Diagnosis request: Mazda 3 losing power

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cKGunslinger

Lifer
Nov 29, 1999
16,408
57
91
My relatively faithful 2008 Mazda 3i (5-speed manual) is having issues that maybe you guys can help diagnose.

Timeline:

Several months I noticed that after starting the car and driving off, sometimes in the middle of a turn (from a stop,) the radio would "blink" (lose power then come back on) and the power-steering would do the same (hard to turn.) The car engine would not die, but it would definitely lose power and chug through the turn. Halfway through turn, the radio would kick back in, as well as power steering, and the car would take off (probably because as I feel the car starting to drag, I instinctively give it more gas - being a manual transmission.)

When this happened I could always pull the car over and kill the ignition, restart the car, and it would be happy the rest of the trip.

Over a few weeks, this behavior increased. On multiple times, I could catch it in the driveway, in that I could start the car, let it idle, then turn the steering wheel hard in each direction. Sometimes, it would repeat that behavior - radio blinks off and back on, power steering gives out, engine sounds like it's losing power. Killing the ignition and restarting often solved the issue. Interesting (maybe?) is the fact that when I killed the ignition, all the gauges on the dash would go through sequence of needles hitting 0, max, 0. This is the only time I ever see this.

=> Video: https://youtu.be/5ozQ4KY4hoM


About one month ago, the car does this while driving down a highway. Engine lulls, radio goes off and on, power-steering goes out randomly. But it happens every time I tap the brakes, turn up/down the A/C, use a blinker, turn the wheel - basically anything that required electrical power, imo. I hobble the car to the nearby Mazda dealership, describe the problems, say it seems like something electrical and they keep at it over night. They call back the next day and tell me that the throttle body was caked - they've never seen one so dirty. They clean it and replace the plugs. $$$ Car works fine.

Last week, beginning of the same issue with the turns. Today, car is doing it as I drive in a straight line.

Best course? I'm leaning towards finding someone nearby to replace the battery, wires and alternator as a starting point.


Other info:

2008 Mazda 3i
5-speed manual transmission
165k miles

There seem to be no problems in starting the car.

Battery terminal has some corrosion, but nothing too bad looking. The connections seem tight.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
60,217
15,151
136
How do the belts look?
Poor call on the part of the dealership to say it seems electrical, then clean the throttle body/change plugs and send you on your merry way.
I'd probably start with testing the battery and alternator before jumping straight to replacing them.
 

cKGunslinger

Lifer
Nov 29, 1999
16,408
57
91
I called the dealership and checked my VIN. They said I had that recall work done in early 2011 during regular service.

I'll see if AutoZone or someone can check the charging system and see if they find anything. It's odd that it appears randomly, and restarting the car sometimes avoid the issue altogether.
 

cKGunslinger

Lifer
Nov 29, 1999
16,408
57
91
I took it to the O'Reilly to get the charging system tested. He said he couldn't get a clean reading from it due to the corrosion on the + terminal and cable and that was a problem. I asked if they had the cabling and connectors and I'd replace it and the battery, but he said it was a special Mazda harness part that would have to be ordered.

I took it a local mechanic that came highly recommended. They called and said yeah, the +cables were corroded about halfway down the wire and there wasn't even much metal left in it. They said it was a Mazda special harness and would take a while and $$ to order, or he could just remove the ends, clean them up, and replace all the wiring in between, as well as replace the battery. So we did that for $180.

Car seems fine, at least in the day I've had it back. It certainly seems much better in that the A/C doesn't noticeably dim like it used to, even when everything else seemed ok.

I'm still pretty pissed that the Mazda dealership didn't do anything. It was obvious they sprayed and cleaned the battery terminals, but never checked the actual cables for internal corrosion.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
60,217
15,151
136
I wouldn't have suspected that, but I can see it causing weird issues. Yes, if I felt like it would accomplish anything, I'd probably complain to the dealership.
 
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