1994 miata stalled and now won't start

If the timing belt was installed incorrectly, you would have noticed it long before 60K miles.

If your lights, stereo, etc. were not working, I would guess that a broken alternator was a likely problem, but that obviously would have drained your battery to no charge. It sounds like your battery has a very good charge since it is still running your accessories after sitting since March. Since the car died while running that probably rules out the ignition and definitely nixes the starter as a problem.

With that, my guess would be a fuel delivery problem or an electrical problem such as a defective/broken ECU. There are a lot of other possible reasons as well, and a lot of people here with far more knowledge than myself, so you should be able to get pointed in the right direction.

You may as well check the fuses, especially the main protection fuse that blows if jumper cables are ever reversed on the battery. It is a 30 amp, iirc. The fuses are very easy to access on a 1994 model.

Are you getting any spark at all when you crank the ignition, and is the engine making any attempt to turn over?

Pat

Check for spark. Was the tach jumpy or laggy before it quit? That's a classic symptom of dirty ground connections at the head near the alternator and/or at the multi-connector below the master cylinder. If the bad ground isn't fixed, it may eventually burn out the coil packs. Bingo, no sparks.

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the fast reply. The fuse for the gauges (found underneath the steering column) was broken. The manual said it should be a 10 A fuse, but there was a 20 A (broken) fuse there (the metal wire in the center was broken), probably put there by the previous owner.

I haven't checked for a spark yet, as I had the engine pulled apart to change the timing belt. I'll put it back together as is and keep troubleshooting the electrical problem.

Cheers,

Joseph

There are a couple "ground" connections near the master cylinder. One on the block under the cam position (steering) sensor which is covered with oil from the sensor, and one on the firewall that has a clothlike wire onto a rusty bolt. I found the multi-connector as well.

I found one connector near the alternator (extended bracket on the right side of the fuel-injectors, with the bracket eventually connecting to the head).

What is the best way to fix all of these? Buy new factory screws, sand down the connectors etc.?

I'll put the timing belt tear-down back together (unscathed) and check for spark.

More later (and thank you!!!),

Cheers,

Joseph

Wow! I actually guessed correctly on something. Of course, now the problem is finding out what is blowing your fuse, even when it is rated at double what it should be. Electronics are my weakest car area, but it sounds like the bad coil situation that Lanny described could possibly cause this fuse to fail. Lanny? In any case, it sounds like you also need a new CAS seal while you are at it.

Good luck!

Pat

Sorry, I've never blown that fuse. I always clean my grounds at the first sign of a jumpy tach. I use emery cloth to make everything shiny.

Definitely replace the O-ring. It's a snap while the cam cover is off, a PITA once it's back on. The oil drool will eventually rot through the heater hoses, so you might want to check the hoses before they blow.