Battery Problems

Jo Kyle · Post by **Jo Kyle** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 6:56 pm

Hi Everyone,

I've owned my 1995 MX5 for approx 3 years and during the times I am not able
to drive it everyday I have a lot of trouble with the battery - constantly
flat - unless I'm driving it at least every other day. I've been told that
it is a common problem with MX5's (ie the battery isn't big enough to run
the car) but no one seems to talk about it. I have been through 2 batteries,
numerous battery charging devices and services with the Mazda dealer and
nothing - is this a problem that other MX5 owners are facing or is it just
my car? I have an alarm and remote central locking which I can't even use
anymore because the battery never seems to be charged enough to use it... Is
that the problem? It's all very frustrating as I do love my car - just
frustrated that no one seems to know anything about this problem... Or how
to get around it...

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Jo

Simon Lord · Post by **Simon Lord** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 7:10 pm

Hi Jo

I had that problem for ages with my car when it had the original battery in
it. I bought a new battery but the problem continued. After many months I got
an MX5 experienced electrician to check it out and he told me the new battery
was as dud as the first. Took it back to the Mazda dealer who refused to
believe it at first - said they'd never had that problem - but it turned out
that it was indeed faulty. Since getting the second new one I have had no
further problems.

Simon

nmr · Post by **nmr** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 7:11 pm

I've owned my 1995 MX5 for approx 3 years and during the times I am not able to drive it everyday I
have a lot of trouble with the battery

Argh. Don't we have a FAQ somewhere? I've been on this list for a couple of
years and we've thrashed this at least three times.

To answer your questions Jo, yes, yes, yes, (ahem) yes, yes, yes. Trickle
charge the battery (go buy a trickle charger), replace it with the real thing
(which costs a fortune), you can replace it with something cheaper (but you
may regret it because the real thing is a sealed unit meant for the boot not the
bonnet), argh argh argh.

PS good question Jo, no intention to offend, just that we've been there before
whenever someone new comes on line with the same old problem.

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 8:57 pm

have you had the electrics checked out for "dark
current" - ie a battery drain, presumably from the
alarm?

also - there's a good FAQ about the MX5 AGM battery on
miata.net .

Jeff

--- Jo Kyle <jkyle@haca.com.au> wrote:
[...]

David & Judy Kerr · Post by **David & Judy Kerr** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 9:10 pm

Hello Jo,

I have just come back from 6 weeks in Japan and before that my 5 hadn't
been driven for 3 weeks and she started first pop on Sunday. She is an
'89 and I have owned her for about 6 years and to my knowledge the
battery hasn't been changed? I would be looking at a leak somewhere in
the electrical system, Lou might be able to tell you whether it is the
alarm or not.

Dave.

Chic & Morven · Post by **Chic & Morven** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 10:16 pm

Hi Jo,

This kind of question is exactly what this forum is here for and I don't
recall anyone asking this exact question before.

I've had battery problems recently too. Like you, I have an alarm and
central locking on my MX5 and I find if I leave it in the garage for a
couple of weeks the battery does go flat. If yours only lasts two days
then something isn't quite right. Perhaps your alternator isn't working
properly and so your battery is never fully charged or perhaps you have
an electrical fault of some kind.

What kind of batteries have you been using? If yours is a lead acid
battery, go and have a look at the battery terminals. I find that lead
acid batteries cause some kind of chemical reaction resulting in a white
powder build up on the terminals. This means that the connection gets
gradually worse until eventually the car won't start. This doesn't happen
with the Mazda batteries.

We have 3 MX5 and I've had one of them for nearly 8 years. Battery
problems have been very rare and usually solved by buying a genuine Mazda
battery.

Cheers

Chic

--

Chic & Morven, us@lynchz.com on 29/03/2004

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 16:56:57 +1000, Jo Kyle wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I've owned my 1995 MX5 for approx 3 years and during the times I am not
able to drive it everyday I have a lot of trouble with the battery -
constantly flat - unless I'm driving it at least every other day. I've
been told that it is a common problem with MX5's (ie the battery isn't
big enough to run the car) but no one seems to talk about it. I have been
through 2 batteries, numerous battery charging devices and services with
the Mazda dealer and nothing - is this a problem that other MX5 owners
are facing or is it just my car? I have an alarm and remote central
locking which I can't even use anymore because the battery never seems to
be charged enough to use it... Is that the problem? It's all very
frustrating as I do love my car - just frustrated that no one seems to
know anything about this problem... Or how to get around it...

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Jo

Girardin · Post by **Girardin** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:33 am

A properly installed, quality alarm should not flatten a healthy battery in
less than 2 - 3 months. You both have a problem.
If anyone has an MX that is not used for extended periods, get a Battery
conditioner, this is a very low current charger that stays permanently plugged
in when the car is parked.
Lou

Tony Collins · Post by **Tony Collins** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:14 am

I had very similar problems when I first purchased my MX5, but have since found
the problems at fault and I would suspect yours to be something similar. My MX
also had an alarm and central locking when I first bought it and the battery
would go flat within 2-3 days. Luckily I had access to a battery charger at
home, which I would suggest may come in handy for you also if you don't have
one. We found that it was the alarm that was causing the battery to flatten so
quickly and after replacing it with a new alarm (not a high quality one by any
means) that the battery would last a good 2-3 weeks without losing charge.
A couple of months afterward the problem began again, and it was decided the
battery was due for replacement. We went to a shop somewhere on Central park
drive - if you're in West Auckland, and they gave us a slightly larger non-
mazda battery for somewhere over $100. We haven't had the battery go flat since.
Maybe the genuine mazda ones are something special, but I can't see myself
buying another in the near future.

~ Tony Collins.

Ian Chapman · Post by **Ian Chapman** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:16 am

Hi Jo

I would suggest you have a fault that is drawing excess current. We've
had our 1990 for 5 years, it has a (dare I say it) non-Mazda battery, we
drive it a few days a week (and occasionally not for weeks) and never
have any battery problems. We recently came home after a six weeks
overseas and it started as easily as normal with plenty of cranking
power. We don't have an alarm or central locking though.

This might sound gloomy but finding electrical faults can be a real
pain. Possibly try leaving the car for a few days with the fuse that
feeds the alarm and/or central locking removed (and try other high use
component fuses) to determine if any of these are the cause. If it
starts okay with a fuse removed then it's probably something in that
circuit that is at fault.

Good luck and hope you get things solved soon.

Ian

Jo Kyle · Post by **Jo Kyle** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:58 pm

Thx everyone, I don't feel so mystified by this problem anymore!

I've enjoyed my MX5 with the exception of this damn battery for such a long
time and it's nice to know that it's not just me with a dodgy exception to
the rule... I have to say that the car never lets me down - unless I don't
drive it for a while and don't put it on the charger - yes I have one...

My battery isn't the Mazda battery, it's the small "no name" battery that
Mazda dealers give you as a cheaper option - it's supposed to be exactly the
same though - so they told me... But that was from the people that told me
that the battery was fine and there was no drain to be found... You tend to
trust those that work directly for the company - I should have known better
I guess!

To answer some more of the questions below, I don't get any build up on the
terminals etc so don't think that it is the type of battery, perhaps it's
not as strong/powerful as the real Mazda battery? Not sure... The service
guys tell me that's not the case...

I suspect that it's the alarm, central locking, air conditioning and the CD
player (strange I know) causing the drain because if I don't activate these
and turn them all off when I'm not using the car, it doesn't seem to drain
as fast. The battery charger does the job in that the car always starts,
but it isn't effective enough because if I try to activate the alarm when
I'm out, it's really sensitive and goes off with cars driving past - it
never did that when I first had the car. People tell me that the alarm gets
more sensitive if the battery is lower than it should be... So now I never
use the alarm...

It doesn't stop me from driving my baby though!!!

Jo

_____

From: e-admin@mx5club.org.nz [mailto:e-admin@mx5club.org.nz] On Behalf Of
Chic & Morven
Sent: Monday, 29 March 2004 8:17 PM
To: MX5List
Subject: Re: Battery Problems

Hi Jo,

This kind of question is exactly what this forum is here for and I don't
recall anyone asking this exact question before.

I've had battery problems recently too. Like you, I have an alarm and
central locking on my MX5 and I find if I leave it in the garage for a
couple of weeks the battery does go flat. If yours only lasts two days then
something isn't quite right. Perhaps your alternator isn't working properly
and so your battery is never fully charged or perhaps you have an electrical
fault of some kind.

What kind of batteries have you been using? If yours is a lead acid battery,
go and have a look at the battery terminals. I find that lead acid batteries
cause some kind of chemical reaction resulting in a white powder build up on
the terminals. This means that the connection gets gradually worse until
eventually the car won't start. This doesn't happen with the Mazda
batteries.

We have 3 MX5 and I've had one of them for nearly 8 years. Battery problems
have been very rare and usually solved by buying a genuine Mazda battery.

Cheers

Chic

[...]

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 2:27 pm

The alarm will be more sensitive to the sides than front and back, because
there is less car in the way. It is adjustable, any alarm installer should be
able to do this for you. If you are in Auckland, I recommend Automotive
Security Systems in Poland Rd on the Shore, but there are a lot of others. I
have never heard of alarms becoming more sensitive at low voltage, although
Lou Girardin might correct me, but settings can change over time

Eric

commons · Post by **commons** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:42 pm

That's what this list is for. Get off your grandiose high horse and if it is
of no interest to you don't read it and don't bother replying.

carl.halvorsen · Post by **carl.halvorsen** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 9:45 pm

The OEM Mazda battery for the MX5 is actually made by Panasonic. It has
Panasonic emblazoned on the side.

Carl

Jo Kyle · Post by **Jo Kyle** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:27 pm

Thx everyone!

_____

From: e-admin@mx5club.org.nz [mailto:e-admin@mx5club.org.nz] On Behalf Of
Eric West
Sent: Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:27 PM
To: MX5List
Subject: RE: Battery Problems

The alarm will be more sensitive to the sides than front and back, because
there is less car in the way. It is adjustable, any alarm installer should
be able to do this for you. If you are in Auckland, I recommend Automotive
Security Systems in Poland Rd on the Shore, but there are a lot of others. I
have never heard of alarms becoming more sensitive at low voltage, although
Lou Girardin might correct me, but settings can change over time

Eric

nmr · Post by **nmr** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 10:17 pm

I noticed that my battery wasnt lasting very long
either and one day i found the problem.

I am now on my third battery (second new battery argh) and while the
batteries are relatively new they definitely don't drain no matter how long they
are left. It happens when they become stuffed and it happens overnight.
Trickle charging helps but it just staves off the inevitable.

I used to have a bad habit of leaving the lights on and emptying the battery
(cos I always drive with riding lights and sometimes forget to switch them off)
and I think this causes it.

What I'm saying is that while you may have a specific problem, as Glenn
describes, there is (I think) also a general problem: "dem battries am dogs".

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 7:44 am

I installed running lights on my car and used a relay to switch them on only
when the ignition is on. The relay is controlled to switch the lights off
when the headlights are on. No need then and just that litle bit extra load
on the alternator. Also ensures there are no extra lights on with the
headlights in the dip position. Running lights are quite important with such
a small dark coloured car (BRG). Amazing how many people flash their lights
at me though so I am definitely visible! No problems with WOF's with them
either.

Grant.

Matt & Sarah Avery · Post by **Matt & Sarah Avery** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 9:31 pm

I was just checking out my battery today as it had gone flat on me after
three days with no use (shame on me). I noticed it wasn't the usual
Panasonic, though it did look very much like the Panasonic AGM type I
had in my previous mx5. It's got all the vents in the right places and
fits in the holder perfectly. Anyway, I decided to do a Google search on
it to see if I could find out if it's an AGM type. Could only find it on
Japanese sites
(It's a Yuasa YT-A24L(S)) so I translated one of the pages through
Babelfish to see what it said. In the remarks column, next to my
battery's' code it said "For u no slow DOS tar".
At first I thought it wasn't going to be much help but looking at it
again I can't help thinking its trying to say "For Eunos Roadster".
It certainly goes flat as fast as the Panasonic did so I guess it's an
AGM type as well.

Ps- Got a "Projecta 12v 1600mA (2.5Amp RMS) charger which I hope will be
suitable for trickle charging it back to good health. Does this sound
okay?

--
Message scanned by the Sheriff

Post by **zorruno** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 10:25 pm

Babelfish to see what it said. In the remarks column, next to my
battery's' code it said "For u no slow DOS tar".
At first I thought it wasn't going to be much help but looking at it
again I can't help thinking its trying to say "For Eunos Roadster".
It certainly goes flat as fast as the Panasonic did so I guess it's an
AGM type as well.

Matt, that's possibly the funniest thing I've heard on this list since,
well, ever

Ps- Got a "Projecta 12v 1600mA (2.5Amp RMS) charger which I hope will be
suitable for trickle charging it back to good health. Does this sound
okay?

Yup, anywhere from 1-4A is probably a decent slow charge for these
batteries - be aware that a lot of people regard trickle charging as about
100mA or less, but these batteries really need a long 'low current' charge
and then maybe a switch to 'trickle' when not being used for a long while
just to keep them from self discharging...but not over charging.

I generally use a rule of thumb of 10% capacity vs charge current for SLA &
AGM batteries, e.g. I have a bunch of 7 Amp Hour batteries that I charge at
700mA & as these are about 40AH, 4A is fine.

cheers
zorruno

PS - Although I'm not sure of what your charger specs mean i.e. how does
1.6A = 2.5Amp RMS? Also, I assume it will be putting out more than 12V
(13.8-14V is usual) otherwise it do much charging... but many car chargers
say 12V as that is the type of battery you connect it to and it avoids
confusion.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:41 am

Have a look here for some info in AGM battery charging, otherwise try
putting 'AGM battery charging"' in Google and you will find all sorts of
interesting info.

http://www.bitwrangler.com/wt/lv-ab-agm.html

Grant.

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