Crank but not starting

ALEX ELLSWORTH

MEMBER
1992 MAZDA MX3
1.6L
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
131,000 MILES

Hello, I've recently acquired this car as I had my previous car repossessed. It had been sitting for about 2 years because the previous owners claim it just stopped turning over. The car will crank and ignite every so often. But it will not ever turn over. I have already replaced the distributor, spark plugs, spark plug wires. I have also made sure that my ignition coil is good and ignition control module is also working. At this point I was searching for the crank sensor and could not find even a plug on a harness for it. It should be around the harmonic balancer but it was no where to be found. It has fuel, spark, and I have the throttle body completely open with no air filter, so it has air. I have also tried turning the harmonic balancer to every position imaginable and the dot always lands on the same spot after cranking. Any other ideas would be great. I need this car to be running relatively quick because it is my only vehicle. Thank you in advance.

3 Replies

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

The vehicle does not have traditional crank sensor. It has a crank angle sensor that is in the distributor. Take a look at the info I attached.

Also, how did you check for spark? We need to ensure we have spark at the plug and it is blue in color. Remove a plug and connect the plug wire and hold it against the block and see if the spark is blue. If it is not blue then we have a secondary ignition issue.

Also, how did you confirm fuel? Does it fire with spraying starter fluid in the throttle body?

Lastly we need to check compression. These are the three things that an engine needs. Fuel, spark at the right time, and compression. We need to run through each of them. Thanks

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-cranks-but-wont-start

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Monday, February 24th, 2020 AT 1:58 PM

ALEX ELLSWORTH

MEMBER
2 POSTS

It does not fire over with starter fluid, disconnecting the fuel line from the rail and turning the car over proved it had plenty of pressure. I had blue spark from the plugs at a constant rate on all 4. What I'm really wondering is how to get it timed properly so it will turn over. It will act like it's going to turn over and chug a couple of times. Would adjusting the crank sensor help at all?

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Monday, February 24th, 2020 AT 4:48 PM

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Okay. That all sounds good so if you have spark at the wrong time (timing) then it will do what you are saying so it sounds like you are on it.

I attached the process on how to adjust the timing on this engine. Let me know how you make out.

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