Car not starting

VINAH1

MEMBER
2001 MAZDA MPV
2.5L
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
132,090 MILES

So in short the car will not start, Starter engine is alright, battery is alright, I have checked those and there is nothing wrong with them, however the car still will not start. So, I have connected a wire directly from the starter to the ignition and now it works as soon as I turn it on without hitting the brakes. But of course for safety reasons I want it to be how it was before without this wire where it only turns on when you step on the brake. Any suggestions please on what could be the problem? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,752 POSTS

There is not much in that circuit other than the ignition switch and the transmission range switch. Go to whichever one is easier to get to and check for twelve volts on the blue/yellow wire. For this type of problem, a test light can be more accurate than an expensive digital voltmeter. If you never see twelve volts on that wire when the ignition switch is in the "crank" position, the switch has a bad contact, that wire has a burned terminal in the connector, or, if you are at the range switch, there is a break in that wire.

If you do find twelve volts on that wire, the range switch is defective or there is a break in the wire after the point you are measuring at.

As is common with a lot of import models, there is no starter relay. The high starter solenoid current is handled by the ignition switch and the range switch. That is typically ten to fifteen amps, so switch failures can be expected.