Questions and Answers

Mazda 626 Has Some Problems Q. I think It's great that you are willing to answer our questions. I hope you can help me. I have a: 1987 Mazda 626 2.0 litre Automatic transmission 143,000 miles Fuel Injected P/S - A/C

I'm having two problems with this car.

1. My wife is in the Army and drives the car to work every morning. Every morning she gets to work fine (20 minutes away). After PT she comes back home for some breakfast and the car almost always dies on the way home, or on the way back to work.

There seems to be a pattern. When the car has been sitting for several hours, it will run fine, until it is turned off and then started again after a small wait. When the car dies there are no sounds or smells. The rpm's drop to zero and the battery/seat belt lights come on.

After a few minutes the car will start right back up. I've replaced the fuel pump, and everyone seems to have a different opinion as to what I should do next. There was another person with a similar problem who wrote you. You told him it was most likely either the pump, or the ignition. If it is the ignition, what would my steps be?

2. The car overheats. I removed the valve (I can't remember the name) that opens and closes based on the temperature of the antifreeze. It was rusted shut so I figured I'd solved the problem, but it still overheats. There is no leak, and the water appears to be flowing when the engine heats up.

Thanks for trying to help. And if you DO help, I'll send you one of my wife's famous Pumpkin/Pecan pies. :)

Stephen

A. 1. It sounds like the ignition module is on the way out. When they get old they become heat sensitive. When they get too hot, they shut off, like turning the key off. The next time it happens, pull of a spark plug wire and see if you have spark. If not, bad ignition module.

2. If the thermostat was rusted shut, it's a good bet the rest of the cooling system is rusted as well. I would suggest having the cooling system back flushed to get all the garbage out. it is possible some of the tubes in the radiator may bey plugged. If this is the case the radiator will have to come aut and be rodded out or the core replaced.