Hi everyone. I bought a used 04 last December. It had a few hidden issues. I worked throught them and now have another issue. It never starts on the first attempt unless its all warmed up and you had just shut it down. Basically it just turns over but never fires. Then on the second attempt it typically fires right up. Any ideas? I had the fuel system cleaning/flush at the dealer and it didnt help.

TJ

 

How long are you actually trying to key the engine on the first try.

If you're just turning the key and letting it crank briefly and expecting it to start immediately, I think your expectations are a little off.

Any vehicle is harder to start when cold vs warm. (oil is thicker, fueldrains back to the gas tank, etc.) So long as it alwaysstarts and you don't have to crank for an excessively long time, I don't see there being a problem. Just my opinion.

 

Aside from expectations it's possible that you have a leaky injector so after the car has been parked it losses fuel pressure and doesn't have anything to start with on the first crank. When you crank the second time it's pumped fresh fuel in and starts. Not saying this is the problem, but it's happened to me before on fuel injected cars. To check pull the spark plugs and see if one is super dirty/fouled/etc. If so then that injector is probably leaking.

 

Also a pretty good indicator, if you"re not doing it already, is to turn on the ignition and wait a few seconds until the fuel systemis up to pressure. The pump will stop running, then try to start it.
If that is happening regularly, then you may have a leaky injector and should pull the plugs to see.

 

Another way to check is to get a fuel pressure gauge and see what it says when it is not starting and when it is.

 

Thanks for the replies. I dont think my expectations are to high. I turn it over for about 3-5 seconds which seems like forever when my son is standing there and giving me crap because my Mazda wont start.
I wondered the same thing about the fuel pump or injectors not being primed and therefore needing to pressurize the system before it send fuel to the cyclinders. I'll try and turn the ignition on and wait for the fuel pump to stop and see how that goes. Would you guys think this is something the dealer should respond to if I have an extended warrantee?

 

Ive tried waiting for the pump to prime but it really doesnt help. Should the dealer be willing to look at this under warrantee?

 

Hey Wooddy, did you ever find out was was wrong with your car? My 2004 3i has the exact same problem for the last 3 or 4 years, so I'm just living with it. My mechanic cannot figure it out. Let me know if you ever got it fixed or diagnosed. Thanks.

 

Wooddy, have many kms/miles has your car done?
Being a 2004, the pump may be worn out.

 

I'm also tending to fuel pump/pressure situations.

Constantly driving around with fuel level below 1/4 tank also puts extra strain on the fuel pump as it has a harder time sucking up fuel. The fuel itself also acts likes a cooling agent for your fuel pump, so when level is low there is no coolant surrounding the fuel pump which leads to premature fuel pump failure as well.

So when your car gets down to 1/4 tank, fill it up!