New with questions for daughter's car
 

My daughter has a 2000 Mazda Protege that won't start. A couple of weeks ago, it wouldn't start and she had to give it some gas to start it. Once it was running, if she didn't keep running the engine, it would die (wouldn't idle). Now it just won't start at all. It'll make the noise like it's trying, but just won't start.

Her dad is a mechanic and told her it sounds like it isn't getting fuel and told her maybe it's the fuel filter. It's a 1.6L (don't know much more than that). He said he'd try to get over to her house on Saturday to look at it ... meanwhile she'll have to get a ride to work tomorrow and then cross her fingers that he actually shows up. (Can you tell we're divorced???)

Does anyone have any ideas at all? I know this isn't much to go on but I'm feeling desperate and just don't know where else to turn.

Check the starter. Check all belts, a snapped alternator belt would do it for a dieing car.

Could be the battery, maybe.

Check to make sure there are no vaccum leaks or blown fuses.

That's maybe a good start. I doubt fuel filter, that would give rough idle maybe, but not a dead start. Fuel filter in this car is designed to never need replacment.

Also, watch where you create your threads, this belongs in the protege section, not the Mazda 3. Welcome to the board!

I am so sorry for posting in the wrong section (must have been the haste) but really appreciate your very prompt reply.

I called and read it to my DD, then called the ex to confirm that he will be able to go over and take a look at it.

Is there any way that a mod or admin could move this to the Protege area?

Thanks again!

No worries about the section, someone will move it when they notice.

This happened on my 02 Protege before, it was the entire alternator, so hopefully that's not the case.

Done. :)

What I would do is turn the ignition to the ON position and check the schroeder valve on the fuel rail to verify you're getting plenty of pressure to the injectors.

That's step #1.

If the engine is spinning over then it's not the battery or starter...if the alternator was bad the engine would start but only run until the battery dies...so it can't be that.

Fuel pressure dropping out would cause the situation she's describing by having to pump the pedal to keep it going...then dying all together.

Also, Ignition cutting out would cause it. On my last SHO I left a ground loose on the ignition control module and the car would act like hell.. Very similar to what she's describing.

Verify fuel pressure and ignition first....those are the two easiest and free. Let us know how it turns out and we'll go from there.

That'll be $65.

Hmm, you're right. When this happened to me, the car would start but wouldn't stay going. Eventually wouldn't start at all, not even crank, but that was because my alt went, and slowly the battery died off.

Hey maybe the EGR valve is clogged. That would explain the bad idle you had earlier, and the refusal to start now. Maybe, just my random guess, some guys (cough ^^^) know more than me.

no, the EGR is just for emissions and detonation control. It is a passive system in the car.

And worth every penny!

Thanks so much for the responses. I'm forwarding them to her so she can print them out and show to her dad. She's my baby (21, but still a baby) and is out on her own for the first time. She lives about an hour away and I feel pretty awful that I can't help her out like taking her to work, etc. but I know the independence has to happen eventually. Well, in her case, semi-independence.

As soon as I know more, I'll come back and either ask another question or report the outcome. Hopefully he can get it fixed with no problem.

I'm so glad to have found your board!

glad to have ya. You should forward the daughter the info on the forum so we can harrass her now.

Here's a little update: dad says it's her catalytic converter. How on earth he came to that conclusion is beyond me, but he told her it would be around $400 to fix, and good luck. Then he left.

She called me in tears ... the poor girl doesn't have it. She's going to shop around and figure out something.

Oh and something else. It starts now. It seems as though when it sits for a long while, it'll start. If you get in and go somewhere, turn it off and then want to start it again, it won't start. I told her meanwhile, to treat it gently and only go to work and back. That way it'll sit all day and "rest", then in the afternoons it'll be ready to go.

Time for a catback then. For that money there are some options that remove the cat. Check into some performance exhaust shops. You might be able to get it removed all together rather than replacing it.

depending on where you live you may be able to remove or disassemble the catalytic convertor.....but I highly doubt this is the problem.

Think of the cat (short for catalytic) as an air filter for your exhaust. It heats up and filters out the exhaust gasses. When they get clogged up they will cause the engine to not be able to breath and eventuially choke ittself out. My pinto did this going up hills. It never once caused a problem starting or idling. Only under a load would it choke out.

I punched out the cat and it drove like a brand new 1976 pinto.

The cat isn't your problem.

But it still couldn't hurt performance to remove the cat :D

Okay, how about the oxygen sensor? Can you tell I know NOTHING about this ... but have dinked around a little on the web looking for possible solutions.

If her dad insists that's what it is, and the poor girl pays out $400 and it still doesn't fix it, someone's going to be plenty ticked (like me).