Hey everyone, this is my first post. I have a 94 Mazda b2300. The truck starts fine and idles pretty good but as soon as I give it gas, it sputters for a second and then goes to normal. If I'm at higher rpms, it's perfectly fine. On occasion it has died and will take a little bit to start. It has new plugs and wires, new fuel filter, and a new fuel pump. Anyone experience this before? Thanks!

 

First thing would be to Clean the MAF sensor(near air cleaner box), these should be cleaned every 5 years or so.
MAF = Mass air flow, this sensor reads the amount(weight) of air flowing into the engine, computer bases air:fuel ratio(14:1) on this sensors data

Throttle position sensor(TPS) might also be worth a look, on upper intake.

Both of these "tell" the computer when to add more fuel because you want to start going, once you are moving they still come into play but hesitation wouldn't be as noticeable.

 

Thanks for info! We already tried cleaning the MAF sensor and it didn't change anything. Is there anyway to test the TPS?

 

Yes, you need a Volt Meter set on DC volts, and a sewing pin
TPS will have 3 wires, center wire is the signal the computer reads.

Use the sewing pin to pierce the center wire, so you can read it's voltage.
Connect voltage meter's black wire to a Ground, i.e. battery or engine.
Connect red wire to needle/pin
Turn on the key
With throttle closed you should see .7 to .9 volts, tap on the sensor with screwdriver handle to make sure voltage is stable, it should not jump around while tapping.
Now slowly open throttle and watch voltage, it should steadily climb to about 4.5-4.9 volts when throttle is wide open.
Then slowly close throttle and it should return to same voltage as it was when closed.
If you see any jumping around or drop in voltage when moving throttle manually, replace TPS.

Another thing to check and clean is the IAC(idle air control) valve, these can get sticky and not open when they should so engine can stall.

 

We checked the tps and it read .98 volts with the throttle closed. We checked the full sweep and there were no dead spots.
Could it have anything to do with the crank angle sensor?

 

TPS seems to read OK.

CKP sensor would be a long shot, it would cause no start, never seen/heard of it causing hesitation in acceleration.
It tells computer you are trying to start engine, CKP sensor reads a tone wheel on the crank, wheel has 35 "teeth", 1 "tooth" every 10 degrees, then one missing "tooth"(gap), missing tooth is timed with #1 piston being at Top Dead Center(TDC)
36 teeth at 10 deg = 360 degree(full circle), less 1 tooth to mark TDC

The pulse from CKP sensor times basic spark and fuel injectors, without this pulse computer won't start spark or fuel injectors, which would be a no start.
If pulse was even a little off then engine would not run very well at any RPM.

But the fact that it dies and wouldn't restart could be CKP sensor issue, just never heard of intermittent CKP issue.

CPS(cam position sensor) has been related to lower MPG and general engine lack of power.
CPS fine tunes CKP sensors signal to computer, it helps computer to fine tune fuel injector timing to improve MPG and also for spark advance for best combustion and power

 

Is there any way to check the cam position sensor as well? And also, even though we cleaned the MAF sensor, could it still be bad?

And thanks for all the info, it definitely helps.

 

Yes, MAF could be bad but you would usually get a check engine light showing Lean or Rich code.
There is also a code if MAF is out of range, low or high.
MAF testing here: | Repair Guides | Electronic Engine Controls | Mass Air Flow (maf) Sensor | AutoZone.com


CPS check and test here, also called CMP sensor: | Repair Guides | Electronic Engine Controls | Camshaft Position (cmp) Sensor | AutoZone.com

Not all '94 2.3l Rangers had a CPS