I left my rx in my garage for 2 weeks and when i came back i noticed some problems that developed... 1st the battery was dead... 2nd my DSC indicator was blinking. 3rd tire pressure indicator was on (which come to think of it could happend since it was cold in the garage) 3rd the inidcator about speedometor was on (car w/ swiggly lines) All these problems disappeared after a few hrs. But i was driving around for 2 hrs w/out tracktion.. Does any1 else have these problems.. Also someone told me when they had a corvette they had to put a special mat on the ground and park the car on top of it. The mat helps keep the shape of the tire so it doesn't go flat.. Any1 heard of this and know where i can buy one????

 

All the things you mentioned (except the low tire indicator) were because of the dead battery. The real question is why did the battery go dead after just 2 weeks?

 

Mine isn't a daily driver and I haven't had any problems. I usually drive mine at least once a week though...

 

Do you store the car in unheated or heated garage? If unheated
how cold has it been in the garage?

 

No problems. I've left my 8 in the garage for at least 11 days in a row with no probs. Sounds like you have a batter drain somewhere. I'm just thankful the 12v sockets go out when the key is off. I killed the battery in my Vette (power outlets are always on) by leaving the radar detector on for 2 weeks....OOPS!

 

I think this is what you are refering to! Tire cradle

 

I got the same problem. I have "Problems keeping rx-8 in garage" because I'm always driving it.

We'll be curious to hear the outcome. Please share.

 

Sorry about the bad link for the tire cradles. Try it now.

 

Probably left the interior lights on. Trunk unlatched? Door ajar?

You can check "car off" battery drain using a Multi meter.
Ensure when you connect/disconnect battery you do so deliberately - do not let it connect/disconnect/reconnect in rapid succession. This can harm electronics. You will loose programmed radio stations, and may have to reset the power steering (with key on, turn all the way right then all the way left, then centre - as outlined in the manual).
1. Disconnect battery -ve.
2. Set meter on highest DC current scale.
3. Make sure all doors are closed and connect meter -ve lead to battery -ve terminal and meter +ve lead to -ve battery cable end.
4. If you see too low a reading for the meter, disconnect and select a more appropriate range.

You should see from 10 mA to 50 mA or so (ECM is actually always partially on - and the radio draws a tiny amount to keep your station programming).

 

Look in the owners manual about resetting the DSC. All the lights you got were related to the ecu being powered back on after a dead battery.

Basically, turn key to ignition, do not start. Turn wheel all the way right..... then all the way left. DSC/squggly lines should go off. I'd reset it as soon as possible.

Check the manual first though!!!!

 

I've seen kill switches for the main power that people use for security or storing purposes. It just disconnects one of the terminals of the battery so the car doesn't start or the battery drains. They are mounted hidden in the dash so you don't have to pop the hood and disconnect/connect the terminal yourself. Anyone thought of this? The bad thing about it is that you would get all the effects of disconnecting the battery like ecu reset, radio memory and clock erased, and the warning lights...

 

Do you have a radar detector? I travelled once, left my Firebird in the garage for 2 weeks and left the detector plugged in, when I returned, the battery was empty and I needed a jump start.

No wait, the RX-8's cigarette lighter outlets are dead when the car keys are pulled - something that really annoys me, I cannot charge my cell phone while the car is parked.

Peter

 

my dealer mentioned that if you leave the heated seat switch in the 'on' position, it might drain the battery. But, wasn't sure if that was true but then again, I do garage my rx8 and I never used the heated seats yet.

--alex