I'm having a couple of unusual power problems I thought I might bounce off the people here. I've noticed that sometimes when I get in to my car, the clock in the centre console has gone completely wrong, also the CD player restarts the CD instead of picking up where it was last up to like it usually does.I thought it might just be a flat-ish battery but the car starts fine everytime. I've had both the battery and the alternator checked by an autoelectrician and both are apparently working fine.It's happened a few times now, sometimes the car has only been off for a few hours when I come back to it and the clock has reset.On a similar side note, when the clock and radio have reset, I usually get several idle problems when I first start driving, and occasionally the car will stall coming to a stop. The problems usually work themselves out eventually and don't come back until the next time everything resets. I remember with my old Fords and Holdens that if you unplugged the battery long enough for the onboard electrics (clock etc) to reset, the ECU would usually forget the idle settings and the car would drive rough until the ECU could relearn the safe idle point. Would this happen with a Z too?Any suggestions would be appreciated.James
Ive had that problem twice both times were within 3 months of the battery dying. Go to start car and realise all the radio presets and clock had reset, but car still starts fine. Used to do it once or twice a week, then eventually the battery died and a new one fixed the problem.
The battery is new... ... as of February 04. That's why I was worried it was the alternator but the auto-electrician said it was charging fine (though a little low - 13.9).James
Alternator main wire loose I had a similiar problem awhile back and then started getting a flat battery. I found the main wire going to the alternator was loose and was arcingGene
If battery is new, and charge voltage is OK, and alternator wires are tight, then I'd be suggesting that you remove all of the fusible links from the driver's side rear of the engine bay, and inspect them for cracks, corrosion, loose connections or signs of melting. Would pay to yank all the blade fuses in the driver's side footwell and check them too.
My first thought upon reading your post was Battery!Your mention that it was both new & recently tested threw me off the scent until reading the follow-up posts just a minute ago.What brand is the battery? And did auto-sparky test batt/alt. system when engine hot? [I assume so].A common problem with El-cheapo batteries is the high failure rate from new!Go to a battery specialist and have it thoroughly tested. Even swap with another battery to test.Cheers, Rob.:-Z
Forget the clock The problem you are having with the clock is a common fault. There are 2 clock problems: one is the display fades (see tech for fix) and the other is that it resets to 1:00, for reasons unknown. It is fixed by replacing the clock with a turbo timer, or something useful. See Ya, Garry
Quick questions relating Does you battery light sometimes come on , on the dash ... I have this same problem ... If I have the Air con running and pull up at the lights or stop 70% of the time it will stall .. i have a new battery although i cant remember if this started happening before or after the battery .. It may be to do with the alternator i am thinking about changing it , it has never been changed.Would love to hear the fix if you do get it fixed soon .. if i do i will also post .
