Possible Electrical Problem?
 

Hi All,

2 weeks back, I used cigarette lighter socket to use my mobile phone charger. The next day, when i try to start the car, the car didnt start smoothly. It moaned 2 or 3 times before starting. Every time my car is off for about 4 hours, the car had trouble starting, moaning 2 or 3 times before starting. At the point when car starts, headlight's flash for about a second or 2. On the otherhand, if the car runs for about 20-30 mins, and i off it and immediately start it, the car starts smoothly.

I took the car to Mazda dealer here in saudi arabia, and they suggested to replace the battery. But what i am really scared is, since my headlights flash while starting, I suspect some short circuit, that could be draining the battery while the car is not in use. Has any one had similar experiences in the past? If so, what was done to rectify it. Any help is appreciated.

It does sound like the battery or battery connections, the headlights are "flashing" because the battery does not have the amps (and therefore volts) to fully power them when you try to start the car. Take a voltmeter and measure the voltage across the battery while a friend starts the car, tell us the standing voltage (before starting) and the lowest reading while starting it.

Also welcome to the forums! If you could give us more info on what car it is that would also help, you can fill out your signature (look at mine as an example) that way we all know what your talking about when you post ;)

Thank you MazdaTirol. My car is Mazda 3 - 2007 model, run about 180,000KM. Yesterday, after running for about 20 minutes, voltmeter read 13.3 (while the engine is still on). I didn't get chance to measure standing voltage and the lowest voltage while starting.

I will try replacing the battery tonight. I will update you tomorrow, if that solves the issue.

Thank u and I will change the signature soon. :)

If your getting 13.3v at idle then that should be ok but if its 13.3v at anything more than 1000rpm then you might also have an alternator issue BUT recheck after you get a new battery, the old battery might just be too worn out for your alternator to properly charge it.

Thanks for your suggestion. I changed the battery last night, today morning I had no trouble starting the car. I hope the issue is solved, but I have to wait and see if the new battery begins to develop any problems.

How old was the old battery? If it was less than 2 years old have your alternator checked just to be sure.

I am using the car since last 3 months only. But last night while changing the battery, the person at the battery shop suggested it might be 2 years old. Anyhow, I will check the alternator this weekend, just to be sure :)

Would you know if using the cigarette lamp socket for other purposes such as charging mobile, might cause any sort of problem to the car or the device that is being used?

No it shouldn't cause any problem at all unless there was a short in your device or the lighter socket, in both cases I think the worst that would happen is you would pop a fuse and it (possibly the radio as well) wouldn't work. Did you happen to leave the charger plugged into the socket overnight? They still draw power even when nothing is being charged, it could have ran your battery down enough to cause the starting issues since the battery's health wasn't too good.

THIS ! Even for just a couple hours!
Another trick i do when staring the car is to pull the handbrake. On my Mazda 6 it turns off the headlights allowing more current for starting the car.
Wrapping your battery in some kind of insulation keeps the heat and cold off of it for maximum life and power!

Since it's an 07 if you bought it new, you know when the battery was replaced. If you bought it used, and the battery is 2 years or less old, remember this, you CAN buy cheap batteries. I'd say the battery will fix your problems.