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-- BACKGROUND --

2000 Mazda 626 with a 2.0L automatic transmission
124,000 miles (mostly highway)


-- PROBLEM --

For several months now (at least as far back as last summer), my engine will crank/turn over 2 to 3 times before it eventually starts. Sometimes it will turn over more times than that, but for the most part it's around 2 to 3 times. Occasionally, the engine won't start at all on the first key turn but will start on the second key turn (after 2 to 3 cranks).


-- THE STORY --

Back in early December, I took the car into my mechanic (whom I trust and have gone to for a while) for a tune-up. I explained the problem I was having at start up and asked if he'd take a look at it to see if he noticed anything. He ran a load test on the battery and told me the voltage was low at times, sometimes dropping under 9 volts. He recommended replacing the battery.

Since I had bought the battery from Auto Zone just less than one year ago (December 2004) and it was under warranty, I told him not to replace the battery and that I'd take it back to Auto Zone.

A couple of weeks later, I took the battery back to Auto Zone. They took the battery out of the car and into the store to place it in their battery tester. Now I have no idea what this tester is and what it actually does, but it tested fine so they wouldn't replace it. Upon telling them what my mechanic had told me, they suggested having him look at the cables.

For the next few days, I wasn't having any major problems, and because of my busy schedule, I didn't take the car back into my mechanic right away. Fast forward to February 20. I head out in the morning to go to work, and the car won't start at all. It turns over, but it just won't start. Fearing what my mechanic said about the battery, I called a co-worker to come and jump the car. We hooked up the cables and the car started, so we drove it straight to the mechanic and dropped it off.
Later in the day, he calls me and tells me the exact same thing he told me two and half months earlier, that the battery's voltage was dropping to low levels. In fact, here's the exact note on the invoice/receipt:


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"Check charging system complete. Found two times, battery only had 10 volts and under a load drops below 8.7 volts. Replace battery."
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He also told me that the battery Auto Zone put in (DuraLast MT-58R) was ideal for Mazda's up to 1997, but wasn't ideal for my 2000, which he said should take an MTP-36R. He said it probably showed up in Auto Zone's computer as a compatible battery, but wasn't the best fit for the car. Frustrated with the whole ordeal, I told him I just wanted the car to start and if he thought a new battery would do the trick to go ahead and put one in. Therefore, he put in the new battery that was a "best fit" per his recommendation, an Interstate MTP-36R, 75 month battery.

Now, the car was starting, but it still wasn't starting right away. I still had the 2 to 3 cranks before it would kick in and start. Still frustrated, but not knowing what I should do, I just went about my business hoping I wouldn't have any more non-starts. Well, this morning (March 6), I go out the door to head to work and my car won't start again. So I call my co-worker and we repeat the same process as before. My mechanic calls me this afternoon and says he doesn't really know what the problem is, but that he wants to keep it overnight so he can try to re-enact the problem after it's been sitting out in the cold overnight.

And that's where it stands now. I have to wait for his call tomorrow to see what he says. In the meantime I thought I'd post this problem on here and see what people might have to say about it. Are there any suggestions or comments that might nail down exactly what is going on with my car?

Any ideas are greatly appreciated. I just want to have peace of mind that my car will start every morning.


-- SIDE NOTE --

* It has either rained or snowed the night before both non-starts. Possible connection to the problem? Corroded wires somewhere?  

I also own a 2000 626 Es 2.0L automatic and I had a similar problem to yours where it would take too long to start and at times wouldnt even start, so I did what my mechanic also told me to do, was to buy a new battery. so I went to autozone and bought a Duralast 36R-DL battery , but that still didn't help the problem and even some days the car wouldnt turn over at all. So my next thought was corroded cables and I bought new Battery Terminal Cables. Car starts fine now with no problems. If your mechanic doesn't know what the problem is , another good idea would be to call a nearby Mazda Dealer.