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OK, I have a 1993 Mazda MX-3 SE 5 spd. I was driving the car down the road with my girlfriend with me...(important fact...makes story better lol) and the "charge" light came on...

Now...my car was leaking oil due to lowering springs and continous bottoming out...So...the alternator as well as numerous other parts were pretty well covered...(It was a bad leak, and I continued to drive it, because well...it was the 1.8 and Ihad a DE laying around )

So, after the charge light, my lights started to get dim, and I quickly pulled over...(We were on our way for a long overdue date...and oh god did i hear it...so help me lol) Alright, the car died, and wouldn't start, as I was still moving down the highway, with the car OFF, I tried popping the clutch to start it again, just to get a little bit further off the road. It did not start, So I figured, dead battery right?

Wrong. Once I came to a stop, it would crank over, but not start...So I had it towed home.

I didnt try to fix the car, I just removed the motor and put the DE in.

Now. The DE Motor was from an automatic 1995 Probe GT, I changed the water rail under the IM and also the flywheel (Obviously) Also I used the DE alternator as mine was convincingly friend. I also changed the sensor that comes from under the middle of the IM, from inside the block, "knock sensor" i believe. I had to cut/splice the connection FROM my 1.8 Motor because the DE plug was a bit different, but, two wires, two wires, I changed it.

After everything was back together, I tried starting the car, well...No Spark.

I then changed the distributor from my other MX-3 with a DE in it, and it starts fine (the OTHER car that is), and still no spark.

I then changed the crank position sensor to the K8, FROM the 1.8 Motor, so this motor, so match plugs. Still no spark.

Now...I then remembered hearing that a bad alternator would sometimes fry an ECU, so I also changed that. Still no spark.

I have recently checked all fuses and all are fine. Im lost.

Please help me...or ask questions for anything I did not cover.

Thank you all on MX3BB in advance!

Good god...you really made yourself a confusing situation hehe. Have you tested the ECU in another car to verify it works? Have you tested the alternator to verify that it works (proper voltage)? Since it is not the disty, my first thought would be the ECU; if that is working fine, I'de have to say check the wiring harness for shorts or just swap it out for another one altogether. There are only so many things that could be causing this problem. Just make sure that you test everything very carefully before ruling it out. Did you plug it in? (just kidding)

moral of the story is be like Kiwi,

Stay single gives you more time to build the car you want!

how are you testing for spark? try testing at the coil.
did you hook up both of the small ground wires? there is one by the firewall on the intake & one by the distrubtor on i little bracket.

also try checking for injector pulse using a test light on the injector harness while unpluged.
are the cams turning?

hey well i had the same problem of my klze having the charge light come on before and it turns out the low range on the alternator was blown so in orde rfor me to start it and keep it started for a long period of time i needed to have high rpms .... but maybe your alternaotr is too weak so im not too sure exactly whta u did

Ok, max kl, I went outside and checked, the one on the back of the IM IS hooked up/bolted down, although, the one that comes from the harness and is connected to the bracket by the disty itself is also bolted to the bracket, BUT the bracket is not bolted down to the motor itself...So, tomorrow when I go back out to the garage I will bolt that down and give it a shot...So it does look like a good possibility that that is the problem, I will soon know.

Can anyone tell me if that wire is a ground for the inside of the disty though? Just so i know for future reference...

i think its a ecm ground

Ok, went outside today and bolted down that loose wire with the grounds on it, still nothing, I've checked the fuses in the boxes under the hood by the battery, and also under the dash, are there fuses somewhere else or is that all? I cannot think of what else it could be, I've been without a car for weeks now, and im SOOO close to going out and buying something that doesnt say MX-3 on it, probably not, but im mad lol...I really need to get my car going,and i cant for the life of me figure this one out...

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

I am one hour south of Pittsburgh, PA, right outside of Uniontown, if any of you are close, send me a PM, I can pay for on site help...Im down to my last resources now...lol

Thank you guys

Ok, I've replaced the end two plus about 2 feet back of the disty plugs...just in case it was a broken wire in there... Still nothing.

Also, i had a question, on the crank position sensor, if I were to unplug it, and check for power, should there be power coming FROM the plug, or going TO it FROM the harness? I was thinking maybe it went bad...

I am really needing to get this car moving, I would really appreciate any help guys...

Thanks

in the under hood fuse box there is a black relay in the corner of the fuse box nearist to the air filter housing.
1st try tapping on it & wiggel it & try to start again

if no go than pull relay and jump term 3&4 togeather [ithink]
if you look at the relay there is a diagram on it telling you what pins do what
you want to jumper the to that look like a swinging switch togeather on the fuse box
or break cover off of relay and squease it closed while pluged in

try starting car with each step

you want to make shure this relay is working while turning over the engine

do you hear fuel runnung through the fuel rails?

i have seen several fuse boxes burned at the afermentioned relay
and that may have caused the orignal prob

also swap the relay next to the ecm with a junk yard part

and how are you checking for spark?

FIXED AND RUNNING!!! Replaced entire wiring harness...which wasnt too bad, except broke a few vac lines off in back, still runs, bit choppy, but works for now...

HUGE thanks to Barry Clark! Thank you for the semi-walkthrough, and thanks to ALL the other posts and help!

LOVE you guys!

Welcome