My car won't start.
This is about the 4th time this happened.
Im getting a very loud click every time I try to start the car. I don't think my engine is flooded and I don't think its my spark plugs because I changed them after the 2nd incident.
The 3rd incident happened a week and a half later. I called Mazda and they told me it could be my battery and there was no reason to have it towed to them. It wasn't the battery. My engine was flooded.
I've searched and narrowed it down to my battery, starter, or ignition but im still keeping an open mind to it being flooded. I don't see how it could be flooded though, because the car was warm when I turned it off last night.

My 8 is a 2004 AT with 83,000+ miles on it. The only mod is a K&N Typhoon intake.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I am hoping the KN v2 intake

 

if you hear clicks then its your battery...

 

Did you change battery at all? Also clean your throttle body. After so many year and 80k+ miles the something is bound to give. I would take the battery out have an autozone or your local automart test the battery for you. Another possibility is that your alternator may be having problem as well.

 

I haven't changed the battery since I got the car. I didn't really believe it could be the battery because the lights on the car would come on.
I must be a pretty bad owner to let something like this slip past me.

 

The amount of power needed for lights is a lot less than that to start the car

 

Well, I got my car started this morning without a jump start but I had a CEL. I took it over to Mazda and after awhile the guy came out telling me that I had 2 codes, one for my ignition coils and another for my valve air inlet.

 

Well, im having the same no start problem again, except this time the car shut off without warning when I pulled up to my friends house. My 8 was at Mazda 3 days earlier for the same no start problem. I completely stumped on what it could be. I thought it was the battery since that was mentioned earlier in the thread but when I tried to do a jump start nothing happened, there was just a loud click. Could anyone offer some insight as to what the cause of my problem is?

 

Replace your coil packs and clean your throttle body.

 

the coils were changed

 

^As he said. And did you get your battery and alternator tested yet?

 

Yes, they were tested. I was told they wer fine.

 

Now the question is, did they test them correctly? i.e. under load

 

Your car shut off on its own? You've replaced coils, battery is fine, not flooded.. Have you checked your cat? Is your car running normally or does it bog alot? Maybe clean the MAF/TB? If all checks out may want to get a compression test..

 

^ I wouldn't know.

Im kind of afraid to take it back to Mazda for this same problem since it seems that the problem isn't being fixed. I think im gonna do what was said earlier and clean the throttle body.
I have a question could the starter have something to do with it?

 

Since you are hearing clicking and the engine is not turning over, then that has nothing to do with your starter.

 

And you also said it shuts off on its own. the starter is only activated when you initially start your car. then it goes into hibernation until you go to start it again

 

The car doesnt bog as far as I could tell when I was driving. If its my cat I was going to replace that with a catless midpipe, but that doesn't explain the no start.

 

Actually it would. If your cat is clogged up with shyte, then your engine cannot breathe, therefore will not start and will shut off randomly.

 

^ ohhh okay then. Well is a clogged cat under warranty or would I have to be spending a bunch of money to have it replaced.

 

Not at 83,000 miles. 80,000 miles is the federally mandated warranty period. Not sure how much it is out of pocket.

 

So, would it be a better idea to go with a catless midpipe?

 

Depends on what 'better' is for you. A catless midpipe gives you more power, some say slightly better gas mileage, but depending on the pipe, it can make the 8 raspy and too loud, and can give you problems passing emissions, unless you have a way to block the CEL (like MM's AccessPORT)

 

OEM cats are pricey, so if plan on going midpipe in the future, you might as well do it now.

 

Im not concerned about the raspy sound or it being too loud. The Accessport is on my list of things to get.

Sounds like a plan...

I just remembered that the CEL came on while I was driving right before I pulled up to my friends house.