Ignition Module Maybe??? Please Clarify.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » June 27th, 2007, 8:26 pm

Well the battery needs to be properly charged.. if its dead.. the ECU wont be able to retain any codes (it needs power to keep the memory from erasing).

Your likely problem is the distributor though. Not cheap to replace unfortunately. If you lived closer I have a spare you could try to see if that was the problem.

Tunes67

Lexy · Post by **Lexy** » June 27th, 2007, 8:32 pm

how much do they normally cost?

http://www.clubprotege.com/wil/howto/hei/index.htm

and is that how its installed?

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » June 27th, 2007, 8:47 pm

That is a work around for a bad distributor.. and yes that could solve your issue and even be more reliable. But while that isnt what I would call a difficult repair.. I would say its a bit more advanced that typical "Unbolt-remove-replace-Bolt Down" repair. So be prepared that if you mess that up.. fixing the issue will be 10 times more difficult. I'd only advise someone with at least some basic automotive experience to try that one. It is however a MUCH less expensive repair than replacing the distributor. See the "Cam position sensor" is built into the distributor. A new or remanufactured distributor will cost anywhere from $150-$500 depending on where you buy it.. you can get them used at junkyards.. or you can buy one brand new from mazda or get remanufactured ones from parts stores. You'll have to make some phone calls in your area to see what they are costing there.

Tunes67

PS.. please dont be offended by any of that stuff.. just trying to say follow the course that will work best for you and that has the least chance of the car ending up in a junkyard

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » June 27th, 2007, 8:50 pm

Keep in mind that you still have two other problems that will eventually need to be addressed.. the coolant temp sensor and the rear O2 sensor (and you really should replace both O2 sensors at the same time) You can use Ford Probe GT O2 sensors.. they cost a lot less and are the same as the mazda ones. Best of luck

Tunes67

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » June 27th, 2007, 8:57 pm

Just so you know.. I am off work now.. so I am heading out of here. I will check back later on this evening to see if you have found out anything else, but I have my own toys to play with tonight too LOL Others may chime in with additional advice. Best of luck

Tunes67

Lexy · Post by **Lexy** » June 28th, 2007, 2:42 am

Ohhhh no worries!!! No offence taken. I appreciate the help from someone who actually knows what there talking about. Last i heard my landlord said to replace my timing belt. Clearly was just costing me money. I would not attempt any of that on my own. I know a couple mechanics through friends....It would be convincing them to come over that would be the hard part. Not everybody is so willing to help.

BTW What is a O2 sensor?

And thanks again!!!!!

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » June 28th, 2007, 12:33 pm

O2 sensors are Oxygen Sensors. There are 2 of them on our V6 cars. One per side of the engine (front & rear if your standing in front of the car)

As for the timing belt.. well.. dont write it off until you have done a positive check.. Which is easy to do.. take off your oil filler cap and look inside at the cam shaft while someone cranks the engine over. If the cam rotates.. the timing belt is still good (or at least still in one piece) if the cam doesnt rotate.. the belt has snapped. I dont know if a snapped timing belt would cause the distributor to throw a code 03 or not. But.. since the distributor is rotated by one of the camshafts.. I guess it could be possible. (Worth checking anyway). Especially since you dont seem to be getting any codes being thrown now. Replacing the timing belt is a rather involved job and requires good mechanical skills and a fairly large variety of tools. Most shops charge between $300-$500 to do the job.

Tunes67

Lexy · Post by **Lexy** » June 30th, 2007, 5:54 pm

Is 400$ for a distributer a rip off???? And do you know where abouts the distributer is.....lol.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » June 30th, 2007, 8:14 pm

Thats pretty high for a distributor... unless its "new". Remember.. remanufactured is NOT "new" though lots of places and people seem to get that confused. If thats from a junkyard.. someone there has been doing some serious mind altering drugs and you should inform the police about that. For a parts store.. if remanufactured... its on the high side.. I'd still call around. I will post a picture of the distributor either later tonight or tomorrow sometime. Have a good weekend.

Tunes67

tehbrookzorz · Post by **tehbrookzorz** » July 1st, 2007, 5:14 am

Why does your landlord think it might need a timing belt?

Find out, cause he might be right.

Lexy · Post by **Lexy** » July 1st, 2007, 10:47 pm

Because he didn't know what else it could be. I did have it checked and its fine. He said that without looking at it. lol.

FIMotorMX-3 · Post by **FIMotorMX-3** » July 4th, 2007, 10:35 pm

I'm chiming in. If you stand infront of the car and look at your engine, you see all your spark plug wires coming out of your valve covers. Follow those wires to the right of your engine and they all plug into a dark grayish, black cover. That is your distributor cap. The whole assembly that cap is connected to is your distributor. These go bad all the time on our cars. The distributor gets really hot and the ignitors and coils go faulty on them. They are pricey to replace yet easy to do. If you have a friend that is mechanically inclined you are better off getting them to do it rather than take it to a garage. They tend to rip people off. I would call around for the part. I got a rebuilt disty from NAPA autoparts in the US for 125 but that was two years ago and they have since gone up to 230. They are warrantied and I have gone through 4 of them in the matter of a year and a half. Since then I did the HEI mod and it seemed to fix the problem. I can't guaranty that the HEI/coil mod fixed my car because ny car has it's own issues that need to be worked out but it is a good fix if you keep blowing disties. Goodluck and I'll try to keep checking in on your progress. I sold my mx so I don't check as often as I used to but I'm waiting on some help with my old car A friend bought it and we are working on fixing it so I'm back..

tehbrookzorz · Post by **tehbrookzorz** » July 5th, 2007, 9:26 pm

The timing belt seems less likely to have broken than the ignition module to have died, but it is a possibility. If it is, the engine could be cranking via the starter's power, but the top end, including cams and distributor would be motionless and you would have a no spark situation.

Pull the oil cap off and have somebody look down the hole while trying to crank the engine. If they see movement of the gear down that hole then your timing belt should be fine and you can focus on the ignition issues.