OT - Any Car Repair Pro's here?

[The Evil Genius]

Hey, I am not much of a car nut, so I was wondering if any of you here are.

I have a 99 Mazda Protege LX and recently have experienced some weird problems with it. My car the other day would not start - it wouldn't even turn over and after using the keyless remote to open the doors and trying to start the car, the doors and other power accesories stopped working.

I returned 20 minutes later to jump start the car - assuming that I just had an extremely dead battery and the car started without even having to jump start it. I drove it the rest of the week without problems.

However, last Friday I tried to start my car after driving it earlier that morning, and the car was dead. I tried to jump start the battery but I couldnt even get the car to turn over. I took the battery out and took it to the auto store and they said the battery was dead. I bought a new one and the car is still dead. The dashboard lights work but the car won't even turn over. And, after using my keyless remote to open the car, the powerlocks and windows will not work.

Is this a starter problem? An alternator problem? An electrical problem?

Just trying to see if this is going to be a major repair job, I have had problems with the car 3x in the 1st 55k miles (brakes went out in 1st 20k, blown transmission at 25k, and the faulty air sensor at 40k).

[Okie]

I'm not really a car nut, but I was a gas compressor & industrial engine mechanic for several years.

I wouldn't suspect the alternator, or the starter because they wouldn't affect the other things you mentioned like electric windows and such. I would suspect some type of electrical problem, I wonder does it have any kind of an anti-theft system or anything like the little diode in the Chevrolet keys or such?

I'm kind of at a loss, but be sure and check all of your fuses.

:?:

[skinsfan44]

I was a mechanic for 18 years( I am a trucker now) and it could be a number of things(beyond what Okie said). One thing you can check is is their any corrsion built up on(in) the battery cables behind the terminals? If you have alot of it, that can keep the current from flowing thru the positive cable, and that would keep the starter from working. Now, I am guessing since I can't see the car, but you can check this yourself and if true, can be replaced cheaply.

[Pete]

I would have said the fuesable link from the way you described it, but the dash lights wouldn't work if that was the case. I would check what 44 said. Check all the connections. I don't remember Mazda using a VAT's system like GM with the key chip, but an anti-theft system can cause that type of problem as Okie said.

If you get a cheep test light (12V) and put the clip to ground, and the probe to the small trigger wire on the starter solenoid (small round sucker on top of the larger round starter body) when the problem happens, and watch the light while someone trys to start the car. If it lights up, you know the starting system is doing what it should. With the new battery, that would mean the starter is bad in most cases.

I don't think it's the starter though. Sounds like a bad main power relay, or circuit breaker to me. There's no way I could even begin to tell you how to check that type stuff out.

I don't think it's the alternator either. Although they can go bad without kicking on the light on, the regulator in the alternator is ment to send excess power to ground, and can short and kill the battery rapidly, but not instantly.

As 44 said, it's dam near impossable to figure this stuff out without actually having the car infront of ya.