Well i've been very busy the past couple days so I haven't had much of a chance to check up on the car. I hopped in it today and it whirled right over. I looked from the mirror to see a nice cloud of white smoke that quickly dissipated. The car revs fine in neutral "didn't take it above 3 grand as i'm not a fan of free revving". Here is where it gets interesting. When I put the car into gear and give it gas it is like the car is getting no fuel. In reverse and in drive it's the same thing. The engine bogs way down like it is going to stall near 800-1k rpm or so but it doesn't stall out. Could this be bad injectors, fuel pump? I'm much better working on american cars than foreign cars but I figure a problem is a problem and ones like these are usually caused by something close no matter what you're working on. Anyone that has any ideas i'd be greatly appreciative.

 

automatic?

 

5 speed. I talked to the guy again today at work who I bought the car from. he said the rpm's are like taht through the whole range they just go up very slowly. I personally don't think he knows what the hell he's talking about. I noticed when you stab the gas it is just like the system isn't pushing fuel. It just lags really bad then coughs like it's going to stall but doesn't. Think it's possible all it needs is a tune up, wires/plugs/fuel filter? I checked the oil today it looks brand new and is right on the full mark, and noticed a new filter on. So anyone have any ideas?

 

does anyone have any advice on this? I'm bumping this back up to get some ideas. I was thinking about doing a tuneup and then see where it stood. not sure which direction to go.

 

Check resistance values at the AFM. When mine failed it idled ok, but if you gave it gas she'd want to die. It was almost like anything above 1/4 throttle bogged it down.

Wouldn't hurt to check TPS, too.

 

you're right, he doesnt. It doesnt take more than a second to fre rev from idle to redline. Maybe with a dead rotor....

 

check the throttle position sensor.

 

Do all of the above, but before BUYING any parts - COMPRESSION CHECK!


Whether or not the motor is good, its always best to check the compression before spending any money on it.

AFM, throttle position sensor, injectors sticking(get them cleaned), sticking throttle body plates(clean it, mod it), adjust throttle cable, bad grounds.

If none of that fixes it, try swapping out the ECU for a known good one.

 

I would venture to say since this is a rotary and up here in michigan they are about as common as supras. I assume this would be taken care of by the mazda dealership, correct? Problem is the closest one is 45 minutes from here and I'd have to tow it up to get compression checked. Gotta love buying a car with an unknown problem. Thanks for the suggestions and help so far guys. I can't wait to get this bad boy up and running.

 

I would stay away from the dealerships.

Use these boards to your advantage. Buy a DVOM, a small set of tools, and a test light. You'd be amazed at what you can do yourself. The money spent on the above would be roughly half what a dealership would charge...

Also, the Haynes Manual and FSM can be downloaded FREE. Read the FAQ for FC at the top of this section, it has links... TONS of information.

James

 

DVOM stands for...?