I have a 1994 Mazda Protege with a DOHC BP engine. It ran fine until I wanted to go to town yesterday. It turns over fine. I sprayed a small amount of starting fluid into the intake and it tried to crank for a few seconds so it should be fine mechanically and getting a spark. It just doesn't have any fuel yet.

I did some checking and found out the fuel pump is not coming on. I removed the fuel pump and applied battery power directly to it and it ran fine with just the normal noise a pump would make. I have checked the relay that is under the dash, circuit opening relay, and checked the relay under the hood, main relay fuel inj. I tested them by applying battery power and they do energize strongly. I also checked the 15 amp engine fuse, it is not blown and has battery voltage on both pins when the key is on.

On the main relay fuel inj, when I turn the key on, I think I hear it energize. I plan to check that more when I have help tomorrow. Between that stupid beeper and such, it is hard to hear if it is or not. The relay that is under the dash, circuit opening relay, does not energize at all that I can tell. I can put my hands on it and it feels like it is doing nothing at all. It does work if I take it out and put voltage on the coil terminals.

I'm looking for ideas on what else to check. I have checked the fuses with a tester and they test fine but maybe I have missed one. I have a Haynes Repair Manual and I am trying to go by the wiring diagram from battery, through fuses, relays and whatever else is in the middle. The fuel pump works when it gets power but I need some ideas on what else to check. Maybe someone ran into this problem before and can tell me what was replaced to fix your Mazda.

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

 

I have been doing some more testing and here is a little more info. I took the cover off the circuit opening relay. I turned the key on and manually depressed the relay, like it would if it was getting the signal to turn on the fuel pump. The fuel pump turns on and I can hear it. The car still doesn't start tho. It turns over fine but nothing else.

So, it appears that relay is not getting the signal to energize and close the contacts. It has two coils and either will energize it. It appears that the one that is supposed to turn on while it is starting is not doing its thing. Anybody have a clue why that would be? I'm still checking on stuff but if someone has a suggestion, I'm all ears.

Thanks again.

 

The PCM has to get a signal from the distributor before it will energize the fuel pump. If there is no spark or signal to the PCM from the distributor it will not kick the fuel pump on.

 

You may be on to something but I have a little more info now. The last time I held the relay by hand when trying to start the engine but it didn't start. I went back and without touching the relay, I tried to start the car and I can see the relay energize when I start to turn the car over. It doesn't crank but the relay is working. Since the motor is turning, I can't hear whether the pump is running or not. I would presume it is tho since it does when I close the relay by hand.

I'm disabled plus I have always done my own car repairs, unless it was warranty work. What would you suggest I try first? I'm going to check to see if I have a spark or not. I'm by myself at the moment so this is a bit tough to do. I'll post back if I have a spark or not.

It has been raining a lot here lately. In the past week or so it has rained about a foot or so. I'm in Mississippi and it has been on the news about us and others. Could this have something to do with it? I keep my hood down so it should stay dry under there. This is the first time I have had trouble like this tho and it does get pretty wet sometimes.

Thanks.

 

More testing results. I do NOT have a spark at the plug. I removed the plug wire and used a older plug to test. My brother said it was dead as a doornail. No spark at all.

I used my voltmeter to test for power. I'm getting 12 volts on one wire going to the coil and nothing on the other. I then removed the coil and measured the resistance. It measures fine according to the Haynes manual. I have heard of them measuring ok but not working when trying to provide actual power. Any thoughts?

I also studied the wiring diagram some more and noticed this thing called a ignitor. It has three pins with one going to ground, one to the coil and one to the engine control unit as well as the tachometer. Could the ignitor be bad? Is there a way for me to test it? It appears to work since the coil is getting battery voltage when the key is on. Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

It usually is the ignitor. A rebuilt distributor is normally cheaper than buying just the ignitor. A local salvage yard might be your best bet.

 

Thanks for the info. I just talked to a friend of a friend that is a mechanic for a dealership and he said the same thing. I have called around and they are about $100.00 around here and they will have to order it. I plan to dig around on the net and see if I can get a better deal. After all, it has to be ordered either way. I know the fuel pump was $150.00 around here and I found the same fuel pump for about $40.00.

My plan now, find a ignitor and if it still doesn't work then find a coil. Me and my Dad used to work on small motors and I can't tell you how many times a coil would measure fine but not create a spark. I'm a electronics nut and I used to have a circuit that I could hook to a 12 volt coil and make it work. I wish I had that now but I can't find it. I could test the coil with that.

Also, I called several junk yards around here and none of them have a car that old. If I can find one reasonably priced, I would rather have a new one anyway. I plan to run this car until it is nothing but rust. I plan to paint it pretty soon. It's in really good shape and runs like a sewing machine, well, until yesterday anyway.

Thanks again for the help. I'll post back what happens when the parts come in.

 

Here is a update. Replaced the "igniter" and it still didn't start. I then replaced the coil, the high voltage thing, and it still doesn't start. I was just checking everything I could think of and ran up on a idea. I checked to see if the computer had a code stored. This is done by shorting pin TEN to ground. The error code is the number 02. This is what the Haynes book says about the code:

I looked to see how this engine knows when to tell the coil to spark. My car has a three pin connector on the distributor. I can't see the components even if I take the cap and button off but there is something in there. I don't have a crankshaft sensor that I can find in the book. Two of the three wires go directly to the brain box as I call it.

I went to the Auto Zone parts website and the distributor does NOT come with the module. My current problem is, nobody knows what that module is called. The ignitor that I already replaced is called the "ignition module" at Auto Zone and other places I checked. Anybody know what that is called? Could that be a "pick up coil" by any chance?

I think we are getting closer. We have to be because I am about broke. $200.00 so far and it still doesn't crank.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Here is the final results for this thread. If I had used my brain and checked with the puter in the car, I would have known to replace this first. It was the distributor after all. I went to a junkyard and got one for about $75.00. It wasn't the cheapest I could find but it was the closest one. I put it in and the car cranked right up. It does make a little bit of a clatter noise but it had quietened down a lot in just the few minutes I let it run. I suspect that it just needs a little time to get the oil to everything. It's coming from the cam area.

Thanks for all the advice.