maddog63

I have been really happy with my 05 Shinka thus far, but now I am starting to get a bit irritated with it. I had the battery die back in January and the dealer replaced it. Unfortunately they wiped out my stereo to the point where the speakers wouldn't work and I had to take it back to the dealer. The day I was to take it to the dealer, the battery was dead again. It had only sat for 4 days and the battery was totally dead. I re-charged it and took it to the dealer who blamed it on the trunk being ajar. I took this in stride since I couldn't think of why the trunk being ajar would drain a battery and got it back with the batttery fully charged and the stereo speakers working again. I drove it this past Saturday and it was fine, but I tried to drive it again today and the damn thing is dead again! I haven't opened the trunk since the last repair, so I know it isn't that. Has anyone else seen this? I only have 9k miles on this car and it is only about 10 months old. Could thisbe yet another emerging problem with the RX8? Any help would be appreciated. Does anyone have the Mazda number for North America? I want them to take a serious look at this. When I drove the car every day it was fine. Now it sits a few days and is dead. This sounds like a shorting issue to me.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

the # is in you owners manual.... did you read it lots of info in it.

might want to spend some time reading. start with the glovebox

beers

maddog63

Is this an attempt at humor or are you actually being serious?

swoope

iTrader: (5)

yes,

beers

tiggerlee

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

this use to happen with the some 04s. when you didn't drive it for like 3 days, it would go dead. forgot what the solution was though... always thought the battery replacement service bulletin fixed it...

swoope

iTrader: (5)

ok,
you are new...

all the phone #s are in the manual that is in the glove box.

i think the person that sold it to yo might have coverd that. i could be wrong.....

as to your electrical leaks... yes a not shut trunk is one of them...

if you do not have any extra electrics, no worries,,,, ....

btw,, tsb on starter, and battery,, and spark plugs.

beers

maddog63

Thanks Swoope! I shoul dhave seen that coming. Let me ask it this way...

Since I have read through my manual, but not cover to cover since I find an automobile to be a fairly easy machine to use and I don't seem to have any problem actually operating the car when it wants to start, are you saying that the manual clearly states that the car will drain it's battery if it isn't used in X number of hours or days? If it says that in the manual I would like for someone to please point me to that page.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

it is really, really easy not to shut the trunk all the way!!!!!!!!!!


many have done it. i have not.... but the extra battery and plugs and starter is a bonus.

beers

maddog63

Thanks for noticing that I am new. Yeah, less then 10 posts would indicate someone "new". Good work Holmes.

I am well familiar with the term glove box and yes, I am also aware that the manual is usually placed there in all new automobiles. The dealer didn't have to cover that part with me. He did however neglect to tell me about the 3 day charge on my car battery and the fact that I should familiarize myself with the Mazda Operations numbers.

What I find most disturbing is the fact that the people that moderate this forum actually let you post here. I can't think of a better way to greet a new person in a help forum that is asking for help then to sic the wise **** on them.

Let me offer a bit of friendly advice to you. It's great that you have a sense of humor. It's great that you think you are funny. Save your humor for those that know you well and have a repartee with you and try to be a bit more professional and helpful when dealing with new people. After all, isn't this forum here for helping people?

tiggerlee

swoope

iTrader: (5)

sorry if i offended you.

but you could not find mazdas #.

you cannot be helped...

good luck.

beers

btw, i mentioned the tsbs on your issuses. o do you have a nav???

Go48

Too bad you have to put up with such crap when asking a valid question. But anyway, I will offer up the following and then I suggest you do some searches because this battery drain problem has been discussed many times over on the forum.

First, the trunk-not-closed phenomena is real. I'm sure you realize that there is a light in the trunk that is on when the trunk is open. So if the trunk is not closed completely the light remains on and it will drain energy from the battery. Also, it has been reported in some cases that even though the trunk was completely closed, the light remained on. Open the pass-through between the rear seats and check to see if the light is on in the trunk. If it is, the trunk is not closed completely or the light switch needs adjustment or replacement.

Second, there have been problems reported with certain NAV system components not shutting down as intended when the ignition is off. (You can search for that thread.) So if you have NAV, that may be the culprit. (Thinking about it though, I seem to recall that the Shinka didn't come with NAV. Oh well.) Even if you don't have NAV get the dealer to check the dark current draw. If it is significantly greater than 20 mA, it's too high and they will have to track down the cause of the power drain.

Third, make sure you have the upgraded battery that delivers 640 CCA. Your car may have come with it depending on the build date, but check anyway. As an iterim measure until the problem is resolved, get a maintenance charger with a quick-disconnect feature that you can easily plug in when you park the car for a few days.

Good luck!

maddog63

Thanks Go48! I appreciate the positive and thorough answer. I will recharge the battery this weekend and see if the trunk light is causing me a problem. It very well could be that it is remaining on. The Shinka doesn't come with NAV that I know of. In any case, mine doesn't have it. I thikn I do have the newest battery because that was replaced in February which started this whole discharging problem. Thanks for all of the great ideas and things to check.

Nubo

It's not as clear-cut as that, but yes the car will drain some power from the battery even when everything is working correctly. The workshop manual (not the owners' guide) specifies this "dark current" should not be much over 20 milli-amps. How long will your battery "last" under that load? -- I don't have the actual numbers for the stock battery but 40 to 50 amp-hours is probably a good guess. At 20 milli-amps (.020 amp), you will consume 1 amp-hour in 50 hours (about 2 days). You can't expect to fully drain the battery and then start, so figure a safe point maybe 1/3 drain (maybe pushing it a little) -- that puts you around 1 month maximum "safe" sitting time. That's if everything is in tip-top shape.

How many times now has this battery been exhausted? 3? more? A non deep-cycle car battery suffers each time it is heavily drained. Even if you charge (again) and find the source of why your car is drawing way over 20 milli-amps, your battery's capacity is no longer what it once was. A lot of mechanics, after these repeated dead battery incidents, will charge it again, pat you on the head, and send you on your way. You should insist on a new battery. After they figure out the problem, of course...

maddog63

Thanks for that info Nubo. My original battery was dead after 10 days sitting. I got that battery replaced and since then the situation has been worse. Now it sits for 3 or 4 days and it's dead. There has got to be a short somewhere. It just doesn't make sense.