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iTrader: (1)

Okay so this is totally stumping me.

I have something draining my battery, I've hooked up my DMM and started pulling fuses, using the following test:
Unhook positive terminal and leave negative correct.
Use DMM probes to complete circuit between the positive battery post and positive terminal

I pulled all the fuses in the engine bay and started putting them in one by one, the Main fuse when connected draws 12.65V, obviously something is draining it.

The other issue is that when the car is running it seems to stumble and hesitate all over, it's like hitting fuel cut and then suddenly it kicks back on for long enough to make the car buck and then cuts out again. The weird thing is, it idles fine.

Aftermarket electronics are a Blitz TT, Sony head unit and a keyless entry system, I can't see any of these drawing that much voltage.

Is my test method incorrect? If it is correct what are the next step in diagnosing the drain (I'm not a super electrical guru by any means).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Sam

HAILERS

The MAIN FUSE is tied in with the output cable on the alternator and is also spliced to the single black wire the feeds the ignition switch. So you can do several things.

One is to remove the output cable of the alternator and wait overnight to see it that keeps the batt from bleeding down.

Or you can make SURE the key is to Lock prior to taking the key out and leave everything else conected up. That's not the likely cause. And wait overnight to see if the battery is still up.

Or disconnect the plug for the ignition switch that has two wires. One wire pure black (feed wire from the Main Fuse) and the other wire is black/white that feeds IG 1 bus on the interior fuse box, but only if the key is to ON or better. And wait overnight to see if the battery is still up.

Normally you'd get a meter that reads amps and configure it as shown in the attached jpg and then pull cables/fuses off and see if the amp go down or not.

I'm betting on the alternator. Guessing.

You have a stock series four alternator? Or a series five alternator in a series four car?

When you turn the key to ON, engine OFF, do you get all the warning lights to come on as they should? Or not?

barcode

iTrader: (1)

I have an S6 alternator in it that I installed about a three years ago, it recently died (two months back) and I had it rebuilt by a shop I trust pretty well. My voltmeter reads about 14V cruising so I think it's okay? The battery is slightly swelled on the sides but not fully blistered. I haven't had it tested either to see if it's just a battery issue. The car was stored for about a year while I was gone and when I started driving it again it had some funky charging issues/drain/ dead alternator (which is when I replaced the last one).

When I installed the alternator I believe I installed it according to the instructions posted on the board that I can't seem to find anymore, but it was really straight forward (I just changed the S4 plug to the S6 plug and fabbed a little insulated post deal so it wouldn't ground out against the IC and had a pulley machined) and it worked like a champ for along time until the car sat.

The idiot lights do turn on when the key is on with the engine off.

What about the stumbling though? It almost feels like a bad ground somewhere to me?

But thanks for your help, I'll go do the test per the FSM instructions you posted.

Thanks!
Sam

Mr.FC3s

is it possible that the battery is done? I would see if the battery itself can hold a charge. unplugged in the garage

barcode

iTrader: (1)

I left it unplugged and in the car overnight last night and it seemed to hold charge as it fired right up today, I drove it work but the crazy thing is stumbling and hesitating everytime I try and accelerate at all, and it gets even worse between 3500 and 4100 RPM which makes me think it's some crazy ECU/ground related issue. Is it possible that the ECU is fried, draining my battery and causing the hesitation?

Mr.FC3s

That may be the cause or it could just be a bad ground. I belive mr cake has a write up on checking the ECU. I do remember Icemark will be able to help you out with this. you know it might just be an open ignition switch.

sim_rx3

i've got my money the reg in the alternator is dead.

are all the terminals connected properly on the series 6 alt??

B+ = constant power from battery, cables should have been upgraded to handle higher output.
Field connection = constant power from battery (not B+ terminal)
charge connection = ignition volts from charge circuit


in aus we have found the replacement regs arent as good as the originals and are more suseptable to failing if the alternator isnt connected properly..

barcode

iTrader: (1)

I went by a friend shop, he said the alternator is dead (bummer, I just had it rebuilt).

I'll be replacing it with a stock S4 set up tomorrow, hopefully that will fix the hesitation and everything too.

sim_rx3

to be honest man get ya series 6 fixed.

more capacity is better then none (going back to original) especially if you have aftermarket electric stuff connected..

the original system wasnt sdesigned for extra electrical equipment which why they (series 4 alternator) are prone to failure.

then connect the series 6 alternator properly and it will last and will run great.

when a properly connected load sensative alt is connected, first run it will put out around 14.7 volts.

after a bit of a drive it usually sits 14.1 volts on the nose and doesnt move at all.

cause yours is a series 4 do this for a series 6 alt conversion -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...conversion.jpg

Hot_Dog

Let me see if I understand you correctly. Your DMM is connected in series with positive battery terminal and cable and you are measuring voltage? How can that be? If your DMM is connected in SERIES with the + terminal of the battery and positive cable, than you need to setup the meter to measure current. Make sure the current draw doesn't exceed the meter's current rating.

Hot_Dog
90 RX7 GXL

HAILERS

I think this is what your looking for. Or was looking for.

Actually on a series five, the S terminal comes off the EGI fuse in the engine bay. You can connect the L to the same white/black wire as the original series series four (sounds like you had that wired right to me). The original series four black/white just gets tied back on the harness and not used.

In other words Mazda likes to used a Fused source for the constant power to the S terminal. That said, mine isn't fused. Gotta take care of that someday. On a series four one socket in the engine bay fuse box is empty, and that'd make a ideal, straight fwd source of fused power for the S terminal.

HAILERS

Third generation/series six/whatever.......jpgs are atttached. It shows a transistor in the alternator regulator that switches a ground to the L terminal when the alternator isn't outputting. The ground goes from the regulator out the L terminal to the instrument cluster and puts a gnd on three light bulbs (warning lights).

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iTrader: (1)

Okay so I swapped in a stock S4 alt (it was what was available and I needed to get to work). It seems to be charging 13.5-13.6 according to my voltmeter and seems to be charging the battery.

The car still has a funky hesitation though as mentioned above although now it's not quite as pronounced but still pretty bad. I'll check the TPS this afternoon but I'm not sure what else I could try on that side of the fence. Any ideas?

HAILERS

Is it a recent hesitation? Like the car ran like a champ for several months and how it's gotten dodgey?

Are you measuring the voltage with the meter attached to the large output terminal on the alternator? IF not, then put the positive lead of the meter on that large terminal and the negative lead of the meter on the CASE of the alternator. I bet the voltage is in the 14 area if you do that.

barcode

iTrader: (1)

It is a recent hesitation, the car pulled hard always until just recently, as in it ran fine for 2+ years or longer until just about three or four days ago.

It fired right up after my 15 minute drive to work, so I'm assuming that it's charging okay.

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iTrader: (1)

Okay, so now after a 15 minute drive home from work I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then went out to go to the grocery store, it cranks super slow and when I initially hit the starter it clicks and then starts to crank slow. I still have strong headlights and interior lights seem to work.

This is really bazaar. I wonder if the alternator took out the battery on its way out?

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

With the alternator being bad for that length of time,I am gonna bet that the Battery has taken a Dump on ya too.
You said it was Swelled on the sides.I wouldn't trust that for all the Coffee in Trinidad(tea in China).
Try this,grab another Battery and run around with it for a day.That way you can rule out the Charging/electrical system as being the Source of the hesitation.
I had a alternator go.replaced it,only to find out it had Cooked the Battery,so Maybe this is another one of those Scenarios.

barcode

iTrader: (1)

It's possible, maybe I'll grab one tomorrow or Saturday and give it a go. I kind of think that something else is cooked though.

The battery isn't swelled all that much, just a bit.

na5

best bet is to get it tested just take a quick trip to any auto parts store easy to rule out

na5

and you might have some problems from storing it if you didn't follow proper store procedure with your gas and such

barcode

iTrader: (1)

Okay so I just had the battery and alternator tested, both of which tested GOOD.

Weird problem: when I pulled the alternator, like an intelligent person I forgot to disconnect the battery cable, the alternator grounded out against the intercooler, sparked and the whole nine yards but didn't blow a fuse. That says to me that some wire somewhere is exposed/broken.

So the car seems to have a short is what I can tell, which would explain the hesitation, maybe broken wire or something making some and then no contact. Any ideas on how to find the short?

Thanks guys!
Sam

HAILERS

NO, no, no, no. There is no problem at all. The alternators output terminal is hot all day long. IT leaves the alternator and splits off and goes to two places. One place if the REAR side of the engine bay fuse box. A 10mm size bolt on the rear side of the fuse box, which also holds the MAIN FUSE in the fuse box. The power goes thru the MAIN FUSE to the front side of the fuse box where the other bolt that holds the MAIN FUSE in the box is, and from there, there is another bolt that holds the cable from the batterys positive post.

The other wire spliced to the alternators ouput terminal goes to the IGNITION SWITCH as a pure black wire in the same plug with a black/white wire.

You might very well have blown the MAIN FUSE in the engine bay fuse box. Unbolt it and ohm out the MAIN FUSE to see if it's good. That's IF your having a problem now after the arcing of the alternator cable.

Bottom line is, there is no short other than you touching the B cable of the alternator to gnd. Might have popped the MAIN FUSE if you did that. Might NOT have popped it also. Depends.

barcode

iTrader: (1)

It didn't pop the main fuse, that's the fuse I was referring to.

What can I check to make sure that it's charging/working because the current setup all tested good and it died on me the other day after about 30 minutes of driving?

HAILERS

Ah fudge. You have a Turbo with no volt gauge in the instrument panel.

Well, I think you have access to a voltmeter. Put the meters positive lead on the alternators large terminal and the meters negative lead held against the alternators case. With the engine runing see what the meter reads. Should be over 14vdc done like that. Now turn the headlights on and the heater and look and see what it reads then. It still should be close to 14vdc.

IF you read the voltage at the battery terminals it most likely will be a touch lower in the reading. Nowhere as low as below 13vdc though. Even 13 is too low.

Slow to crank starter but good headlights if you turn 'em on? Either a bad starter ground or bad hot cable on the starter.............or bum starter.

Post #16 above by you sort of yells out bad starter or bad connections at the starter, what with the headlights good and bright. The large cable on the starter solenoid comes directly from the battery positve post. The large cable that is attached to the LONG bolt on the starter (outboard bolt, holds the starter on the engine) is the ground cable for the starter and most everything else. It comes directly from the battery negative post.

IF the alternator puts out good in the garage, it most likely puts out when driving. Seems a starter problem.

The WARNING lights all come on when the alternator isn't working. An example is when you turn the key On and engine is OFF. When the engine starts, all the warning lights go off (except maybe Brake if the hand lever is up). So if your driving and the warning lights don't come on then the alternator is putting out.

Starter problem, NOT alternator.

barcode

iTrader: (1)

Okay, I can believe that but will the starter ground being bad cause the car to hesitate? I could see that happening I suppose.