Hi recently i bought a 1999 mazda protege, the previous owner said they replaced the fuel pump and the starter on it, but when i go to start the car it is very temperamental, it will always start but i have to almost always turn the key over multiple times, 5-25 times to get it to turn over and start.

Does anyone else have or had this problem and can shed so light on this?
And is there a way to force start the car using the fusebox(some american cars can be done this way) sort of as a quick poor persons fix until I can get a new job lol, any advice or help would be much appreciated thanks!

 

How many miles are on the car?
Is the check engine light on? What are the codes?
How is the idle when it runs?
How is the fuel economy?

My guess: your engine needs a tune up and there is a vacuum leak.

 

151k miles, recent tune up, just a clicking noise when i turn the key. Takes a few turns to get it to turnover then it starts instantly.

No check engine light, so no codes =\

Wondering if it is an ignition problem and needs to be re-keyed or if it could be more complicaited then that.

 

Purcelli:
There is probably a n issue with the electrical system, charging system or starting system.
You could get a Haynes manual and a volt meter to chase down a voltage drop. The Haynes manual should tell you how many volts you should get at which point.

You could also shoot in the dark and clean the battery posts and the terminals of the cables:

The clean the terminals at the starter and at the alternator.
Clean any grounding contacts.
Switch out some relays.

The fact that you reliably get a ticking noise would suggest the ignition switch is working.

 

Clean all the connections (safety first: remove negative cable first, install negative cable last) per above. If still a problem, you may want to have your starter tested for a bad solenoid. Test before replacing.