Bundus Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Hey guys Well I guess with my luck it was only a matter of time before something went wrong with the car after not having it for 6 months and finally getting it back. The battery was dead when I got it back so I replaced it for a new one which worked fine and actually meant the car fired up quicker then ever before. Drove the car around for a bit and everything seemed ok. Then last night and the night before when driving the car home it just died mid drive. Im not talking stalled whilst sat at a lights or anything here, im talking doing 30 and 40 mile an hour around bends. I can honestly say that there is nothing more scary then loosing power like that in a corner at speed. The steering stiffens up so much that I can barely turn and I loose practically all braking. I had to pull the handbrake and stop the car in the middle of the opposite lane just to stop me from writing the car off. There is no warning that this is going to happen so unless I drive the car with one hand on the handbrake and one on the key (to attempt restart) there is a good chance if it happens again I will crash the car. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Anything I can look into? The car recently sufferend a front end bump at low speed and has been in having insurance work done. Is there anyway I can get the insurance company to pay for it to be checked over since surely its the insurance companies job to get my car back to me in safe working order? Im terrified to drive the car now and I just got it back. Any help much appreciated. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'd check all the connections to do with the battery and alternator. Sounds to me like your alternator might not be working properly or had failed and the car is purely running on battery power rather than recharging it. If you can get it to somewhere like Kwik-Fit etc, they should be able to check it for you. I would check that as a starting point. Does the car restart ok when it has cut out?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FIDDYZ Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 had the same at one point Andy, do I take it that the car droped to low revs? All the engine lights on? Mine was low engine coolant and a air lock in the pipe, easy sorted... Did they check the rad when they did the repair work? Get the battery changed though ASAP... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilli Red Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Andy, don't drive it till someone has sorted it out. I m no good on technical so can't help with ideas sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Im going to speak with the guys at the garage but in all honesty the guy hit me so slow that it didnt appear there was any damage at all other then cosmetic. I guess it could be the radiator since that is the furthest forward part in the engine bay. I dont recall the engine lights coming on when the car cut out. Even the stereo and sat nav were still running which made it even harder to notice. It was only when I went to apply the brake that I realised the car had stalled. It did re-start instantly and without problem both times. The voltmeter is showing 14v when running and the battery is brand new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FIDDYZ Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Ah right... So the car totally cut out not the revs dropped and the car slowed on its own (ie it took control) Sounds like you have a more serious issue than coolant as the car cut out but the electrics are fine, you would have noticed the the screens going off as they have to reboot.... Am with Andys suggestion on the alternator check... You may find that your install or something else from the kit being removed and refitted may be causing electric issues... Are you getting a CEL now? Did you get one of the OBD readers in the end? It is the insurance co's job to get it back to you in working order but you chose the body shop for the repair didnt you? And all they did was fitted the kit not checked out the structure... By "opting out" you may find that the insurance company wont now cover as is could be classed as not being caused by the accident... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Yeah that was my worry. I opted for my own garage and the only thing they were working on was the bodywork as there wasnt any engine damage according to the engineer from the insurance company who checked the car over. No it wasnt that the revs dropped (not that I noticed anyway). It seemed to happen as I was coasting (or possibly when I went to change gear). The car looked as normal from the inside but I do recall the airbag light coming on. When I went to restart the car thats when the electrics re-booted themselved but Im almost certain they didnt turn off until I turned the key off then on again. I have to drive the car home tonight so will take it easy and see if it happens again and if I can gather any more details on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Just to add another strange thing is that after collecting it from the garage and for the entire 6 hours I was driving it home that day the car drove perfect with absolutely no problems. Then I fit a brand new battery (using the existing terminals as I was able to get a battery with the correct JDM ones on it) and its cut out twice in two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 wrong battery perhaps? Go back to where you bought it from, explain that this has happend after you installed thier one and see if they can change it for another. Just wondering, is there a preffered brand of battery people use on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilTheForce Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I used to get the exact same pant-wetting experience when I had an MG-B a few years ago. Turned out to be the fuel pump simply cutting in and out. Basically like running out of petrol mid-journey despite the gauge showing the tank full. My solution used to be pull over open the boot, give the pump a whack and it'd spring back into life ! Not sure how it would work with the Zed though. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Cheers Bullet. I had thought that the general theory was get the biggest battery in there that will fit (on the JDM's anyway). The one I bought is exactly the same size as my old one and has the exact same terminals. Ill need to check the power rating etc to be sure they are the same but I cant see they would be too far different. My other option is to switch it for a UK one with UK terminals then change the posts over with the convertors. I used to get the exact same pant-wetting experience when I had an MG-B a few years ago. Turned out to be the fuel pump simply cutting in and out. Basically like running out of petrol mid-journey despite the gauge showing the tank full. My solution used to be pull over open the boot, give the pump a whack and it'd spring back into life ! Not sure how it would work with the Zed though. Good luck. Yes thats exactly it mate, exactly like the fuel running out. The power just stops but it seems all the electrics are still fine. Im not sure if the brakes would stop working and the steering would become stiff if you just run out of fuel though which is what is happening on mine. I may just take it to my local garage and ask them to check the battery, alternator and run a fault dignostic to see if anything shows up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 The brakes and steering are power assisted, if the engine stops so does the power for those units. Though a faulty fuel pump wouldnt cause a sudden stop of power would it? It would splutter and eventually give up after a few seconds etc wouldnt it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Am I wrong in thinking that different batteries have different amp levels? Sure they all make 12v, but can differ in amps, which is the actual strength rating, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 To me this sounds more like an alarm/immobilizer issue? Immobilizer kicks in, stoping the engine from running, but all other electronics work? I've flattened my battery while parked before now while listening to the radio, and the screen goes off etc and i could restart, making me think that this isnt a battery issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Going back to your previous thread :http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=23685 ....we are presuming your starting problems first occurred after picking up the car from the repair/cosmetic work you had done? You have then concluded (following comments on here) that the battery was knackered but have said the alternator seems to be OK as it is showing 14 on the voltmeter. You then said the cutting out affected your power steering and brake servo. That is unlikely to be fuel pump related but more to do with the electrics to fail for a sudden severe loss like that, particularly as the car recovered before it happened again. That all makes me think you have a short that is kicking in or something is wrong with the car's earthing. Seeing you have had a new front bumper, and following a front end bump; you now have LEDs in the headlights and I believe there is an airbag sensor in the front bumper area as well - has all the wiring in those areas been carefully checked since the work was done? The original battery might have been OK but it was simply being drained and you may find the same thing happening to the new one. Best to get a decent auto electrian to check things out, if you cannot find an obvious problem in all the areas on the car where work work has been carried out since it was last running OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kta Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I had a alfa 156 before my Zed, one time i disconnected the battery and the accelerator then refused to have any effect, car had to have the ecu reset by a dealer. The Zed's ECU is hopefully a lot better than the alfas but could disconnecting the battery when swopping over the new one had any effect? Maybe try the ECU reset procedure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Walker Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 That all makes me think you have a short that is kicking in or something is wrong with the car's earthing. That would be my thoughts too. Unfortunately this is going to be one of those faults that will not be easy to resolve. I would definitely get it back to the repairers and speak with the insurance company and let them know the car is not to your satisfaction. You may need to remind them that should they fail to fix it the next bill will be for a total write off as you feel it is so dangerous to drive that it could cause you to have an accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndWood Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I used to get the exact same pant-wetting experience when I had an MG-B a few years ago. Turned out to be the fuel pump simply cutting in and out. Basically like running out of petrol mid-journey despite the gauge showing the tank full. My solution used to be pull over open the boot, give the pump a whack and it'd spring back into life ! Not sure how it would work with the Zed though. Good luck. I had this with my Renault 5 GT Turbo many moons ago it turned out to be the relay that ran the fuel pump which was located in the glove box as soon as I banged the glove box it would cut back in I happend on the outside lane of the M25 a couple of times!! So it may not be the pump but the realy that runs it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Bullet - the one I have is 330Amps Im pretty sure. Not sure if that means anything to you? Marzman - the thing is that after the car stalls I can then restart it straight away with the key. If it was an immobilizer problem wouldnt I have to disarm that again before it would let me restart? Ebized - Yes indeed the car battery was dead when I collected it where it had been sat for a while. It jump started no problem and the 6 hours or so that I was driving for after it was jump started were totally problem free. Since getting it home the only thing Ive changed is put a new battery in and thats when the cutting out started happening........... ......... .........actually something you said about an earth problem has just rung a bell with me. When I was fitting the battery I noticed that one of the cables from my grounding kit was not attached so I reattached it in the place where I believed it had come from. Could that be a problem? Surely refitting a grounding cable couldnt cause a car to just stall at random intervals? If Ive reconnected it in the wrong place could that have this affect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FIDDYZ Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 It could well be!! Esp if its the one that comes off the battery!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 If my battery had been as dead as yours i would be tempted to do an ecu reset. Not saying that this is the cause but a below par battery on the zed can play havoc with the cars electronics. Now that you have a new battery do the reset. You can find it it in the guides section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 If my battery had been as dead as yours i would be tempted to do an ecu reset. Not saying that this is the cause but a below par battery on the zed can play havoc with the cars electronics. Now that you have a new battery do the reset. You can find it it in the guides section. +1 - I was thinking that myself, though I've never heard of a new battery causing probs, just old knackered ones causing funny business with all sorts. Got to be worth a punt, although I wouldnt want to go out and test it after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 OK I dont want to tempt fate but I think I have this sorted. I removed my grounding kit entirely. Disconnected and reconnected the battery and checked all connections. Did everything up nice and tight. I then took the car out for a spin and everything seemed fine. Turned the engine off then went to restart and absolutely nothing. Even my immobilizer light had gone out so I knew power was gone completely. Checked under the bonnet and the positive connection to the battery was completely disconnected (even after reattaching and tightening). So I reconnected it and did it up so tight that I almost broke my ratchet and since then Ive not had a problem. It seems likely that what was happening was the positive cable was bumping loose then reattaching or something silly like that. I dont know for sure what the problem was but its been fine since tightening it up as much as I possibly could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budge Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Glad to hear it's not ended up being a serious problem somewhere. Hope thats the end of it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 OK I dont want to tempt fate but I think I have this sorted. I removed my grounding kit entirely. Disconnected and reconnected the battery and checked all connections. Did everything up nice and tight. I then took the car out for a spin and everything seemed fine. Turned the engine off then went to restart and absolutely nothing. Even my immobilizer light had gone out so I knew power was gone completely. Checked under the bonnet and the positive connection to the battery was completely disconnected (even after reattaching and tightening). So I reconnected it and did it up so tight that I almost broke my ratchet and since then Ive not had a problem. It seems likely that what was happening was the positive cable was bumping loose then reattaching or something silly like that. I dont know for sure what the problem was but its been fine since tightening it up as much as I possibly could. I think a pic of the offending batt terminal is in order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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