ok so i have had my 03 Z for about a year now with nop problems what so ever until today. it has about 58,000 miles on it give or take but today when i got off work i went to start up my car and it didnt start up right away like always instead it kept trying to turn over like the battery might be dead or something but after about 10 seconds or so of this it finally came to life and started up. I didnt really think much of it at first and so i drove home. Upon getting home i turned it off and tried to start it back up just to make sure it would start up fine. Well the same exact thing happened. At this point im getting a lil angry so i turn it off and do the process again. Same result as the other times. I kinda thought at first it might be the battery so i sat in it and let it idle for a bit but after it had been idling for about 5 min or so all the lights in the tach and speedo and such came on like the check engine light, the VCS light, slip light and so on. Even the light the tells you a door is open came on and i know that all my doors wwere fully shut. So at this point im kinda nervous and not sure what the heck is wrong. So if someone has any ideas as to what might be wrong that would be great. thanks!

 

you need twin turbos.
jk

i have the same problem except its really random and sporadic

 

Maybe just a new starter (if thats what its called).

 

It could be your TB going bad. Mine use to do the same thing before it went. Or could be as simple as your battery going bad due to cold weather. You should get it tested.

 

i thought maybe the starter at first too but i dont think just the starter being bad would cuase all the warning lights and crap to come on. and what to do mean by TB?

 

I have an 05' and it does the exact same thing you just mentioned.. I was really scared that it might be a big problem but I took it into the dealership because I still have warranty and they told me that it was a security problem (?). Dont really know what that means but they said they fixed it by making me a new key and I guess restarting the battery. I got my car back and it did it again (and this happens randomly so I don't know when it will happen next) so I took it back to the dealership and they said they will take a look at it again... so if they find out the exact problem I will let you know

 

I've been experiencing the same problem for 4 months now. I've tried numerous times to get it fixed. None of the "guessing" has worked. They tell me the only way to diagnose it is have it hooked up to the consult when it won't fire, but it is so random it is impossible to predict. Once I get it there after it won't start I'm sure it'll fire right up.

 

Your battery may be causing your problem, but I wonder if your alternator is the actual root of the problem. What it sounds like to me is the alternator is not charging the battery properly even when being driven and draining the battery. The battery then does not have enough voltage to turn the starter fast enough for a quick start. Low battery voltage is most likely the reason your CEL, VCS and slip lights are on, they maybe recieving a poor signal and thinking there is a problem. Go get the car scanned and see what codes come up.

 

alright thanks guys. im going to take it into the dealership today and see if they can figure it out. I'll let you guys now what they think it might be

 

ok so i ahd taken the z into the dealership to ge the problem looked at and(this was about a week ago) and they checked it over and found out that the altenator was no good and that it needed to be replaced so i told them go for it. So today they call me tellin me the car is ready to be picked up so i go get it and start it up just fine. Im happy everything seems to be back to normal so i heasd for home and i come up on the first stop light, come to a stop and what does it do? Dies. Right there in the middile of the road. So im think wtf and i go to start it again and guess what? the thing has the same problem it did before i took it in to get fixed. Takes forever to start up and all dash lights come on. So i turned around and took it back and on the way back to the dealership i realized the car seems to have a new problem. everytime i stop and the rpm's are at idle the car wants to die and struggles not to shut off. Anyway tech at the dealership looked confused when i showed back up with the same problem. Told me to leave it and he would take another look at it. At this point i have no clue waht could be worng with me car. And it doesnt seem like the dealership does either

 

keep us posted please

 

Maybe really bad fuel?

 

Nah, i dont think the fuel is the issue. I put Shell's premium in it every time.

 

Tell the technician to double check that he tightened all wires to the alternator and battery.

 

I'm starting to have this issue as well. I unlock the car and go to crank the car; no lights on the dash turn on, no clicking, nothing. I pull the key out and try after about a minute and it starts up fine. Funny thing is that the CD changer will start acting crazy (like it's trying to pull in a CD). Then all my preset stations are wiped out.

Maybe it's an alternator issue?

 

Does this happen even after you have been driving the car for a while and then go to start the car?

 

Have you ever changed the battery? After about five years, the OEM battery is nearing the end of its lifecycle. It may test out OK, but could be shorting out internally under load.

 

This has happened the last 2 times that I have started my car (after it has sat in the garage all night). After I drove the car around for a while and ran some errands, the car starts up fine through out the day.

I have already replaced the battery (this past year) and my car is a 2003.

 

D-Rett, did the dealership find anything out new?

 

Since you already replaced your battery this year, that rules that out. The fact that once you have driven your car and go to turn it back on with no problems rules out the alternator, as it is recharging the battery while your driving. It sounds like an electrical device is staying on over night and draining your battery. Have you done any modifications to your car recently?