Hello Id like to start by saying Im new to the forum community and was recommended that I join one to diagnose my car. I just picked up a nice 02 Mazda Protege5 That wasnt running when I got it. Previous owner had told me that there was a small fire in the fuse box and the car wouldnt even crank. He also told me that he had a new motor installed. Upon further inspection, a few terminals were dried in the fuse box as expected, but the engine bay just seemed off somehow. He had many aftermarket accessories installed that looked like a diy job, so I thought he just overloaded the electrical system. Once I got it home, I got to work by tracing each and every aftermarket accessory and uninstalling it. Knew the fuse box was fried so I ran over to pick your part and grabbed a mediocre one from a junker. After testing each fuse/relay and installing the other fuse box, I was able to get the car to crank but it still wont start. Im experiencing the issue where the Temp guage would jump to HOT with the key in the on position. My current suspicions are now the timing belt since its a new motor, wiring harness because of recent short or overload, or the fuel pump/fuel delivery system. Sorry for such a long post but Im just trying to get it to run and enjoy the car!
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