klanham08

So you think the Battery is the problem? What about the alternator?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Anything is possible... can't really rule out anything unless you troubleshoot and narrow it down.
I can only give you the possibilities based on your symptom.
You can start with taking the battery to an auto store to have tested.
We have Autozones around us that'll test it for free... do you have something similar?

klanham08

I live right next to a Pepboys.

I just realized something I left out of my story. When trying to get my car outta the snow, I had to climb through the passenger seat to get to my driver seat, and in the process I hit the dome lights and left them on, and my Battery was dead when I tried to turn it on. I am wanting to get a new battery now because of this. Would this be the reason behind my extremely rough idle?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

I say its a good start.
You really don't want to drain a battery completely.
Did you start noticing rough idles after this?

klanham08

How much is a new Battery and the installation roughly?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Installation is easy... just remove the two cables attached to the battery.
Remove the negative first to be safe.

Batteries can run between $80 and $150 depending on type and brand.
Stay with a Group35 battery and try to get one with a lot of CCA (Cold Crank Amps).

klanham08

So the two cables are the only thing holding the battery in place?

And could I go to a Pepboys or an auto store and get a Group35 Battery or at least one with a lot of Cold Crank Amps?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Well... there is a metal bar/band that holds the battery down.
Two nuts to remove that.
Then the electrical connections (positive and negative) has a nut on each that you loosen (10mm).
Remove the negative first because you don't want the positive touching the car body if the negative is still attached to the battery.

Yeah... any auto place will sell batteries. Stay with a Group35 and high CCA (like above 600).

klanham08

Alright thank you for all of your help, hopefully this will solve my problem and get my car back to normal. I'll let you know how it works!

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

No problem... hope this solves your issues.
Good luck!

klanham08

Also, I have been reading on here about Engine Mounts.

My car runs fine when I am driving, but once I stop my idle becomes slightly rough, and I read that that is the prime symptom of bad engine mounts.

Would me getting new Engine Mounts further help my idle problem? And could you tell me how it would roughly cost to replace? I would love to do it myself, but I do not have the proper equipment and neither does anyone else that I know. Could I take this to a regular auto shop for something like this?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Your car would shake a lot if the motor mounts were bad.
Its another one of those items on the list for '04 owners to look into upgrading.
The passenger side mount is known to fail because its close to the exhaust manifold.
A different mount material has been issued with the new mounts.
Here is a TSB for that:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com...21-06-1559.pdf
The mounts costs several hundred dollars and will likely not fix your current issue.

Also... its good that you are searching and researching... its the best way to learn about this car.
Also look through the DIY section.
A ton of information on how to perform tasks yourself.

tza0001

iTrader: (2)

People say engine mounts go bad around 60000 miles. Maybe your typhoon intake has something to do with this. I have read it increases vibration. Check the battery first. Do what the rotary ninja said.

klanham08

I have learned so much about this car from this site, that is why I love it here!

I figured that getting new Engine Mounts would not solve my current issue, but I have had a problem with small amount of rough idle only when at a complete stop. Is this part of the 8-year, 100,000 mile warranty? That is pretty much the only way that I can get it fixed with the TSB...I do not have any other warranties that are still valid.

And I am going to the local Pepboys to get a Battery tomorrow, hopefully that will fix the problem. I read that it might take a couple days for my car to run smoothly if it really is the battery that is bad, is that true?

tza0001

iTrader: (2)

Motor mounts are not part of the 8 year warranty. This extended warranty covers only the engine core. There was some vendor here selling motor mounts cheaper than what dealserships usually do but I can't find it. In case I do I will let you know.

And YES the people here are amazing! They help you learn lots of things! Just spend some time on here when you can and read stuff.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

If you disconnect the battery you reset the PCM.
It'll then take a couple drive cycles to relearn the fuel trims.
As long as your ignition system is good (which you mentioned that the plugs and coils were replaced recently), you may not have a problem with it.

I once had bad plugs and every time I reset the PCM, my car would almost stall whenever I stopped.
After I installed new plugs, I didn't have that problem after a reset.

klanham08

Yeah I know the replaced the Wires and Spark Plugs, and they said that the Coils looked really good so they did not need to be replaced (Which I was skeptical about but they kept telling me they looked really good so...) so hopefully it will be good after a few drives.

And I figured that the Mounts were not under the warranty lol. Looks like I am going to have to buy them myself. If I took them to a local auto shop would they know what to do seeing as it is a Rotary Engine?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

No way to tell if a coil is good just by looking at them... I call BS on that.

An auto shop should be able to replace the mounts.

klanham08

Ugh just my luck..........

C-PHLAT

[quote=Jon316G;3429919]Remove the negative first because you don't want the positive touching the car body if the negative is still attached to the battery.

quote]
Ok I've worked through this in my head, and the ONLY situation I can come up with that makes this safer, is if you FORGET to remove the negative side, try to remove the battery, and drop the battery in a manner that allows the positive side to come to rest on a metal suface of the car, shorting the battery. What am I missing?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

If you start loosening the nut on the positive terminal before you disconnect the negative and your wrench makes contact with the car body... expect a spark!

C-PHLAT

Yes didn't think of that. But, the negative side of the battery stands a greater risk of getting clipped with the wrench than any metal I have seen to be near or far from the battery. But you are right. Disconnectiong the negative side first eliminates that risk.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Right... but if the negative side makes contact with the body... so what... its already grounded to the body anyway!
On our car... the strut bar is the biggest thing to worry about the positive side of the battery making contact with.
But its a general rule of thumb for all applications/vehicles.

C-PHLAT

I guess if you're too fucked up to remove both cables before removing the battery, then yes, disconnect the negative first. Then when you innevetibaly drop the battery upside down, it won't short itself out. Not saying your thoughts aren't correct because they are...of course. Didn't think about the strut thing. There was a deas wasp on my battery the other day.