Car stopped starting.... little question...honest

[agroupuk]

Ok,

I drove to the lake district for lunch on sunday (everything was cool) stopped the car at the pub for lunch, drove about 45 miles....

Had food which was good btw

Got back in the car a couple of hours later - turned the key - can hear the started going, all lights etc but no start. I got the RAC out and he said no spark, no fuel. He checked the fuses and couldnt find anything.

I got towed home. Two trucks before they sent one low enough - despite warning them many many times... The driver pointed out it was the first Mazda EVER on his truck but he had 2 bentley continentals and a ferrarri this week  - but i digress...

Talked to Pip @ WGT and he said try replacing the Apexi PFC with a standard ECU - he posted me one up and I tried it tonight. YAY the car started.

Now the question....

When fitting the Apexi do you add anything that might have failed rather than the ECU itself? are there additional fuses or power I might have missed?

Any help apreciated.

Cheers all

Edd

[Rocho]

I\'ve dont a lot of reading on here about the apexi and in short, no. The Apexi is as it says a direct replacement for the ecu.

Have you tried putting it back in again since? Maybe having all the power cut to it would have give it a good reset and it may work again. Do you not have the commander to talk to it?

[agroupuk]

I do have the commander. I hadnt put it back in because of two things...
1. it started raining - no garage
2. I figured I would speak to Pip once it was in and working before attempting anything else.

Thanks for the reply btw

[agroupuk]

Quick update (if anyones interested)

I opened up the ApexiPFC and there was a slight bit of water ingression

I dont know where its come from - the car is dry and it looks like its been there a while. As some of you might know water ingress doesnt do the damage quickly it can take months or years for the damage to happen.
Anyway, I told Pip and he has asked me to send it to him as he "has a bloke" who might be able to clean it up and get it workign again.

Looks like a \'drip\' of water went into the white computer connector (which is at the top) and dripped down the circuit board. There is evidence of water damage on the top edge so I guess at some point it got wet..... no idea how tho.

The next question would be if it cannot be fixed where is cheapest to get just the PFC? I still have a working commander obviously. Pip has a copy of the map so I could send him a new one and get it loaded on.

Cheers dudes.

Edd

[gsb876]

Hmmmmm quite a few incidents recently of water getting into the unit or woring somehow ?

Your best bet for a cheap PFC is to monitor EBAY or the for sale section here and on FDUK, sometimes you get quite a few popping up.

Not sure what year your car is  but as an example: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/APEXI-POWER-FC-COMMANDER-KIT-MAZDA-RX-7-RX7-95-98_W0QQitemZ270086183763QQihZ017QQcategoryZ43120QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[Rocho]

I spent a few weeks waiting but eventually just got the FC 2nd hand off here. I\'ve read a previous post about an apexi getting wet, the guy took it apart and dried it out and it started working again. Dont give up hope until she is definatly dead!

[Jimjitsu]

Hmmmmm quite a few incidents recently of water getting into the unit or woring somehow ?
 
Your best bet for a cheap PFC is to monitor EBAY or the for sale section here and on FDUK, sometimes you get quite a few popping up.
 
Not sure what year your car is but as an example: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/APEXI-POWER-FC-COMMANDER-KIT-MAZDA-RX-7-RX7-95-98_W0QQitemZ270086183763QQihZ017QQcategoryZ43120QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I would not advise ordering off that ebay shop i did once and was waiting a very long time to get my stuff they advertise what they dont have then expect you to wait while they find one for you

[jon haines]

hi, would be interested if anyone can figure out how there getting wet, have just brought one through jps trading on ebay(£400 all in) and pip is fitting and tunning on sat 21st. would be great peace of mind to know its not going to go poof anytime soon. thanks jon

[Tiger_kpt]

Exact same thing happened to me.

"Water on the brain" as Pip called it.

Take apart your ECU. Spend 30mins on the board with a hairdrier. Not too hot or close. Very mildly. Clean up the corrosion with cotton buds (gently). Keep open and stand over radiator overnight.

Put back together, plug in, and 90% of the time it will fire up first time. Fit it back into the car, but this time, enclose in an extra large food bag for water protection. Leave one end open as to ward off condensation. You\'ll never have the same problem again.

Let me know how you get on.

[RobbieRX-7]

Good idea about the foodbag, but it\'s kinda missing the point.  You need to find the source of the leak otherwise the car is gonna smell musty and cause mold all over the interior if left standing in winter time. There is a big massive grommet behind the ABS solenoids. If the engine has been rebuilt in the past, this grommet along with the wiring loom to the ecu is pulled through to the engne bay. This grommet can be a git to get back in so it is just left with the big open hole for the water to get it.