12 v battery replacement - won't run

Can you measure the voltage of the Miata battery with a digital multimeter to see if the battery is fully-charged? The voltage should be around 12.7V or 12.8V for a new battery that is charged. If the battery is not charged, then I suggest charging it first, then reinstall in the car.

The fuel gauge showing the last bar blinking is a sign that the fuel gauge memory was lost. It should show the correct reading after a few seconds if sufficient power is available on the 12V bus.

If you are sure that your new battery is fully charged and the check engine light still comes on, then you will need to have the diagnostic trouble codes read for further diagnosis.

 

If it does it with both 12V batteries then it's not the battery. Does the engine actually run at any stage? Check you actually have gas and that your fuel filler is closed properly.

 

Ok. Stupid question time. I have an '07, (not an 02 like you) but for mine, the engine starting and then shutting off is normal - it's a hybrid after all.

Can you drive it?

I'm wondering if there is some sort of error code that will clear in time (related to the battery) and other than that, you can drive the car.

Or, does the system die if you try to drive it? It's not clear from your posts.

 

The engine probably is not running. Instead, MG1 is spinning the engine for that duration, then the hybrid vehicle ECU gives up and turns off MG1.

If you are not able to retrieve DTCs to pinpoint the problem, then you should carefully inspect the engine compartment, looking for a visible problem like a loose connection, etc.

- Can you smell fuel vapors, to show that the fuel injectors are spraying fuel into the intake manifold? You might have to remove the air cleaner cover & smell the throttle body area.

- What is your odometer reading?

- At what mileage were the iridium spark plugs replaced?

- Besides the check engine light, do any other warning lights appear?

- When was the last time that the car ran properly?

- What happened between that last time & now?

 

Hmm, the battery installation should not have caused damage if the correct battery terminal polarity was observed. You previously measured the voltage of the new battery and found that it was satisfactory.

If you feel like checking the fuses, especially in the relay/fuse box near the inverter, that might help. Otherwise I suppose a tow to the dealer is required.

 

Would be nice to know what trouble code(s) are stored. With out that ,may be just running around in circles. My guess is the codes will be the p3191 Engine did not start codes. Look thru the TSB for this and do the basic checks; Mass Air Flow sensor dirty (can take it out and clean the wire sensor with brake clean with no residue ), air filter plugged, fuel quality (good fuel), fuel pressure, circuit opening relay for fuel pump ( updated part avaliable if yours is original ). But without the codes, where do you start, . Kind of unusual that it happened after changing battery tho.

 

I'm not saying this is the fix but if I had a flashing single bar on the fuel gauge and a error message and an engine that spins but doesn't start and no fuel smell in the area after, I'd put petrol in it even if I knew it had half a tank in it before the battery died. Easier to transport 5 litres of fuel than a whole car and even if it doesn't work it hasn't cost much to be sure.

 

Good point Pat,

I've gathered from run-out-of-fuel stories that you have to put in at least 3 gallons / 5 liters before the car sees the added fuel.

And since your car *thinks* it has no gas, maybe the same is needed.


(my spell-checker complained about "litres" so I had to spell it the USA way...)

 

Some "codes" can be retrieved through the MFD, that relate to the audio and nav systems. This has nothing to do with the problem you face.

To retrieve the DTC codes, it is necessary to plug the Toyota diagnostic tool (or for Classic, the Ecrostech miniscanner, no longer in production) into the OBD-II port under the dashboard near the steering wheel.

It is possible that a generic OBD-II code scanner (that you can buy from your local discount auto parts store) might retrieve codes produced by the engine ECU, but if other codes are produced by the hybrid vehicle or traction battery ECUs they probably will not be picked up.

Regarding the need to add more fuel, if you are 100% sure that your fuel level is 1/2 tank then I would not worry about adding more. When you had disconnected the 12V battery and then reconnected, the fuel gauge should reset.

My guess is that you will find a few fuses blown since you say the car worked fine before you tried to replace the 12V battery. If this is the case then you must have (inadvertently) reversed the battery polarity when installing the new battery.

 

Patrick

Whoops. Couldn't that also fry some expensive parts too?

 

I think it would be very hard to get the cables switched around on the battery. Not sure where the terminals are located on aftermarket batteries, but on the Toyota battery,if you put the battery in backwards,the cables wouldn't reach. And if it was hooked up backwards,who knows what is fried besides fuses.

 

3 gallons US is more like 12 litres but I wasn't thinking about the gauge seeing the added fuel, I was thinking about the pump and injectors finding it. If it started I'd drive to a filling station and top up.

Fuses is a good thing to look at after playing with the electrics too, good one Patrick.

 

Pls try one other thing: Measure the voltage across the battery when the car is IG-OFF. What reading do you get?

Start the car, and leave the ignition switch at IG-ON after the car is unsuccessful at starting. Measure the voltage across the 12V auxiliary battery again. What is the voltage now?

Then turn the car to IG-OFF.
Thanks.