Hello,

Any help will be appreciated. My 07 RX-8 with 46000 miles was failing to start last week, so I took it to pepboys and they tested the battery and electrical system. They said the starter and alternator were fine but the battery was marginal. I had them replace the battery with an Optima Yellow Top ($199) and car worked fine until today. Today I stopped for a few mintues to make some calls (the car was warm I drove 20 miles) and left the radio on for about 10 minutes. I tried to crank the engine and once again the car will not start. I can turn on the radio, lights, power seats and windows but I will not get anything out of the starter. Not even an attempt to turn over the engine. I have an aftermarket amp running mids and highs, no sub or cap.

Any ideas?

Additional Info:
I'm the second owner, since 22K miles.
I just changed the plugs, diff fluid, tranny fluid and brakes pads in December.
Just changed the oil in January.
I do most of my own work because I don't trust the dealer.

Thanks for your help!

 

you turn the key and nothing? no sound , no clicks, no dimming of the lights? or you turn the key and the starter turns but the engine doesnt light? when was the amp installed or worked on last?

 

Well for starters, (no pun intended), do a "Load Test" on the battery, then check starter connections and do a "starter draw" test.

 

no sounds at all, not even a click...
the LED over the radio dims and the stereo turns off while I'm trying to start the car, in ACC everything runs just fine, I can even get the blower for the AC to run...

AMP was installed about 6 months ago, never any problems. I cleaned the connections (wire brush and contact cleaner) when I installed the new battery last week. I've probably driven 300 miles since the new battery, probably 20 starts.

 

is the battery hooked up correctly? + to + and - to -..... if it was hooked up the wrong way for even a second, it can blow your main fuse.

of course, if this happend the car wouldnt have started in the first place.... but its just a thought

 

I checked over all the connections nothing looked out of place.

I automatically assumed it was the starter but when I called around to price one all the local auto parts stores, advanced, napa, etc, all had none available and were pretty skeptical that a 2007 would have a bad starter. The only other possibility that i can think of is the switch that senses that the clutch is completely depressed is somehow bad, or maybe a problem with the security system, although the key icon doesn't flash like when my remotes have died in the past. Pep-boys tested the starter and alternator last week but that doesn't necessarily mean anything at this point.

Thanks for the ideas! Tomorrow I'll probably end up having the car towed to Mazda, I'll update the thread in the morning and post thier ideas. Get your BS meters ready

 

Could be the alternator, a new battery will fix all the problems, until it too goes flat, just like your symptoms....

If you have a meter, check the volts at the battery - less than 12 is a problem.

S

 

Ok, Here is what Mazda says: Its the clutch safety disconnectswitch, the part is $48.00, they are chargine $20 to ship it overnight plus $95.00 for the diagnosis and $50.00 to install the part.

Its one of the possibilities I suspected. It definately could have been worse. I'll update everyone when the work is done. Thanks for your input!

 

Yep, could definitely be that. If the clutch pedal depress microswitch isn't working properly the starter is interlocked-out. It's a clutch protection 'safety.'

 

so yeah as has been found- if you turn the key and the radio goes out and the lights dim its an ignition switch circuit problem usually the clutch switch . still make sure the battery and alternator are checked to make sure there are not a series of problems

 

That's all covered under warranty, though, right? Seems like it ought to be, even with you being the 2nd owner.

 

Thanks for telling us it was the clutch switch.