Mazda - Mazda3 :: 2006 Intermittent Failure To Start / Continues After New Battery
May 14, 2013
I have a very reliable Mazda 3 2006. For the last month I have had a problem with it refusing to start. I put the key in the ignition, turn it on and nothing. No start, no grinding, no clicking, no sound at all. Got a new battery and it happened again. The second AAA tow guy taught me to start the car by putting it in neutral ( with foot brake and hand brake on) and then start it, which does the trick when it won't start otherwise.
After the new battery and continued problems I asked my mechanic to check the electrical system. He did and said everything was fine.
I don't know whether this is a generator, alternator, computer or battery problem. And I don't know what I am doing to my car when I do the neutral set start. I don't know if I am hurting my car when I do that.
The problem is intermittent. There is no pattern: length of trip before I stop, length of time the car is not used, etc. What is causing this and what needs to be looked at/ fixed.
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I'll be driving the car fine, but after driving for maybe 10+ minutes and then stopping for 20-30 minutes, my manual 2002 Mazda Tribute DX (about 126K miles) won't start. It doesn't act flooded at all, all I hear is a click. The lights and radio and air conditioning and everything come on perfectly, but it won't start. About half of the time, it won't work at all with repeated attempts but after about 5 min. it'll just start normally. I've towed it to a shop 3 times now, on the first the alternator was replaced, and after about a week the same problem occurred, etc.
My mechanic then thought I might not be pressing the clutch all the way down since it worked right after towing but after about a week (I removed the floor mat and even made a video of me, a relatively large male, pressing as hard as safely possible on the clutch) but it still wouldn't start. It was towed, and now the car is at the shop again but the mechanic can't reproduce the problem yet again. Its battery and clutch were just replaced about a year ago, the connections don't look corroded, and my mechanic's tests on the alternator seem fine. Steering wheel isn't locked, and (supposedly) the shop's tried looking at the starter.
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Recently, the brakes on my wife's Mazda 3 (5 door, 2.3, 2005, 67k miles, automatic) failed while she was driving slowly in a parking lot. The pedal went all the way to the floor, but the car did not slow down. She used her key to turn off the engine (I've since suggested she use the parking brake instead). The car shuddered (presumably the engine slowing the car?) to a stop. She re-started her car and had some braking power, which returned to normal after a few pumps of the brakes. Since then, the car has been looked at by our usual mechanic and the dealer. Neither can find anything wrong and the brakes have been performing normally.
For it's age, the car is in good condition, has been regularly serviced, and has spent it's entire life in southern California. The only unscheduled maintenance I can recall has been the refurbishment of the electric window switches for the driver's door and some modest body work following a hit and run on the interstate (just dents and scratches). It's only other issues are an occasional rough idle when stopped at a light and harsh shifting from first to second or second to third gear when the car is cold (it's done this "forever," and I've always figured one of the accumulators was a bit sticky). The car was not serviced immediately before the incident. Is the car safe to drive?
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I have a 2008 Mazda3 (2.3L automatic, 34K miles), which has recently been annoying me.. The problem started about 4 months ago, when I got new tires and a brake job (pads + rotor resurfacing). Ever since, it has been having intermittent vibrations. I feel the vibrations mostly on the floor, but sometimes also on the steering wheel. Here's what I've done so far:
When the vibrations started, i thought it was a problem with the new tires. I had them re-balanced 3 times at two different places, with no improvement. I then took the car to the dealer, who replaced two of the three engine mounts (it appears these tend to break easily on this model). This seemed to improve the situation for about half a day, and then it went back to the same. I took it back to the dealer, who could not find anything wrong. Not being satisfied, I took it to a different dealer, who could also not find anything wrong.
So, I am now stuck with this vibration.. It is not always there, and not always of the same magnitude... it seems to be more likely to happen in the morning after a colder night (well, as cold as it gets in Los Angeles). It is most likely to be felt at around 45-50mph, but you can also feel it at higher speed sometimes. A couple of times I could definitely feel it at around 25mph. Also, I've noticed that the engine vibrates when the car is stopped, at around 1500-1800rpm (e.g. when I first turn it on). The dealer claims that this is natural for a 4-cyl engine, but I had never felt a vibration before.
My gut feeling is that this is something related to the engine, but two different dealers could not find a problem... since this is intermittent, it is hard to nail down I guess.
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I have a 2005 Mazda3 with a 2.0 engine & a five speed transmission and 94,000 miles. Since June the car has twice not started, and so far three trips to two different Mazda dealers have not resolved the problem. The car had sat overnight, when I tried to start it the engine it turned over normally, and sounded normal, for just a second. Then it sounded like it started turning over much much faster than normal and the turning over sound changed to the sound of a high speed "whirl" (I don't know any other way to describe it).
In both cases the car just turned over and over and never sounded like it was going to start, resulting in a tow being needed. I've now found out that the dealer started the car by pushing the gas pedal to the floor, then cranking over the engine and then very slowly releasing the gas pedal until the engine started to fire. In the three months in between the non start days the car has started fine and it drives fine, lots of power, constant power with no surges or bogging down. The dealers have checked the compression, fuel PSI, and run computer diagnostics and everything appears to be normal. They also removed the value cover and say that as far as they can tell the fuel injectors seem to be functioning normally.
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I have a 2008 Mazda 3, and I have been bringing it to the same car wash for about a year now. It's the kind where the guys take it, while I sit in the lil' cafe and read. Eventually they drive it around front, wipe it down, clean the inside and hand it over. The last two times, the car needed to be jump started, because the battery would not start after the wash. The manager assured me this was normal, but the other guys at the car wash always seem surprised. Should I be thinking about getting a new battery? Is this really normal?
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This has happened 3 times now in the last couple of months. After driving on wet roads, our 2003 Mazda3 won't start. It won't even crank or turnover (primary vs. secondary ignition). All of the other electronics come on when you turn the key, but nothing from under the hood. After a while of presumably drying out... anywhere from 15 minutes to hours, it starts again. I'm thinking something is shorting, but what.
Mechanic can't figure it out... but he's only had it for a day, and it's been dry, and starting fine.
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My Mazda has 50k miles on it. I have recently gotten a new job where I park my car in a covered parking garage.When the car is parked in this parking garage It cranks fine but it is slow to start. The car does this odd behavior only inside the parking garage when I am coming home from work. It starts fine in the morning. Recently I did not start it for 2 days, and it cranked up and started just fine. I am not sure what exactly is wrong with it. My other question is how long is too long, is a 4 second start time too long or am I just over thinking this one.
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About a month ago my 2006 Mazda3 (35,000 mi) started making loud creaking sounds everytime I turned and went over a bump. I took it into two mechanic shops and they both said the struts in the front were leaking fluid and needed to be replaced, in addition to the mounts and the swaybar link. I had all of this done, but when I got my car back it was making a new, very loud, clunking sound that I could also feel on one side when I drove over bumps. The sound was similar to the noise your car makes when the undercarriage hits the ground over a bump. I immediately took it back in, and the mechanic told me that the set of struts he had installed were "bad" and that he would put in new ones. This was done this weekend, but now my car is making the original creaking and groaning sound it did before, except much more audibly now. My car groans and creaks even if I turn the wheel while motionless.
I've heard that cars need time to "settle" into new struts. Does my car just need time to adjust?
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I have a Mazda 3 5-door and I believe it is a 2010 model year, with between 50k-70k miles. I've been, I believe, consistent with regular maintenance schedules, and this is the first issue I've had, and I've been having it for a bit of time now (a few weeks). I've tried various things to try and understand the issues that bring it up.
First, I don't remember if this started before or after, but my "Check Engine" light popped on. I brought it in to have the code read and it was the one for the gas cap not being on properly. The person reset the diagnostic code, tightened the cap, and I went on my way.
A few hours later it came back. Okay, but that's not the issue, and I mention it only because of the other things I've observed.
The real problem is, after I've been driving for "awhile" at highway speeds, and I add fuel, the car has a very difficult time starting. I have to really press the accelerator down to get it to start, and even then it can take a good 5 seconds of holding the key to "start".
Things I've noticed:- If I fill up at the start of a trip, so that the car hasn't been running long, I can fill up and the car starts immediately.- I thought it might be a problem with fuel spilling over into the overflow, so I've added less fuel (so I ended with the needle pointing between 3/4 and full) but it still had trouble starting- After I start it, it runs rough for a bit and I feel like I have to rev it to keep it from stalling, though I haven't left it to idle to see if it actually will stall.- After the difficult start, if I drive as little as down a city block, turn the car off, and back on, it has no trouble starting, nor does it stutter like it does when I fill it up.- If I take a long drive but don't add any fuel, it starts up right away.
I've always used 87 octane fuel, which seems to work fine, and I feel as though that's the recommended grade, isn't it? I also try to fill it up when the needle reads 1/4 of a tank or a bit more, but I do notice that, if I allow the pump to auto-shutoff the car will accept 9-10 gallons (and I thought it was a 10.5 gallon tank, which is less than 1/4 left... I'm not sure how bad that is...)
What it could possibly be? Or even additional tests I could try to narrow it down?
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My front driver's side tire squeaks like an old mattress when I drive, especially over any bumps or when turning. Could this be caused by a cracked wheel rim? I got new tires and had them rotated/balanced about 3 months ago. The squeaking started right before this so I asked the tire place to check it out, but they said they didn't see anything. The squeaking has become increasingly more annoying since then. Note: I also got new struts about 6 mos ago and then drove my car across country. Since then I have driven quite a bit in the city which involves very bad pot holes.
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For the past year I have had intermittent start issues with my LS that occur about 15 percent of the time. Ambient or engine temperature do not make a difference. Sometimes the starter engages but then disengages right away. I then need to depress the start button an additional time or two before it actually starts. At other times the starter engages and continues cranking while the engine sounds like it is trying to start (like it is just barely keeping ahead of the starter speed). That carries on for several seconds and then it starts. Nothing shows on diagnostics and the dealer says I am going to have to wait until there is a complete "no start" before they can trouble shoot. There was a similar issue with earlier 460 models but the Lexus service tech said that problem does not apply to the 2011's. It seems there is a lack of fuel delivery but from what point? And why only intermittent and momentary?
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We began to get an intermittent cruise control failure (big exclamation point in the lower left of the MFD and no green "cruise" when the lever was clicked to "on") in my wife's 2007 2.0T Passat several months ago. During the same period she told me that the car occasionally didn't want to crank...although it always started on a second try. Well, to make a long story short, I had the battery replaced at the 60K service a couple weeks ago and the cruise has worked flawlessly ever since.
I put two and two together just before I took it in for service when the car showed failure of the antiskid system in addition to the cruise following a particularly difficult start. Sure enough, the new battery fixed it. Apparently some of the accessory systems go into a failure mode when they don't get enough current on startup.
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So when its cold and im talking below 55 degrees, and the truck hadn't been started that day, it will turn over 3 or 4 times before the voltmeter takes a dive down to 10 volts or so and doesn't start. The voltage will keep falling if cranking continues. I took the batteries out and had them tested. They are both above the rated cca. So im thinking it could be the starter windings?
I did replace an injector recently so all the cranking to get it going again may have ruined the starter? But when I hook up the battery charger and jump the truck it starts. And after it has been started it will continue to start easily the rest of the day.
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I have had a problem compounding for about 6 months. The car will not even try to turn over. One day she works perfect, the next day the starter won't even try to turn over. Recently it has been getting worse, I continued to roll start when it wouldn't start and kept driving... but now it will not even try to start at all.
I thought perhaps it was the starter solenoid failing, but when I took it to advance auto parts they tested it and it was functioning just as it should. I then figured it could be the relay, but I can hear it clicking on. What else could it be? I know that the spark plug wires and distributor are all good because I have personally replaced them in the last 6 months. I found some things on the internet referring to a clutch pedal ignition lock switch. Any good way to test it?
[URL] .....
This would appear to be the switch that I have heard of. Can it cause a complete breach of power from the ignition switch to the starter when failing? I will check to make sure that power is not making it to the starter tomorrow... I'm just not that familiar with the circuit.
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I have a 2006 Mazda3 with about 112K miles on it and what I have noticed recently is that the steering shakes a lot. I looked up online for a possible cause and have found that wheel balancing could be a reason. I got wheels balanced and aligned but still there is still some vibration in the steering, so what do you think could be the reason? I have got rotors machined once before, like a year ago.
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I have a 2004 Mazda 3. I just had it inspected and cabin air filter replaced. Now, my car makes a loud noise when the a/c is on and I'm accelerating. The noise sounds like a fan is vibrating /something is blocking it or like a motor is rev-ing that shouldn't be. There definitely is something wrong that wasn't there before the filter/s replaced. I watched a Youtube video on it... a real pain to replace them, but it looked like the fithad to be pretty tight... Could the filters have been installed incorrectly or some part not put back together correctly?
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I hear a noise- what I can best describe as a metallic plucking sound - like a low metallic chord being plucked- when my automatic transmission 2008 Mazda3 shifts from first to second gear. It only happens the first time. I don't hear it after the car ihas been driving and is warmed up. Any thoughts on what could be happening?
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My mazda 3i is cutting out while driving. I added fuel injector additive to gas and it still cuts out. Battery check is fine. What the issue can be. RPM loss
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I've noticed this winter that my Mazda 3's heater is barely working using fresh air. It definitely gives out warmer air than the outside temperature, but not by a whole lot. If I turn on air recirculation, then the air becomes appropriately warm. What would cause the heater to work one way and not the other?
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I own a mazda 3 6 speed and im curious as how to test my clutch for slippage. I read on a old forum that to put the e brake up and put the car in 1st gear and release the clutch. When i did that my car tried to move but after a couple seconds i put it back in neutral. Another forum said to do the same but put it in 3rd as i released the clutch it stalled right away.
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