Power steering cuts out randomly, starter clicking noises when the car is off...

[fuzzybabybunny]

1. With the key out of the ignition, I'll sometimes wake up inside the car in the middle of the night to the sound of a constant clicking noise coming from inside and under the steering wheel. The intervals vary and can go from slow to really fast. Putting the key in and turning it to Acc shows the battery as nearly dead. The car no longer starts. The clicking noise sounds like the starter clicking. By itself. With no key in the ignition.... I have to pop the hood and disconnect the battery to stop the sound.

2. While driving the power steering will just shut off. Suddenly the power steering gets really heavy. It will occasionally shut off in the middle of a turn and the steering will want to jerk straight and I have to quickly muscle it to keep it in the turn. During this time the power inside the car will sometimes turn off. The radio will go off for example.

3. While driving the power will just shut off. This is sometimes, but not always, accompanied by the power steering going out.

Uhhhh....

This is the Honda Fit.

 

[LTC8K6]

Electric power steering?

That would quit with a power problem.

 

[JCH13]

Sounds like a wiring bundle got damaged. And pretty badly.

 

[dbk]

I have a honda fit and i've never experienced those issues.. i'm at almost 75k now. Your battery needs to be replaced?

 

[nerp]

Didn't do you weird stuff like use a marine battery and try to use the car as a rolling generator? I wouldn't be surprised if you fried something with your ill-advised efforts.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Messed up electricals are always so fun to fix. However, really screwball electrical issues can sometimes be caused by just a bad battery. Have it load tested.

 

[Born2bwire]

I have a honda fit and i've never experienced those issues.. i'm at almost 75k now. Your battery needs to be replaced?

Please don't bring that up again. But dollars to donuts says he still hasn't bothered to fix his battery problems.

 

[imagoon]

Low battery can cause all kinds of electrical messes. A cycling relay caused by some computer module freaking out due to low voltage is quite plausible. Also what Born2bwire said.

Crap battery can also over load the alternator and cause it to shut off if you just jump it and go. [also random comment about deep cycle - marine battery]

 

[Slacker]

Your car is haunted.

 

[zoiks]

Sounds like the gremlins in the electrical system are at work. Doing their best to wake you up and piss you off.

 

[Ferzerp]

Yup, a fit has electric power steering.

Stop trying to run 120V AC of your battery for hours on end when the car is off and fix the issues that has caused

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

The battery was tested as still being good.

Can these issues be caused by a simple bad connection at the battery terminals?

I've been noticing more and more than when I return to my car sometimes all the power is off. There's literally no power to even unlock the car electronically, so it seems like the battery was completely disconnected.

Today when the car was dead I opened up the hood and jostled the battery around a little and the power suddenly turned on. I disconnected the terminals and gave the clamps and terminals a solid cleaning, hoping that this will help.

Would the power steering turn off, disabled side airbag light turn on, radio turn off, and various other issues be caused by the battery being momentarily disconnected while driving due to a bad connection?

I'm thinking that maybe the vibration of the engine sometimes creates a bad connection at the terminals? The clamps were screwed on pretty tight already though...

 

[EagleKeeper]

Put anti corrosive washers on the battery lost $2.
Clean the connectors completely and tighten them to wear your can not twist them using pliers.

If that was problem, it will solve it.
If not,you have a shirt somewhere that is draining the battery. You can try to find it out on your own or take it to a professional electric shop.

 

[Eureka]

Why are you sleeping in your car?

On topic... does this happen during wet nights or in any weather? Moisture can be a pain and it'll cause all sorts of electrical issues.

Having a loose battery terminal can definitely cause those issues. Make sure they are as tight as humanly possible. If not, you may need to replace the terminals altogether.

 

[LTC8K6]

You have a loose or bad main connection somewhere, I think.

Perhaps the other end of one of the wires? Not the battery end.

Could also be one of the feed wires to a fuse or relay box.

A loose wire that keeps disconnecting and re-connecting can cause all sorts of weird stuff.

Next time it happens, if you carefully start wiggling wires, you might get closer to locating it.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's rare, but this could also be the battery itself.

 

[Greenman]

Bad battery cables or a lose ground is the problem.

 

[CraigRT]

Sounds like it might just be a bad connection. Explains pretty much all your symptoms, even the steering (electric power steering)

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

There haven't been any problems since, so I think I may be good.

Really weird, because they were already on there pretty tight. They certainly weren't jiggling or anything. The contacts may have been a bit dirty, but in the absence of movement why would the problems be intermittent?

 

[nerp]

Because that's how strange electrical problems are.

 

[LTC8K6]

There haven't been any problems since, so I think I may be good.

Really weird, because they were already on there pretty tight. They certainly weren't jiggling or anything. The contacts may have been a bit dirty, but in the absence of movement why would the problems be intermittent?

Here is my theory. You didn't find the actual problem. In the process of re-tightening the terminals, the actual problem has temporarily gone away, possibly from moving or bumping something.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Here is my theory. You didn't find the actual problem. In the process of re-tightening the terminals, the actual problem has temporarily gone away, possibly from moving or bumping something.

Eh, the cleaning and tightening seem to have completely fixed everything. Before the problem would happen multiple times a day, like 10 times. Various levels of power loss.

Now, not a single instance. I think I'm good to go actually.

 

[LTC8K6]

Eh, the cleaning and tightening seem to have completely fixed everything. Before the problem would happen multiple times a day, like 10 times. Various levels of power loss.

Now, not a single instance. I think I'm good to go actually.

Probably, but it's hard to believe anything was simple with you and your car.