Mazda - Tribute :: 2002 DX - Intermittent Failure To Start
Jul 31, 2015
I'll be driving the car fine, but after driving for maybe 10+ minutes and then stopping for 20-30 minutes, my manual 2002 Mazda Tribute DX (about 126K miles) won't start. It doesn't act flooded at all, all I hear is a click. The lights and radio and air conditioning and everything come on perfectly, but it won't start. About half of the time, it won't work at all with repeated attempts but after about 5 min. it'll just start normally. I've towed it to a shop 3 times now, on the first the alternator was replaced, and after about a week the same problem occurred, etc.
My mechanic then thought I might not be pressing the clutch all the way down since it worked right after towing but after about a week (I removed the floor mat and even made a video of me, a relatively large male, pressing as hard as safely possible on the clutch) but it still wouldn't start. It was towed, and now the car is at the shop again but the mechanic can't reproduce the problem yet again. Its battery and clutch were just replaced about a year ago, the connections don't look corroded, and my mechanic's tests on the alternator seem fine. Steering wheel isn't locked, and (supposedly) the shop's tried looking at the starter.
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I have a very reliable Mazda 3 2006. For the last month I have had a problem with it refusing to start. I put the key in the ignition, turn it on and nothing. No start, no grinding, no clicking, no sound at all. Got a new battery and it happened again. The second AAA tow guy taught me to start the car by putting it in neutral ( with foot brake and hand brake on) and then start it, which does the trick when it won't start otherwise.
After the new battery and continued problems I asked my mechanic to check the electrical system. He did and said everything was fine.
I don't know whether this is a generator, alternator, computer or battery problem. And I don't know what I am doing to my car when I do the neutral set start. I don't know if I am hurting my car when I do that.
The problem is intermittent. There is no pattern: length of trip before I stop, length of time the car is not used, etc. What is causing this and what needs to be looked at/ fixed.
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I have a 2002 Mazda Tribute V6 with 151K. My check engine light has come off and on for quite a while now, mostly it would come on when it rained and then go off when the weather cleared. When it was on, the engine would sputter or misfire. I first had Auto Zone hook it up and they said it needed its plugs and wires changed. No problem. I took it in to a repair place and was informed that I don't have plugs and wires, but something with coils and that since it was impossible to determine which coil was bad, all would have to be replaced at a cost of $1500. I then took it to another repair place and they said the same thing. Now I have seen some discussions regarding this same thing and apparently some people have been able to identify a specific coil. At this point my check engine light is now on all the time and I'm really worried about doing terrible damage.
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ES V6 Auto 84,000 miles Five times since the summer of 2010 my 2004 Tribute has left me sit. In each occasion it attempted to start but choked out as though it wasn't getting gas. It will then crank and crank (new battery a year ago), but it just will not turn over. Every time but one, it fired right up on the first attempt the next day. The one time it didn't, it fired up for the tow truck driver on his first attempt after I had tried multiple times before he showed up. It runs perfectly other than this problem. It fires up strong. It runs strong. No hesitation. No misfires.
I changed the Idle Air Control Valve back in January when it died on me, but that wasn't it. Once again, I came back the next morning and it fired right up. I did notice this last time that I didn't hear the fuel pump prime when I turned the key (before turning the key to start). I'm not sure if I noticed that previously. Does this sound like a fuel pump issue given that it only occurs when I go to start it? The dealer and a local garage say the same thing... They would need to keep it until they can duplicate the problem. I don't see this as an option since the problem doesn't happen that often. I've never had it in for diagnostics but I've heard that the codes are deleted once it starts. Is this true?
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We've owned this 2002 Mazda Tribute v6 for six years. Recently, the car has become somewhat dangerous to drive. While driving down the road at any speed, releasing the throttle does not result in the engine decelerating or returning to idle. Instead, it continues to hold the speed steady for 3-5 seconds before the RPMs drop. At lower speeds (~5mph or so) the car will even accelerate a bit, which can be a problem in tight parking situations. At higher speeds (e.g. on the freeway) releasing the throttle has no effect for a few seconds (ie it does not decelerate), which can be very surprising if you're responding to suddenly slowing traffic. The brakes can, of course, overpower the engine, but you do have to push harder to get the same braking effect as if you were not fighting against the engine. Releasing the throttle and shifting into neutral while driving causes the engine to rev quite high (3,000rpm) for the same 3-5 seconds before dropping to a steady idle, but it does allow you to brake normally. Shifting back into Drive while in motion but not touching the throttle causes the engine to decelerate the car normally. Touch the gas even briefly, though, and the engine will once again surge.
Oh, and turning the steering wheel from side to side, as you might do while parking, also causes the engine to surge, though not as much as it does when I touch the gas pedal. Also, I've disconnected the throttle and cruise control cables and worked the throttle plate by hand. Doing so causes the RPM to rise, as you expect, but it does not immediately return to idle when the throttle plate snaps shut. Instead, the RPMs stay around 12~1500 for 3-5 seconds before it drops to idle.
Over the years, I've replaced the throttle position sensor, idle air control valve, and other normal maintenance items. I used a meter to troubleshoot the IAC and TPS and used propane to look for vacuum leaks, but everything is within spec. There are recall notices related to unintended acceleration for these vehicles, but those are reportedly caused by interference between the engine cover and cruise control. I do my own maintenance and don't like engine covers, so I removed the cover from this car shortly after buying it; the engine cover cannot be causing this problem. I have disconnected the battery for an hour to reset the computer, but that has no effect. There are no trouble codes that show up on a OBD-II scanner, and the CEL is not illuminated. There are many internet reports of this problem, but thus far I've found none that indicate a solution.
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I am a proud owner of a 06 Mazda tribute 3.0, 6 cylinder, 2 wheel drive, automatic. That is not the problem. The problem is on long drive 100 miles or more when we take a pit stop, to stretch our legs, we exit and when we come to a stop the suv stalls out. Its like we are driving a manual and forgot to push in the clutch. We can start it right back up and when we put it in drive it does it again. If we start it in neutral it will ideal but as we shift to drive it stalls out. We are not seeing any other problems. The MPG are the same and haven't gotten any worse. What should I look into fixing?
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I have a 2008 Mazda Tribute with 93k miles on it. These last few years have been a nightmare. The car is constantly in the shop. I’ve been trying to diagnose and repair front end problems. Recently, I had my tires rotated and balanced. New sound: Now I’m having loose play in my steering wheel and a loud clicking/creaking sound when I turn the wheel at low speeds or attempting to parallel park. Ongoing sound: the car makes a tight creaking noise when I stop at low speeds. This sounds like something is tightening or screechy brakes. Here’s all of the repairs that I’ve done to the vehicle:
46,000 (11/16/12) Replaced entire right-front CV axle.
52,201 (3/10/13) Replaced front brake pads and rotors. Replaced both front sway bar links.
58,602 (7/10/13) Replaced both front control arms, serpentine belt, and tensioner/pulley for belt.
66,257 (3/23/14) Transmission fluid changed, leaking value seals replaced, spark plugs + wires changed.
81,258 (8/16/15) All four tires replaced with new ones.
84,797 (9/12/15) New front brake pads (ceramic), rotors serviced.
86,391 (10/5/15) Both front struts replaced, both outer tie-rods replaced, wheel alignment performed.
91,308 (1/12/16) Both front ball joints replaced. Both front wheel bearings replaced.
93,744 (3/5/16) Tires rotated and balanced.
I’m running out of things to fix on the front suspension of this vehicle it’s extremely frustrating. I’m nervous to drive on freeways at high speeds because the steering is wobbly but I don’t know how to fix it.
Here's a youtube video where you can hear the noise. Note the "play" in the wobbly steering wheel when the video first starts. [URL] ....
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I was backing out of the driveway a day ago and my gear got stuck in neutral,can not move the gear shifter and just don't know what to to do. This has never happened before.
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i have a 2005 mazda tribute v6. it has been knocking for about a year slowly geting worse. no check engine lite on, so i think it may be the egr valve. just wonder how to check it.
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I have an 08 mazda tribute 2.3litre 5 speed. The truck started losing power and bucking really bad about 2 months ago. If I shut the truck off and let it sit for a few minutes, then start it back up, it runs fine for maybe 10 minutes or maybe a week then it eventually starts missing and bucking again. It throws the code p0191 which is the fuel rail pressure sensor. I have replaced the sensor twice and put new plugs, wires, coil packs, fuel filter and even replaced the pcm. The truck is still doing the same thing and throwing the same code. My Mechanic and myself are stumped.
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both wiper fluid jets on my 2003 Mazda Tribute have been weak, I'm guessing they're not BOTH blocked or obstructed, so would the community surmise that it's time for me to replace the wiper pump? And if so, is this a difficult repair?
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The engine in my 2006 Mazda Tribute seems to have developed a knocking noise. I am not sure what causes it or how to determine where it is coming from.
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I have a 2003 Mazda Tribute that seems to have a bit of an idling issue. When my heat on my car is off, everything is fine as far as the idle speed. When I have the heat on, even when it is low, and I am stopped, the rpm's rise a bit, then go back down to normal idling speed. The car also gives a little jump when I come to a stop. I think all of this is related to turning the heat on and off, as it doesn't happen when the heat is on.
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I was on my way home suddenly the acceleration of the trib went sluggish.... low idle especially when you put it on drive and with the a/c on. It can rev but it feels like you are revving a 1.1L engine.
What could be the cause? I already had the sensors etc cleaned 6 months ago.....It has NO check engine light.
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I have a Mazda Tribute with a manual transmission. About two years ago a sporadic issue started occurring. I would drive somewhere with no problems. Stop the car and park. Then when I would go to drive off the car would stall. It stalls and stalls and stalls. Start up the engine, it cuts out. Weird thing is that I can limp home. I give it gas and I back up. Then when I stop it stalls. I shift into 1st and drive, I can get up to highway speeds no problem, then drive (the most I have had to go is 45 miles) on the highway, but when I get off and get to a stop or a light, the car stalls. Start it up and keep this going all the way home.
Two hours later, get in the car... like NOTHING happened. I have brought it to my mechanic, the dealership and asked countless friends to no avail. They always say "bring the car to me when its doing that." The one time I had a shot at that, I got it to the dealer, and then it didn't stall. It stalled the whole way to the dealer, but not when I got there.
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When I am slowing to a stop, my engine idle gets really low (like 500rpm or less) and sometime stalls. At the same time, the oil light comes on. It does this all the time, and yes I've had my oil changed recently and actually I just checked it the other day and it was fine (along with all other fluids).
I've had the mechanic take a look at this three times and every time something gets fixed but this problem remains. They now say it's a ghost. It is not the air intake (I've had all of the hoses checked and a bad one replaced). It's not the electrical (I've had the spark plugs and cables replaced about a year and a half ago).
I've pretty much had everything that a car of a certain age needs done fixed/replaced in the past year or so, and I still can't figure out what could be causing this. A recent show had a similar problem, but the gal didn't mention the low idle/stalling. In that show they mentioned that she should have the oil pressure gauge checked or replaced, but would that cause the low idle/stalling? I don't know what to do and I'm very reluctant to go to a dealer.
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I have a 2002 Mazda tribute, and I was driving down the road yesterday when I heard a loud pop. After, the check engine light started blinking, the lights and electricity started struggling, and I hear a loud thwack thwack thwack sound when I step on the gas. This sound gets louder and faster the more I hit the gas. When I checked under the hood, the serpentine belt looks fine, and there is no visible damages but when the car is running it sounds like I have no exhaust system it is so loud.
What could have happened and where I should start working? Family and friends have thrown out a few things but I do not want to start taking things apart if If they are not the problem.
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Today leaving work my 2009 Mazda Tribute suddenly lost all acceleration after pulling out of the parking lot. Didn't die but was running like it was about to. Pressing the gas pedal had no effect at all. When I turned the car off and started it again, it did start -- with trouble but it started. It ran OK for a few miles but suddenly lost acceleration again. Same thing. The car ran but the gas pedal had no effect. Shutting off and restarting got it going. In the 30 mile trip home it did it a total of 3 times. Each time shutting off and restarting. When I was able to accelerate, it seemed to accelerate OK, but at the same time felt weak and .... laggy. That last part could just be in my head though. Just wondering where to start to fix this.
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I have a 2001 Mazda Tribute with 141,000 miles. Recently, I've burned up both O2 sensors causing the check engine light to come on. My mechanic has replaced each and they've burned out again. The head gasket was replaced after that, to no avail. The check engine light continues to come on after being cleared in the computer. I have also noticed that on humid days, the car misfires on at least one cylinder., but any other time, it seems fine. What to check next? My mechanic is at a loss.
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My 2005 Mazda Tribute has an ABS warning light that comes on as soon as I reach 40 mph. It will remain on after that no matter what speed I drive until I turn the car off. The braking system appears to function normally with normal breaking even if the light is on. With hard braking the ABS performs as it should too, rapidly oscillating the braking force. If I restart the car and keep the driving speed below 40 mph the ABS light never comes on. Otherwise, the car runs great. What is causing the ABS light to come on at 40 mph and how do I fix it?
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I can't get the pedal to depress when trying to move from a stop. I was doing fine until this evening when heading back to my hotel following a theater performance. When attempting to accelerate from a stop light . . . NOTHING. I put the car in neutral and stomped on the pedal a few times and it finally engaged. Happened again when trying to merge onto the highway. As long as I keep pressure on the pedal it is fine, but as soon as I release it sticks in the "up" position. Naturally, I'm away from home, the roads are icy, and it's Sunday!
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