'14 Mazda3 GS - battery died, fuel gauge showed empty, and range 0

[gta_driver]

Had a drained battery in my Mazda3, and this time, no lights were left on. Strange. (Also beats me why Mazda doesn't install battery protection, this will save them roadside assistance calls/service).

In any case, since this time, my fuel gauge showed empty, and the range showed 0. The tank had about 3/4 gas.

Slowly as I drove, the fuel crept up in the gauge, but the range still stays at 0. This has been a week now.

Any clues?

[morganc]

You could have a partially shorted cell inside you battery. Essentially, it's gonna work half-assed because it's on its way out. Fuel senders work by sending a fixed voltage to the tank unit, and reading a proportional voltage that comes from the float mechanism. If your battery is low and the charging system can't hold the voltage up, a smaller voltage goes to the tank unit, and thus a lower than normal voltage gets read, showing the low level in your case.

[TRECLA]

I also have a 14 GS, and had a dead battery about a month ago. didnt know why, cause didnt leave any lights on. had 2 people to try and help jump start the battery, but both didnt work. took it to the mazda dealership and they kept it overnight giving it a slow charge instead. it works now and its been fine since.

[gta_driver]

After my last refill, the issue is resolved. The range now works well.

Unfortunately, this short erased all my fuel mileage stats in the trip computer. I had it reset at the time of purchase nearly 3 years ago, too bad it's gone.

[TheMAN]

Mexico build or Japan build?

[gta_driver]

Early '14, so Japan. VIN starts with J.

Not impressed with the car over 3 years of ownership.

[TheMAN]

what are you expecting in a 1st year car?

[gta_driver]

what are you expecting in a 1st year car?

Has Mazda never built cars before? You make it sound like they made a leap from a lawn mower to car overnight.

[sarujo]

Not uncommon for first and second year of new generations (from any automaker) to have more issues as the kinks are worked out of them...

[TheMAN]

Has Mazda never built cars before? You make it sound like they made a leap from a lawn mower to car overnight.

essentially, it was
the electrical system in the BM is far more complicated than the BK or BL (the previous Mazda3s)

1st year cars ALWAYS have issues, if you're expecting perfection, then it'll take good luck or a miracle for this to happen

That being said, there's been quite a few flash updates for the computers on this car since it came out... have you not taken your car in for warranty work?

[SonicBoy]

TheMAN. I've seen several posts by you referring to BM, BK or BL models. Can you explain more about this designation?

Is this an internal Mazda way to refer to the different generations or builds within a generation?

Does the code denote a certain change like the .5 model year releases that Mazda does?




essentially, it was
the electrical system in the BM is far more complicated than the BK or BL (the previous Mazda3s)

1st year cars ALWAYS have issues, if you're expecting perfection, then it'll take good luck or a miracle for this to happen

That being said, there's been quite a few flash updates for the computers on this car since it came out... have you not taken your car in for warranty work?

[TheMAN]

They are model code designations that is commonly used around the world, in "mazdaese"... they're a quick way to call out a car without any ambiguation...
BK is 1st gen
BL is 2nd gen
BM is 3rd gen, pre-facelift
BN is 3rd gen, facelift (except Russia and Japan, they're still called "BM")
BY is 3rd gen hybrid version (Japan only)

This is no different than how people in the Honda world refer to their Civics in "EF", "EG", "EK", "EP", etc

The Mazda community lags behind in many ways, how they refer to their cars is one of them
enthusiasts, car parts sales, and car dealers alike all use these codes in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa... just not here in Canada or the states.... I guess people think it's too geeky or people are too dumb for them?

[SonicBoy]

Thanks for the explanation. Could you update/verify the list below is correct?

BK is 1st gen 2003-2009
BL is 2nd gen 2008-2013
BM is 3rd gen, pre-facelift 2014-2016
BN is 3rd gen, facelift (except Russia and Japan, they're still called "BM") 2017
BY is 3rd gen hybrid version (Japan only) ????

[TheMAN]

pretty accurate, except since we silly ones use this non-sense called "model years", the BK to us, is 2004-2009. But in the rest of the world, it can be a 2003, since it was released mid 2003.
the BM also came out mid 2013... the BY is Japan only, like I said... it's a BM with the 2l Skyactiv "PE" motor coupled to Toyota's hybrid system as its "transmission"... released roughly same time as the rest of the BMs and now also has the facelift like the rest of the BMs... it's sedan only

[kaleshnikov]

Mother's 2014 (BM/3rd gen) has almost 50k on it and it has been flawless. Only issue has been poor radio reception, but that was fixed early through a service bulletin and covered by the warranty.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[gta_driver]

essentially, it was
the electrical system in the BM is far more complicated than the BK or BL (the previous Mazda3s)

1st year cars ALWAYS have issues, if you're expecting perfection, then it'll take good luck or a miracle for this to happen

That being said, there's been quite a few flash updates for the computers on this car since it came out... have you not taken your car in for warranty work?


My biggest problem with the car is not with electronics, but with shocks and poor suspension. At 42K it feels very aged. I don't expect that of a 3-year old car from a manufacturer who has decades of car manufacturing experience.

[TheMAN]

there's been parts revisions to the suspension among many things since your car was built
I'll let people with the newer 3s chime in since I just got mine

[gta_driver]

there's been parts revisions to the suspension among many things since your car was built
I'll let people with the newer 3s chime in since I just got mine

First year model is no excuse for cheapening out on parts quality. My suspension was just great when the car was new. It's the longevity that's the issue.

edit: thought this was the other thread about suspension issue. as far as this thread is concerned, the fuel gauge has been resolved. no big deal.