Mazda-menders roadsters ,01,02,04

[GlennyGills]

Hi, I like what you did with the radiator, almost a pity it will be hidden.

[Mazda Mender]

Hi, I like what you did with the radiator, almost a pity it will be hidden.

Unfortunatly for me 80% of all the work I carry out on everyone's roadsters is never seen, thats why it is always good to take pics...

Nothing much to report, busy weekend...rubbed down and repainted the wiper arms on the Black MK 1 V.S...

Pics to follow.
M-m

[Mazda Mender]

I noticed when we were doing the auto to manual conversion that the plug spade connection to the ignition were not in great shape and a new lead and plug needed to replace it , put i also noticed some weird goings on with the new HU ,every now and then it would switch itself off and on multiple time? which i though it could be the HU so got myself ready to swap that out if the new lead and plug did not cure it and while its all out fit some sun shade visors to the aftermaket gauges.

Well soldered the new lead and plug in and made no difference to the HU, so out it all came, clicked in the new HU ( same as the other) and it still was acting up , so time to check the wiring, something was either shorting or pulsing a feed?
So turns out the permanent live was at fault to the unit( seen and dealt with this a number of times) ignition live was good and illumination live, earth was spot on, so ran a new permanent live with a 10 amp fuse to the HU , re-fitted the original HU i though was at fault and all good, it must be breaking down after the 30 years?.
Fitted the shade lids to the aftermarket gauges and put everything back together again, and this morning released the clock is not working, so i'll need to get it all out again and find the wire to it that i have disturbed , i don't need it, but.... its not working and it should be, You under stand.

Any way , HU is all spot on again, I am glad as i do like the HU for its features and look in the roadster, as it still as a bit of a retro look'ish...

[Mazda Mender]

I have been having a few on and off electric gremlins which you put down to "old car", but on sunday after having the head unit out and checking my mic was plugged in and why my clock was not working? she then decided she was not going to play with me any more, started her up and ran for 30 sec's and cut out, which became the norm, checked all the usual, including ECU after checking for fault codes and getting nothing, although i like a good challenge to get my teeth into to find and solve ,at 6pm Sunday night with work in the morning and builders due on Tuesday and she was blocking the drive, it really was not ideal.
so after swapping most parts it was now 9.30pm and still in the same boat , but got it down to electrical, and i had ran out of time , so it all got thrown in, the full family came rushing out happy and willing to help ( in the rain now) to push her off the drive and clear, bring Daryls off and the lovely job of pushing her up and around on the drive and i do mean up, for a light car these are heavy to push up hill in the rain, then Daryls on while the family exchange their nicest compliments so i can get to work and get showered etc at attack her tomorrow with my time which i think is the immobilizer giving up cutting spark and fuel?, it was fitted when i imported her some 20 odd years ago now by a auto spark for the insurance .
so Monday night, home , throw food down and start to look at removing the cobra immobilizer, i have removed hundreds in my time so should not take long, all credit to the Auto spark if you wanted to nick my MK 1 you would of had a hell of a job , i honestly cannot work out how he managed to install this with out removing the dash????.
It was a nightmare and in all my years of sorting these ,removing them and re-making everything back to standard and right , this as got to be the worst install i have ever come across, it is a mess which as been from the limitations of space to work in and it shows , i am that drunk off with the install and mess he as caused to the fuse box and surrounding wires ,that i have sourced a newer fuse box from a breaker ,so i can cut it all out and start like new, i will need to remove the dash to do so, there is even a house hold electrical block there, i could make the best of a bad thing , but i will always know its there, so more is less, so dash out new fuse box in and done correct...

To say i ma drunk off would be a understatement, 20 years this as been like this while i have been using her , the only positive is that it happened at home on the drive.

She is currently parked up on a neighbors drive while the builders are in and awaiting fuse box to arrive , i should be on it this weekend, fingers crossed, any way here is some pics i took...

[blackyb]

Looks like a right rats nest in there buddy, but as you say better to have happened st home rather than on the open road. You'll sort her out.

[Mazda Mender]

Its more all the cut wires and solder joins he as done and more where and how.
I'll sort it , but it is dash out to sort it correct now.
M-m

[Mazda Mender]

Well managed to start attacking the fuse box swap, thats done , just need to sort out all the chopping and joining in the loom he as done next behind the dash...

[Mazda Mender]

Well the black MK1 VS is still poorly....starts and runs for 5 seconds and dies....
So far....
No fault codes..
Swapped AFM
Swapped coil packs
Swapped CAS
Swapped ingition switch
Swapped fuel pump
Swapped all relays and fuses
Swapped ECU
Swapped fuse box
Removed aftermarket immobilizer
Swapped neutral switch (ex Auto)
So dash out next to check all the dash loom and main loom for any breaks.
Then if she still does not want to run I am parting her out.
M-m

[Mazda Mender]

So i decided to try another 4 pin coil pack and CAS, and then she would not even run trying to turn over but will not fire , so tried another CAS and still the same , and then i found this.....

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20221112_121122.jpg (230.72 KiB) Viewed 2860 times

Unsure if it is the fault but it looks like the signal wire? fingers crossed it turns out to be the issue....please....
Just need to now find someone breaking a red badge 1.8 93/94 with the 4 pin coil packs that will cut the plugs off with some loom to be solder into mine or a 3 pin plugs remove the damaged pin on mine and replace it with just the one pin with some wire into my plug??and then give the wires less of a sharp bend off the plugs and down in the process, to make sure it will not happen again and one for the flip file in my head and logged on here to help others.
M-m

[blackyb]

Fingers crossed

[Mazda Mender]

Newer plugs soldered in, and back where i started, runs for 5 secs and dies, so when sky daddy decides to give us all a break and give us some dry weather to be able to work in again so its not as much a fight as it is being, we'll be removing the dash and check all the looms, time to get double deep....

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[blackyb]

You'll sort it.

[Mazda Mender]

You'll sort it.

It won't beat me , but now really interested into what it is, as are others.
M-m

[Mazda Mender]

For those that are following this, all i can say is you are never to old to learn and never assume....

So we took the dash out to check all the wiring on the dash side and body side all came back good, ECU pins all good as are the plugs to it and wires, removed the old alarm system while at it and sorted a couple of plug connections on aftermarket stuff fitted to be easy removable if ever needed when doing and work on her so everything is plug and play.
The only thing left not tested or swapped are the throttle body, ICV, O2 senser, heat sensor which none should be causing the problem, changed the lightening plugs and fuel filter ,still the same, compression is good , timing belt is good, fuel is fresh.
At a loss, next plan was to start swapping everything over from a working 1.8 MK 1 here of the same year,,,which began yesterday, and the first think we swapped had her firing and running on the button ,sweet as anything as if nothing was wrong.
She is a first edition 1.8 with the 4 pin coil packs which was the first things we swapped out as it was classic coil pack systems , and with the boxes of tester parts we have ,we fitted a 4 pin coil packs and assumed very wrongly that it worked and that was not the issue so carry on searching, not realizing that we had swapped a burnt out coil packs for a set of,,,,burnt out coil packs, I need to go through all my fixing parts to check what is good and not.
On the plus side this fail happened on the drive and not anywhere else to be stranded , plus I have found and sorted a lot of things i really was not happy with which i now know is right ,plus she is lighter ;0) , got to be positive.
I just need to put her all back together again now, which as been one of the main issues is ... this time of year , outside ,dark and cold and fighting the weather, with the building work also on priority to be up sealed and ready to use asap before we can do nothing but wait for spring.
The last thing that needs to defo be replaced which is thanks yet again to the auto spark that fitted the terrible immobilizer is the bonnet pull, when removing it from the dash you just crack the nut and spin it off with your fingers , well mine did not , it looks like he must have cross threaded it which broke it on removal , so the whole cable and pull handle needs replacing now also, the joys.
So major lesson learnt, " never assume" so one of the major priorities is to test and mark up everything, as well as everything else.
I cannot update on mazda mender public profile page on false book, as for some reason they have frozen it to not be seen but only for the admin that help run it ,for not complying with their community standards???? so very unsure whats happened there ,will fill people in as they finish their unjustified control tactic ?
But she lives again, so everyone have a great xmas and a great new year .
M-m

[blackyb]

Merry Christmas buddy great news that she lives to fight another day.