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Thread: Electrical gremlins

  1. #1
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone RustRat's Avatar
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    Electrical gremlins

    Something's wrong with my new Miata. I am guessing bad ground points, but electricals is not my strong point.

    Symptoms I noticed:

    •pop-ups won't open when I turn on the headlights, or will open for 5-10 seconds, and then close. Headlights remain turned on, and light in my engine bay. I have to press the pop-up button from the console to open them.

    •the newly installed radio won't turn the volume up or down as it should. If I spin the knob to turn the volume up, it will go up, then down, then up again, until it settles at a slightly higher point than it was before.

    •radio will lose signal from the antenna if there is any other form of electrical load in the cabin. For example, if I plug in a charger in the lighter, reception becomes slightly worse. If I plug in my phone on the charger, reception becomes even worse. If I use my windows, reception becomes worse, etc.

    •Last night I noticed that when I my lights turned on, and also the alarms/emergency stop lights (brain fart, can't remember what they are called), the tach needle dips every time the relay clicks.

    •Finally, I don't know if it's related, but even though the car is bone stock, it has trouble idling, especially when cold. if I blip the throttle it will shut off occasionally.

    Any ideas? Harry suggested to check battery and alternator outputs at idle. Will do that later today.


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    Last edited by RustRat; 06-26-2017 at 04:10 AM. Reason: Typo

  2. #2
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Idle dip *might* be voltage related, so checking battery/alternator would be the first to do. The rest of the symptoms confuse me.

  3. #3
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RustRat View Post
    Something's wrong with my new Miata. I am guessing bad ground points, but electricals is not my strong point.

    Symptoms I noticed:

    •pop-ups won't open when I turn on the headlights, or will open for 5-10 seconds, and then close. Headlights remain turned on, and light in my engine bay. I have to press the pop-up button from the console to open them.

    •the newly installed radio won't turn the volume up or down as it should. If I spin the knob to turn the volume up, it will go up, then down, then up again, until it settles at a slightly higher point than it was before.

    •radio will lose signal from the antenna if there is any other form of electrical load in the cabin. For example, if I plug in a charger in the lighter, reception becomes slightly worse. If I plug in my phone on the charger, reception becomes even worse. If I use my windows, reception becomes worse, etc.

    •Last night I noticed that when I my lights turned on, and also the alarms/emergency stop lights (brain fart, can't remember what they are called), the tach needle dips every time the relay clicks.

    •Finally, I don't know if it's related, but even though the car is bone stock, it has trouble idling, especially when cold. if I blip the throttle it will shut off occasionally.

    Any ideas? Harry suggested to check battery and alternator outputs at idle. Will do that later today.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Issue 1: sticking relay or bad/corroded centerstack switch (the pop-up button switch on the tombstone)

    Issue 2 & 3: bad aftermarket installation or faulty product.

    Issue 4: I don't understand the description.

    Issue 5: Any CELs or codes thrown would help. This could be a variety of issues, bad ground, bad O2 sensor, vacuum leak, loose connector, etc.

    Videos of the issues happening and the variable that cause them are helpful, they don't need to be long.

  4. #4
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Issue 4 is when using the hazard lights; idle droop synced to hazard relay "clicks"

  5. #5
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Maybe check for water damage/corroded connections, too, on top of what Harry suggested.

  6. #6
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone RustRat's Avatar
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    EU NAs didn't have OBD, so no codes.

    I installed the radio myself, so it's possible I messed something up.

    And I figured all these might be connected. I'll keep looking.


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  7. #7
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift NCGreasemonkey's Avatar
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    Hey Nut!

    Disconnect the radio. Then see if the problems are still there.

    I'm guessing they will be. If so check all the grounding points and and positive connections. Might have water intrusion into the fuse block. But the grounds and hots would be mi first thought as you are losing things as the AMP load is increased.

    Let me know Brother!
    ... Rick

    Quote Originally Posted by Hammerhead View Post
    ...and don't be like an NCGreasemonkey.
    For the thread on Noir click below
    http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....e-light-Slowly

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to NCGreasemonkey For This Useful Post:

    HarryB (06-28-2017)

  9. #8
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    Check the battery terminal connections as i've seen the wires on the little terminals wear down and start losing proper contact.

    As you check the grounding points keep some sandpaper and a scotch brite pad handy so you can rough them up and ensure good contact. Also cleaning them up makes them shiny a bit and helps you remember which ones you've checked so you don't double over and or miss others.

    If you're checking relay and fuse contacts grab a can of electrical contact cleaner, preferably one designed for RC cars as they have more stuff in them for cutting through grime, and after you inspect each fuse/ relay/ contact give it a good spray and then let it evap for a minute. Since your in the EU LRP makes some good stuff, Muchmore Speed Clean 3 is also very nice, and if you can find it, Duratrax Powershot.

    You said you installed the radio yourself, how did you go about adapting it to the stock NA harness? Check your connections, Crimping or soldering is the best versus twist and tape. If you did crimp and its still suspect, spend the money on a good crimping tool and high quality crimps from an industrial supply versus your local hardware store.

    If all else fails go over every inch of wiring related to suspect components and make sure there are no cuts, frays, etc. Some wire-in systems use those little terminals that tap into wires and cut the insulation themselves, but I find if you don't have a 150 Kilo gorilla snap them together they often don't fully cut through the insulation. A quick slice with a hobby knife or a quick cut with some fancy self-adjusting wire strippers helps a lot. (I still don't trust them but a lot of people don't want to deal with manual tapping versus just one connector)

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