Hydra 2.17 randomly loses power- shuts car off
08-31-2012, 10:52 AM
#41
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Its not the voltage, its the current (amps), Mazda probably used a lower amp-rating than the one required for the job. I used a 40A relay and it has been fine so far.
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08-31-2012, 11:15 AM
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08-31-2012, 11:33 AM
#44
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Might you happen to know the rating of the OE relay off the top of your head? Did you just use a generic 40a rated relay and do the wiring yourself? I'm guessing it wasn't a direct fit relay. I may have been thinking amps and not volts, but my hands were already done typing lol. But thanks for point that out for me
If 40A is ok but something less burns out, I'm going to go with 25-30A for the stocker.
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08-31-2012, 11:38 AM
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Dimitris- Your insight on this has been so unbelieveably helpful, thank you so much. I hope this threads helps future posters as much as it has for me.
One question- Is there any way I could reduce the amps going to the signal side of the relay? If I had a voltmeter, I'd check the amps and maybe put an inline fuse at that amperage and see what happens...see if there is a spike or inconsistant reading that is causing the issues. Form there I'd like to step the amps down by 5 or 10, monitor that and see if the OE relay stays alive. I'd think that putting a resistor before the relay would not affect anything else since the other end of the relay is a ground.
I will probably skip on the OE relay and get a 40a from the store and go from there. I was thinking 30A myself...
Also, it seems like a problem for 99-02 or 03 owners more than 04-05 by the threads I've seen on mnet.
One question- Is there any way I could reduce the amps going to the signal side of the relay? If I had a voltmeter, I'd check the amps and maybe put an inline fuse at that amperage and see what happens...see if there is a spike or inconsistant reading that is causing the issues. Form there I'd like to step the amps down by 5 or 10, monitor that and see if the OE relay stays alive. I'd think that putting a resistor before the relay would not affect anything else since the other end of the relay is a ground.
I will probably skip on the OE relay and get a 40a from the store and go from there. I was thinking 30A myself...
Also, it seems like a problem for 99-02 or 03 owners more than 04-05 by the threads I've seen on mnet.
Last edited by Doppelgänger; 08-31-2012 at 01:17 PM.
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09-03-2012, 01:25 PM
#46
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Well, multiple days for driving with the "jumper" in place of the relay and no problems. So that narrows that down.
On the fun side, I forgot to remove the jumper when I came home yesterday for a few hours and came out to a clicking car...ugh. Next step is to re-ground the signal followed by wiring in a new relay.
On the fun side, I forgot to remove the jumper when I came home yesterday for a few hours and came out to a clicking car...ugh. Next step is to re-ground the signal followed by wiring in a new relay.
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09-03-2012, 01:38 PM
#48
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I did stop in the parts store yesterday only to find the only relay on the shelf is a generic 30a relay. Need to dig a bit deeper into who uses a 40a relay.
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09-15-2012, 10:06 AM
#49
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Thoughts from an old gear head
What I see that is repeated is you have to turn the key to off then start. You might want to check the ignition switch Several electrical problems have been solved by using the basic investigative methods. Good luck and GOD bless
So this is a little battle I've been in for awhile now and now am stumped.
The Hydra seems to lose power/signal at random intervals. Sometimes within 1 minute of a dead cold start, sometimes 45 minutes into driving. I have noticed some particular issues under this condition.
When rolling and in gear- Two things. 1) Tach will dither 1 time down to 0 and pop back up. At this time, all power is lost until the tach returns to a RPM location. I've had this happen under acceleration (scary!) and while a light cruise and while engine braking. 2) The tach will cut out completely and not come back up. Under condition 2, it is required that I turn the key all the way back to OFF and back ON. If I am still moving and in gear, the tach will jump right back up and power is restored.
When stopped- If the car dies while stopped, I MUST turn the key back to OFF and then try starting the car. If it stalls and I just turn the key forward to turn the starter, the engine turns over buy never fires. Must turn key all the way back and then try again.
This issue used to just happen every once in awhile...but it's getting more frequent now and I'm starting to get annoyed....it's always fun when you're on a busy street making your way through an intersection and it just decides to ---- you and make you look like a n00b.
Halp? Has anyone seen this before?
Hydra 2.17 (I know I know)
Everything is a normal FMII add-on and no "extra" mods done to any sensors/electronics.
The Hydra seems to lose power/signal at random intervals. Sometimes within 1 minute of a dead cold start, sometimes 45 minutes into driving. I have noticed some particular issues under this condition.
When rolling and in gear- Two things. 1) Tach will dither 1 time down to 0 and pop back up. At this time, all power is lost until the tach returns to a RPM location. I've had this happen under acceleration (scary!) and while a light cruise and while engine braking. 2) The tach will cut out completely and not come back up. Under condition 2, it is required that I turn the key all the way back to OFF and back ON. If I am still moving and in gear, the tach will jump right back up and power is restored.
When stopped- If the car dies while stopped, I MUST turn the key back to OFF and then try starting the car. If it stalls and I just turn the key forward to turn the starter, the engine turns over buy never fires. Must turn key all the way back and then try again.
This issue used to just happen every once in awhile...but it's getting more frequent now and I'm starting to get annoyed....it's always fun when you're on a busy street making your way through an intersection and it just decides to ---- you and make you look like a n00b.
Halp? Has anyone seen this before?
Hydra 2.17 (I know I know)
Everything is a normal FMII add-on and no "extra" mods done to any sensors/electronics.
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04-30-2013, 10:08 AM
#50
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Bringing this back up as I have had it happen again a lot more lately...but with a twist.
So the power failure issue stopped for awhile, and I thought I was doing good. But it came back. Now it will cut off randomly (moving, idle, coasting...anywhere) and NOT come back on with the twist of the keys. So the other day I decided to remove the glove box and see if anything was up by the ECU.
Success....kinda.
I noticed when I moved the wiring by the bottom plug (large grey), the CEL popped back** on and I could hear relay click and fuel pump prime. I wiggeled some stuff a bit more and it cut off and back on. BTW- I use the CEL display as an indicator as to if the car will start/run or not.... no CEL = problem happening. Everything looks to be well seated and nothing is loose, but it still happens randomly. This morning it happened on my wat to work and juggling/pushing the harness/plug into the ECU didn't yield any results...no CEL. After pushing on various parts of the connector, the CEL came back on and I was able to start the car and get to work.
** When I talk about the CEL coming on and off, this is with the key in the ON position but the car is not running.
While at work, I did a quick run down of a few things-
-Pulled the top plug out of the ECU- CEL stays on = not the problem.
-Pulled the middle plug- CEL turns off, and when plugged back in, the CEL comes on but no sounds of relay click/fuel pump prime.
-Pulled bottom plug- CEL turns off and when plugged back in the CEL come on and I hear relay click and pump prime.
This leads me to believe that it has something to do with that bottom connector. What I'd like to be able to figure out is if it is the connector or maybe the pin on the Hydra itself. While it would be nice to just be able to replace the harness to see if it is the issue, a new one is $300...ouch. I can't spend that on hoping that is the problem. I could send the ECU in to be looked at, but that is some serious down time that I cannot deal with right now. Maybe when I get home this afternoon I will pull the car in and try to figure something out....
If anyone can look at this and give me an idea of which one would cause the CEL to turn off and kill the fuel pump (or turn both back on for that matter), please let me know. Also, what happens when the CEL turns off? Does that mean the ECU looses all power? I know when I was messing with it the other day (CEL off and key ON) that the MAIN relay had power and was functioning...dunno if that is an operation of the ignition switch or the ECU though.
So the power failure issue stopped for awhile, and I thought I was doing good. But it came back. Now it will cut off randomly (moving, idle, coasting...anywhere) and NOT come back on with the twist of the keys. So the other day I decided to remove the glove box and see if anything was up by the ECU.
Success....kinda.
I noticed when I moved the wiring by the bottom plug (large grey), the CEL popped back** on and I could hear relay click and fuel pump prime. I wiggeled some stuff a bit more and it cut off and back on. BTW- I use the CEL display as an indicator as to if the car will start/run or not.... no CEL = problem happening. Everything looks to be well seated and nothing is loose, but it still happens randomly. This morning it happened on my wat to work and juggling/pushing the harness/plug into the ECU didn't yield any results...no CEL. After pushing on various parts of the connector, the CEL came back on and I was able to start the car and get to work.
** When I talk about the CEL coming on and off, this is with the key in the ON position but the car is not running.
While at work, I did a quick run down of a few things-
-Pulled the top plug out of the ECU- CEL stays on = not the problem.
-Pulled the middle plug- CEL turns off, and when plugged back in, the CEL comes on but no sounds of relay click/fuel pump prime.
-Pulled bottom plug- CEL turns off and when plugged back in the CEL come on and I hear relay click and pump prime.
This leads me to believe that it has something to do with that bottom connector. What I'd like to be able to figure out is if it is the connector or maybe the pin on the Hydra itself. While it would be nice to just be able to replace the harness to see if it is the issue, a new one is $300...ouch. I can't spend that on hoping that is the problem. I could send the ECU in to be looked at, but that is some serious down time that I cannot deal with right now. Maybe when I get home this afternoon I will pull the car in and try to figure something out....
If anyone can look at this and give me an idea of which one would cause the CEL to turn off and kill the fuel pump (or turn both back on for that matter), please let me know. Also, what happens when the CEL turns off? Does that mean the ECU looses all power? I know when I was messing with it the other day (CEL off and key ON) that the MAIN relay had power and was functioning...dunno if that is an operation of the ignition switch or the ECU though.
Last edited by Doppelgänger; 04-30-2013 at 10:20 AM.
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04-30-2013, 02:46 PM
#51
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the way you describe it sounds like problem is the wiring harness at the large gray plug. you could find the bad wire with a multimeter and re-terminate the bad wire. you can get the part number for the terminal from hydra or fm. the terminals crimp on and push into the connector.
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04-30-2013, 04:23 PM
#56
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Yeah, I've thought about those. Can't be D1 though. When I was messing with it the other day and the CEL was off, I went under the hood and swapped the main relay for a spare one I have with no cover. When I did that, I could see the relay click to make contact when I plugged it in. So with the keo ON and no CEL, the main relay was being actuated.
As for C1-3, how would I be able to check each one individually outside of trying to move/wiggle each wire by itself with something small like a screwdriver? I have been unsuccessful at juggling the harness by hand and finding a point where it looses contact/cuts off :(
As for C1-3, how would I be able to check each one individually outside of trying to move/wiggle each wire by itself with something small like a screwdriver? I have been unsuccessful at juggling the harness by hand and finding a point where it looses contact/cuts off :(
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04-30-2013, 04:35 PM
#57
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Yeah, I've thought about those. Can't be D1 though. When I was messing with it the other day and the CEL was off, I went under the hood and swapped the main relay for a spare one I have with no cover. When I did that, I could see the relay click to make contact when I plugged it in. So with the keo ON and no CEL, the main relay was being actuated.
As for C1-3, how would I be able to check each one individually outside of trying to move/wiggle each wire by itself with something small like a screwdriver? I have been unsuccessful at juggling the harness by hand and finding a point where it looses contact/cuts off :(
As for C1-3, how would I be able to check each one individually outside of trying to move/wiggle each wire by itself with something small like a screwdriver? I have been unsuccessful at juggling the harness by hand and finding a point where it looses contact/cuts off :(
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01-27-2015, 04:53 PM
#60
Found a possible drop-in replacement rated at 80a.
JE16
MAIN RELAY ( 80 AMP (JE16-18-811) - $60.14 - JE1618811
Going to give one a shot and see if it fixes my issues. Just blew my 4th OEM yesterday on DIYPNP.
JE16
MAIN RELAY ( 80 AMP (JE16-18-811) - $60.14 - JE1618811
Going to give one a shot and see if it fixes my issues. Just blew my 4th OEM yesterday on DIYPNP.
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