Mazda Repair: starting problem, fuel pump relay, mazda 626

Question
my 1999 mazda 626, 4 cly. has an intermittant starting problem.  half the time it starts right up no problem.  but when the problem occurs, one of two things happens: either it will crank but not turn over (and when this happend one time i checked the fuel filter under the hood and it was bone dry)-this does not happen very often.  what usually happens is the solenoid will click, all the lights will go on, etc. but it will not start, and jumping the battery does not help. however, i figured out a trick to get it started.  I turn the key rapidly 5 to 10 times and one of the times it will turn over and start. What is up with that and how can i fix it?

Answer
It sounds like you are in need of an ignition switch. This is the problem commonly associated with people who have massive key chains and people with kids that make many trips and drive very few miles. I would suggest that you take it to a shop and have it examined. It is possible once the column is exposed to probe individual wires and determine if they are all going live when the switch commands them too. I estimate this to be in the $250-$300 range to diagnose and repair. This could also be a fuel pump relay or a bad ground so the diagnosis process is the major part of the expense. But somewhere in between the ignition switch and the pump you should have an answer.

Regards,

John