OK so my power steering light came on and the steering wheel is just stiff to turn.. i can drive it its just harder to turn then usual.. but this happened when i connected the negative part of the battery back AFTER trying to unhook the factory radio but that was not a success n i just gave up. i know i havent touched anything else besides the BATTERY... and then i turned on the car i already did the left right left and still nothing.. i havent taken it to the dealer yet but i took it somewhere i knew someone that was familiar with mazdas and they couldnt find anything wrong with it fuse is ok and connectors are ok.. whats wrong with it? ive seen other threads about taking out the connectors and cleaning them but how would i do that? pics and instuctions would be great!

 

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...power+steering

This thread has tons of information and pics.
So read through it all to get a better understanding.

 

most likely an EPS failure code, harness resistance is a common problem. considering you touched the battery terminals make sure all surfaces are shiny clean (metal bristle brush useful) and tighten them as much as possible and make sure they wont twist while bolted on, do this to both terminals.

You may also have a dirty ground in the EPS circuit.

somewhat common problem, i think your battery disconnect is just a coincidence.

kevin.

 

teknics- would that mean i would have to take off both cables off the battery and clean it off?? should i still check the connectors and clean those to?

 

start by making sure the battery terminals are clean and free of corrosion. then go from there.

kevin.

 

Some have had luck just disconnecting the two harnesses under the air box and cleaning them with contact cleaner.
In my case, it would work for about a week and then fail again.
I used to carry contact cleaner in my trunk because it happened so frequently.

I ended up just splicing the power and torque sensor wires together:


I added extra wire so I could have plenty of slack in case I needed to remove/get around something.
But like I said, some have had luck just cleaning it once.

Also, your coolant hose is dangling right above the harnesses (which is a likely cause of failure at the harnesses).
Some people have installed longer hoses to go under where the harnesses are.

As you can tell, many of us know about this and have experienced this first hand.
So don't think you're alone
The thread I posted above goes into great lengths on this topic.

 

Check the connectors on the top of the radiator...spray them with contact cleaner and open/close them a couple of times...

I had the connections under the ECU crap up as well...but I had the ECU cover off for quite a while

 

Check the connectors on the top of the radiator...spray them with contact cleaner and open/close them a couple of times...

I had the connections under the ECU crap up as well...but I had the ECU cover off for quite a while

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks guys everyone has been a big help so far!