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Any Mazda service techs out their?

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  dogwater 
#1 ·
I have a 98 Mazda Protege with a 1500 L engine (Z5D) DOHC. I'm looking for test info. for the distributor. The only info. I can find in my very lame Chilton manual is to test the coil, nothing about the cam position sensor or the moduel. When I did a resistance test on the coil the secondary resistance was off some what, primary was good.The only thing I have to test with is a DVM & a scan/code reader. I dis connected the battery for a few days which I shouldn't of done an lost all of the stored codes.
My son was driving it home an it just died for no reason, towed it home an now it cranks over but no start. It has fuel pressure, has spark, an the fuel injectors are getting a signal & the crank shaft sensor passed a resistance test. I went thru all of the grounds in the engine bay an cleaned them up. But it seems no or very little fuel is being injected cause to spark plugs are damp but not wet after cranking the engine over. I'm going to put in a new fuel filter today but I don't think that's the problem. I don't know how to test the cam position sensor or the module. I would really like some info from a real Mazda service manual, something I could down load. Much thanks for some better info.
 
#2 ·
Also no blown fuses, injector relay is good. I read about the mas air flow sensor having a short an causing a no start but that didn't pan out, no short.I haven't been to the ECU yet, kind of thought that if I was getting a spark an a signal to the injectors it was still working. I didn't want to spend 350.00 on a new distributor just to fine out that's not the problem. But I kinda think it is. The distributor has the coil, cam sensor an module all in one, plus it has about 280,000 miles on it, engine been rebuilt, by me of course.
 
#3 ·
First thing to check is the timing belt to ensure it didn't break. Does the distributor turn when the engine is cranked? Sounds like, if the belt is good, you have an ignition module or crank sensor problem. No signal being sent to the ecm to say the engine is rotating so the injectors don't get pulsed. You can pick up a nod light that connects in place of the injector and when e fine is cranked the no I'd light should flash every time the injector is supposed to pulse. If no pulse then the ecm is probably not sending the signal because it doesn't know the engine is cranking. Crank sensors can get hot and Crack then no signal is sent. Nov familiar with your exact engine but have seen this a lot on other brands.
Does the fuel pump come on for a few seconds when the key is turning ed on?
Is the timing belt good?
Does the distributor turn when the engine cranks?
Are the injectors pulsing?
Is the crank position sensor plugged in?
Is the crank position sensor in good shape and giving an output?
Is there a cam position sensor as well and if so, does it look good and give an output? You can Google it for a sensor location and how to test them.
Some auto parts suppliers can check in modules if you think that could be the problem. Check wiring connections at the module and sensors. Sometimes there can be a broken wire that looks ok, but if you gently tug on the wire you can see that the wire has broken up inside the insulation. If you tug on the wire and it gets longer then it is broken.

Hopefully this helps.
 
#4 ·
Ok, sorry for the auto correct spelling. What I meant to say is a noid light.it connects where the injector plug in is and will pulse when the injector is normally supposed to pulse. That way you can see if the ecm is sending a signal to the injectors.you can also do a pin out check on the ecm to ensure you have a good ground. Not sure on a Mazda but lots of cars power the injectors and the ecm is the control for ground in the circuit so if the ecm doesn't have a good ground the whole system is compromised.
I dunno, just guessing.
 
#5 ·
My son was driving it home an it just died for no reason, towed it home an now it cranks over but no start. It has fuel pressure, has spark,
Why then do you think it has bad ignition parts.
Have you checked the spark at the plugs? How strong is it.
If you think fuel is the issue ,spray carb cleaner down the intake while cranking to see if it starts.
Did you verify that it has the Correct fuel pressure?
IIRC the distributor is driven off the cam on that motor.If the timing belt broke it would not have spark as the dizzy woul not be turning.

If the spark is weak or it only sparks when shutting the key off, the module is mot likely the culprit. Need to verify GOOD spark, and the power to the coil + side

I went to a u pull it yard some years back, to look for an ignition mudule for a 323, and when I got there, every mazda 323 had the module missing from the dizzy. Does that tell you anything?
I wonder if you could wire a simple 4 pin GM module to it to make it run.
All the module does is fire the coil, the puter controls the timing...Just a thought.
That was an option I considered after the last time I got a price of 185 dollars for a module for a mazda .
 
#6 ·
. First thing to look at with EFI and a MAF sensor is a break, crack, or hole in the rubber bellows tube between MAF and air intake... also for missing vacuum hoses... ALL air must go through the MAF or computer gets confused and shuts down the engine... also, air cleaner must be used, clean, and in good condition... no crud must touch the MAF wire... a screen before the MAF is a secondary safeguard for the MAF... a common problem is a crack in that bellows, can't be seen, put tranny in gear, engine jumps slightly, crack pulls open, unMAF'd air enters, 'puter stalls engine...

. With EFI, the plugs prolly won't get too wet with gas... don't need much gas to run/idle... flooding is less common than with a carb...

. A Haines manual specifically for your car's make, model, years will have more detailed info... many public libraries have them for free usage... parts stores carry them...
 
#7 ·
Timing belt is turning, took off the oil filler cap an the cams are turning
Crank sensor tested good, I even moved it closer to the crank shaft pulley.
Fuel pressure I need to recheck. I made a DIY fuel pressure tester but I redesigned it so It wouldn't leak.
I didnt have a noid light but I back probed the injectors with my DVM an they were pulsing an checked the injectors for any shorted ones. None.
The only real issue I've found is the coil is weak but it does throw a spark , I don't think that would cause a no start.
The spark plugs were old an worn out, I'll change them.
Didn't find any broken wires or grounded ones.
The fuel pump can't be heard an I doesn't come on until the key is turn to the start position.
Any how thanks for the info. I'll get it going one way or the other.
 
#12 ·
Yes it all internal, coil, can position sensor & module, all inside the distributor. We bought a new cap an rotor an that didn't help. I went out to the pick n pull an found another distributor an I grabbed another ECU also. But this is my sons car an I'm not forking out any more cash of mine for his car. So I'm not doing anything to it right now. Only problem is he's driving my some what better Nissan Frontier that has a working a/c an a JVC stereo double din with an the works. But I told him he can't have it Friday night thru Sunday night. An that'll drive him crazy.
 
#13 ·
Have you checked the Fuel Circuit Opening Relay? On most of these cars it is under the passenger side kick panel. Check you specific Chilton Manual for details. I would also run a 12v hot wire directly to the fuel pump. There should be an access panel to reach the top of the tank. With 12v to the pump you will hear it fire up. If not, bad pup. If yes, bad relay or wire. The Protege engine is the same basic unit as the early Miata. A bad CAS would not allow spark at all.
 
#15 ·
I ended up getting another distributor at the local pick n pull but I took my Volt meter with me to test before I bought it. The coil tested the same as the one that's in the car but I went ahead an bought it any way. Took it home it home, cleaned it up,added new cap an rotor. I pulled the valve/cam cover off to check the timing marks on the cams as compared to the timing mark on the crank balancer, they were good. Then I put in new spark plugs & new fuel filter. An after a little distributor twisting it fired up an ran, set the timing an all is good. This is one of those repair jobs that I really hate where your unsure of what the real problem is but you throw parts at it an out of no where it starts an runs. What I learned, don't disconnect the battery without reading the OBD codes first.
 
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