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Help me diagnose wh...
 

[Closed] Help me diagnose why my car keeps dying

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Get on well with my mechanic, but he doesn't drink... 😁

Temp gauge works fine.

Will take it for a spin later and see what happens...


 
Posted : 17/07/2021 8:13 pm
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Just had a quick perusal of a few MX5 forums. Quite a few cutting out when warm not on start up. Water on the passenger side footwell seems to be causing issues with the electrics. Especially when turning right! Seems there is a circuit board that gets damaged from the moisture.


 
Posted : 17/07/2021 9:34 pm
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Reading the original post, that's classic blocked tank breather.

Although most modern cars hold a vacuum in the tank to minimise leaks and venting so a woosh when opening the cap isn't a symptom. But if the vacuum builds up beyond the vapour pressure of the fuel then the fuel pump can't draw anymore.

Coil or HT leads will show up once warm, but that's usually a reluctance to rev and spluttering first, the car would be undriveable before it actually refuses to idle.

Fuel filter - possible, but most petrol ones are pretty coarse and never need changing. And 20minutes driving is 2 or 3 litres of fuel, so seems unlikely. More likely if it was just struggling at high speeds, or started then stalled as soon as revved.


 
Posted : 17/07/2021 9:34 pm
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Just had a quick perusal on a few MX5 forums. Seems a common issue to do with water in the passenger side footwell Uk car so on the left.
Seems to damage a circuit board with the moisture. Car seems to cut out when the right indicator is used!


 
Posted : 17/07/2021 9:38 pm
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I don't want to sound like an arse but if the op doesn't know what a coil pack or HT lead is, it's either a massive wind up, language barrier or stand no chance of fixing the car.
If a mechanic is out of budget or no local friend, best bet is sell it.

Of course it would be amazing if there was a load of networked computers, where it would be possible to type in a question. Such as 'what is an HT lead' and in a fraction of a second get an answer, even better if these computers could be small enough to hold in your hand and double up as communication devices. Or maybe just use it for porn.


 
Posted : 18/07/2021 12:52 am
 csb
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I had something like this on an old nova years ago. My friendly mechanic had put an inline fuel filter on the fuel hose but squashed it too tight with a jubilee clip. Started and ran fine until the auto choke cut out, then conked out as starved of fuel.


 
Posted : 18/07/2021 6:10 pm
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I don’t want to sound like an arse but if the op doesn’t know what a coil pack or HT lead is, it’s either a massive wind up, language barrier or stand no chance of fixing the car.

... yet is perfectly happy to swap the fuel pump.

This is petrol Engines 101: fuel goes in, plug goes spark, cylinder goes bang, engine runs. If you're sitting there going "what's electricity?" then I'd respectfully suggest that what you need here is a mechanic.


 
Posted : 18/07/2021 11:12 pm
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I don’t want to sound like an arse but if the op doesn’t know what a coil pack or HT lead is, it’s either a massive wind up, language barrier or stand no chance of fixing the car.

You're an arse.

If someone had said Zündkerzenkabel I would have known instantly that they are the cables that go to the sparkplugs.... That's the beauty of German. What you say is what you get.

Took the car out for a spin drove 18km without issue. Parked up at the Biergarten and with the engine running I opened the fuel cap. Big whooshing noise. Screwed it back in loosely so that air could get into the tank. Went and had a beer and let the car sit there and idle. Around about 20 mins later it died.
Drank my beer(s) and about 30 minutes later started it without issue and drove home.

So we can (unfortunately) rule out the filler cap.

A replacement pump is 28€.

then I’d respectfully suggest that what you need here is a mechanic.

This is my feeling.... Or I get in touch with the garage that offered me 3200€ and let him deal with he problem (assuming he only takes it for 10km test drive)....


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 12:20 am
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Many apologies. Still think a code reader is a good idea though.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 12:34 am
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Get one of those bluetooth obd readers off Amazon. Download torque app. Used data logging to see what's happening when it dies. Then you'll know where to look.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 2:45 am
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You’re an arse.

If someone had said Zündkerzenkabel I would have known instantly that they are the cables that go to the sparkplugs…. That’s the beauty of German. What you say is what you get

I'd hazard a guess you are asking on a forum that calls them HT leads, and is largely unaware or the need to translate for you.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 3:25 am
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You’re an arse.

If someone had said Zündkerzenkabel I would have known instantly that they are the cables that go to the sparkplugs…. That’s the beauty of German. What you say is what you get.

If someone is trying to help you and you're throwing it back in their face, it's not them that's the arse.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 4:36 am
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If someone had said Zündkerzenkabel

If you had written the original post in German you might have got that answer.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 8:41 am
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Many apologies.

@jamesoz
Hey, no need... it should be me apologising.... Was tongue in cheek... Forgot the smiley 🤪😘😉😉

Sorry..


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 10:12 am
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Had a similar issue on our Fiat 500 1.2 petrol. Started up from cold fine but if you tried to start it again from warm, randomly it would just refuse to start.

Cause: Fuel pump. When turning on the ignition you can normally hear the fuel pump prime for a few seconds (its a small car so easy to listen for). However when it was refusing to start the fuel pump simply was not working. An old school tap with a hammer got it going again for a few days until I fitted a new one.

No codes logged either - no EML light or anything.

If the fuel pump is under the rear seat bench - maybe take that out and listen for it? Not familiar with the MX5 but I imagine its a very easy swap and fairly cheap to buy.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 3:21 pm
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@jamesoz
Hey, no need… it should be me apologising…. Was tongue in cheek… Forgot the smiley 🤪😘😉😉

Sorry..

No worries. So did I 👍

I've seen a Audi S3 Auto (mid 2000s) do similar.
When it got warm or he drove it like a plum, the exhaust would leak, throw the lambda sensors off and stall out at idle. Was a mates car, the only way we could get it to keep running was by using launch control. Made for an interesting 3 point turn.


 
Posted : 19/07/2021 10:29 pm
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