2002 protege WILL NOT START

john21

Member
I have a 2002 mazda protege es, the car will crank i checked the plugs im getting no spark and the fuel pump relay is not clicking over. I believe the problem is coming from a sensor or something electric because the car has been off for 4 hours now and the heat gauge is pinned at HOT. I drove the car home parked it in my driveway went to start it and it would crank but not turn over, any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
this can be one of the most frustrating problems to diagnose.

Without looking at ECU flowcharts (you'd have to work for Mazda to get them), I don't think that the temp gauge pegged at hot would stop the car from starting.
The reasons you would not get spark:
-ECU is bad
-bad coil(s). I would not just to this conclusion unless it was only 1 coil that wasn't sparking. did you check more than one plug? Make sure that you hold the spark plug against the engine block or a good ground when checking. otherwise it won't spark even if it's good.
-cam position sensor is bad (the sensor is on the left side of the valve cover on the 2.0L)
-crankshaft position sensor is bad.

So you put the key in and turned it to "on"? Did you wait and listen for the fuel pump prime pulse before starting to crank? What have you done to determine that the fuel pump is not getting electricity?
reasons the fuel pump would not start:
-no prime pulse signal from the ECU (could be back to the 'bad ECU' idea above)
-fuse blew
-faulty wiring (shorting to ground, which would cause a blown fuse)
-fuel pump is dead
-bad relay (try switching it out for something less useful, like the A/C relay, if they're the same)


If the temp gauge is always at hot, even after hours of not driving, then the sensor could be bad. try unplugging the engine coolant outlet water temperature sensor (this is the one that tells the computer how hot the engine is). The ECU should still give the OK to start with a bad temp sensor--will most likely give a check engine light, though.

just some stuff to think about. try some of that and let us know what you find.
 
Thank you for the reply.

i looked at all the fuses they are all good.

i tested the fuel pump relay by apply + - to it and it worked so i had my friend turn the car on and it wouldn't click, i also unhooked where it connects to the injectors and there was no pressure even when trying to start the car.

I only tested one spark plug as soon as i get a chance i will try the other ones.

I have my old cam position sensor and crank sensor if im not getting spark on any of the cylinders i will try those next.

I also unplugged the temp sensor and it was still pinned at hot.

I have a feeling this is going to take awhile to figure out
 
I have a feeling this is going to take awhile to figure out

yup. it can, but it doesn't have to. electrical problems are always tricky. At this point, I wouldn't worry about the spark plugs just yet. Your lack of fuel pressure is your main concern.
why? because there aren't nearly as many factors that control whether your fuel pump turns on. If you get that working, and your car starts, then you're good to go!

Do you have a factory service manual? It's got the wiring diagrams, troubleshooting steps, harness pinouts (for reference) and other good stuff like that.

i just deleted a paragraph i was writing on how to go about troubleshooting that the relay is getting power, and that the fuel pump itself is good by applying power directly at the pump, but it's really impossible to walk though the needed troubleshooting in a forum post.

Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the PCM(ECU) is somehow dead. I say this for two reasons:
1) the PCM not only turns the fuel pump on, but it also controls all aspects of both injection and spark. If none of that is happening, then it's possible that it's because the PCM isn't doing its job.
2) Here's the kicker. the coolant temperature sensor signal goes directly to the PCM. The PCM then sends that signal to the dash. So if the dash is getting a bogus signal (super hot temperature, in this case) when the engine hasn't run in a while, then the PCM is definitely giving it a bogus signal, and that means PCM trouble.

Do you have a way to connect an OBD2 scanner to it to see if there are codes? rent one from an auto parts store, borrow one from a friend. anything? If a scanner can't establish comms with the PCM when the key is in the ON position, then that's invariably bad PCM.
If you haven't done it already, then you might try disconnecting the negative batt terminal for like 10 minutes (give time for all residual voltage to drain from capacitors and such) to give the engine a full reset. Wipe its memory to ensure it's not hanging on something. If you can get a scanner, then you might not want to do this just yet until you connect the scanner, as it will clear codes that might be helpful in finding the problem.

good luck, and keep us posted.
 
I got time the other day and none of the cylinders are getting spark.

I went to autozone to rent the scanner $150 and they rented it an hour before i got there, that was my next step to hopefully get a code or see if it connects to the computer.

I have the service manuel and i tried reading the wiring but i got a little confused i did pick up the seat though and look at the fuel pump if i remember right theres 4 wires going to it, i was going to apply power directly to it but i didnt know which wires were ground and which were hot wires.

My next step though is going to be to locate a code scanner.
 
I just used a code scanner it will not connect to the ecu it says link error, i took the ecu out of the car and turned the ignition on and its still pinned at hot, then i took the connector off the temp sensor by the water outlet and its still pinned at hot ......sorry for taking so long to reply i only have off weekends
 
So you disconnected the ECU. look at the Factory Service Manual (downloadable from this site or other mazda forum sites) to find where the ground and positive voltage to the ECU are. In other words, find which pins give the ECU it's power to operate. If you turn the key to "on" and check those leads on the harness with a voltmeter and you get nothing, then the problem is lurking somewhere else in the electrical of the vehicle. if you turn the key to "on" and there's power, but the ECU still does not respond to the reader when it's connected to the vehicle, then that would, in my book, be a confirmed dead ECU. and that would be a sad story.
 
I am having a similer problem. I have a 2002 Mazda protoge es, it will crank and start when cold, but after i have driven it and gotten it to running temp, if i cut it off it will turn over but will not start, the engine turns over. Now if i let it sit and cool down for an couple of hours she will crank, but crank hard like she if misfiring. Please help.
.
 
Replace your ecu if OBDII can not connect.
Check for shorts in all the wiring before hooking the new one up.
 
Replace your ecu if OBDII can not connect.
Check for shorts in all the wiring before hooking the new one up.



OBDII connects and shows no codes or anything.
will do the ECU , but just where is the ECU Located on a 2002 Mazda Protege ES?
 
Last edited:
ECU is in the passenger side footwell, remove the door sill and kick panel and pull the carpet back. There is a large (very sharp!) plate that is bolted down with 4 10mm nuts, ECU is mounted behind the plate.
 
cool beans and thanks. My brother in law keeps telling me it may be the EGR valve, is he possibly correct?
 
what was the fix for this?
had a similar incident this morning, abs light, parking brake light and engine light came on, engine started chugging, then stalled, would not start. waited a bit then started long enough to get it off to the side of the road.
would not start again....
 
I have this problem right now with my 02 p5. Same exact symptoms. Tried a different identical ecu and no difference.
Any thoughts?
I have a 2002 mazda protege es, the car will crank i checked the plugs im getting no spark and the fuel pump relay is not clicking over. I believe the problem is coming from a sensor or something electric because the car has been off for 4 hours now and the heat gauge is pinned at HOT. I drove the car home parked it in my driveway went to start it and it would crank but not turn over, any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have this issue myself now. It started this past weekend. Checked fuses and relays. The main relay was bad, so I replaced it. No difference. Temp gauge still pegs hot. I replaced the water temp sensor. No change. What did you find?
 
Here is the ANSWER/SOLVED - Mazda protege will not start

I took me almost 3 weeks to solve this problem. Hundreds of dollars, parts galore ect. There were some very weird issues that happened and its impossible to now tell which could have been related to the root cause of the problem. to this day I still don't know the order in which the problems occurred.

During the diagnostics of this issue everyone repeatedly said "check fuses" but when you have 25-40 fuses to check most people don't check them all, and many people like myself don't bother checking the lower end fuses that are right next to 'rear defrost', 'radio', 'wipers' ect when you have a no spark, no fuel condition. Instead we all take the same route that has been discussed in so many threads like this one.

It goes something like this:

Check EGR valve
Check MAF
Check fuel pressure dampener/regulator
Check fuel relay
Check main relay
Check ECM/PCM blah blah blah <insert module name here>
Check fuel pump circuits
Check coil packs
and on and on and on the story goes

THE ANSWER IS A $1.00 10A FUSE INSIDE THE CAR below the steering wheel to the left side. Why in the world a 10 AMP "ENGINE" (labeled) fuse would be in that spot, and why in the world a 10AMP fuse would prevent SPARK + FUEL is so far beyond me I will never understand how a less than $1 part can bring down an entire car and prevent it from doing the very basics it is required to do in order to start. I am also at complete loss as to why NOBODY on any forum/video/ect ever specified to look at this particular fuse when having a no spark/no fuel condition.

You'd think it would be right up there with ECM/main relay/ ect.

I will say it is my fault for not checking ALL THE FUSES. But eff me for not thinking that a 10Amp fuse sitting right next to rear defroster would not be a likely culprit. However when you look at the fuse panel it says right there in front on your face "ENGINE" (whatever the eff that is supposed to mean). Apparently it means NO SPARK/NO FUEL/ TEMP READING PEGGED ON HOT even after sitting for a week.

Lesson learned when you have an issue like this pull every single fuse out. It takes about 10 minutes to pull every single fuse.
 
the ENGINE fuse is for the ECU, and the ECU is inside the car... it makes perfect sense it's inside the car because of that
people said "check fuses", which meant every fuse... your fault for not checking, nothing more
 
pull every single fuse out. It takes about 10 minutes to pull every single fuse.

A) Based on your location and name, I believe you're the guy who posted on the FB Protege pages to which I repeatedly told you what to do, yet you ignored me, so I do, in fact, hope it's you.

B) Use a multi-meter to check for power on both sides of the fuse to check them first, don't physically remove them all. Learned my lesson the hard way in a BMW//Mini chassis electronics class- they cut one of the terminal legs off of the fuse, so when it was physically checked (without removing), it looked fine.

C) "Instead we all take the same route that has been discussed in so many threads like this one" ... No, people who have no clue what they're doing do that... You check for basics- fuel, spark, compression- what you're lacking dictates how you move forward with diagnosis. I can assure you that if I do not have spark, I won't be checking the EGR valve.

D) "Check fuel pump circuits" - Yeah, like, say, a fuse that powers the circuit?
 
Back