Mazda Repair: Mazda electircal issue, diagnostic scanner, line models

Question
John:

I have a 2000 (year) Mazda 3000 pickup.  At literally the same time, the check engine light came on, the abs light came on, the dome light went out, and the speedometer stopped working.  Is there a relationship between the problems?  Is this something a "rookie" can fix?  Thanks for any help.

-Patrick  

Answer
I would be inclined to scan the vehicle with a diagnostic scanner before saying exactly what it is. However; when your speed sensor dies it can cause this problem and due to that I believe you should have it take to a shop and have it get a diagnostic scan. This will tell you if it is not receiving a signal from the speed sensor. If you have a standard transmission it would not show up as readily as with an automatic transmission. If you have an automatic transmission it may act up with the Speedo not working.
Take it into a shop and get it scanned. Also, check the bulb and the switch for the dome light and then the little plastic switches in the door jambs. If any one is defunct it will cause that problem. In an extreme case the computer has died or is on its way to dying and is starting to loose some of its functions such as courtesy lights and display outputs. But; I highly doubt that this is the case and you may find that a bulb and a speed sensor put you back on track.

I would not classify this as a rookie project due to the extreme expense of the appropriate scan tool to diagnose the problem. The ones lent out by AutoZone and checkers will not work. Only the upper line models "$1000-$10,000 range" scanners really have the flexibility to do the job. I use a MODIS from snap on that retails for around $8000 and found that when I went from the $2000 model to the MODIS I could find a whole variety of additional information that the inexpensive ones just would not find.


Regards,

John