I have a 1990 Mazda 929, regular 4 door sedan with ac, cruise control, electric windows and locks and a radio which was not installed at the factory. I purchased the car for a grand, knowing it had ignition problems. You had to really jiggle it to fix it. The car was in good shape otherwise, no rust, the inspection I had done on it turned up no other problems except needing new tires.
When I had the ignition replaced, it turned out the starter only worked intermittently also, so it had to be replaced.
When I got the car back the dash lights did not work at night, and there was a red light on on the dash which looked like a headlight when I brake. All of my lights worked, including my brake lights...so I took it back to the garage, they could not find either problem without taking the dash apart, I said no, I'd just get a tap light and come back later on. I could not afford it.
You have to turn my car off a specific way or it will still run when the key is out, and if you put it into accessory to roll up a window or something you have to be really careful there too, it might leave all the dash lights on... I've also come out in the am and found all the lights on the dash on for no good reason.
About two weeks later the check engine light came on, yellow, and would go off when accelerating, on when slowing down or stopping. I took it to the garage, they ran a diagnostic on it and the sensor on the egr valve is stuck. Can't replace just the valve and didn't have over three hundred for a new valve when it was working ok, so I just live with it.
I drove this car for about 4 months, during a very busy season at work. It ran great, only the dash lights didnt work...Then parked it during my seasonal layoff and three days later I came out and it would not start. I figured that possibly the dash lights popped on for no good reason again...
We took the battery to have it analysed, it was completely drained, but it was still good.
After discussing the strangeness of my car, we decided the ignition switch was not sitting right in the place intended for it and it was not always shutting off properly even when it seemed it was. So I started unplugging my battery every night before going to bed or after my last trip anywhere...or if I were planning on being somewhere for more than 8 hours. I didn't have enough money to have that worked on, I would wait until my income tax comes in and have that and the egr valve and the dash lights fixed.
The other day I was driving this car and there was a scratching sound, sounded like speaker was blown or like you were scraping sandpaper across a piece of metal. The "fuel" light was blinking on and off in rhythm to this sound. At first it only came on if I went over bumps and did not flash anything but the fuel light. Now it flashes a few different lights, including the battery light. The battery charge indicating hand will bounce up and down also between 12 and 14 when this is happening.
It always starts and has not shown any signs of stalling yet. at night, headlamps are strong, or were yesterday, radio worked good yesterday, neither were on today. There is no squeaking. I know that it needs a tuneup and I am assembling the parts for that, but I know this probably is not something a tuneup will fix.
Where should I look first? Is it possibly a bad connector to the battery due to being put on and off all the time? Should I check the alternator? If so, what parts? Or is there some sort of regulator somewhere that might be having fits?
When I had the ignition replaced, it turned out the starter only worked intermittently also, so it had to be replaced.
When I got the car back the dash lights did not work at night, and there was a red light on on the dash which looked like a headlight when I brake. All of my lights worked, including my brake lights...so I took it back to the garage, they could not find either problem without taking the dash apart, I said no, I'd just get a tap light and come back later on. I could not afford it.
You have to turn my car off a specific way or it will still run when the key is out, and if you put it into accessory to roll up a window or something you have to be really careful there too, it might leave all the dash lights on... I've also come out in the am and found all the lights on the dash on for no good reason.
About two weeks later the check engine light came on, yellow, and would go off when accelerating, on when slowing down or stopping. I took it to the garage, they ran a diagnostic on it and the sensor on the egr valve is stuck. Can't replace just the valve and didn't have over three hundred for a new valve when it was working ok, so I just live with it.
I drove this car for about 4 months, during a very busy season at work. It ran great, only the dash lights didnt work...Then parked it during my seasonal layoff and three days later I came out and it would not start. I figured that possibly the dash lights popped on for no good reason again...
We took the battery to have it analysed, it was completely drained, but it was still good.
After discussing the strangeness of my car, we decided the ignition switch was not sitting right in the place intended for it and it was not always shutting off properly even when it seemed it was. So I started unplugging my battery every night before going to bed or after my last trip anywhere...or if I were planning on being somewhere for more than 8 hours. I didn't have enough money to have that worked on, I would wait until my income tax comes in and have that and the egr valve and the dash lights fixed.
The other day I was driving this car and there was a scratching sound, sounded like speaker was blown or like you were scraping sandpaper across a piece of metal. The "fuel" light was blinking on and off in rhythm to this sound. At first it only came on if I went over bumps and did not flash anything but the fuel light. Now it flashes a few different lights, including the battery light. The battery charge indicating hand will bounce up and down also between 12 and 14 when this is happening.
It always starts and has not shown any signs of stalling yet. at night, headlamps are strong, or were yesterday, radio worked good yesterday, neither were on today. There is no squeaking. I know that it needs a tuneup and I am assembling the parts for that, but I know this probably is not something a tuneup will fix.
Where should I look first? Is it possibly a bad connector to the battery due to being put on and off all the time? Should I check the alternator? If so, what parts? Or is there some sort of regulator somewhere that might be having fits?
Jun 26, 2006 at 8:51 PM