I work at a body shop and there is one that hasn't been started since March of last year. Wanted to see if it would fire tonight. It turns over but no fire. Probably bad gas. It has 120k on it and the drivers side is wiped out wich is no dig deal but I wish it would start.

 

Try and pull start it....it will usually work if it's flooded ( likely)

 

You mean push start? Suspension damage so no can do.

 

Give us some more info please , year ? Manuel or auto ?

 

04 manual

 

Going to do a full rebuild or do you have other plans?

 

It would be a project that my boys are 13 and 16 and I can do together. In the end it will be all be painted and look like it never had been wrecked.

 

OK a 04 with 100k plus miles ...engine may be at the end of its life . I am assuming that you do not have excess to the Mazda equipment to do a compression test to see what kind of shape it is in .
I am going to suggest doing a REDNECK compression test on the motor to see what condition it is in . You will be able to tell the basic condition of the motor by doing that .
!Make sure battery is completely charged up .
2 find and pull out fuse to the fuel pump .
3 on a conventional compression tester remove the shrader valve
4 remove the lower plugs ,only !
5 There are several videos on U tube of compression test using conventional equipment
6 you will have pulses as each rotor turns over .. test each rotor
7 Since it has sat for so long I would do compression test on both rotors see what the values are , then add about 3 CC of oil to each rotor and turn it over and retest .
I wanted to know if my engine was in decent shape . I did this to mine and got 85 psi +/_ 5 psi for each lobe ...
This will help you to make a decision or not if this car is a project for you and your boys !!!
Good luck

 

And, ensure you have the gas pedal flat to the floor to allow maximum air intake.

 

I would go with bishops answer. Definatley check compression, sems to be the main issue with power loss. Then probably sparks, plugs and coils for better ignition. Theres a few threads on how to check for bad coils. They can drastically change your turn over

 

All good points. I'll try and check the compression one day at lunch. I met with the owner yesterday and since he owns a car lot we worked out a deal on $2500 worth of labor on his cars in exchange for the car.

 

Do compression test first !!!!

 

get that compression test first. If it passes, then look at other areas that would need attention at that mileage

30,000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.

 

Even if the compression is fine, I recommend you do a engine rebuild just for the fact that it is probably near death.