Automotive Forums

Dear all,

I have a Mazda Protege from 1990 with a manual transmission and about 200000 miles on the car (although the engine and transmission have been replaced). I bought it only a couple of days ago. I had Pro Star Towing in Milpitas do an "AAA inspection" on the car. They found only a few minor problems. I drove around a few days without problems.

However, yesterday when I came back at my car I found out that I had left my light on accidentally. The car did start, but not easily. I drove around a bit. I thought it would be enough to load the battery for another start today. Unfortunately, today when I tried to start the engine, it didn't crank. I assumed the battery would be empty, so I called the AAA. They jump-started the car. When they were about to go, the engine suddenly stopped again. They tried to start the engine a few times more, but it shut down all the time again. The guy told me that he thought that there was a problem with the alternator or fuel pump, although I was not a mechanic.

I had it towed away to Pro Star Towing and inspected. A few hours later, I got a call that my fuel pump had to be replaced. It would cost about 400 Dollars, because apparently it's inside the fueltank and the labor costs a lot. I asked them off course why they had not found it during the inspection. They told me that they could not check it because it's inside the fueltank. At first it seemed logically to me, but later on I found it weird, because I think they have access to the electrical wires to the pump and the fuel coming from the pump, so they should be able to check it. I find it also weird that this car drove fine for a few days and when the battery is empty, suddenly the fuelpump also isn't working. I guess that the fuel pump is still working fine if the battery is full, because otherwise the car would not have been working in the days before. Finally, I wonder whether there are any trustworthy repair shops, which make this repair for less, while they also give a one-year warranty.

Does anybody have some useful insights on this? Please don't tell me that I should have done something differently, because it's too late for that. I just want to know whether anyone has a useful suggestion on what to do next and whether the diagnosis of Pro Star Towing seems to be right.

Thanks in advance,
Hans  

It sounds like your battery is at fault, not the fuel pump.
Make sure the water level is over the plates in each cell.
If it is maintenance free check that the "eye" is a green color
indicating the batt is good.If the eye is a black color the battery
is bad.
Fully charge the battery then check the voltage of the
battery with a multimeter.You should have at least 12 volts.
Less than 12 volts the battery is likely defective.
If the battery checks out good then remove the alternator and
take it to a parts store so they can bench test it's output.
Next clean battery cables and connections at alternator.
Do this test before replacing the fuel pump.