No Power

[Neeranam]

Last night my car lost power. The same happened a couple of days ago. I pulled over to the side of the road, but the brake didn't work very well. The oil lights came on. I started it again and no problem.

What do you think is wrong? Spark plugs?

[PeaceBlondie]

Just a guess, but total lack of power is usually a bad electrical connection. My Austin-Healey battery cables used to come loose every time I went over a hard bump.

Spark plugs? Nah, those things seem to be so foolproof (assuming you change them per the manufacturer's recommendations), that I haven't heard of plug failure in decades.

Two years ago in Thailand, I was blasting along the superhighway, fast lane at about 135 kph on my CBR150, with the fuel gauge registering a lot of fuel. Within seconds, the power just quit, full stop. The one thing I failed to check was the fuel tank. The gauge was broken, and I'd run out of gas so fast that it sucked up the last drop in about two seconds!!

[Farma]

Have a look at your fuel filter. It's possibly clogged and the short stop on the side of the road was enough time to allow the fuel to build up again. Next I would see if you have an electric fuel pump with a loose wire and then look over the engine area for loose wires.

[wilko]

Last night my car lost power. The same happened a couple of days ago. I pulled over to the side of the road, but the brake didn't work very well. The oil lights came on. I started it again and no problem.

What do you think is wrong? Spark plugs?

OK - it's a petrol engine - right?

There’s only 2 things can stop and engine running...no fuel or no spark.

It won't be the plugs themselves...they won't all suddenly fail at once, but the electrical system might fail.

An electrical fault is possible but you say it rectified itself...again if there is a fault here it is possible but less likely than an interruption in the fuel supply.

You mention that the brakes didn't seem too good...well if the engine has cut out you will have no power for the baking system so that won't work too well either.

The problem with today’s cars is that they have little chips controlling all sorts of stuff, but the face that it regained power after a while would suggest a blockage in the fuel system. So I'd go with the fist response and check the fuel lines.

Furthermore you say the ignition lights etc came on, so this would suggest you still have electrical power. You could also check to see if the headlamps are working OK, but don’t leave them on!

One lovely little fault that can happen is when dirt gets into your petrol cap breather hole and blocks it. After a while a vacuum is formed in the tank and the fuel supply dries up. Then after you stop or open the tank it mysteriously returns only to dry up again some miles down the road.

Anyway the golden rule is check all the simple things first and don’t jump to any conclusions before shelling out on any replacement parts etc….

e headlamps come on....don't leave them on though!

[pop3]

I would hazard a guess you have an electronic ignition module problem, the short stop allow's just enouth time to cool the component's to allow it to start again but as time goes on the length of time required to waite get's longer and longer, the classic module breakdown !

[raybkk]

I would hazard a guess you have an electronic ignition module problem, the short stop allow's just enouth time to cool the component's to allow it to start again but as time goes on the length of time required to waite get's longer and longer, the classic module breakdown !

I can quote on that. During Songkran I was up country and the temperature was above 42C. Going up in the mountains all of a sudden I lost all power. The engine was still running but not smooth at all. Called the dealer in Bangkok with what to do. He asked me where I was. He asked for outside temp. He told me to wait for a while and than turn key to ACC 3 times. The computer would reset and all would be fine.

Well it worked great. Coming back to bangkok I went to the dealer and they said its a problem with the heat. The Chips cook up and wont give the engine certain instructions. Oh yes, he also mentioned not to blast full power up the mountains as the Turbo would need a lot of cooling.

[wilko]

Is the car a petrol or diesel?

Is it naturally aspirated or a turbo?

How old is it?

What model is it?

I'm always worried about replacing electrical components when a simple mechanical solution may be the one...

[Neeranam]

Wilko, it's petrol. Actually I have a question about petrol which I'll post a new topic about.

1998, 323 Astina.

Actually I don't know what naturally aspirated means.

It might be turbo - I know nothing about cars.

Since I posted about not having power, it has been running well.

Maybe I should, but probably won't, get it seen to know.

[wolf5370]

I had the same problem with a car I had borrowed. Drove fine - on a highway it would suddenly loose all power and die - after a minute it would start and drive fine again. Happened several times. Turned out to be the catalytic converter - it was blocked and the exhaust pressure was building up inside the pipe (so I was told). Replaced the filter and all was well - wierd.

[moonoi]

Wilko, it's petrol. Actually I have a question about petrol which I'll post a new topic about.

1998, 323 Astina.

Actually I don't know what naturally aspirated means.

It might be turbo - I know nothing about cars.

Since I posted about not having power, it has been running well.

Maybe I should, but probably won't, get it seen to know.

323 Astina is natural aspirated - means that there is no forced induction ie turbo or supercharger to increase power

[Plus]

Now you know why Toyota/Honda are the best second hand buys.

I have no ######ing idea what's wrong with your Mazda, and I bet your mechanic has no idea either.

Shit, Neeranam, shit happens.

I can't help you, but to all other second hand car buyers - take note of this.

Take your mazda to authorized service center, they'll surely have an answer for you.

[wilko]

Wilko, it's petrol. Actually I have a question about petrol which I'll post a new topic about.

1998, 323 Astina.

Actually I don't know what naturally aspirated means.

It might be turbo - I know nothing about cars.

Since I posted about not having power, it has been running well.

Maybe I should, but probably won't, get it seen to know.

323 Astina is natural aspirated - means that there is no forced induction ie turbo or supercharger to increase power

A fairly straightforward car. Do you have a pet mechanic? Or perhaps ask around for a guy who knows his Mazdas. It may be a fault common to those cars.

As I'm sure you are aware labour is cheap here so you can afford to have someone spend some time on it and diagnose it properly rather than spend money on fitting spare parts at random hoping to find a solution.

Try the petrol cap though! If it makes a sucking sound after the vehicle has stopped, it's forming a vacuum in the tank. the solution is to clean out the breather which is often just a pin-hole on the petrol cap!

[stumonster]

did it come with service logs? when was its last service.

not very expensive to get a new fuel filter and slip it in. Air filter - cheap , or just get it cleaned.