Mercury - Sable :: 2005 - Instrument Panel Draining Battery
Dec 29, 2013
I have an '05 Mercury Sable with not quite 40,000 original mi. on it....recently I thought I needed a new battery, car was not turning over well. Make a long story short, it didn't start well 2 days later with the new battery. Mechanic said the instrument panel is doing something that is draining the battery.....I will be taking it in this coming Monday, and he will be taking, and sending it to be refurbished by a company he said they do a lot of work with. Said it will take about 10 days till I get car back.
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Back in November I traded my sports car in for a more practical 2005 Mariner with 50K miles on it. I had noticed a somewhat delayed start during the test drive (at least compared to what I'm used to) and assumed it was the battery. Car drove great and I loved it otherwise so I made the purchase and went on my way. A couple weeks passed and I noticed the issue seemed to be getting worse and the engine took a couple more turns before firing up. I wasn't surprised as most battery issues surface when the cold weather kicks in. I took it to the dealer and they found a leaky battery and replaced it and again I went on my way. Unfortunately the issue was not resolved with the new battery. I didn't give it much thought thinking it was just the way the vehicle ran until the weather started getting progressively colder and my delayed start became even more prolonged. So back to the service department I go and wait patiently in the lobby with my book, hoping for good news. When they come back to me 2 hrs later they tell me that something is drawing too much power from my battery causing it to drain (alternator is fine) and they need to power everything down for a few hours and investigate the fuses in hopes of finding the culprit to the power drain. Later on I called for a progress check and they're still stumped and would like to keep the vehicle overnight and see if they can figure out the issue after it sits for a night since (as I relayed) the slow starts are primarily in the morning after the car has sat. From what I gathered, the evidence of drain "disappeared" after a while during their little power down session.
Consequently, I have them investigating 2 other issues and I'm wondering if any of them may be related. One- I am having issues depressing the shift button to get the vehicle out of park (also more of a problem in the morning during the first start). Two- on occasion my key sticks in the lock cylinder when I shut off the engine and try to pull the key out. I spent some time online researching all of the above and it seems that there could be some issue with the ignition switch or a bad solenoid somewhere in the circuit... then again, maybe not? The only other bits of info I can offer since owning the vehicle are that I was having some issue with the rear hatch door. I kept getting the "door ajar" light after using the back hatch.. but I'm pretty sure that was due to my own stupidity because the main door release and the top window release are right next to each other and I may have pressed the wrong one- slamming the back hatch hard took care of the light. The other thing is I followed the manual instructions and deactivated the seat belt alarms because I can't stand the seat belt reminder beeping at me when I forget my seatbelt.
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Bought this car, drove it home, when I went to restart it nothing happened. Put in a new battery and still nothing. The starter will arc with a screwdriver but not engage. All the lights and and electrical work so I am thinking its either the neutral safety or the ignition. Is there a way to figure out which one it is with out buying both of them?
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I have a 97 mercury sable, we recently replaced the battery, and alternator but there's something draining the battery. The car was not ran for three days, and the battery was dead.
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My 1997 Mercury Sable has been having a rough time starting lately. It will turn over, but 2 out of 3 starts will be labored. It will crank, but hesitate and finally give enough to start. When I start it at night and turn on the headlights they dim and flicker until the engine has been running a bit.
This car was originally my wife's, and she can't remember the last time it has had it's battery replaced.
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Just got took delivery on a 05 Phaeton. After reading thru most of the newbie FAQ section and getting all the setting done on the vehicle, I turned off the ignition and the center vent wouldn't come down. I tried getting it open and close a couple of times via the climate control with no luck. I tried starting and stopping the engine, the locking and unlocking from the outside. You guys think it's just broke?
Good thing this is still under factory warranty, better make a call to the VW dealer and schedule an appointment.
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Last night, while my wife was driving, the battery light on her instrument panel started flashing. This morning the battery light came back on when she started the car. As she was driving on the highway, the ABS light, the stability light, and couple other lights came on, plus her she was losing power to her wheels. She said it then felt like the car was towing a heavy object and that there was no power going to the wheels or any other part of the car. She was able to drive it a few miles to a parking lot, where it died.
When she tried to restart it, she heard a clicking sound, but had no power and the engine was not turning over. She could not remote lock the doors because the all power was gone.
The tow truck driver tested the car and said the battery is fine, but that the alternator was dead. She had it towed to the dealer, who also says it is the alternator that is the problem.
This all occurred after we had a previous, and resolved issue, to the instrument panel (including the light around the cigarette lighter) and the taillights going out intermittently. The dealer disconnected the electrical connection to the towing package and the lights have stayed on since.
Seems odd to have an alternator go on a two-year old vehicle (we bought it new in Jan 2011). Could it actually be the alternator or something else?
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my wife now drives what was originally my 2005 Honda Civic from '05-'10. In the last 3 or so years since she's been driving it, the Civic has developed a tendency to die on her at inopportune times. A quick jump always fixes the problem but I never, ever had this problem myself when I was driving it and I've had the battery tested at AutoZone twice with both techs telling me the battery was in great shape with cranking amps well above its rating. I've offered to just buy a new battery and eliminate the issue but the "it's fine" report from AZ has me puzzled.
I have noticed that corrosion tends to build up on her positive battery terminal very quickly and I suspect she's getting some drain due to that but I'm stymied as to why it happens. The only thing (and its a stretch) that I can think of is she has a habit that her father taught her of cranking the heat, the defroster AND the A/C in her car when it's cold out. Normally I wouldn't think this would make a difference but I wonder if there is somehow condensation developing in that tiny little Civic engine bay as a result?
I've asked her not to do it and see if the situation improves but old habits die hard. The battery does tend to come up dead (of course) more in the winter but it's not an exclusively cold weather situation. Anyway, after jumping her car in single digits this morning before dawn I am ready to admit defeat and just get a new battery but figured I'd throw it out to the many voices here.
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A couple of weeks ago, with the car turned off, keys out of the ignition - about every thirteen seconds you could hear the air injection pump coming on, running for a couple of seconds and then turning off. The next day the car battery was dead (no surprise) so we charged it up and took it to the shop (AAA) . They told us that it was a faulty MAP sensor and didn't give us a price quote to fix it, just an invoice/diagnostic bill. But they did unplug the air injection pump so that the battery wouldn't keep getting drained.
We drove the car home and called them the next day to get an estimate for the repair and they said that they misdiagnosed the problem and that it was actually a MAF sensor that was causing the air injection pump to come on when the car was turned off and that it would cost around 500 dollars for the part and labor. Too steep so we decided to hold off on the repair. Understanding our reluctance to go through with the repair, they recommended that we plug the air injection pump back in and still drive the car but to make sure that we unhook the battery at night/when the car would be sitting for many hours without being started.
Here's where it gets a little confusing (or at least for me). I did take AAA's advice and went ahead and plugged the air injection pump back in and for the last couple of weeks it's been fine. No issues with the battery being drained whatsoever/no air injection pump coming on with the car turned off. But today the air injection pump started doing its thing again.The check engine light was on so I hooked my code reader up and pulled the following codes:
PO128 (thermostat coolant temp below regulating temp)
PO491 (secondary air injection system (Bank 1)
PO2431 (secondary air intake system FLW/Perf B1
Does all this point to a faulty MAF sensor?
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I recently acquired a 2003 Mercury Sable from a friend and there is a problem with the air conditioning. The car has digital controls. I select the Max AC button, turn the temperature all the way down (60) an the fan all the way up, but it only blows warm air. I can hear and see the AC compressor cycling fairly quickly. The clutch (I think) engages for about one second and it will reengage after about 5 seconds, but again, it only says engaged for about one second.
What could be the problem? I've read the AC system might not have enough pressure and needs to be recharged. Or... the orifice tube is clogged, bad AC pressure switch, or the actuator that closes the heater door might be disconnected.
How quickly should a properly functions AC compressor cycle? The car was not driven much over the past year or two as it was my friend's grandfathers. I may end up taking it to a shop but I don't want to get ripped off. How should I approach this?
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Got a 2002 mercury Sable.. Always stalls out at lights.. Won't idle will stall if you don't give it gas... Also gas pedal cable broke and a spring is broke too.. What might be wrong with engine.
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i have a 2001 mercury sable what im getting is its will not start but starts on occasion like today it started fine this morning did errands before work drove it turned it off short period and then started just fine and then drove to work after work it did not want to start tried every thing check engine light is not on and has not come on im am getting stumped i had to leave it in the parking lot at my work so my question is what could make it do this where it starts on occasion and then when sitting for a period of time will not start it cranks but just does not start
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I have a '99 Mercury Sable with the 3.0 24 Valve DOHC V6. The car occasionally will not start. It only happens after the car has been driven and warmed up, shut off, and then an attempted restart. This problem has occurred in all sorts of temps. Sometimes it will start within 30 minutes, sometimes it takes overnight. But it will start. I have already replaced the fuel pump relay. Is the fuel pump needing to be replaced (b/c it is failing slowly), or is this problem located somewhere else?
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92 mercury sable 3.8so the car just started this on the 4th. it not able to turn off, switch the key to off pull it out car keeps running, been pulling the battery cable, but was told I'd hurt my alternator if kept doing it that way. just trying to fix it, so I tired switching out the ignition cylinder. that didn't fix it and also checked all my fuses they were all fine. My next idea is to change out the whole ignition switch instead of just the cylinder.
Now the second problem that i was trying to nail down before the other started was a issue with the car stalling at idle. it only happens if the car is up to temperature and it's a hot day. plus 75 Fahrenheit. just trying to go with cheapest parts and work my way up i change the air and fuel filters. then this other issue started and took priority.
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A month ago I was pulling onto Hwy 5 and the car stalled. I pulled over and restarted the car - no prob. But, the check engine light came on. I took it to the shop and they said that the check engine light code said there was a problem with the fuel pump. Unfortunately they couldn't find anything wrong with the pump. They reset the check engine light and it didn't come back on and the car ran fine...until Sunday.
On Sunday, I tried to start the car. It would start but only ran for a second or two and then shut down. I took it back to the shop thinking it was the fuel pump failing but they say the fuel pump seems ok, they've replaced the fuel filter but it still won't start. They seem to flummoxed. What might be going on?
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I recently purchased a 2004 Mercury Sable with about 112K miles on it. I am having some troubles with my car and I'm not sure where to start first in repairing it. I recently took my car to a mechanic because accelerating on the highway or going up hills made my car sound engine run very hard and loud, my RPMs went up to 3K and my speed dropped to 15 mph (which is a disaster when you're on the highway and hit a steep grade). My car absolutely cannot do any sort of hill so the mechanic suggested that either he or I replace one of the catalytic converters. He showed me which one he thought was throwing the error code. I replaced that catalytic converter and I thought my problems were solved because I could accelerate without difficulty.
However, a day later I tried to drive it up a hill and got the exact same response as before. RPMS jump up and the speed drops down to 15 mph and I've just about got the pedal to the floor. I have friends who repair cars as a hobby and they disagree with each other where I should go from here. One friend says replace the muffler and resonator (possible blockage that cannot bear any stress under a load...like going up a hill). Another friend says replace the third catalytic converter (one was replaced when we bought the car by the dealership, and I just replaced another one). He says when one catalytic converter goes the others are not far behind.
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One of the possible locations for the CD changer for my 2004 Mercury Sable in the Owner's Manual said right side cargo area storage compartment. Is that the back of the wagon?
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This morning I went to start my car and it wouldn't start. So naturally I had it jumped and it started. When it did there was white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. I do want to mention that 2 days ago it was really low on oil and I added 3qts. It is almost 3,000miles over its oil change but this is the first time since I have had the car that the oil has not been changed when it should be. Do you think it just needs a tune up and oil change? My car is a 99' Mercury Sable with over 100,000 miles.
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2001 Mercury Sable? I recently have gotten to use a 2001 Sable that is a perfectly great car. Low mileage, (43,000) fully loaded etc. However, it was obviously not driven very much, once a week back and forth to the beauty shop, but it was not garaged... mostly parked under a carport or a tree. What keeps happening is the Low coolant light comes on after it has been driven a while. The car has been checked out, and the coolant levels are fine... that's easy to see... no leaks were found. Recommended repairs were Trans Flush, Belt, and Fuel Injection service. I have noticed that after the light comes on the AC stops working as well on the Max setting and I lose fan speed adjustment ability. The way I know that is because when I turn the AC to AUTO and the fan on high, it blows harder. I have also noticed that after driving it with the light on, when I stop the car I can smell radiator fluid - but I haven't spotted any leaks - but I haven't looked very hard because mostly I just stop driving it. What may be causing the light to come on? Is it actually related to the AC, or is that a separate problem, OR is it a computer problem? Has there been a recall on this? Is it something that I need to worry about?
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The problem I'm having is with a 1994 mercury sable 3.8Let me start off with the things I've fixed, water pump, thermostat, radiator, complete head job done profesionally, and fan is straight wired to run on high all the time.
Now the interesting part. The car immediately overheard when the AC is turned on and only when it's on. It only overheats when your moving, not when your in park or in stopped traffic. What the heck is going on with it? All fluids are changed regularly and full. i unplugged the temp gauge sensor when running and it did not drop the needle does this mean it's bad?
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I have a problem with a 2002 Mercury sable. At idle and under acceleration, it has a miss, it's worse when cold then improves when it's warm but never goes away and almost seems to come and go when driving. It's definitely worse going slow or idling. The check engine light is also on, I scanned the codes and it came up with 4 cylinders misfiring. codes were p0301 p0302 p0303 p0305 p0316 to be specific. I changed the spark plugs last weekend, how it ran at all is something I'll never understand they were so bad, obviously original with 150,000 miles on the engine.
It's a little better now but not much. Where I should look next? I've been told a lot of things but I can't keep throwing money at this, I'm unemployed so really the next major attempt is probably the last. Anything I should try? If it was carbureted with the old distributor I'd have this fixed in no time but fuel injection and computers, coil packs, all totally new to me. No white smoke out the exhaust, no funny noises just a miss and check engine light with only the codes above.
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