QuestionI have a 2001 Mazda Protege LX with a 1.6 engine. The car has about 77k on it, and I can't remember ever doing any work on the engine until recently.
The car has trouble starting. Even if it's just been driven and you run into the store and come back out, it might give you problems. It turns over, but doesn't fire. Once the car is started, it idles smoothly and drives fine. I've been driving roughly 500-600 miles a week since January for a new job, and it's just started giving me these problems in the last month or so.
I changed the spark plugs because I don't think they'd ever been changed. They really didn't look bad at all when I pulled them out, but I already had the new ones so I changed them anyway. That is all I've done to try to fix the problem, but it still won't start easily. Yesterday I had to crank it for like 30 seconds to get it started.
What other things should I check on replacing?
AnswerThis is more of a general question. I don't think that you have any kind of a Mazda specific problem. In general, these kinds of problems are due to either a vacuum leak or the need for a tune-up.
Vacuum leaks can be found with a length of hose. Hold one end of the hose where you think there might be a leak, and hold the other end up to your ear. There are other methods of finding vacuum leaks, but I like this one the best.
A tune-up should include an air filter, oil filter, breather filter, oil change, new plugs, and new wires. Most manufacturers recommend changing the O2 sensor every 60,000 miles too.
