3rd Gen Protege/MazdaSpeed/P5/MP3 General/Maintenance Discussion for 1999-2003.5 Models Only (BJ Chassis)

questions about the head light..

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Old January-23rd-2003, 10:29 AM
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questions about the head light..

Hi, all

I got my P5 in the end of last month, put 1300 miles on it already..

I just found out that at night, with the head light and fog light on, when I operate the power window or when the air conditioner starts to work, the lights(both) seems to become dim a little bit...

what's the problem here? battery? charging system? PLEASE HELP..

Best

Jason
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Old January-23rd-2003, 01:43 PM
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The alternator is straining under the load of operating all of those eletrical devices at once.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong (which I might very well be).
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Old January-23rd-2003, 02:24 PM
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I notice the same thing, but only when the car is at idle... it would appear that the alternator (as mentioned above) is strugling a little when the car is idling.

At this time I am not too worried about it...
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Old January-23rd-2003, 02:50 PM
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I have the same problem.
I went to my Mazda dealer and they agreed that there is a problem and they sent off a report to head office about it. They said they would contact me about it as soon as they got a call back.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 03:04 PM
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So what's the aftermarket solution? Different alternator?
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Old January-23rd-2003, 03:20 PM
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probably, but I'm going to see if they just put a bigger one in there for me for free.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 03:26 PM
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Dim lights

Mine does the same thing, but I'm afraid the dealer is going to blame the 2 Amps I got.It was doing it before I install them, so I If I take in I'll just take them out. It would be nice to go to the dealer with some information or proof to showthem that something is wrong.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 03:34 PM
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Originally posted by Arkos
So what's the aftermarket solution? Different alternator?
Doubtful the motor will support a nice big alternator, like something from a V8 engine.

I wouldn't worry about it. It's not noticiable to oncoming traffic, and the money you spend trying to lessen the problem won't be worth the it.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 07:28 PM
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I've done some looking into the subject also because I noticed it too on my car. There is another post somewhere on the same subject. I'm not sure if I started it but cause it's been a very long time.

Anyway, I've talked to the dealer and some other people, and the general concensus is that this is common in many cars. I have noticed this too in some of my friends cars and trucks so I am not too worried about it.

But I do have a theory that Hyperground wires may help. Someone correct me if I am wrong, I'm thinking of getting some in the near future.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 07:32 PM
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Aftermarket solution could be to get a capacitor? Like people do for car stereos.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 08:54 PM
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my guess would be that the sudden amperage load is a little quicker than the alternator/regulator can adjust. it probably doesn't hurt anything, just annoying. a big capacitor for stereos would more than likely fix it.
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Old January-23rd-2003, 09:30 PM
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for 80 bucks you can get a capacitor. you don't even have to hook it up to the audio system, just hook it up in your engine pay right next to your battery. but if you do have a system, it will handle 500watt rms easy. it can give off 10,000 amps at any time.(of if you have a system, make sure you mount the capacitor right next to the amp(s)
 
Old January-23rd-2003, 09:31 PM
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Same thing here, but I think nothing of it. It happened in my previous vehicle and never had a problem. I have also seen it happen with my friends cars. The funniest was my friends coralla. He had his door open reving the motor so we could listen to something and when we looked at his dome light it would be real dim at idle and get a lot brighter when he hit the gas. I never tried it with my dome light, but I am sure it will do the same.
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Old January-24th-2003, 11:58 PM
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Haven't noticed mine yeat cause I can't use the air until July but during those two weeks I'll keep an eye out for it. If anyone has has ever been for and ambulance ride at night I'm sure they can relate, the lights get brighter as the van goes faster. It makes an ugly nurse look that much uglyer.
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