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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / February 2005

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Odd Problem With Getting My Miata to Start

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Noah Body - 10 Feb 2005 19:49 GMT
I have a 1993 Miata. It has recently become impossible to crank start it.
However, it starts easily when push started. The Mechanic ran a diagnostic
on it and said that the computer shows that the crank position sensor is
bad. He then added that doesn't match up with the problem. I can replace the
sensor for $600 but that may not solve the problem.

Has anybody else had similar problems? If so what did you do to fix it?
Lanny Chambers - 10 Feb 2005 23:04 GMT
> I have a 1993 Miata. It has recently become impossible to crank start it.
> However, it starts easily when push started.

Sounds like you might have a marginal battery, where cranking drops the
voltage too low to fire the plugs.

Signature

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

Noah Body - 11 Feb 2005 17:44 GMT
> > I have a 1993 Miata. It has recently become impossible to crank start it.
> > However, it starts easily when push started.
>
> Sounds like you might have a marginal battery, where cranking drops the
> voltage too low to fire the plugs.

We've tested that already and the battery is fine. The mechanic said that it
has to be one of the engine sensors but since he's not a Mazda dealer it's
prohibitively expensive to just start plugging in new sensors.
Simply Pete - 11 Feb 2005 19:02 GMT
> We've tested that already and the battery is fine. The mechanic said that it
> has to be one of the engine sensors but since he's not a Mazda dealer it's
> prohibitively expensive to just start plugging in new sensors.

Don't know how you've tested that already... but I'm with Lanny.
I can't imagine what sensor would fail depending on what is turning the
engine over...
unless it is related to low voltage when the starter motor is doing the
cranking.
In your testing, did you try another battery or jumper cable it to another
car ?

Pete
Anthony - 12 Feb 2005 02:26 GMT
Batteries can show the correct voltage even if they are suffereing.
Did you test it for current?  

~Anthony
Noah Body - 12 Feb 2005 12:20 GMT
> Batteries can show the correct voltage even if they are suffereing.
> Did you test it for current?
>
> ~Anthony

It was tested for voltage and current. I also tried to jump start it with
another battery and as always it cranked but wouldn't ignite. The problem
developed slowly. At first it just take multiple attempts to start it then
it finally got to a point where it just wouldn't start.
Simply Pete - 12 Feb 2005 16:02 GMT
> It was tested for voltage and current. I also tried to jump start it with
> another battery and as always it cranked but wouldn't ignite. The problem
> developed slowly. At first it just take multiple attempts to start it then
> it finally got to a point where it just wouldn't start.

is it possibly a fuel pump problem ???
jostling the car when pushing to start it might be sloshing the fuel in the
tank enough to get the fuel pump going.
I had this with a Chev Express van... it took progressively more cranking to
start it,  then it just wouldn't start anymore unless someone stood on the
bumper and jumped up and down whilst I was cranking it. I knew it was fuel
pump related because I no longer heard the characteristic 'hum' when turning
the ignition on.
this is a puzzler...  be sure to post what ultimately fixes it.

Pete
Leon van Dommelen - 12 Feb 2005 23:38 GMT
>> It was tested for voltage and current. I also tried to jump start it with
>> another battery and as always it cranked but wouldn't ignite. The problem
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>the ignition on.
>this is a puzzler...  be sure to post what ultimately fixes it.

I would hope the shop checked the fuel pressure.  But if they did
not, look at
http://dommelen.net/tmp8.jpg
http://dommelen.net/tmp9.jpg

Also, I would assume they checked that the spark plugs were sparking.
And no water in the spark plug wells.

Something being shaken into shape sounds logical, though.  It is
hard to imagine what else push starting could do that the starter
engine cannot, if the battery is OK.

I too would like to see what it turns out to be.

Leon

>Pete

Signature

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

Noah Body - 26 Feb 2005 00:14 GMT
The problem was actually just a bad ignition switch.
 
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