04' 3i - Turns over but won't start....

[bastard]

So the first thing that comes to mind is 'fuel problem'... I thought I might be out of gas (It was pretty much empty before I left for a 10 day trip back home for the holidays), but that's the weird part - I started it last night just fine, no problem at all. I try this morning, and it sounded like it wanted to start ONCE, and now it just keeps turning over. So I went and got gas just to be sure, and still nothing. I haven't checked the fuse or relay yet, but figured I'd ask the experts here before I do much of anything. Shortly after I got into an argument with my friend that told me my 'timing could be off, you might want to turn the distributor'.... yeah exactly... Anyway - does anyone have any sage advice? I'm pretty much lost here.

[RX-7 Chris]

I would start with the fuel filter. There sould be no problem with the timing. I would guess maybe you there was some junk in the tank that was sucked into the filter when the gas was so low. If there is even a small drop in fuel pressure it could cause the computer to not let the car start.

[MazdaTom]

Empty gas tank left attended for awhile. Was this outside or in a garage? If it's outside, I might say "water vapor build up in gas tank" due to condensation.

If you turn the key to "ON" and let it sit, does the fuel pump make noise? Usually the fuel pump will turn on and "prime" the lines.

May also want to pull the spark plugs and see what they look like.

[tbot]

also when u pull the plugs, check to make sure u do have spark. Leave it plugged in to the wire and place the tip somewhere on the engine (metal part that is) and if there's spark, well, you'll see it.

[bastard]

I can hear the pump kick on when I give the key a half turn. Also checked the fuse, no problems there... I'm thinking it's the filter or water in the gas, but wouldn't it start and just run like ass with water in the tank? I'll try to pull the plugs later, but finding tools might be a problem. Most of my stuff is currently in storage >:(

[Low Impedance]

before you do anything, just go put some gas in it. like 6 gallons

[zlyricist]

the first things to do when a car doesnt start is verify that you have both fuel and spark. you dont need to pull a plug to see if you have spark, buy a spark tester, or pull the wire off the coil packs/disty (dunno which it has)and have a friend hold it close to the lead to see if you get spark. if you are getting fuel and spark then you can start looking elsewhere......and if you have access to a obd2 scanner, see if its throwing codes.

edit: lol im a noob, this thread is way old. did you figure it out?