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1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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StevenW
New User
Jul 4, 2017, 7:27 AM
Post #1 of 6
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1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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Hello and thanks in advance. I have an old 1994 Mazda B3000 with the 3.0L V6. Been having problems off and on for a long time (months) but now it's gotten to the point where the engine won't idle, and dies when pulling up to a stop sign, turning a corner, etc. Also, occasionally the motor would seem to stop running going down the road, just for a second or two, like it was coughing and sputtering. I've assumed that it was water in the fuel, and a bottle of Heet always seemed to cure it for the time being. But not now.
Meanwhile, the engine developed starting problems. Installed rebuilt starter, no help. New battery, no help. Removed both battery cables from truck and tested for continuity and the cables showed good that way so reinstalled. New solenoid relay switch, new ignition switch, no help. Turned out to be the battery cables. I bought all the stuff to make new ones, 2 gauge cable, problem solved. Starts better and easier than ever.
So back to the other problem. Decided to finally take the truck to a mechanic I know, small one man shop. His diagnostic device said that the pickup coil, the coil inside the distributor was faulty. Another possibility was something about the air intake duct being dirty, but he said he cleaned that first, and it still showed the problem. He also tested fuel pressure and said that was good. He suggested just putting in a rebuilt distributor, which comes with a new coil already installed, so we did that, plus a new cap and rotor. The problem seemed to be fixed. The truck idled ok in his shop, and he said he took it for a test drive and it seemed ok. But later, when I was going to pick up the vehicle, I test drove it myself and the same thing was happening again. Won't idle correctly, dies at stop signs, occasional backfire, etc. Luckily, the engine starts back up immediately so I could limp it back to the shop. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I gave it to him to fix. The bill was reasonable, and I would be willing to pay up, I just want my truck to run.
Thanks again. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the length of the post.
(This post was edited by StevenW on Jul 4, 2017, 7:59 AM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 4, 2017, 8:09 AM
Post #2 of 6
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Re: 1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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I would be curious to know what the fuel adaptives are in the computer. Also, the temp sensor readings for both ECT and IAT.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Jul 4, 2017, 8:09 AM)
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StevenW
New User
Jul 4, 2017, 9:00 AM
Post #3 of 6
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Re: 1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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I'll ask him about these, although with the holiday, tomorrow is likely the earliest I could do that. Thank you.
Hmmm. Intake Air Temperature. His device said something about the air duct being dirty, but maybe the IAT sensor could have something to do with it? I will also ask him to explain again about the air duct.
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StevenW
New User
Jul 5, 2017, 8:10 AM
Post #4 of 6
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Re: 1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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You ready for this?
It is the cruise control. This truck has what looks like a dealer add-on cruise. Something about the wiring to the brake pedal. Every time you touch the brake, the engine dies. This happened a long time ago to this truck (I've had it for years) and I was able to fix it, but I forgot all about this happening before. And, I had the dash apart, steering column dropped down to get to the ignition switch. I'll bet I knocked a wire loose or something like that. He said when he test drove it around the block (small town) he didn't use the brakes, so it didn't die. I use the brakes a lot more than that.
Anyway, the mechanic found the problem, so I paid him off and rather than have him troubleshoot the wiring and him putting even more time into the truck, I brought it home. Now that I know what it is, I can fix it, probably pretty quickly. And I'll have a truck with a whole bunch of new parts, some of which I didn't need. Win some, lose some.
(This post was edited by StevenW on Jul 5, 2017, 9:47 AM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 5, 2017, 8:14 AM
Post #5 of 6
(2785 views)
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Re: 1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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I'm betting the fool that first installed that cruise control tapped into a power source for the ignition or something else important that should not have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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StevenW
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Jul 5, 2017, 8:31 AM
Post #6 of 6
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Re: 1994 Mazda B3000 pickup, 3.0L V6 will not idle, dies, backfires
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Hmmm. My wiring skills aren't the greatest, so I'll probably just try to fix the brake pedal/engine dying problem and let it go at that. The cruise did always work well, except for the brake pedal part.
Thanks for your help and replies.
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