New Battery - Idling Issues and Stalling

D

durak2000

Member
Location
Boston
Hey guys!

A couple of days ago my original stock battery gave up - about time for a 6 yo unit. So I went to Autozone and picked up a brand new Red Top Optima, which is pretty much one of the best you can get.

While I was getting to install my new battery, about 7 hours had passed during which my FX sat without any kind of power.

I threw in a new Optima battery, the car started right up without any issues.

Now, this is what happened this morning - I went to start the car, the idling went up to 2,500 rpm and then suddenly dropped to '0' and the car stalled, I tried to start it again, it started but went down to almost zero, kept itself going somehow but sounded kind of lethargic.

Everything's normal while driving the car around - no RPM drops, no rough idling, but if it sits not running for more than 30 minutes, the same issues with idling creep up.

The only thing I changed was the battery - I measured the battery output and it's a full 12v. Needless to say, I checked the terminal connections for tightness - everything check out and I am puzzled at this point.

Could it be that the car sat without power for 7-8 hours?
Should I try ECU reset?
Should I just call it a day and go see my stealership?


Thanks for all you answers in advance!!!

---------- Post added at 10:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------

anyone?...
 
Hmm...never heard this situation before. But if the battery was disconnected for that long then I would suspect the ecu would automatically reset. But just in case i suggest disconnecting the battery overnight and then see what happens in the morning after you plug it back in. If that does not help then a call to the dealer may be in order.
 
I've never had any problems swapping batteries or resetting, but Cheryl from Metro Infiniti did say that the car must have power constantly during a battery swap or else you might have stalling problems. ///3647

Try an ecu reset first though... Keep us updated on the resolution.
 
Try ECU reset...

I had the exact same issues when I did my Z tube and CAI. The engine would start normally then just dump to 0. Even with me giving it gas....it wanted to stall.

My solution: I ended up having to get my Throttle Body Cleaned. After cleaning, I've had no more problems. Since you say the original battery is 6 yrs old, I would assume you have an 03/04. I think its time to get it cleaned. You can do it yourself, but be very careful...u can mess it up..I just had the dealer do it, as I didnt want to take a chance. Our throttle bodies get really dirty..If you look, I bet you see a bunch of carbon deposits on the inside around the outside of the butterfly.

You might want to try and do a ECU reset and the Throttle Body reset procedures. At least that is something that you can do yourself with a good stopwatch and patience
 
100+Riot said:
strange.....when I changed my battery my FX came back to life unbelieveable how much HP I lost running a weak battery.
Click to expand...

...hmmm really? I thought we need the battery only to start the car and to keep a minimal power going to the ECU, clock and such. Battery does not affect HP, unless I am wrong here.

You are right, however ...after switching to a new battery you notice many things that become a bit sharper and better - starting, lights, controls etc.


[UPDATE]
I reset the ECU this morning, and did the throttle and idling reset procedures. Idling reset did not work for me the first time around (timing might have been bad) so I repeated the procedure within an hour.

I also started the car 15 minutes, 1 hour and 1.5 hour after the idle reset and, alah, my stalling issue seems to have vanished! On start, the RPMs go up to 1500 then sharply drop to 700+ where they stay solid unless I press the accelerator pedal.

On a different note, I have noticed a much smoother acceleration after ECU reset and a bit better tranny response.

I will post updates as I drive the car.

Also, it may be a good idea to have this linked to some battery changing threads, so people have a point of reference.
 
Dr.2K said:
So from your statement I guess your stalling issue has been resolved with the ecu reset procedure?
Click to expand...


I am a programmer, so in my world the issue is there until completely and thoroughly tested :)

I guess, I will keep an eye on this for the next couple of days when I'll do some mixed driving and report back.
 
Dr.2K said:
LOL, sure let us know if you have any further issues after a week of driving.
Click to expand...

Darn it! I drove for 2+ hours non-stop, so the car was nice and warm, shut down the engine, tried to start it - it started but the RPMs went all the way down to like 50, so it almost stalled but somehow kept itself going. Immediately after, repeated the process and everything was fine.

I am puzzled...

People on other forums experience the same issue, but no one can give a definitive answer. Are there any mechanics out there?

Please help!

P.S. one thing I will try is instead of 'pedal dancing' I will try battery disconnect.:mad:
 
Just needs a relearn. Let it idle for a few minutes and it will level itself out. If it happens everyday then you may have a injector leak and/or weak injector that is allowing the fuel to drip into the chamber overnight. But if it has happened to you only this one time after changing the battery just let it idle and you're good to go.



--By relearn I mean just let it idle and not the whole throttle position relearn.
 
toy4x said:
Try ECU reset...

I had the exact same issues when I did my Z tube and CAI. The engine would start normally then just dump to 0. Even with me giving it gas....it wanted to stall.

My solution: I ended up having to get my Throttle Body Cleaned. After cleaning, I've had no more problems. Since you say the original battery is 6 yrs old, I would assume you have an 03/04. I think its time to get it cleaned. You can do it yourself, but be very careful...u can mess it up..I just had the dealer do it, as I didnt want to take a chance. Our throttle bodies get really dirty..If you look, I bet you see a bunch of carbon deposits on the inside around the outside of the butterfly.

You might want to try and do a ECU reset and the Throttle Body reset procedures. At least that is something that you can do yourself with a good stopwatch and patience
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should have your throttle body cleaned.
 
sounds like a dirty throttle body to me for sure. the ecu learned the minimum air flow before & compensated, but now with the reset it's back to base & the dirty throttle boduy is causing the idle to be too low & the ecu is trying to catch up, catches it most times biut sometimes can stall too......
 
turbocad6 said:
sounds like a dirty throttle body to me for sure. the ecu learned the minimum air flow before & compensated, but now with the reset it's back to base & the dirty throttle boduy is causing the idle to be too low & the ecu is trying to catch up, catches it most times biut sometimes can stall too......
Click to expand...


I'll check that too. Thanks!
 
UPDATE:

My wife drove around all day yesterday: started many times cold and warm and did not report any issues.

I think the 'idle learning' process is completed and I can declare victory ...for now.

I will report if things do downhill.

Again, thanks everyone for all your tips!

:tup:
 
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