1992 Mazda 626, 2.2L
Manual trans

My girlfriend bought a new vehicle 3 or 4 years ago at which time she parked her Mazda where it's been sitting undriven, unstarted ever since. (When it was last parked it was running fine.) Now it's become my job to attempt to resurrect it.

If it was carbuerated I'd have some idea where to start but I'm kind of in foreign territory with fuel injection. I read somewhere than even a new fuel-injected car that runs out of gas may present problems restarting.

Is it true that (assuming the tank contains some good, new gas) you can just turn the ignition to ON for a few seconds before attempting to START, and the electric fuel pump will bring the fuel right up to the fuel rail?

If so, can I/should I disconnect the line at the fuel filter and pump out any old gas first?
(A while ago the guage said the tank was half-full, it now reads as empty. I smell no leaks. If there is gas in it, it must be bad by now and should probably be pumped out.)

Where is the fuel pump in this model; in the tank? accessible from trunk?

Where do I begin? What do I need to do to get this running again?

I'm jumping the gun here, but once I do get it running, if we decide to keep and use this car, I will probably replace all rubber (tires and wiper blades), check the belts, brakes, brakelines, etc. What else is recommended to be replaced on a car that's been sitting (outside) unstarted for 3 or more years? new plugs? change fluids?

Thanks a lot in advance for any help/advice/suggestions.

 

You should pump all of the gas out before you go to start it, to do this, you can just turn the key on and if you have a haynes manual it will tell you how to gap the terminals in your diagnostic box in the engine compartment. after you get all of the old gas out, you might want to pull each spark plug out and spray a little ignitor fluid into the cylinders.

You might want to check on the alternator pulley to make sure it's turning, and check the timing belt to make sure it is not cracked.

 

Quote:

You should pump all of the gas out before you go to start it, to do this, you can just turn the key on and if you have a haynes manual it will tell you how to gap the terminals in your diagnostic box in the engine compartment.

This sounds like it's probably pretty good advice unfortunately...
[ul][*] I don't have a Haynes manual [*] I don't know where the diagnostic box is
(or if it has one...unless you mean the relay/fuse box)[*] I'm not sure what your suggestion is to accomplish.
[/ul]Is this a way to bypass everything and run the fuel pump without powering up the ignition and other systems? Could you expound a bit?
Does anyone know where related info or diagrams etc. might be available online?

Alternately, could someone please give it to me in non-computer-assisted 20th century mechanic terms. There are a lot of unknowns here. I don't know if there's gas in the tank or not. I'm not sure the gas gauge functions correctly or not. I dont know if the pump is working or not.

So if I turn the ignition to ON..[ul][*] ..should the electric fuel pump be working and should I be able to hear it a hummin'?[*] and, if so, from where will one hear it: trunk, under tank, wheel well, etc?
[/ul]
In other words, before I go testing fuel pump relays or pulling the fuel rail, what's the simplest most basic way to tell if fuel is getting to the engine and whether or not the pump is functioning?
(disconnect the line at the fuel filter?)

Thanks again for any help

 

Under the hood on the drivers side is a small black plastic box about the size of a matchbox. On the inside of the fliptop lid is a diagram of the terminals inside the box. Jumping gnd and fp( i think it is)will run your fuel pump. Seems like there is a drain plug on the gas tank on that model though which will get most of the gas out. The fuel pump will only prime when you turn the key on. It will not continue to run the fuel pump unless it sees an ignition signal from the distributor. I would drain the tank and add new gas with a good injector cleaner like Techron or Seafoam to the tank. Then assuming the fuel pump works you will most likely have to give it an alternate fuel to run on by spraying flammable carb spray into the throat of the aircleaner. A backfire through the intake is always a possibility so extreme caution and readiness is essential in case of a fire. If the injectors are gummed up with old fuel they will not inject but the vibration of the engine running,the heat from the engine coupled with the injector cleaner usually frees them up. The possibility of the fuel pump being seized up is about 50%. You will want to replace the fuel filter at the least. Pulling spark plugs and adding any fluid can cause hydralock which bends rods so it can work but is dangerous if you get too much or the fluid is too volatile. Your car doesnt have a black diagnostic box, It has a 1 pin wire you ground on the left fender under the hood.. I was thinking it was a 929 for some reason.

 

You were getting my hopes up there for a while then just burst my bubble at the end! (Thanks for trying!)

OK, so if my car "doesnt have a black diagnostic box" I'm not going to ground out any wires unless and until I'm absolutely certain I know it's the correct one. Can anyone confirm this based upon color code, to where I can trace it, connector tip type, etc?

Alternately, can you get the fuel pump to run continuously by jumpering/bypassing the relay?

I'm unfamiliar with "gas tank drain plugs" (frankly, I didn't know this existed) but it sounds a good option. My concern would be how to remove one from a rusty ol' 15 year old gas tank and then replace it without it leaking.

There is the chance the guage is reading true. My thoughts now are that maybe I'll just put in 5 gallons or so fresh gas and hope that, if there is still some old in there, it will be diluted with new and eventually used up. I did this a year or so ago, it didn't start and I didnt have time to pursue it further. That's why I didn't just immediately try the same this time. Could I have not put enough in? Assuming you're starting with a dry tank, what's the minimum amount you'd need to put in to get it to register and begin flowing properly? The main problem I see is that if I don't get it running before winter, I'll have this removal problem again (unless adding a bit of STABIL would do the trick.)

Ideas? opinions? suggestions?

Thanks again to all