| MDXMDXMDX |
I have a 2001 MDX and have a crazy problem that has both me and the dealership stumped. Rather than letting them go on a trouble shooting exploration, I was hoping someone here has seen it before:
About twice a month, the car will go totally dead. No dashboard lights, keyless entry won't work, radio resets, not even a click when I turn the key... just dead. Then, just as quickly, it will start up and be totally fine with no problems. Sometimes it's "dead time" is 15 minutes, sometimes it can last overnight... hasn't been longer than that yet.
The battery is new and has been tested. The fact that it starts right up without any issue would lead me to believe it isn't an alternator.
The dealership is telling me to replace a 2 foot cable leading from the battery because it may have corrosion... frankly, I don't see this as a realistic answer because it starts without issue 99% of the time and it's either "on" or "off"... no slow starting issues. But, they say that it's losing something like 150 amps from one end of the cable to the other.
Does anyone have any suggestions that I might either try or have the dealership try? Is spending $300 to get that cable replced a good idea? My wife got stranded yesterday and now has no confidence in the MDX to get her anywhere.
Thanks in advance for any assistance. |
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| G. COLTON |
$300 dollars to replace the cable is totally ridiculous.
Your problem is not ridiculous.
The cable could very well be the problem. An intermittent problem is the worst kind. They are just so difficult to find.
At the time this happens you say there are no dashboard lights. Are there any other signs of battery voltage, such as headlights, tail lights, dome lights, etc.?
Are you at all handy with tools? Pull that cable out of the vehicle and bench check it. Use a volt/ohm meter and check the continuity while wiggling the cable. That should tell you if there is an open. The dealer should have done that at a very low cost while running any other checks.
I would think that even if it is not that cable it is some other wire/cable and/or a connection in the electrical circuit.
If there is no sign of battery voltage anywhere in the vehicle then it almost has to be the battery/battery cable.
G |
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| MDXMDXMDX |
Thanks for your reply.
When it's dead, it's dead. No dome light, brake light, interior lights... even the power door locks don't function.
The dealership tested what they referred to as the "thicker, 2-foot cable" that runs to the starter. It lost 155 amps from one end of cable to the other (dropped from 599 amps at the battery).
They also referred to a "thinner, 6-foot cable" that ran under the car. They feel it may be the one that's has corrosion but say they can't test it without stripping it and ruining the cable (??). This is the cable that they will charge $300 to replace.
Something else I need to point out... we had the battery replaced not too long ago by Acura with a new Acura battery. This battery was bad and went dead within a few months - Acura replaced it with a new battery at no charge. Our Acura service tech sais that the bad battery may have corroted the cable, but there is no documentation to show it had corrosion so they feel they have no liability.... Does this sound as fishy to you as it does to me?
Unfortunately, I'm not handy enough with tools to take this one on... |
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| drcoffee |
| I've found that electrical gremlins like you describe are frequently from a bad ground wire. The ground lead is the black one from the battery to the frame/engine block. They are easy to change out and cheap to buy. Measure the total length and photograph the cable ends with your cell phone and go to a local discount auto parts store. Buy the cable and switch out yours. The red one rarely goes bad but may be the next one to replace if the problem persists. If you loosen the black ground wire from the battery,you'll get the same symptoms. I just had to replace my wife's ground lead on her minivan. $300 is steep for a $12 part. The acid will migrate down the cable underneath the plastic coating. You can't see the damage. |
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| mdxforever |
The only time I had a strange battery/start problem like that was when the battery connectors had corrosion on them. I am sure you or the dealer would have already checked that.
Could be rodent damage too.
How about fuses ? Check the fuse box and make sure none of the fuses are loose, especially the main fuse. |
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| Fabvsix |
| SOUNDS LIKE RAT ATE CABLE TO ME....LOOSE CONNECTION....RATS! :1: |
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| Glen M |
| I had a very similar experience with a different vehicle. In my case what had happened was that the post (terminal) of the battery had broken off the plates inside the battery. Visual inspection was near useless to figure out the problem. The only way to tell was that there was a slight amount of play (millimeters) when you moved the terminal. |
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| wal92tt |
| I had the same thing happen to me. I came out of the grocery store and the car was totally dead. Would not jump start at all. I had it towed to the dealer who found that one of the two ground cables was missing. Had it installed and no problems since. Just replace the cable! |
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