Hey everyone... I started a thread a few day ago about how my timing got messed up after my battery wire corroded through.... Anyways i adjusted the timing today and im confused because i marked my front pulley every 30mm like instructed to do and i believe my timing is retarded 30 degrees in order to run right at all... I tryed to move it back to zero but it would just stall. I would adjust the timing on the left trailing plug then goto the right one and it would be off the timing mark that i just matched for the left trailing... Im confused here Does anyone have any tips or anything? I might take it into my local mazda dealership lol i can just imagine what they will say to me when they see all my emissions are gone =) But some people have suggested this could be a fusable link causing this problem but i just wanna get my car back on the road idling good again...

Thanks for your time!

 

anyone have any ideas?

 

You only adjust the timing to the front rotor. The rotors are offset 180*.

 

lol im dumb that answers part of my question... the thing is when i got my timing marks lined up perfectly it ran like crap... doesnt make sense to me...

 

Is your leading ignition working?

 

i don't really know is there a way to check? oh ya i should mention when i was using the timing light on the Top spark left spark plug wire (trailing) at some points in the wire the timing light wasn't flashing whats with that? No matter how i adjusted the air/fuel mixture it didnt seem to want to rev without hesitation but i think this is because of my timing as well... pfffftttt thanks so much for the help I apologize for my lack of knowledge of ignition systems im still learning....

 

Put the timing light on the leading plug.

 

ya It showed that it was timed properly... im confused as to why when i line up the timing marks the car runs like crap... There must be something that isn't working right in my ignition

 

Bump =( i still need help

 

I can't see how your timing would get thrown off from a battery cable problem. I'd check the igniters. If the cable was arcing...just maybe it blew one. I though I heard that you can swap the igniters to test or see if anything changes. While you are there check the distributor rotor and cap for wear or cracks and replace those and get some new spark plug wires.
Keep us posted.......

Meant swap the leading and trailing igniters..

 

Have you made sure that your plug wires are routed correctly? You didn't happen to switch the lead/trailing ignition around at the dizzy cap did you?

As long as you can put your timing light on the lead plug and get a signal, that should mean that the lead ignition is working correctly. Otherwise there wouldn't be a spark to trigger the timing light. Good luck!

 

Since you already are saying the battery battery wire has some connection ( no pun intented ) to your engine running correctly, don't go off the deep end on the timing. Like these guys are saying, make sure all your wiring and components are in good working order: Rotor, cap, ignitors, coils, wires, plugs, connections to them all, etc.

By the way, I don't know your experience or savvy level, but if it turns out that one of your ignitors are bad, for God's sake try to get a J109 from one of the guys on this forum that scavenge them from the junkyards. I think they are over 200 bucks from Victoria British and in that range from Mazda. I think I remember reading that Jeff20B sells them for 20 bucks or something like that. He tests them before he sells them, too ...so no need to worry about DOA.

Just trying to help...

 

It must have been someone else. I think there is a guy in the for sale section who sells them for a good price.

 

well just so you guys know i was doing the timing just after replacing the distributor cap and rotor and i changed the plug wires about 4 months ago so they should be good... Ill double check that my plug wires are correct but ive been pretty cautious when unhooking and rehooking them up to get them back in the right spot.

Ok and heres my REALLY stupid question of the day Where are the ignitors located? what do they look like (pictures help alot) Again sorry bout my lack of knowledge

 

nevermind on the where are the ignitors located question i just found a thread talking about it... now im wondering are both ignitors the same? Are they interchangable? People have suggested switching them and seeing if it runs better... thanks

 

yes they are interchangeable. Are you or are you not getting a signal when you hook up the timing light to the cable that goes to the lower front spark plug?

 

They're 80 bux from Mazdatrix. But I agree still to expensive compared to j/y or other 7 owners. I have two extra that travel in my tool bag all the time.

 

ok guys im really happy and mad at the same time cause i just realized a few stupid things... I went outside to switch my igniters, and i found 2 major vacuum leaks, from where i took some of the emissions crap off (i need to find a better way to get the vacuum lines to stay on anyways then i was looking at my spark plugs.... BY GOD i feel so dumb I cant believe such a thing happened to me on the first rotor the leading and trailing where backwards OMG im dumb... Anyways i havent gotten a chance to road test it I got lots of homework tonight but ill give her a try when i got sometime thanks lots you guys... If it wasnt for your tips id probley be paying a mazda dealership hundreds right now!
Thanks again!!!

 

We can give you our email address and you can Paypal us some $



P.S. Let us know how it went.

P.P.S. Man you got lucky, glad it worked out in the end

 

well after supper i went outside to fire it up... Anyways it would crank crank crank and not start... should i take the timing light to it and time it when its cranking? Whats the best way to get it started again so i can tune it?

 

Ok im starting to think my plugs are fouled and this is whats giving me problems... gonna order some as soon as i can.... one thing after another lol. I have gone from buying fusiable links, to buying a new distributor cap and rotor, trying to switch the positions of the ignitors with no luck and finding all sorts of problems in my ignition system... It better be the plugs lol!

 

have you pulled the distributor out after it started crappin on ya? or has it been in the car the whole time?

 

I pulled the distributor out the other day and put it back in making sure it was at TDC when it came out and went back in......