Miata won`t start
 

2001 Mazda Miata SE

Hi ,
We drove it 3 days ago , no problems. Went to take it for a drive today ,
engine turns over , radio & electrical items are working but engine won`t
start. Am clueless when it comes to cars. Father in law says might be fuel pump
but he knows about as much about cars as I do. It has been raining on & off for
the last 2 days but has been under the carport during that time. Any ideas
where to start ? Thanks in advance. George in Arkansas

Okay, my first guess - plug wires.

Ignition module?

Steve McMahon
Green JRSC '00LS

"McMahon" > wrote:

>Okay, my first guess - plug wires.
>
>Ignition module?

Can be anything if you ask me. Starting with the battery not
being able to rotate the engine at enough speed. Check for a spark.
I would go to an auto parts store and get a Haynes manual and
a ignition tester.

Leon

>Steve McMahon
>Green JRSC '00LS
>

--
Leon van Dommelen :) Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .)
http://www.dommelen.net/miata
EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen)

My ca is an LS 6 speed. I had exactly the same problem. I checked
"everything" - I thought! Had to have the car towed to miata dealer.
Took them a day to locate the problem. Wires were chewed by some type of
rodent, probably a fruit rat or Possum. I didn't believe the mechanic but
there was "certain" evidence of the "beast in the engihne compartment.
Guess is was warm and comfy in there. Anyway, cost to fix was $250!

Not to have it happen again, I placed traps and rat bait in appropriate
places. Kept the dog away during the next couple of weeks. No more
problems!

"bluemiata" > wrote in message alkaboutautos.com>...
>...Not to have it happen again, I placed traps and rat bait in appropriate
> places. Kept the dog away during the next couple of weeks. No more
> problems!

Maybe you just need a better dog.

I had the identical situation occur. (Started perfectly the day before,
wouldn't fire at all although it appeared to turn over "normally")
Never suspected the battery. Had it towed to dealer. Diagnosis:
Battery! (While it turned over, there wasn't enough left to spark
properly resulting in flooding.) New battery- hasn't occurred since.

AuctionsByGeorge wrote:
> 2001 Mazda Miata SE
>
> Hi ,
> We drove it 3 days ago , no problems. Went to take it for a drive today ,
> engine turns over , radio & electrical items are working but engine won`t
> start. Am clueless when it comes to cars. Father in law says might be fuel pump
> but he knows about as much about cars as I do. It has been raining on & off for
> the last 2 days but has been under the carport during that time. Any ideas
> where to start ? Thanks in advance. George in Arkansas

On 2004-11-23, junktin > wrote:

> I had the identical situation occur. (Started perfectly the day before,
> wouldn't fire at all although it appeared to turn over "normally")
> Never suspected the battery. Had it towed to dealer. Diagnosis:
> Battery! (While it turned over, there wasn't enough left to spark
> properly resulting in flooding.) New battery- hasn't occurred since.

Werid. Generating the spark requires no power at all compared
to what it takes to crank.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! I'm reporting for
at duty as a modern person. I
visi.com want to do the Latin
Hustle now!

Grant Edwards > wrote:

>On 2004-11-23, junktin > wrote:
>
>> I had the identical situation occur. (Started perfectly the day before,
>> wouldn't fire at all although it appeared to turn over "normally")
>> Never suspected the battery. Had it towed to dealer. Diagnosis:
>> Battery! (While it turned over, there wasn't enough left to spark
>> properly resulting in flooding.) New battery- hasn't occurred since.
>
>Werid. Generating the spark requires no power at all compared
>to what it takes to crank.

Maybe the spark generation mechanism needs a minimum voltage,
more than a minimum amperage. I thought it was the lack of
speed, but it could be an ignition problem. I know from
experience it does not start below a certain battery power,
though it turns over. Why voltage would be so critical I would
not know.

With points, I guess they could not be disconnecting quickly
enough. With an electronic ignition, I am not clear how
the high voltage is generated in the first place.

Leon

--
Leon van Dommelen :) Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .)
http://www.dommelen.net/miata
EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen)

> With points, I guess they could not be disconnecting quickly
> enough. With an electronic ignition, I am not clear how
> the high voltage is generated in the first place.
>
Same methodology. You have a coil with a primary/secondary. Earlier
miatas had a separate transistor circuit that powered/depowered the
primary to generate the spark. Later ones from 94-97 integrated the
transitors into the coil. I have no idea how the newest ones do it, as
I see some of the later cars mount coils right on top of the spark
plugs.

Now you might have ebough voltage to turn the started, but it might be
below the minimum needed to power the computer that generates the
signals to excite the transistors driving the coils.

In article >,
(Leon van Dommelen) wrote:

> Maybe the spark generation mechanism needs a minimum voltage,
> more than a minimum amperage.

There's also probably some voltage below which the ECU won't boot.

--
Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
'94C
the alignment page:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html