Hi all..

Went to start the RX8 this morning only to find it as dead as a dodo. Last used two days ago and all OK other than a sneaky suspicion that it was needing to be cranked over a bit more to start.

Measured the voltage in the battery and it's 0.4 volts (not a typo...0.4 volts) which is the lowest I've ever seen.

So (a) I guess the battery is knackered and needs replacing ?

(b) Is it normal for a battery to die just like that and so terminally?

Will try and charge it up but not optimistic.

Thanks

a. Maybe; recharge and load test.

b. Not normal but several questions come to mind. Are your terminals clean and tight? How old is the battery? Did it suddenly get cold overnight in your area? Is your charging system working properly??

+1.....It might be dirty terminals. Check the battery on the + & - on the battery. If you check it on the sides of the terminals you might have a dirty or bad connection from the terminal to the battery which is very common. The voltage should be the same on both checks.

Definitely not dirty terminals as I measured the voltage directly across the battery terminals. While I can recharge the battery (assuming that the charger fuse doesn't blow as the battery voltage is so.o.o.o low!) I'm not able to load test.

Was it cold last night? Maybe 1degree C so not that cold. Age of the battery is about 2 years, I'd guess.

I would charge it and see how it goes or get it running and take it to autozone and have them check the battery for free!!!!

Just been out to take the dimensions and battery details prior to sourcing a new one and noticed that the battery is rated at 50Ah and is also smaller than the available space in the battery tray. Is 50Ah the correct rating?

Thanks

The correct battery is a group 35, search a battery list for the Ah and CCA.

Went to the Mazda garage. The battery was bought new from them Sept '07. They tested it and said that although two cells showed up as not very good (hollow laugh) they couldn't make a warranty claim and I'd have to buy a new one (second hollow laugh).

The next conversation went something like this..

'Well, if the battery was Ok then how come it only measured 0.4v on my meter?'

'There must be something draining it'

'I measured the current draw this morning and it's under 1Amp'

'That sounds reasonable. Well, then we'd need to keep the car for a couple of days and measure it in the morning and then again....'

'Forget it..I'll buy a better battery somewhere else'

Wow, that's some crap. A year old battery shot.