I drove through a bit of water today and now it wont stay on and battery light comes on till the car turns off. Rough idled for a while but no power when I put it in drive and turned off. I let it dry for a bit and it stays on but hesitated when you first push the gas and then takes off quickly. I'm hoping it will be back to normal when I get off work in a few hours. Has any one had this experience, and should it be back to normal soon? There was a big difference already just letting it dry for about 30 minutes. It stayed on at least and drove.
Drove through water
- Thread starter ThaDover
- Start date
If you just got your ignition wet then it should dry out and you should be fine.
But if your battery light doesn't go out, then you may have fried your alternator.
If you have a voltmeter, test the voltage at the battery terminals (should be about 12volts) then start the car and test the voltage again.
The voltage should jump to between 13 & 14 volts.
If the voltage doesn't go up then your alternator is dead and you're running off you battery and you won't get far before your car dies.
Your alternator may just need to dry out as well, then the light should go off and you're fine.
But if your battery light doesn't go out, then you may have fried your alternator.
If you have a voltmeter, test the voltage at the battery terminals (should be about 12volts) then start the car and test the voltage again.
The voltage should jump to between 13 & 14 volts.
If the voltage doesn't go up then your alternator is dead and you're running off you battery and you won't get far before your car dies.
Your alternator may just need to dry out as well, then the light should go off and you're fine.
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- protege5
May be worthwhile to blow some compressed air into the spark plug holes, or use a paper towel to dry them out. the seals tend to dry out and water collects in there and causes misfire. I would fill the coil end where it goes on the spark plug with dielectric grease to prevent future recurrences.
I live on a tiny, VERY muddy unmaintained dirt road. I regularly drive through "puddles" about a 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep and 10-20 feet long (Depending on how much it's rained). I don't think you've fried your alternator unless it was already on its way out. last time I changed my oil the alternator was pretty caked up with mud so i blasted it with the pressure washer. I've never had any problems with the water/mud/etc other than the occasional misfire because the coils got too wet.
I live on a tiny, VERY muddy unmaintained dirt road. I regularly drive through "puddles" about a 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep and 10-20 feet long (Depending on how much it's rained). I don't think you've fried your alternator unless it was already on its way out. last time I changed my oil the alternator was pretty caked up with mud so i blasted it with the pressure washer. I've never had any problems with the water/mud/etc other than the occasional misfire because the coils got too wet.
Have you ever had your battery light come on because of water ??
I've never had a battery or any other light on in the 3 years I've daily driven the car. I've kept up with maintenance. Only thing ive ever replaced was the starter, a radiator, and changed coils when purchased for$3400 3 years ago. I drive her hard too. Usually take 30 minute nightly cruises through back roads and just have fun. I have an e46 330i zhp and still love tossing the mazda around at night more. Its the only thing that keeps me sane. Lol!
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- protege5
I did once, after a ton of rain a few years ago, the side of the road was flooded and flowing, 6-10" deep. As I was passing through the battery light lit up for a few seconds, went away, and that was the end of it. I've been a little more careful since. That was over 3 years and 50,000 miles ago, must not have hurt anything.
At some point in my car's life someone has hacked away the splash shields with a utility knife, if they were intact it would never be an issue.
I'm happy to say that all my splash and heat shields are still in place !!!
Zip ties, Self tapping screws and all..
I wonder now how puddle proof my car is ??
Maybe I should go off-roading to find out ??
You probably tossed some water where it hadn't been thrown before...
Plugs, wires and alternator.
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- 02 protege5 ES 5dr
Maybe try taking the lead off alternator and starter and scrub it with Emery cloth or fine grit sandpaper.
Had the same sort of issues was just a flash corrosion on the terminal.
Had to clean off the brine we treat our roads with in the winter from mine.
Had the same sort of issues was just a flash corrosion on the terminal.
Had to clean off the brine we treat our roads with in the winter from mine.
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It's a good idea to do the same thing with your ground points.
A bad ground can lead to strange symptoms that don't seem to make any sense.
Here's a link to a how-to about upgrading your ground wires. It has pictures showing all the ground points that could be taken apart cleaned up, greased, and reassembled.
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?45141-How-To-1st-Grounding-Kit-for-MSP
