Car at Dealership - NEED HELP
 

I brought my 1994 RX 7 in on Monday with a intermittent check engine light on. I received a call today saying the car had 2 codes...1 for the IAT valve and 1 for the EGR valve. The dealer said they tested both of them and they checked out fine. The service manual said to replace the PCM if they both checked out...does this make any sense? The vehicle only has 20,000 original miles.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

If they truly checked out the two devices then the next thing I would check would be the connections and wiring.

danszr-

Im gonna go with BillM on this one. You should have the wiring checked out. With that being said, it is widely regarded here that taking an FD to a dealer is a bad idea. My advice would be to take the car to a reputable rotary mechanic if you intend to have any work performed.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

+1

Dealer stories often end in big bills and frustration

Yes, especially possible in this case.

Replacing the PCM with a used one = $50. Replacing the PCM with one from the dealer = $500+(?).

Buying a new wiring harness from Malloy = $750. Buying one at full retail from your dealer = $1000+.

I would do what is necessary to get the car to an independent rotary mechanic. Even though this is general electrical troubleshooting, if the harness needs replaced or repaired you don't want anyone who isn't familiar with the FD rats nest getting in there. Only bad things can happen.

Dave

Unless the dealer's tech is experienced in the FD or other rotaries, they are most likely just following a factory troubleshooting flowchart, which usually means BIG MONEY, because they are usually "part swappers" not true diagnostic technicians.

Find yourself a good quality independent Rotary shop.

:-) neil

I would recommend you remove your car from the dealer and take it home. Just research on the forum and if you don't find your the answer you need, just ask. Most of us are willing to help out a fellow rotary owner. Hell most of us have been in your shoes at one point or another. I'm confident you will be able to fix her on your own, well maybe with a little help from the forum. I would hate to see you stuck with a fat bill and a clean FD like yours possibly ruined.

Rule #1 of FD ownership:
-Do not take your FD to the Mazda dealer for service!!

:)

doesn't really apply in toronto, as we have 3 or 4 really good dealers with rotaries.

to the original poster, if the dealer doesn't solve ur problem, try:

- Can-Jam
- RPM
- Mazdees

This has been my experience as well. If you decide the dealership is competent have them diagnose and give you a written estimate before allowing them to do anything else.

If they can't diagnose the problem then they don't have a clue and you should pick it up ASAP.

Thank you all for the replies. I picked up my car today and you guys are all correct, they replaced the IAT sensor (car has been there for over 2 weeks) and light is still coming on. Only code left now is code 16 (EGR valve), the code for the IAT is no longer in memory. I picked up the car today and will be requiring help. I would like to bring my vehicle to a experienced FD dealer, but nearest one is 14 hour drive away. I am located on the east coast of Canada, any suggestions on what I should do next? I am somewhat mechanically inclined.

Thanks,
DW

Really.. and what good dealers do we have in toronto that know rotary? :wallbash:

I would definitely suspect a wiring issue. The IAT is a pretty "dumb" sensor and the EGR is also a fairly "dumb" part.

Was the car always owned by you? Could it be that someone else did some work and rubbed a wiring harness against something sharp? Water damage possible?

I would borrow an EGR from another rotorhead (I already removed mine and threw it out!) and test that one - if I remember right, it's about a 5 minute swap. Or get one from a junk yard or similar place.

I will guess it's a wiring/connector issue anyhow.

so they replace the iat sensor AND EGR? and the only code coming back is the EGR code correct? then that "probably" means they fixed 1 but not the other. Dealers and not incompetent for fd's. it's the techs they give it to. it cracks me up when ppl bash the dealer lol. if no one in a dealer knows hoe to work on it 1 of 2 things happen, 1 they won't accept it until someone who knows or is willing to actually try accepts it. or 2, a guy accepts it and dosn't wanna deal with it so they give you a fat est. so you go away and don't come back. =-D if anyone works as a tech at a dealer you know what i mean =-) if the egr didn't fix. take it back and tell them it's not fixed, and they'll post it as a recheck and you wont' get charged for the egr since it did not fix it. and let them try again. give them a chance, it seems he's trying and fixed at least the iac code....


Los