Car won't start - doesn't try to crank at all, but lights are working HELP

[cdo221]

This happened to be twice, yesterday when I was about to go home from work - after pressing random buttons the car eventually started (about 2 minutes). And then this morning, tried random things for 10 minutes and gave up because I was late for work. FR-S is sitting at home right now.

Here's what happens:
I unlock my car, open door, and get in. Everything works as it should - my turn signals flash when I unlock. My fog lights also flash because it's wired up to my parking lights.

I sit down stick in the key - the engine immobilizer light goes away. I try to start the car - everything freezes and the car does not even try to crank. None of my lights work. My unlock/lock does nothing - I see the physical lock struggling trying to move but it does not flip to lock/unlock on either door. If my door was open when I was trying to start the car, the window is stuck in the 'down' position from the auto up/down feature.

I have the AutoMate Alarm that comes with a flashing LED when it's armed - it stays solid lit for a few seconds before going away during this time.

Yesterday, I physically unlocked/locked the car, pressed the unlock/lock on my key fob, the unlock/lock all doors switch inside the car, pressed the button on my AutoMate Alarm system, and tried cranking the car in number of different combinations. Eventually the car started again and everything functioned as normal.

I have had instances where the car took an extra few seconds to crank up but this time the car started up no problem.

This morning - exactly the same symptoms as above. I was eventually able to get my lights/lock functions working again. That is, my key fob was able to unlock/lock the car and my fog lights/parking lights would blink like normally. But, it got stuck again when I tried to start the car.

In both cases, whenever I tried to unlock/lock the doors, the locks would wiggle as if it was struggling to lock itself, and the lights would have an abbreviated blink - as if it tried to complete the blinking but immediately stopped short.

UPDATE:
Details on post #19. I disconnected and reconnected the negative terminal. Everything seems to work again. I didn't drive the car to charge the battery, but it still works 24 hours later with just the disconnect/reconnect.

Additionally, my car trunk does not pop using the cockpit button nor the button on my key fob. Panic does not work either when the car freezes.

Is this an issue with my battery? I feel like it's not since all my exterior/interior lights seem to work fine until I try to start car which freezes up everything. Additionally, after getting the car unfrozen, the lights function as normal again. I'm using the original battery that car came with, I'm at approximately 16,000 miles right now, bought in Nov 2012. Don't think I'm due for a new battery yet?

Is this an issue with my aftermarket alarm? I feel like this is most likely the case just simply due to the fact that it's affecting the lock/unlock functions. Also the fact that the LED stays solid lit when everything doesn't work - never seen it do that. Either it's off completely, or it blinks when the system is armed. But, I've had this alarm for over a year now.

Or is this an issue with the FR-S immobilizer/starter itself? The immobilizer light DOES go away when the key is put in.


Electrical related mods:
Automate Alarm - uses the stock key fob, professionally installed - I've had this installed for over a year now
http://automatecarsecurity.com/Produ...001/AM1.5.aspx

HIDs - Morimoto w/ their relay harness

Fog lights - LED bulbs - harness gets power directly from the battery but has a relay hooked up to the parking lights so it's only - I originally had the harness getting directly to a battery without the relay but the place that did my car alarm said they changed the fog harness for me for free.

Sidemarker - wired to always flash in sync with the turn signals

Tom's Tail Lights

Valenti Reverse light w/ some custom wiring I did to separate the V parking light and the brake light functions - also added a flasher relay from eBay so the 4th brake light flashes. This is tapped into the driver side tail light harness.

Also got a dash cam and radar detector hooked up to the glove compartment 12V socket (using a 12v socket splitter)

NO TPMS - I just drive around with the TPMS alert

Please, any help would be great! Or if I should get it towed to either the dealership or back to the alarm install place?

The place I got my alarm installed does do good work though - they do the "OEM" alarms for one of the dealerships in my area on the weekends. The dealership charges $600 but if I go directly to them, I paid $250.

[cdo221]

Also, none of the gauge cluster lights up except for the oil one.. this is what my gauge cluster looks like in the second click - when everything should light up, A/C should come on etc. - nothing is on except for the oil light.

[stugray]

Your battery is dead.
Why - look at your list of mods. They are almost ALL aftermarket electrical mods.

[cdo221]

Going to try to jump my car with a coworker's after work. Hopefully that solves the problem, or at least gets it running so I can go to the dealership tomorrow.

[cdo221]

Originally Posted by stugray

Your battery is dead.
Why - look at your list of mods. They are almost ALL aftermarket electrical mods.

Would jumping my car solve the problem? What can I do to prevent this from happening again in the future? Remove my mods?

[driftartist]

check batt voltage first though. anything under 12.6 will cause an issue

[sero901]

i've had the relay on my HID lights get corrosion inside and partially stick. It wasn't enough to notice any light but enough to drain the battery over night. I bought a better relay and made sure its water tight. solved the problem. Use a volt meter and measure the resistance across the relay when its unplugged. Should be open lead across 2 of the posts and a reading across the other 2.

[strat61caster]

How often do you drive the car longer than 30 minutes? How long does it sit for when it won't start?

Basically it sounds like your mods are draining the battery as it sits, you probably wouldn't notice a problem if you were driving it regularly enough to keep the battery charged, while this may lead to a battery dying on you prematurely (i.e. 3 years as opposed to a completely stock car at 5 years) I think it's too soon to replace the battery.

First step is to see if there are any problems, inspect every wire that was altered to make sure nothing is frayed, no jacked up connections etc. The next is to remove the ones that are likely to drain the system while it sits one by one to determine if there is a specific culprit. I don't think a dealership will do much more than take one look at your aftermarket stuff and send you on your way.

A jump will not 'fix' the problem but it will get your car started with the only adverse effect being that you just let the battery run out which can be hard on it.

[cdo221]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

How often do you drive the car longer than 30 minutes? How long does it sit for when it won't start?

My commute to and from work is about 30-45 minutes, M-F. It sits at work for about 8-9 hours, then sits at home for about 13-14 hours.

Saturdays, I drive it a lot, and then it basically sits for 36 hours unused (from Saturday night to Monday morning). However, I did go to work M-Thurs this week until it occurred yesterday evening and this morning.

Thanks for the advice. I'll jump the car and if that works, I'll slowly remove the parts on my car.

I haven't made any changes to the car since March though, would the battery take that long to drain?

I guess it's most likely either the HIDs or the fog lights, as the other mods are using circuits that come direct from the factory. My tails/reverse light mods are using factory wires and my other plug ins are using the factory 12V sockets.

The HIDs and fog lights are the only things that are hooked up to the battery directly.

[cdo221]

Originally Posted by sero901

i've had the relay on my HID lights get corrosion inside and partially stick. It wasn't enough to notice any light but enough to drain the battery over night. I bought a better relay and made sure its water tight. solved the problem. Use a volt meter and measure the resistance across the relay when its unplugged. Should be open lead across 2 of the posts and a reading across the other 2.

The corrosion on the HID relay caused startup issues? I do think my fog light harness is low quality, I'll check that for corrision first, and the HIDs.

[sero901]

Originally Posted by cdo221

The corrosion on the HID relay caused startup issues? I do think my fog light harness is low quality, I'll check that for corrision first, and the HIDs.

I feel the start up issues is a low battery. The corrosion could cause your battery to drain. I can narrow your problem down to what ever is connected directly to the battery.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by cdo221

Thanks for the advice. I'll jump the car and if that works, I'll slowly remove the parts on my car.

I haven't made any changes to the car since March though, would the battery take that long to drain?

Again, a jump won't fix the car, it will get power to the starter and the car will crank over and start, a 30+ minute drive will charge up the battery and you should be able to shut the car off and restart it no problem.

You and I are using the word 'drain' differently. The charge depletes on the battery if there are electronics using power while the car is off. Completely OEM the battery is strong enough to keep the car ready to start if it's been sitting for weeks on end. The battery gets recharged as the motor spins the alternator while running. Based on the description of your habits I believe you are getting a full charge, there's no reason the car should be dead after sitting for 8 hours, something has gone wrong since March, maybe a loose connection or a frayed wire that was rubbing something.

Best of luck hunting down the issue and I hope it gets solved quickly.

Edit: After looking at the consistency of this happening (3x in the last 2 days) I would jump start the car, and take it on a long drive >1 hour (try not to shut it off when you're in the middle of nowhere) along with inspecting the mods.

It's entirely possible that sero901 is correct and you have over the past two months since adding your last mods have totally trashed the battery, a lot of guys who are doing electric heavy conditions have switched to a more powerful battery. I have only basic knowledge in this area though.

[wheelhaus]

The trunk not opening might be due to the trunk button position. IIRC, it deactivates the trunk mechanism electronics so it cannot be opened by a valet in the car or with the valet key, only a standard key. I can't remember if the key fob will work or if the physical key is required... But the pushbutton is in the trunk, drivers side, rearmost corner.

When it does start, does it struggle to turn over? I'm wondering if it's actually a dead battery or if something with the alarm system is not allowing it to start.

[MasterMech77]

Your battery is dead due to parasitic draw while the vehicle is at rest. Once you drain the battery down to the point where it will no longer start your car, your charging should not be the only thing you use to "recharge" the battery. The issue is the charging system was designed to maintain your battery from a normal start. Not to take a dead battery from drained to charged. What your asking of your alternator could cause premature wear to it. That is far worse then just replacing the battery. Besides over working the Alt. you are also not correctly charging the battery any way with the Alt. You actually only form a surface charge on the battery cells and not form a deep charge. You get a Deep charge from the proper voltage and cycle from a battery charger. You can pick up a inexpensive charger from any place that sells automotive parts. Best thing is to replace the battery and fix the issue of the drain on they system. Or when it is sitting at the house put a battery tender on it while it is sitting for a long period of time. I have done extensive installs of all kinds of "electrical" add-ons, from gauges to full custom sounds systems (multiple amps, speakers, and components). If done correctly you will not drain the battery at all. If you are planing on adding more components that require a lot of voltage, they make yellow top dry cell low impedance batteries that can be drained down and charged up safely (used more for SUVs that have tons of power hungry accessories like DVD players) Hope this helps.
Jay