Help with accelleration

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williemcd - 24 Feb 2008 19:18 GMT

I'm a yutz when it comes to automotive repair so please bare with me.
95 MX with 95K. It's had pretty good maint during it's life. Turns
over with less than one rev of the engine. However, after driving 4-5
miles, it spits and sputters. Keeping the peddle to the floor, it
eventually catches for a bit and then back to spitting etc. Plugs,
air, fuel are perfect. A neighbor backyard mech. suggested TPS?
Throttle Positioning Sensor? Does this make sense to the experienced
owners? Any other areas to look into?
Thanks in advance. Bill McDonald

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John McGaw - 24 Feb 2008 23:43 GMT

> I'm a yutz when it comes to automotive repair so please bare with me.
> 95 MX with 95K. It's had pretty good maint during it's life. Turns
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> owners? Any other areas to look into?
> Thanks in advance. Bill McDonald

Easiest thing first: has the fuel filter been replaced? After that the
throttle position sensor seems like a good thing to check. Mine went
wonky on my '91 and caused some drivability problems although they
weren't as bad as what you describe.

Signature

John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

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XS11E - 25 Feb 2008 00:12 GMT

>> I'm a yutz when it comes to automotive repair so please bare with
>> me. 95 MX with 95K. It's had pretty good maint during it's life.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Mine went wonky on my '91 and caused some drivability problems
> although they weren't as bad as what you describe.

The OP should check the gas cap vent, if air can't enter the system
it'll start starving for fuel after a few miles....

Just take the cap off and drive, he'll get a check engine light but
ignore it.

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XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
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Chris D'Agnolo - 25 Feb 2008 03:38 GMT

If you don't find fuel issues, I'm thinking that it's plug wires. OP
mentions good plugs but no mention of replacing wires. Miata plug wires are
notorious for their short life. OEM's at 95k (and 12 yrs) ought to be pretty
much shot.

Let us know,
Chris
99BBB

>>> I'm a yutz when it comes to automotive repair so please bare with
>>> me. 95 MX with 95K. It's had pretty good maint during it's life.
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> Just take the cap off and drive, he'll get a check engine light but
> ignore it.

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r0lliSl1fe - 25 Feb 2008 13:48 GMT

All the above are good, but I'd had a similar issue and it turned out
that the battery cable was frayed in the trunk. It actually wasn't
frayed at the battery, it was frayed where the cable was bolted to the
interior of the trunk, presumably to take off tension? Didn't work
too well, but a new battery cable is no more expensive a repair than
any of the above, and its really easy to tell. Give it a quick look-
over.

-r0ll

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williemcd - 25 Feb 2008 22:33 GMT

> > I'm a yutz when it comes to automotive repair so please bare with me.
> > 95 MX with 95K. It's had pretty good maint during it's life. Turns
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> -r0ll

Tks for the responses! 1st off I'll try the gas cap. It is stored
outside and within a heavily wooded area. The wires were replaced
about 35K ago. The battery cables check out looking good. Guess if
none of the above fix,on to the TPS. Once again, tks for all of the
suggestions.
Bill in Va.

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Christopher Muto - 26 Feb 2008 15:32 GMT

no, the fuel filter was suggested next before the tps.
also, even oem or nkg wires are supposed to be replaced every 30k.
let us know how it works out. good luck.

On Feb 25, 8:48 am, r0lliSl1fe <jerryn...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Feb 24, 2:18 pm, williemcd <willie...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> -r0ll

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williemcd - 02 Mar 2008 17:54 GMT

Well, the OP stated I was a yutz regarding automotive repair. Where
the heck is the fuel filter? Nothing under the hood looks like a
suspect! Bill McDonald

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Lanny Chambers - 02 Mar 2008 19:00 GMT

In article
<07150c57-2225-4e7a-99b5-1b8e847f6a38@v3g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>,

> Where
> the heck is the fuel filter?

http://www.miata.net/garage/FuelFilterChange/index.html

Signature

Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C

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Christopher Muto - 03 Mar 2008 00:18 GMT

oem parts can be had for good prices from www.finishlineperformance.com.
the fuel filter is supposed to be replaced every 30k, but they typically
last way longer.
it is a large filter so it is more forgiving than many other cars.
i did mine at 105k, shortly after i got the car and suspect it had never
been done before.
this filter is not particularly hard to reply but it is awkward and messy to
do on your back.
oem filters, including fuel, air, and oil, are much higher quality than the
stuff sold at autozone and the like and the prices at finishline are
actually cheaper than those inferior products.

> In article
> <07150c57-2225-4e7a-99b5-1b8e847f6a38@v3g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>,
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> http://www.miata.net/garage/FuelFilterChange/index.html

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Chuck - 04 Mar 2008 00:03 GMT

If you are referring to Fram filters, you are likely correct. However, past
studies showed that Mazda USA had "OEM" filters sourced in the USA that were
NOT as high a quality as the made in Japan filters.

"oem filters, including fuel, air, and oil, are much higher quality than the
stuff sold at autozone and the like and the prices at finishline are
actually cheaper than those inferior products"

> oem parts can be had for good prices from www.finishlineperformance.com.
> the fuel filter is supposed to be replaced every 30k, but they typically
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> >
> > http://www.miata.net/garage/FuelFilterChange/index.html

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