Starting problem. I just had the timing adjusted by a mechanic and the timing was advanced and someone had adjusted the idle screw above the throttle body. He also changed out the timing belt and water pump for me. I just changed out the radiator, thermostat, upper and lower radiator hoses and a new radiator cap and plugs, at his suggestion. Took the car out for a test drive and it ran great.

Bad news after sitting 2 hours I just tried to start it and all it does is crank. CEL is not on. All the plug wires are on. It doesn't even act like it want's to start. It's like it just went dead. Just found antifreeze coming out of #2 and #3 cyclinder when checking the spark. Head Gasket?
Any suggestions. Thanks...[/align]

 

Well looking at the sequence of events it looks like you have a blown head gasket. If you had to have the waterpump replaced then shortly after have the radiator replaced i would deduce you had a slightly blown head gasket and the extra pressure was following the path of least resistance. Now you have a tight cooling system so the head gasket leak is showing. Head gaskets don't just blow all at once. The leak starts out small and grows. If you know what your looking for you can catch them early and save money in the long run.

 

Yep, it was the head gasket. Now the car runs good but will not idle with the A/C on. Mechanic says it needs to go to Mazda to have the idle and timing set together?

Never heard of that?

 

I would power time it myself. I always power time my tunes. Just mark the didtributor location and advance the timing til you get clatter on accel driving. Then retard the timing a tiny bit at a timetil you get no clatter. That should be optimum timing with the fuel/altitude etc you use.
As far as the idle i would check all the connections near the throttlebody,maybe they did not connect something like a vacuuum hose or wire or the idle control valve is stuck. I am a bit surprised a tech that can replace your head gasket does not know how to set the timing and idle.

 

Have you ever heard of a special tool to set the timing? He showed me a picture of a small box with a dial on the bottom and two leads coming out. He said mazda usesit is used to set the idle. He doesn't have one. This is frustrating when you spend $982.00 and you still have to go get the job finished !!!!!

My problem now is the car idles fine as long as the A/C is not on. As soon as you turn on the a/c and put it in gear, the car very slowly idles down and dies. I would realy hate to take it to a dealer and pay those prices. I've checked connections, hoses and so far everything looks ok. Is this because the system is now real tight, new water pump, radiator, hoses, thermostat, headgasket, etc...? Timing seems to be ok, I'm not sure how to power time? Any suggestions would be so appreciated......

 

He is talking about the IAC valve set tool as far as the idle goes.But the problem i am having with it only having a problem with the a/c on is that there are lots of loads that use the iac valve. P/S pump is a load turning,Any fan is a load etc. I am thinking one of your cooling fans is not kicking on when you turn the A/C on. That would cause the a/c pressures to climb and the compressor to create an extreme load that theIAC cannot compensate for. Turn the a/c on and make sure both fans are running. If not then that is the problem. The more i think about it the more i think that is your problem.

 

When the car is at operating Temp, the drivers side fan kick on. When we turn on the A/C the second fan (passenger side) kicks on then the car slowly dies. It dies when both fans are on. When only one fan is on it's ok. Does that help? Is this an IAC problem?

I can't thank you enough for the feedback,

 

It's very hard to figure out over the internet but i would probably disconnect the battery and step on the brake pedal to clear the PCM memory then remove the IAC and clean it. Once clean force the plunger completely into the valve and reinstall it. Then go for a test drive. I would also put a/c gauges on it to see what the pressures are reading. The front of the condensor is not clogged with bugs etc is it? It needs good airflow.

 

condensor is clear. I will pull the IAC and see what it looks like. I'll get back with you....

 

Pulled it, cleaned some carbon out. Put everything back together and the same thing. Do you think the IAC has stopped working? Inside the IAC housing the white dome shaped device was under tension and kept springing back up.