Sevenshero

Ok, So I bought a new battery at the Mazda Dealership when I was getting my 2004 RX-8 decarbed last Friday. I then drove it home a mile and parked the night over. On Saturday I took it to get it detailed about a quarter mile from my house. A few hours later I came to pick it up. When I got there the car was started and ready for me to drive away. I paid the bill and off to work I went. On my way I stopped for gas (across the street from the detail shop) and put a only quarter tank of premium in, for I was late for work. When I tried to start the car at the gas station it took me I little over a minute of cranking it over to start (it really didn't want to start). Anyways I thought that was weird and it concerned me a great deal, however I was late for work so I would have to worry later.
I got to work about 15 minutes later (7 miles away), But I couldn't let the hard start at the gas station go. So I turned off the engine and let it sit about 5 minutes while I went inside where my boss ask me to run to McDonalds for him. I went back outside to start it. It cranked and cranked and cranked and about 30 seconds later it started. I drove to the golden arches and back to work with no problems (1 mile total distance). In the parking lot at work I decided to try and turn it over again, so I shut the car off and then tried to crank it over again. I tried for about 30 seconds and then poof! Everything died, I mean everything, no sound when the door opens, no warning lights no nothing.
I thought that was weird, because it's a brand new battery. Anyways I had a friend with a Ford Expedition jump me about an hour later and I let the car run for another half hour. I wen outside turned off the car and went back in without checking to see if the battery held the charge ( I was busy at work). When I got off work about 5 hours later I tried to start it and it was dead as before, no lights, no sounds, no nothin. Luckily another guy from work was still there so I asked him to jump me with his Dodge Dakota. I sat there with the Dakota charging my RX8 for and hour and it wouldn't charge, no lights, no sound, no nothin. so I called up my buddy with the expedition and he drove down and jumped me and it worked immediately, Weird.
On the drive home (about 8 miles) I noticed that random warning lights where coming on, blinking and then turning off. also a few times when I shifted into first (the car is an automatic but I was using the paddle shifters) and then slowed down to stop, when I got to 0 MPH the car jerked forward and the a/c and radio turned off and then immediately back on. By the time I got home all the warning lights where off but one. The traction control light ( the one that looks like a car swerving) came on when I first started the car after jumping and it never blinked and it never turned off the whole ride home. At home i turned off the car and then tried to start it again and it was again dead, no sound, no lights, no nothin. Does anyone know what the hell is going on with this car? thanks for your input in advance.

stinksause

iTrader: (5)

didnt read because horrible spacing ... please make your post readable if you want help

Javii

iTrader: (1)

Well the new battery might also be bad. What happened with the old one that you had to replace it?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

If the interior and dash lights were dimming while you attempted to start the car, then it could be the battery.
Use a meter to check the voltage before you start the car or take the battery to Autozone and have them test it (free).
Also check for loose or corroded connections/terminals at the battery and the ground under the air box).

And while we like detailed information to help troubleshoot, the information needs to be pertinent.
So cut back on all the unnecessary details... you'll find that more people will read it then

Sevenshero

Horrible spacing? What because there is no space between paragraphs? Are you and english professor or just pompous? Why do so many people on this forum complain about so many things unrelated to cars. "He has bad grammar", "he posted this in the wrong section", "he didnt use the search feature", etc.... enough is enough. People come here to ask questions and receive help with their cars, not be criticized for some silly code of etiquette that a few people live there lives by and the great many of us lament.

Sevenshero

The interior dash lights were not dimming. They were blinking on an off, and not all of them at once but just a few at a time and then they would stop. It was all very random. It wasnt while i was attempting to start the car, it after i had started it and whilei was driving. Also the connections are clean and everything, Mazda cleaned them when they installed the new battery.
Not sure what was pertinent or not.

I thought it would be less confusing to explain the situation front to back. Wow more crtitcism, suprise suprise.... People are always asking for more info on this site, criticizing people for not providing enough info. Now I'm being criticized for providing too much! good god, oh and I forgot to space the paragraphs, shoot me now!

Thank you for the atleast answering my question before your crtiticzed they way in which I asked it, atleast there's that.

Sevenshero

The Dealership disposed of the old battery, that one was shot as well.

stinksause

iTrader: (5)

Look at Jon's post above, then look at yours.

Which one is easier to quickly skim through and identify key points?

We do not get paid for what we do here, we do this all for free and for your benefit, in your own thread. I have better things to do than sugarcoat my advice. OR dig through your unformatted straight strain of thought.

I assume (wrongly, it seems) that someone who is mature enough to own an rx8 is also mature enough to take constructive criticism, in whatever form it may be.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Wow... I was trying to help you identify what other people are not going to like about your post and may simply ignore your post altogether.
Statements like "put a only quarter tank of premium in, for I was late for work" and "while I went inside where my boss ask me to run to McDonalds for him" were not pertinent to the problem and just lengthens what we have to read through.
If you are a member that is reading dozens of threads, helping others, you tend to start skimming the lengthy posts because you're getting tired of reading.

Again... I was only trying to help you understand that posts like that will likely get skimmed through or ignored and sometimes, simple descriptions are better.
I was also hoping the would lighten the comment so you wouldn't take it wrong.
But I'm also not the kind of person who will sit here and help you after the comments you made.
If that is how you are going to act... I would rather just help someone else out.
So good luck to you and hope things work out.

Sevenshero

Like I said spaces between paragraphs. not a big deal. so I forgot to put spaces between paragraphs, that apparently makes me unworthy of getting a question answered. I would never respond to someones first post on a forum in such a manner. I'm disturbed my the amount of criticism on this site. I understand that your helping people but so do the people at the DMV but we all know how polite they are. Saying that your help is conditional on every grammatical error being corrected is absurd.

Mature enough to own an RX8? I fail to see how maturity weighs in on formatting errors. It would be one thing if you would have at least attempted to help answer my question, but instead the first reply I get to the first post I make is, "to hard to read". Really??

stinksause

iTrader: (5)

+1 Good Luck with your car

zoom44

yes and no. my first reaction upon seeing that wall of text was "i dont want to read that to find out whats going wrong. maybe ill edit in some spaces for him" but then i saw your responses to the very correct criticism of your post (and also noting that its in the wrong forum section) even after Jon tried to help you .

so instead of helping you by diagnosing your problem or fixing the post so that others might be inclined to help you, im going to close the thread and wish you the best. if you want to try again please find the right section and improve your manners. making your post clearer will encourage people to help you. it shows YOU are putting in some effort rather than just wanting to be spoonfed