I need your guys help. I bought an '02Protege 5 recently with a seized 2.0L motor. I tried to crank it, but nothing. I actually smelled a slight electrical burning odor probably from the starter trying to turn that seized motor.

Anyway, I bought a replacement short block. I swapped over the timing drive and intake/exhaust manifolds. So far so good.

I put everything back together, and the engine cranks but doesn't start. It sound like it's catching a little bit, but eventually the plugs get flooded and it doesn't even make that catching sound.

I checked the timing and it's fine. I checked the crank sensor with an ohmmetter and it seems fine. I get spark. I get fuel. What else could be wrong?

The only possibility I see now is that when I (and the old owners) tried to start the seized motor, maybe that burning smell and electrical load took out the ECU.


Any ideas?

 

it's your ignition coil, that happened to me 3 weeks ago, i would go to start it the engine it would shake and it sounds like it almost catches and you can hear it back fireing because of the amount of fuel in the engine from the injectors. the easiest way to make sure this is the problem is buy a spark plug tester for 10$ try all 4 spark plugs one at a time and you shouldn't see a spark out of 2 spark plugs. and if you see this it is your ignition coil. Or if you don't want to spend the money get ahold of an olm meter unplug the harness from both ignition coils and olm the connector, olm the possitve and the neggative and the one that isn't working the number should be way off. there is 3 prongs in the connector and if you olm the middle one and the right one, the one working should read about 300 olm's (can't remember the exact number its between 300 - 600) and the one not will read 0. if it does that is your problem.

 

Hi,
My 2000 Mazda Protege ES is having similar problem. When I try to start the engine, the engine is cranking but will not start. The cranking sounds is perfectly normal, and not the weak sounds more indicative of battery troubles. In fact, the battery is new (replaced in Oct 2009) and the leads were also replaced to more securely grip the new battery terminals.
I've been noticing the problem for about 2-3 months now, and it happens whether it's cold or warm (I live in Houston now and temp ranges from 40F to about 70F). When I first noticed the problem, it won't start one day and the next day it will. But now it simply will not start (for 3 days now).

Can someone suggest possible diagnosis? I've researched the forums and it's overwhelming for someone who doesn't know anything about cars. If possible, what are some of the possible diagnostics I'd need to perform before zeroing on the problem? pressure test data? compression test data?
I'd take it to the mazda dealership but I'm afraid I can't trust them (prior experiences including the battery change). I have a friend who is a BMW mechanic and he suggested that I research the problem to see if the issue is common with Mazda Protege in general. I'd very much appreciate all the help I can get.