This happened about two weeks ago.

I went to the local carwash. After she was nice and shiny, I fired it up and drove about 20 feet and the car just died. The engine would still turn over but couldnt get it to start (when I say turn over, I mean that the car has electrical power and the starter motor will spin but the engine will not fire up). I think that it has something to do with the fuel pump. Well I get the tow-truck to take it to the dealer and after three days they finally tell me that it was the ECU. They claimed that it had a bad internal ground and that they got it started by jumping the relay for it. Well, I took their word for it and bought a used computer for about $75.00 (Mazda wanted $1200.00 for the damn thing) and had it shipped directly to them. This seemed to solve the problem, at least for a week. I wake up this morning and find that the car will not start....Same problem. THis time there is a burning smell. Not gasoline or fire burn but a smell of burning/melting plastic. WTF?

If anyone has any idea of what is going on, please let me know. I hate the mazda dealer. I think they are retarded. I dont know why I spend $75.00+ an hour for them to work on a car and not figure out what is wrong with it....especially after having it for a week.

If this is a stupid request, please dont be upset. I am just very frustrated right now.

 

no love huh?

 

Not good my friend. Try to find the burning smell, or anything that look burnt first, and then go from there. I dont think its the ecu, I think its more with wiring.

Hey, Im in salt lake too, well woods cross more like it

 

If you are indeed frying the ECU, it's a no brainer (a wiring problem).

You can rip out the wiring harness and check it for problems or just purchase a new one (the latter probably being the best idea).

Basically, you need to check all the wiring and see what's going on. You can download the wiring documentation from here:

http://www.iluvmyrx7.com/1993_factor...ice_manual.htm

If you aren't willing to troubleshoot it yourself, you should ask in the West forums about good shops in your area.

 

Constant buring of the ECU probably means there is a stripped wire somewhere hence the burning plastic smell. If you can pinpoint that smell, you are sure to find the problem.

There IS a method for checking each wire at the ECU's connector to see if it is being grounded or not using a voltimeter, but I gotta dig up how it's done. I'm sure someon that remembers how to do it will hopefully chime in. And once you find that bad wire, then you gotta trace it and find out where it's stripped.

 

Lifesavers guys! thanks a million!

 

I had a similar problem. For me it was the EGI main fuse that kept burning up. My omp wires had come loose from the block and the main belt had burned through it. Hence my burning smell and then when the partially stripped wires hit the block my fuse would go. Might want to check that as well.
-Nic

 

I will check all of that stuff when i get the car home tonight. Thanks broken09.