2007, Died while driving, won't restart

[alieneila]

I was driving for about 5 hours, then on the highway the engine just shut off. When I checked the oil, it was out so I walked to the store and put 5 qts in. I was hoping a safety sensor had triggered the engine to shut off. When I turn the ignition, the engine turns and whines but there isn't any fire. One guy who stopped said the relay was fried and that the starter is bad. Another guy said if the relay was fried the battery would be dead and if it was the starter the engine wouldn't be spinning. So at this point I'm completely lost. Any ideas?

[Etipp98]

Are you serious? Thinking a starved motor would be ok to just fill back up and be on your way?

[alieneila]

Yes I know it was a long shot, and I didn't know it was out of oil. Agree I'm an idiot when it comes to cars. But calling me an idiot doesn't help the situation, so do you have anything useful to contribute?

[Etipp98]

I don't see a relay or starter going bad from oil starvation, if that was indeed why the car had shut off. Sounds like you need someone who is local to you from the forums to take a look.

[RusianKid]

MZR DISI Remanufactured Long Block Mazdaspeed 3 Mazdaspeed 6 2006-2013

[alieneila]

That would be awesome, spent my last bit of money getting a rental car so have been relying on friends of friends to look at it and they all tell me different things. Am in Allen, TX

[Raider]

They finance.

Your motor seized. Done. Finished. It is no more. Will need to replace it. Then look to how it lost all it's oil in 2 weeks (you check your oil every 2 weeks, right?). And fix that.

[mituc]

Originally Posted by alieneila Yes I know it was a long shot, and I didn't know it was out of oil. Agree I'm an idiot when it comes to cars. But calling me an idiot doesn't help the situation, so do you have anything useful to contribute?

If the dipstick is dry there are two possible situations:
1. you checked the oil right after the engine shut down and it wasn't enough time to get back down into the oil sump. If the oil is at the minimum level (normally) then when checking the oil too soon after the engine is stopped you will get no oil on the dipstick;
2. you didn't have enough oil in the engine indeed. if you checked the oil correctly and the dipstick was dry then you had between 0 and 3.5 quarts of oil in the engine. Filling it up with 5 quarts didn't do any good considering that these engines should be filled with no more than 6 quarts.

It's hard to say what the problem is, but if your car goes through so much oil then even if it starts or not tow it to a reasonable shop, see what the problem is and prepare yourself for the possibility to have to replace the engine.

[InkedInspector]

MazdaSpeed Forums Presents: YouTube

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Starved motor, Raider said it best. It is no more, it has ceased to be. It's gone on to meet it's maker, if you weren't poking around it then it'd be pushing up the daisies.

Either get a remanufactured motor from edge, or go ahead and get yourself a built motor. Remember to check your oil next time.

[btstarcher]

You checked the oil level after adding 5 quarts right? To see if you added the correct amount?

[taf0422]

some people really make my head hurt.

I thought checking the oil on a car was always a normal maintenance activity? You don't just lose all those qts of oil without a major issue already.

[btstarcher]

Well when the dipstick reads empty, the engine could still have up to 4 or 5 quarts of oil, right? I can't remember how much, but if he added 5 quarts to and existing 5 quarts, I don't think it would start either.

[Crasth]

Next time check your oil often. And if its low just start adding and check the dipstick level with every bit of oil u add instead of dumping 5qts without checking.

[mituc]

Originally Posted by btstarcher Well when the dipstick reads empty, the engine could still have up to 4 or 5 quarts of oil, right? I can't remember how much, but if he added 5 quarts to and existing 5 quarts, I don't think it would start either.

The engine has 6 quarts of oil in it when the oil is at the Max on the dipstick, about 5 quarts when it's at the minimum, and about 4 quarts and some change when the dipstick only kisses the oil film surface in the sump.
So yes, if the dipstick is dry then you never know if you have 4 quarts or 0.04 quarts. But below like 2 quarts because of the inability to absorb and transport the amount of heat the oil will burn and the car should smoke like a 1850 train, and this doesn't go unnoticed (by sane people, or at least drivers who look in the rear view mirrors once in a while while driving).

[alieneila]

For the record, yes I checked the oil after adding a bit at a time, after adding all 5, I'm right below the max line. I had one of my friends look at it, and he said the starter is bad, which still doesn't make sense to me since the engine is spinning. My neighbor heard how it sounds while I'm trying to start it and he says it sounds like the engine has lost compression... which if that is the case, pretty much means that the engine is blown yes?

[Raider]

the fact it turns, is a sign it was not dry. Would have had a piston welded to the cylinder and at least 1 through the block. Time to grab a compression tester. If you have good compression, then we can discuss further.

Who knows, could be a spark plug broke or something. From the way I read the OP, It was doneski.

[btstarcher]

Sounds like low (or no) compression. I just checked mine, and on number 4 is just spins freely; 0 psi on that cylinder. At least it's turning over and it doesn't sound like there's a hole in the block. Count your blessings.

[SofaKingAwesome]

I was hoping troll, but alas, an idiot.

2007 Mazda CX-7 died while driving, won't restart. - Car Forums at Edmunds.com

[alieneila]

Originally Posted by SofaKingAwesome I was hoping troll, but alas, an idiot.

I was hoping for some real help from people, but alas, an asshole.

Seriously, thank you for those who are giving me valid opinions. No not everyone is a vehicular genius like all those who apparently know everything but can't leave a helpful comment, but have no problem being jerks to those of us who are seeking real assistance. I've already pointed out earlier that I did not check my oil as often as I should have, especially since it had a leak, and that I was an idiot for not doing so. So get over it already.

Originally Posted by btstarcher Sounds like low (or no) compression. I just checked mine, and on number 4 is just spins freely; 0 psi on that cylinder. At least it's turning over and it doesn't sound like there's a hole in the block. Count your blessings.

Thanks, I have someone coming over this afternoon to check the compression. Not sure what the cost to fix would be if that is the issue, but it is reassuring to think that the engine might not be totally ruined.

Originally Posted by Raider the fact it turns, is a sign it was not dry. Would have had a piston welded to the cylinder and at least 1 through the block. Time to grab a compression tester. If you have good compression, then we can discuss further. Who knows, could be a spark plug broke or something. From the way I read the OP, It was doneski.

Would be great if it was just spark plugs lol, I'll let you know what I find out this afternoon.

[Raider]

Rebuilt motors from edgeautosport are $3500. Then you just need to swap everything.

It may seem like a long shot, but if you are near a copart.com location, search for a wrecked CX-7, mazdaspeed 3 or 6. Same motor basically. Then swap the block in (dont buy one which was hit up front or has 200,000 miles).

The easiest would be to drop the pistons while the motor is in. I think there is a how-to for mazdaseed that you can follow. Wont be cheap.

[Raider]

cleaned up. Keep things on track.

[alieneila]

Ok, so compression test showed all 4 cylinders had 0 compression. So... that's that. *sighs* Thank you all for replying =) Good Luck to all who need it!

[taf0422]

Originally Posted by alieneila Ok, so compression test showed all 4 cylinders had 0 compression. So... that's that. *sighs* Thank you all for replying =) Good Luck to all who need it!

And we are sure there are no holes in the block? Lol

Good luck with the rebuild.

[RalliartRsX]

Originally Posted by alieneila Ok, so compression test showed all 4 cylinders had 0 compression. So... that's that. *sighs* Thank you all for replying =) Good Luck to all who need it!

Opppppssss......

[Badinfluence]

Originally Posted by alieneila I was hoping for some real help from people, but alas, an asshole. Seriously, thank you for those who are giving me valid opinions. No not everyone is a vehicular genius like all those who apparently know everything but can't leave a helpful comment, but have no problem being jerks to those of us who are seeking real assistance. I've already pointed out earlier that I did not check my oil as often as I should have, especially since it had a leak, and that I was an idiot for not doing so. So get over it already. Thanks, I have someone coming over this afternoon to check the compression. Not sure what the cost to fix would be if that is the issue, but it is reassuring to think that the engine might not be totally ruined. Would be great if it was just spark plugs lol, I'll let you know what I find out this afternoon.

Well I didn't see anyone bring this up so I will. I would seriously look into where that oil went. If it was as low as you thought, it had to go somewhere.

I raise the fact that if it was low on oil, the turbo would be the first thing to start getting pissy, and the "dumb" oil light would be on. Something definitely strange happened to loose all that oil.

If it was oil starved, I would be worried about the Turbo too. There is a bearing inside that turbo that needs oil pressure to balance the shaft. If it popped out of balance and hit the sidewalls it would make a hell of a high pitched squeal. The oil is also your first like of defense against cooling that firebug down. If little bits of it are in the firing chamber that could be a problem.

I would check the turbo by removing the I take assembly, (which you will have to do any way you go), and see if it spins freely or if let's say, parts off it aren't there or it spits oil at you like the girl in the exorcist. If you put the same broken Turbo or problematic part back on, whatever happened can happen again.

To go from fully functional to just nothing suddenly, is kind of a big leap. You may be a bit thick, but I think you would notice the car running like shit, smoke and fire coming out of the tail pipe, people flagging you down.

When my engine blew, it was so bright, the fire from the tailpipe lite up the whole highway, and I thought I was getting pulled over.

If all that oil did go somewhere check into who changes your oil besides yourself. I had seen cars run on 0 oil with no pan attached. If the engine seized in gear, you would know it. Mechanical friction is NOT something that is like a feather dropping.

Did you recently buy this car from somewhere? Kind of sounds like someone took your lack of car knowledge and tried to pull a fast one.

In some cases good ol Walmart forgets to put oil back in. yep, we all love those stories and want to burn those assholes at the stake.

[Zdraveca]

How the hell is it 0 on all four?

[alieneila]

Originally Posted by Badinfluence Well I didn't see anyone bring this up so I will. I would seriously look into where that oil went. If it was as low as you thought, it had to go somewhere. I raise the fact that if it was low on oil, the turbo would be the first thing to start getting pissy, and the "dumb" oil light would be on. Something definitely strange happened to loose all that oil. If it was oil starved, I would be worried about the Turbo too. There is a bearing inside that turbo that needs oil pressure to balance the shaft. If it popped out of balance and hit the sidewalls it would make a hell of a high pitched squeal. The oil is also your first like of defense against cooling that firebug down. If little bits of it are in the firing chamber that could be a problem. I would check the turbo by removing the I take assembly, (which you will have to do any way you go), and see if it spins freely or if let's say, parts off it aren't there or it spits oil at you like the girl in the exorcist. If you put the same broken Turbo or problematic part back on, whatever happened can happen again. To go from fully functional to just nothing suddenly, is kind of a big leap. You may be a bit thick, but I think you would notice the car running like shit, smoke and fire coming out of the tail pipe, people flagging you down. When my engine blew, it was so bright, the fire from the tailpipe lite up the whole highway, and I thought I was getting pulled over. If all that oil did go somewhere check into who changes your oil besides yourself. I had seen cars run on 0 oil with no pan attached. If the engine seized in gear, you would know it. Mechanical friction is NOT something that is like a feather dropping. Did you recently buy this car from somewhere? Kind of sounds like someone took your lack of car knowledge and tried to pull a fast one. In some cases good ol Walmart forgets to put oil back in. yep, we all love those stories and want to burn those assholes at the stake.

I had thought I had mentioned that it had a known oil leak. As far as I could tell it was leaking from around the oil pan. Though now that someone has looked at it, he said it was leaking around the head as well.

I did not see any smoke or fire, there was no whining / screeching, no lights came on except for right before the engine shut off, the tire traction light came on, but no engine light, no oil pressure light, temperature guage showed normal... was just driving for about 5 hours, with a couple stops here and there, then was on the highway and the engine just shut off.

The mechanic that came the other day ran a pretty advanced code reader that did a ton of diagnostics (maybe it's just me, but the code machine was making things under my hood turn on and I thought it was pretty advanced lol), and no other codes were coming up that would make the engine not start except for the compression codes. He took out all of my spark plugs and screwed in a hose with a pressure guage into each cylinder one at a time and had me turn the ignition. All 4 showed 0 pressure.

The way he explained it, was that with no / low oil, the cylinder walls and the rings around the piston head had all probably worn to the point where no pressure was allowed to build up.

Another guy that came by said that there's probably a bent or broken shaft, as he said he can see metallics in my oil.

[mituc]

The metal bits in the oil are from your piston rings and the rod + main bearings. The crankshaft may be indeed worn past the point of being ok with oversized bearings after milling it, but it's not broken (even though it can't be reused, so it's garbage).

The bad thing about the mazda engines, not only the 2.3DISI-T, is that the oil light comes on when the oil pressure is at like 0.8bar (that;s like 12PSI or so). This low pressure can be seen when it's too late (in some cases right after the divorce of the rods from the block because of the no lube-no joy problem).

So find a good used engine or, why not, get a built engine from one of the vendors here, some supporting mods and start going crazy with your AWD CX7 (which is basically a raised Speed6).

[Jeff23spl]

o compression on all 4...If the gage was good this let me think about timing chain broken along with cranking without restriction like when the spark plug are removed is another sign that valves aren't opening and closing.
A burned crank bearing or seized motor will have good chance to restart for few seconds after cool down. But a timing that went away won't restart.

In both options, a rebuild or new/used engine is needed. Under a timing issue, the short block may be easily rebuilded.

[Grahamexl]

Hi,

I faced a similar issue, when I had practical lessons in an off-road driving school (drivingschoolnear.me). I asked the instructor to use my own car, 2008 Mazda CX-7, and he agreed. But it was a nightmare, when it just died and it was raining cats and dogs. I contacted the local car evacuator, but we had to wait for about 1-2 hours till they got there.
Eventually, I found the solution on Mazda247 forum here: https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...-CX-5-Oil-Leak