Fuel Cutoff Switch?
 

The '98 ES I just picked up was in a minor front end collision. I'm having trouble getting it started and was wondering if anyone knew if there was a fuel cutoff switch (or intertia switch) on the Protege? I've looked around the gas tank, inside the trunk, and under the hood but nothing is standing out to me. I've gone through the owner's manual but there's no mention of one.

The engine turns over but doesn't catch - doesn't even start to. It just cranks away. I've checked all of the fuses and they're fine. I plan on calling the dealership on Monday, but I thought someone might know and give me jumpstart on getting this baby back on road.

Thanks.

For all of you wondering and also not "in the know" my local dealership claims there isn't a fuel cutoff switch in the Protege. The guy said sometimes (sometimes? Like this would be an option...) there's a rollover switch so that fuel gets cut off in the event of a rollover. He said they have vehicles there with more damage than mine that still run fine.

Apparently I have another problem :mad: Anyone have ideas on why my Protege may not be starting? I haven't done a whole lot of looking into it yet, but if there was something not-so-obvious that one of you with more experience with this car has run into I'd appreciate the info. Thanks...

You might need a new alternator. If its just making a rapid clicking sound, check battery wiring, and then the alternator. I know its hard for you to run any electrical tests on the car considering you can't move it. Though, if you can get your hands on a battery tester, it could help you some. For example, if you put a brand new battey in the car, and the tester shows up as OK, and if the engine still does not kick over, then you need an alternator. But I am talking about an example I saw last week at work on an Acura Integra. Hopefully, this helps.

1st check your Distributor
-- make sure that you are getting spark.
-- do you know how to check this?
ahh I am not 100% sure, but there should be a feul pump relay..
-- also there is a engine fuse.. Check that also .. under the dash..
Your Feul pump is located under your rear seat. I believe that when you turn the key to the posistion that the dash lights up you should hear a ennnnn sound. which would let you know that you feul pump is working.


2nd I would say , check your Timing Belt .. If the car was in a front end collision, the timing could have jumped a few teeth...
--- This happened to me, when my 1.5 Jumped 3 teeth and totally shut off on me and refused to start..


You will just basically have to get down and dirty and really check everything .. start pulling stuff down if you have to .. YOu will find the problem.

Also if you can try and stay in touch with a master tech at Mazda. they are always aware of the common nags with mazda cars
Bruce

their is not one on my 2002 protege I got it going 132mph on I-15
In SaltLake it waz about 3:00AM could of got it faster but I hit my
exit.

2002 protege dx 2.0l
aem intake
borla cat-back exhaust
eibach sport spring
unorthobox crank pulley and flywheel
act clutch
twm sort shifter
mazdaspeed intake and exhaust cams

Wrong forum buddy. Though doing 132 in a Protege in cool!

Thanks for the replies.

turbonium959 - The car cranks over (the engine spins when I hit the key) so the alt doesn't really come into play here. When I got the car the battery was completely dead. I trickle charged it for most of a day and then tried to start it. The alt could very well be dead but a charging problem isn't really what I'm battling at this point. Good idea though.

Bruce95fmla - I don't know that I'm getting spark. I'm going to look into that and yes I do know how to check. The reason my mind immediately thought fuel cutoff was because the car ran fine until the former owner rear-ended a pickup. The damage isn't that bad - didn't get as far in as the distributor. Basically the only mechanical bits it touched are the radiator and the AC condensor. Those both need to be replaced. The car should start without either of them though I certainly don't intend to run it for more than a couple seconds without a radiator. I'll turn the key and listen for the fuel pump. Do you (or anyone else) know where the fuel pump relay is located? I've checked all of the fuses and they're fine. I'm also probably going to replace the timing belt anyway seeing the car has 65K and I don't think it's been done yet. How hard is it to change on the 1.8? I did the one on my 929, but that was pretty easy as the engine is rotated 90 degrees and it was easy to get to. Thanks for the ideas.

Joel - I'm speaking of a switch that some vehicles are equipped with that cuts the fuel in the event of an accident (so that if a fuel line is severed and the key doesn't get shut off the fuel pump doesn't continue to pump fuel into a potentially flaming engine bay) and needs to be reset so that the vehicle can be restarted after any necessary repairs have been made. 132 in a Protege is quite the feat - that's about 132MPH faster than I've ever driven mine ;)

Shot in the dark here, but how hard was the impact? Any idea? Perhaps a connector or two were jarred loose. Glance around the engine bay and might as well check the ECU connector (even though it's highly improbable that it came loose). IMHO, checking connectors is a quick way to solve some problems before throwing parts into the car.

That's a good idea and one I've partially followed through with. When it first wouldn't start I started put my hands on every connector in the engine bay I could find to see if it was loose or not. I've not checked the ECU. Where is it located on the Protege?

The impact was not that bad - it's the tralier hitch that did the most damage. Fortunately it entered through the grille at the perfect spot. Looking at the front of the car it went just to the right of the exhaust manifold and below the distributor. That's the only place in the engine bay where there's really a hole for accident damage to protrude into. I'll try to get some pics of it online...

Alright, I just went outside and snapped some (large) pics:

http://home.rochester.rr.com/rx7gslse/protege/

As you can see there's an AC line that runs across the front of the engine that is still ok. That and the air bags didn't go off if that gives you some idea of how hard the impact was.

Did you check where the harness runs into the drivers inner fender, I seen a smack like that break the wiring that supplies power to the fuse panel inside? Also check body grounds I think the one for the MAF and dist is in the drivers side corner on the frame rail. Check compression as if the car was left running it may have overheated and cooked the engine. Did you check for codes, if so the freeze frame data will give the ECT and indicate if the engine ran hot.

The fuel pump relay if I'm not mistaken is in the fuse box under the hood.
While you're at it why not check the relay/fuse for the injectors while you're at it.

I've checked everything in both fuse panels and everything's ok. I'm pretty sure the problem lies elsewhere.

I'll look at the wiring a little closer, including the grounds. It'll be easier as soon as I get the mangled bits torn out of there. It's just a matter of finding the time to do it :) I'll also do a compression check (it was already on the to-do list as a general curiosity item anyway).

Thanks for the ideas everyone and certainly keep them coming if you think of something else. I'm familiar with working on cars, just not this one in particular. I appreciate the Protege-specific bits of knowledge.

god damn, looks like a fuckin 2x4 went straight into the car? thats strange. likewise, try jumpstarting/replacing with new battery to test turnover... eitherwise, check your solenoid ground...although that might have much to do with nothing in your case. good luck in the restoration.
peace

Just for everyone's reference, the engine cranks fine - it behaves like it's out of gas. The battery is fully charged and turns the engine over. It's either not getting air, spark, or fuel; or the timing is off.