buzzer

ok, 2 weeks ago i was driving my FD and all of a sudden it stalls out and i found out my EGI fuse blew. i got it towed to my house and replaced the fuse and it blew like 2 seconds after i turned the key to the on position(it did this like 5 times). a couple days ago i disconnected the power fc from the harness and turned the key and it worked. and plugged up the 4 different plugs 1 at a time and it didnt blow after they were all in and it started up fine. on the way to work the next day the EGI fuse blew about 3 miles away from my house. i was looking around the ecu for some ground wire problems and found that i didnt have the bolt that attached the upper ECU bracket (with the ground wire connected to it) to the frame.after i replaced the fuse i pulled the bracket away and touched the car with it and it sparked. i turned the key to the on position and it didnt blow so i propped something up against it (until i got home to bolt it up). i got about 2 miles down the road and it blew again and i know the bracket didnt fall off. instead of messing with anything i just replaced the fuse with the retracter one and turned the key to the on position and it blew. im thinking that if i would have removed the bracket from touching the frame and then put it back up against it it wouldnt have blown but im not sure. i had the car towed to my house and thats where it ends for now. im sorry for the long write up but im stumped. will someone please help
thanks,
Craig

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

This is, unfortunately, an easy problem that's a royal pain to find.

A fuse blows when a circuit shorts to ground. If you have a power wire that has its insulation rubbed off and it touches the frame of the car, you'll have a short and the fuse will blow. A ground wire that is intermittently touching the frame might cause problems with the car running, but shouldn't blow the fuse - both things are on the negative side of the power system.

When you find the short, it will likely be VERY obvious and VERY easy to spot, but actually finding the problem is the real "fun part".

First thing I'd check is any aftermarket wiring you might have in the car - boost controllers, gauges, stereo, etc. As much as we bag the stock wiring harness, Mazda actually did a really good job of designing it, and it typically won't short out itself. Most problems I've seen were from electrical tape that unwrapped and shorted a connection out, wires run too close to hot surfaces (like a turbo manifold) and the insulated melted off, etc.

Good luck!
Dale