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Intermittent loss of electrical power

6K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  plplplpl 
#1 ·
I had this happen twice in the past month. I have no idea what is happening. :unsure:

I went to start the 2003 Pilot. Put in the key. Just started to turn the key (possibly it made it to the ACC position). Then all power went off. No lights, no dashboard indicators, nothing. Like a power outage during a storm.

Opened the hood to look at fuses and nothing looked out of the ordinary. Tried to start again a minute or so later. Everything was fine. Car fired right up. Had to re-input the security code for the radio, but everything else was ok.

I thought maybe it was a bad battery cable, but nothing unusual while driving. Lights don't flicker or anything.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Battery clamps and grounds.
 
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#7 · (Edited)
+1 on what Can said
can + Tahoefever + me = 3 :)

and with scorrpio we have a foursome for bridge. (I know nothing about that card game, but I've heard it's a thing.)

So follow the battery cables wherever they lead.
 
#13 ·
So follow the battery cables wherever they lead.

However, you say you've got a 2017, but you're posting in the 2003-2008 subforum, so expect some discrepancies between the attachement I've provided and your model year, but at least it might give you an idea of where to start looking.
 

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#8 ·
Have you had the battery tested? Strange electrical behavior can be caused by a faulty battery.
 
#9 ·
If you are having issues like that, I would invest in a jumpstarter. i.e.:

Saved my bacon a few times when I had battery issues with one of our cars.

Now, if the issue occurs again, and you got a charged starter, OR another car + jumper cables, you should be able to diagnose things a bit.
If you hook up external power to battery terminal, and things start working, then it has to be battery.

If you hook up external power to your battery terminals, and everything is still dark, then you got a faulty cable going from battery to car.
Try this: remove positive clamp, move negative clamp someplace bare metal on car chassis, re-connect positive.
If car comes alive, the fault is on the ground side. If not, then positive side is bad.
 
#10 ·
If you are having issues like that, I would invest in a jumpstarter. i.e.: Saved my bacon a few times when I had battery issues with one of our cars. Now, if the issue occurs again, and you got a charged starter, OR another car + jumper cables, you should be able to diagnose things a bit. If you hook up external power to battery terminal, and things start working, then it has to be battery. If you hook up external power to your battery terminals, and everything is still dark, then you got a faulty cable going from battery to car. Try this: remove positive clamp, move negative clamp someplace bare metal on car chassis, re-connect positive. If car comes alive, the fault is on the ground side. If not, then positive side is bad.
I am having the same issue with my 2017 Pilot. The battery, alternator and starter checks out good. The loss of power happens every 4 or 5 days. If I attach my jumper battery,it starts immediately. My mechanic says its a bad ECM/PCM computer. I am not convinced. I am thinking its a bad ground somewhere ? Anybody find a solution.
 
#11 ·
Check all the negative connections that are hooked up to chassis. On my previous Pilot there was engine block to chassis, battery negative to chassis, and a large cable below the starter to chassis. Check for wire corrosion, loose connections, rusted surface where the clamp contacts the chassis, etc.
 
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