Starting woes part 2

aross1974

Member
:
2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0
Still having intermittent starting issues where the car cranks but wont turn over. Ive read posts about the anti theft being a known problem for this. Been under the dash and Im trying to figure out what this thing looks like. Ive replaced everything else that would cause this problem. Does anyone have a photo they can share of theirs? I think I see where its supposed to be and can email pictures but Im at a loss with the intermittent nature of the problem.

Thanks all, hoping pcb is on here!!!
 
If the car cranks, it's turning over.

I don't understand.

My car doesn't have anti-theft.

I believe that's aftermarket.

It's not in the FSM.
 
Last edited:
Still having intermittent starting issues where the car cranks but wont turn over.

If you mean you hear the starter motor winding up but your engine isn't turning over then you probably have a bad starter motor.
 
The factory anti-theft alarm will prevent the starter from cranking at all, if equipped. If your starter is turning over, it's not the alarm. The alarm is just a starter interrupt system, preventing the starter from engaging at all. It's not like a newer immobilizer type of system where there's an individually coded chip inside the key that has to be registered to the car. Those systems can cause it to crank and not start if there is an issue, but the P5 never had anything like that.

I would check other things. Ignition switch, check for spark, fuel pressure, etc.

I've seen a few cases where the car won't hold fuel pressure prime, and they have to crank for a while after it's been sitting to allow the pump to build the pressure again so it will start. it may be a case of the ignition switch being worn out and not making contact where it should, especially if you have a heavy keychain with lots of stuff on it. could be a lot of things, but what you describe is not an alarm issue so you'll want to look elsewhere.










PCB, just because it isn't in the FSM doesn't mean it's not OEM ;) Mazda part number is/was 0000-8f-c04
 
The car cranks just fine, its not turning over. The fuel pump isnt priming, but its not a bad fuel pump as at some point it will prime. Ive replaced the fuel pump relay, the main relay, ignition switch and tumbler. What happens is the signal is not getting to the fuel pump relay, and the ECM like there is something keeping that circuit from closing to allow the car to run. There was a thread on here where I read that there was a Mazda anti theft box under the dash that could cause this same issue. But if its not that where else should I be looking? Its a super intermittent problem, no rhyme or reason to it.
 
Coils, plugs wires are all new. When this happens when the key is turned to on, the check engine light flickers really fast On and off and the car just cranks. When the check engine light stays on with the rest of the POST lights fuel pump primes and she fires. Something is interrupting the signal and for the life of me Im not sure what it is.
 
Last edited:
That's some very good info. To me, it sounds like a bad ECM. maybe a bad ground or power connection at the ECM

When you turn the car on, the check engine light comes on as a self-test. This tells you that it's working like it should. And also tells you if it doesn't come on at all, that someone may have removed the bulb to sell the car because it had a check engine light on for something they didn't want to fix.

If the light flickers a little when you turn the key on, on the times it doesn't start I would check all the grounds and stuff at the ECM first. Use a meter and check the voltage terminals as well. I'm sure pcb has a diagram or two to tell you what pins to check....

This is a computer issue not telling the fuel pump to do its thing.
 
I remember going through this before, but I forget the specifics.

I suck at the Google and can't even find my own posts then have to relearn everything.

Perhaps you can search my posts looking for "fuel pump" or something like that?

One thing I remember is to check your engine fuse in the cab.

Another thing is that you can power up your fuel pump with a jumper wire in the engine compartment.

 
I found these.






And this one. It's not included in the P5 wiring download.




Being as it's an intermittent problem, it makes it hard to test the wires for continuity.

It might help to test the wires when the car won't start.

The wiring for the fuel system comes and goes all over the car with lots of wires and connections to corrode or fail.
 
The car cranks just fine, it*s not turning over.

"Turning Over" only means the engine is physically rotating internally. It doesn't mean that it "fired up".

Your statement is confusing and actually implies that the starter is cranking or spinning but it is not able to turn over the engine which means the pistons/etc aren't moving. That's a whole other problem.
 
Back