery terminal after fixing the purge valve solenoid in late October 2006...the damn thing was loose as a goose. I tightened it up with a small Crescent wrench and voila...car started immediately.

I am glad I checked prior to towing the bugger up da street.

However, I then noticed the driver's rear tire looked a wee bit soft...pressure check said around 9 psi thanks to a sharp Phillips head screw in the middle of the tread section. One word to the manufacturer: torque specs, please!!! The 21 mm lug nuts must have been at 200 ft-lbs as I almost created blood blisters on both hands using the OEM lug wrench [bought a 6-point 21 mm socket soon thereafter for my torque wrench]. I am 6 foot and 235 and almost lifted the frickin' corner off the jack to loosen the lugs. Also, had to Mike Tyson sock the tire/rim to break the seal to remove the bugger to go to the tire place to get it plugged. Seriously, almost popped a blood vessel trying to loosen the 5 lugnuts...jesus mary and joseph as my mom would say!

 

[smokinAMD]

Heh, thats nothing. Wait till you have to use a breaker bar with a 5 foot cheater bar to break the lugnuts loose.

 

[MetalCord]

[quote author=Trogdor link=topic=65828.msg1135339#msg1135339 date=1168041953]
Thanks for the responses, folks! Turns out the local dealer [Millenium Mazda in Durham, NC] must not have fastened the battery terminal after fixing the purge valve solenoid in late October 2006...the damn thing was loose as a goose. I tightened it up with a small Crescent wrench and voila...car started immediately.

I am glad I checked prior to towing the bugger up da street.

However, I then noticed the driver's rear tire looked a wee bit soft...pressure check said around 9 psi thanks to a sharp Phillips head screw in the middle of the tread section. One word to the manufacturer: torque specs, please!!! The 21 mm lug nuts must have been at 200 ft-lbs as I almost created blood blisters on both hands using the OEM lug wrench [bought a 6-point 21 mm socket soon thereafter for my torque wrench]. I am 6 foot and 235 and almost lifted the frickin' corner off the jack to loosen the lugs. Also, had to Mike Tyson sock the tire/rim to break the seal to remove the bugger to go to the tire place to get it plugged. Seriously, almost popped a blood vessel trying to loosen the 5 lugnuts...jesus mary and joseph as my mom would say!
[/quote]

I feel your pain there. Just trying to break the lugs loose before I jacked the car up, I actually started rolling the car backwards with my E-brake on! I didn't almost get a blood blister... I got blood blisters!

I'm glad to hear it was something simple though! Guess you can keep her a little longer then! :goodjob: