Magana8

Alright im sorry if someone already posted something about this but im not good at searching on forums, Anyways. I was driving to the airport to drop off someone and as i turned onto the terminal street, my car shut off. I turned it back on and it had some trouble it cranking for a few secs and turned on then idled to 1000 then 900 and so forth under and shut off again and the check enging,battery light turn on when this happens. i let the car rest for awhile opened the hood and checked under the 8 and the 8 was leaking..im pretty sure it was a/c fluids. nothing seemed wrong with the engine, although im not a pro mechanic so im not sure. I soon learned that the only way to drive my 8 was to keep rpm over 1000 and it would not shut off, this meaning i could never come to a stop >.> was a problem knowing that my town is about 10-15mile drive so i got it back into town and looked like an idiot at every stop light having to turn my 8 back on. I take it to one of my mechanic friends he hooks up one of his CPUs to my 8 and says that nothing is wrong with my 8. BTW i forget to mention that in first gear i would leave the stoplight at like 6000rpm and my speed would be such 1..2..3..4..5..6second gear7..8..9..10 it would not pick up speed until 3rd gear.anyways. He said it could be my battery and soon finds out the battery was a little loose. he tightened it up and said give it a run around the block. my 8 started up faster then usual, all gears working fine. so forth i thought my problem was fixed. Later i get a call to take someone home. about another 15 min out of town. as i come to a turn its a 65mph stop my rpm went under 1000rpm and shut off. so there i was worried again. I repeated the battery steps my friend did and car seemed to work just fine. but now i feel very odd that my 8 idles under 1000 and concerns me. Sorry for such a story but it gets everythin out and might help you guys help me. Any suggestions?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

What "battery steps" are you doing?
Just tightening the clamps around the terminal?
If so, you may need to buy new clamps to keep them secured to the battery if they keep coming loose.

Our cars idle under 1K rpm anyway so that shouldn't concern you.
As long as it doesn't drop to 500 rpm.

Mawnee

Your battery being loose will not cause the car to run like this unless it is dead shorting somewhere. Once your car is started it can run without a battery in there.

Did you mean coolant leaking(green fluid) ? Or just condensation form your A/C(clean water)?
There is a ground under your coolant tank that can cause random issues like this if it gets wet.

Unfortunately with your limited mechanical knowledge its going to be difficult for us to help you diagnose this form afar.

Magana8

basically just taking the clamps off cleaning the pieces and tightening everything back up, and im pretty sure it was just water, im just concerned as to why its happening. but i was told that if the battery isnt connected right that it can affect the car and how it runs. but like i said after retightening the battery the 8 would run just fine its just that before today i never noticed if it did or did not idle under 1000rpm so it just seems unnatural to me

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Your battery acts like a regulator keeping the voltage close to 12V.
With a loose battery connection (or if you remove the cable from the battery), a spike in the alternator can then damage electrical components in the car.
So the battery terminal coming loose CAN make your car do crazy things and shouldn't be ignored.

Magana8

yeah im thinking it just kept coming loose cause after i tighten it back up it works just fine. but i also heard talk that the alternator could be part as well and im not exactly sure how to test it or check it

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Since your terminals appear to come loose repeatedly, you should focus on that anyway.
Once you get that fixed, then go from there if the issue continues.
You can get those clamps at Autozone for cheap.

Magana8

alright so from everything ive said you agree its probably just the battery?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

I think the connection to the battery is something you should correct first.
Then if that doesn't correct your issue, we'll go from there.

Magana8

alright thanks

Magana8

BTW are you good with the fusing?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Ummm... are you asking if I know about the fuse panel?

Magana8

well i just looked at some of your pics and lucky me you have exactly what im lookin for.. that third brake light that says rx-8 mine does not light up...i went to autozone and i put in 3 new fuses and im still missing one..on the right set there are the big block fuses and im missing one that says Rear Fog and im not sure if thats it, but ive been trying to get it fixed

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

That is for a relay and is usually not populated.
Just like some cars in other countries have headlight washers, but the relays/fuses for them aren't installed in our cars because we don't have that option.

Magana8

so the Rear Fog relay that im missing should do the trick?? by the way i went to autozone and asked about it but they couldnt sell me one because they said they dont know the right number that that relay is, do you know?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

No... that relay has nothing to do with your 3rd brake light.
I don't have that relay and still have my rear lights.
Do your tail lights work?

Magana8

yes they do

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Then your fuse is fine.
Did you check the bulb to see if its blown?

bhop

Well, if it were leaking then that still should not have made your car cut off. Hopefully nothing was wrong with your fuel pump lol. Most likely its your battery and if that does not work, you can have the dealer look at it but they might charge a pretty penny

Magana8

so if it's not working that means it either doesnt have a bulb, or its blown? and no i have not checked it

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Correct. The 3rd brake light is wired together with the tail lights.
There is a harness for the 3rd brake light near the driver's side tail light.
You can check voltage there if your bulb turns out to be OK.
I made this pic while troubleshooting someone else's problem:

Magana8

alright thanks man ill get all that checked out