Is their a DIY for battery change??
03-15-2010, 06:11 PM
#8
Lubricious
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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Remove negative first -- the reason is that if you work on the positive terminal first, and the tool contacts any metal in the engine compartment, that could be a direct short, meaning hundreds even thousands of amps flowing through your wrench. Batteries are built to deliver tremendous energy. Sparks, burns, can even weld the tool to the car -- in which case the continued huge draw can damage or even explode the battery. Likewise, take great care not to let metal contact both terminals at once. Pretty much a nightmare scenario. It's not necessarily "common sense" for someone who's unfamiliar with the scale of potential energy that can be unleashed. Wear eye protection, at a minimum.
03-15-2010, 06:31 PM
#11
Intended acceleration
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Location: Durham NC
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Yes, the DSC needs to learn how far the wheel turns before it can correctly interpret your steering input. There's a section in the manual on how to re-acquaint it with your hardware... basically I think you turn the wheel slowly from lock to lock, but can't remember the details.
03-15-2010, 06:37 PM
#12
Registered
Extract from the manual - sorry for the size
NOTE
If the battery is disconnected, the DSC
will be inoperable. In this case, the DSC
OFF indicator light flashes and the
TCS/DSC indicator light illuminates.
To make the DSC operable, do the
following procedure.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position.
2. Turn the steering clockwise fully,
then turn it counterclockwise fully.
3. Make sure the DSC OFF indicator
goes off.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF
position, then turn it to the ON
position again.
5. Make sure the TCS/DSC indicator
light goes off.
If the TCS/DSC indicator light and the
DSC OFF indicator light remain
illuminated even after turning the
ignition switch to the ON position,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
NOTE
If the battery is disconnected, the DSC
will be inoperable. In this case, the DSC
OFF indicator light flashes and the
TCS/DSC indicator light illuminates.
To make the DSC operable, do the
following procedure.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position.
2. Turn the steering clockwise fully,
then turn it counterclockwise fully.
3. Make sure the DSC OFF indicator
goes off.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF
position, then turn it to the ON
position again.
5. Make sure the TCS/DSC indicator
light goes off.
If the TCS/DSC indicator light and the
DSC OFF indicator light remain
illuminated even after turning the
ignition switch to the ON position,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
03-15-2010, 07:52 PM
#15
I zoom therefore I am.
I would rather have somebody ask for help then do it blind. everyone was new at wrenching on their cars at some point. everyone in here flaming someone for actually asking for help needs to stfu and move onto a different area to troll.
granted, swapping out a battery is a .01 on the 1 to 10 scale of difficulty, but it sounds like he was simply double checking that he hadn't missed anything.
granted, swapping out a battery is a .01 on the 1 to 10 scale of difficulty, but it sounds like he was simply double checking that he hadn't missed anything.
03-15-2010, 10:13 PM
#19
Registered
I would rather have somebody ask for help then do it blind.
One other tip...check and write down what stations the radio presets are on, and what the fade, tone, etc., settings are. Those will likely be lost when the battery is disconnected.
Ken
03-16-2010, 08:17 AM
#20
Lubricious
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Personally, I think it's better to understand how things work. People can and do get seriously injured from working on car batteries because they thought it was only about turning a wrench.
For example, if you wear a ring, consider removing it or use gloves when working on a battery:
http://www.jaapa.com/circumferential...rticle/137571/
Knowledge is important -- ********* can only take you so far. I've accidentally shorted a battery before. Not pretty, and I was lucky to escape injury. So I don't have a problem with passing on a bit of understanding and caution.
Last edited by Nubo; 03-16-2010 at 08:23 AM.
03-16-2010, 10:43 AM
#22
Everyone was new to cars at some point... and there is risk of doing this wrong and screwing stuff up. I think they're right to ask. . .
Maybe a search from google and of the forum may have been in order first, but none the less, always good to make sure you know how to do something before you just jump in and do it.
When I bought this car I struggled to change my own oil, and the slightest problem or stuck bolt would stop me dead in my tracks.
Now, thanks to reading this forum, lots of help and advice from locals, lots of opportunities to learn thanks to my 8 experience some issues, having a garage, having money to invest in tools, and having the flexibility to leave my 8 parked for weeks at a time by having another vehicle, I was able to learn a ton about cars that I didn't know.
So. . . from the list above, if you're not exposed to cars or technical projects your whole life, you gotta start somewhere. And how hard are projects to do when you don't have the right tools? Try taking off the battery when you don't have a socket set for example. . .
/rant.
Maybe a search from google and of the forum may have been in order first, but none the less, always good to make sure you know how to do something before you just jump in and do it.
When I bought this car I struggled to change my own oil, and the slightest problem or stuck bolt would stop me dead in my tracks.
Now, thanks to reading this forum, lots of help and advice from locals, lots of opportunities to learn thanks to my 8 experience some issues, having a garage, having money to invest in tools, and having the flexibility to leave my 8 parked for weeks at a time by having another vehicle, I was able to learn a ton about cars that I didn't know.
So. . . from the list above, if you're not exposed to cars or technical projects your whole life, you gotta start somewhere. And how hard are projects to do when you don't have the right tools? Try taking off the battery when you don't have a socket set for example. . .
/rant.
