2000 Mazda Miata Engine Shuts Down

[themartinranch]

I recently purchased a 2000 Mazda Miata LS with 133K miles at an estate auction. The car had been sitting for six months with a near-empty fuel tank. CarFax indicated one owner car with no accidents or repair work.

Upon purchase, I immediately stopped at the Exxon station, poured in a can of SeaFoam, and filled up the tank with 92 octane. The car ran fine; however, after 20 min the check engine light illuminated. I wasn’t greatly concerned as I realize high mileage engines can have minor sensor problems that pop the MIL.

I drove the car about 150 miles inside two weeks (this car was purchased as a Sunday-Go-Driving vehicle) and parked it in the garage. Two weeks later, I decided to drive the car 300 miles to visit family. 200 miles into the trip, the car shut down while cruising at 70 MPH.

I pulled over and immediately tried restarting the engine. The engine would turn over easily, but it wouldn’t fire. After letting the car sit for 20 min, I tried again. This time the engine fired and ran smoothly. Ten minutes later, while approaching a small town, the engine shut down again. There was no sputtering involved, only an immediate shutdown of the engine while all other electronics worked fine.

I called a local mechanic, and he drove over 30 min later, looked over the car, and couldn’t find an obvious problem. The car then started up fine, so I followed the mechanic to his shop. He ran codes, and two popped:

P0402 MAZDA - Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Excessive Detected
Possible causes
- Open or shorted CKP sensor circuit condition
- Poor CKP sensor electrical connection
- Check communication error between the ECM and TCM
- Failed CKP Sensor

P0725 MAZDA - Engine Speed Input Circuit Malfunction
Possible causes
- Open or shorted CKP sensor circuit condition
- Poor CKP sensor electrical connection
- Check communication error between the ECM and TCM
- Failed CKP Sensor

While at the mechanic’s shop, the car continued to run for 45 min at idle without any problems. He recommended I proceed on my trip since he couldn’t duplicate the problem. I drove the final 100 miles to my destination without issues.

The next morning, I purchased a fuel filter with the intent to change upon arrival back at my ranch. I began driving the 300 mile trip home, but 150 miles into the trip the engine shut down again at cruise speed. I pulled over, waited 20 min, and the engine started fine. Drove 15 miles farther, stopped at a convenience store so my girlfriend could use the bathroom. After five minutes of idling, the engine shut down again.

This was last Sunday, and all mechanics in that small town were closed. I waited 30 min, the engine started fine, and I began to drive to the next town. The engine shut down three more times en route. Each time I stopped on the side of the road, waited 10 min, and started the car again. I would only get about 5 miles, and it would shut down. (Keep in mind the engine temp, voltage, oil pressure are all normal)

Once I arrived at the next town, I got lucky and a mechanic was at his shop. He ran codes while at idle, and the same codes popped again. The car ran 45 min at idle in his shop and finally shut down. This mechanic had me start the car immediately, but it wouldn’t fire. He checked the plugs and they were getting fire while starting, so he eliminated coil/distributor as the problem. While cranking, he then shot some starter fluid into the aux fuel intake on the top of the manifold. It turned over and ran until he stopped spraying. At this point he suggested replacing the fuel filter and pump.

After doing so, the car ran all the way home without any problems; however, 10 miles before I got home the check engine light came on again.

So, here is my question. After finding your videos online, I think I should clean my MAF and EGR sensors since it’s an easy task. But if the check engine light stays on, or if the vehicle shuts down again, what do you suggest?

Also, assuming I have a fouled or faulty sensor, in your experience would that cause the engine to just shut down without a sputter or backfire?

I’m just puzzled. I hope the replacement of the filter/pump eliminates the shutdown problems. By the way, the old filter was FILTHY upon inspection. The mechanic blew through the discharge port, and out came black fluid and many particles. Is this likely because the fuel tank sat on empty for six months and my fresh tank of gas and Seafoam loosened up the gunk? Just weird since I went through three tanks of gas before the engine shut down the first time.

I would appreciate any insight you can offer. I’ve searched the Internet high and low for a similar problem that I’ve had, but I can’t find any correlation with the codes that popped and complete engine failure.
Thank you in advance for your insight, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Max Martin
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Martin Ranch Management
6972 Ranch Road 2523
Del Rio TX 78840-5933
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830-542-2175...Voice & Text
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<maxmartin@martinranch.com>
<www.MartinRanch.com>