Power steering causes car to die

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Mr5ive

Mr5ive

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'13 CX5 Touring

• Nov 23, 2014

• #1

Our '08 MZ5 needed a jump the other morning, then wouldn't stay running. Today, I re-jumped it, and confirmed that the alternator is doing its job -- 14v across the terminals. When I went to take it for a spirited drive to deep charge, it died as soon as I turned the steering wheel and wouldn't restart without a jump. We had the PS recall done in July 2012, and replaced the battery in November 2012. Any ideas on what might be causing the power steering to instantly kill the battery?
Thanks in advance,

 

S

sac02

Member

:

2013 Mazda5 Sport 6MT

• Nov 23, 2014

• #2

Power steering can put a fair amount of load on the engine, especially if you are turning the wheels left and right while the car isn't rolling.

You don't need to drive at high rpm to charge the battery, it will charge at idle.

Did the 08 have electric assistted power steering (the second gen does), or is it traditional pure hydraulic?

 

mazdadude

ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM

:

'16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring

• Nov 24, 2014

• #3

Mr5ive said:

Our '08 MZ5 needed a jump the other morning, then wouldn't stay running. Today, I re-jumped it, and confirmed that the alternator is doing its job -- 14v across the terminals. When I went to take it for a spirited drive to deep charge, it died as soon as I turned the steering wheel and wouldn't restart without a jump. We had the PS recall done in July 2012, and replaced the battery in November 2012. Any ideas on what might be causing the power steering to instantly kill the battery?
Thanks in advance,

Click to expand...

Hey there!

First I wonder why you needed a jumpstart in first place?

Have you had battery tested?

Cars hate jump starting, is it possible a fuse has blown?

 

L

loosenut

Member

:

08 Mazda5 Sport, 10 CX9 Touring

• Nov 24, 2014

• #4

I think it's most likely you just need a new battery. The electro-hydraulic assist on the 5 draws a lot of juice off the battery/charging system and will cause the vehicle to stall when there isn't enough juice. You've already confirmed the charging system is operating at capacity, so replace the battery and you should be good to go.

 

M

Mr5ive

Mr5ive

:

'13 CX5 Touring

• Nov 25, 2014

• #5

Thanks all. I'll be dropping the battery off to get tested -- and perhaps replaced under warranty. I'll post an update later.

 

mazdadude

ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM

:

'16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring

• Nov 25, 2014

• #6

Mr5ive said:

Thanks all. I'll be dropping the battery off to get tested -- and perhaps replaced under warranty. I'll post an update later.

Click to expand...

I see that you are in a salty state... be sure to check your grounds too!

If your charging system is not grounded good, your battery will not get charged right, and your alternator will not be able to power the car correctly.

Good luck!

 

Last edited: Nov 25, 2014

M

Mr5ive

Mr5ive

:

'13 CX5 Touring

• Nov 25, 2014

• #7

New battery did the trick. Took the 2-year old Duralast back to Autozone. They didn't bother to test it -- just gave me a new one for free.