Cuda's Cars, v2.0

[CudaMan]

Hm, interesting, haven't heard of fabric glue. I'll have to look into something like that.

For now, I'm thinking of putting the stock seat back in for the winter as a temporary solution.

[thesameguy]

My girlfriend has done some costuming with fabric glue that I would not have expected to last, and it has. I guess that stuff is pretty sticky!

[CudaMan]

Hmm. My concern with anything that isn't sewn on is that it will eventually roll up from us getting out of the seat. Might have to ruminate on this one for a bit. I like the idea of the stock seat for now. Better for DD mode anyway!

[CudaMan]

Oh the ironing. Airbag light fix expectations are the opposite of reality.

I expected a headache from the MX-5 and the fix was dead simple. I expected the 350Z to be a no-brainer because it's always had a race seat with no side airbag. I put the stock seat back in (and plugged in ) and the SRS light remains flashing. Figures. The horn doesn't work from the steering wheel, either (it works with the keyless entry remote), so I'm thinking clock spring. Chinese-made eBay ones are $20, OEM one looks to be about $150.

[thesameguy]

You would think 20 years later steering column clocksprings would be easy to make totally reliable, but no. Sadly no.

[CudaMan]

I'm sure they can be totally reliable, for a price. And there's the rub.

[thesameguy]

I just have trouble envisioning how a few traces on a piece of plastic with connectors at each could made in a way that is unreliable. You'd have to try. And they do.

[CudaMan]

So the 350Z has a 'diagnostic mode' for the SRS system that you can enter with the right timing/sequence of ignition key turns. This is how you reset the SRS dash light. Guess it's not smart enough to reset on its own. I've exited diagnostic mode and the light is now out - we'll see if it comes back. The horn not working from the steering wheel still screams clockspring to me...

[CudaMan]

Riddle me this one.

MX-5: 2L engine, motorcycle battery with 120CCA, parasitic draw measured as 47mA which spikes to 63mA every 2 seconds as the stock security system light blinks.

350Z: 3.5L engine, Odyssey PC680 battery with 170 or 200CCA (internet says 170, battery says 200), parasitic draw measured as 74mA constant. That seems a little high to me, not sure why unless it has something to do with the double-DIN Pioneer head unit with Bluetooth not completely shutting down or something. Everything else electrical is stock. Well, the ECU has been flashed (so has the MX-5) but that shouldn't make a difference.

Both parasitic draw tests were performed with doors shut but unlocked (no security system armed).

The MX-5 kills its battery all the time. One day of sitting and it won't start. The 350Z can go for several days, maybe more than a week, I can't remember, and be fine. At full charge (Battery Tender) the MX-5 battery measures 12.9V at rest, and 14 and change when the car is running, which tells me respectively that the battery isn't dead dead, and the alternator works.

My only theory is 120CCA is just *barely* enough to start the 2L engine, or the WalMart EverStart battery is just overrated junk.

Funny thing is the 350Z has always cranked over slowly. Sometimes the starter even stops after one rotation, but hold the key for a second and it picks back up and starts the car.


The troubles of weight savings measures.

[Godson]

My stock battery in my 996 is like that when hot. Problem for me though is the battery cable to the starter.

The jumping draw on the mx5 is what concerns me. Are these tests performed after the car has sat 'off' for twenty minutes?