Hi Scotty,
I’m in Melbourne, Australia and looking at a 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer GLXi CE sedan, 1.8L 4G93, automatic, with about 201,000 km / 125,000 miles.
Bought: Used, private sale
OBD-II codes: Not scanned yet
I’m trying to work out whether this particular car is worth putting money into.
The main concern is very poor fuel economy. The seller said it normally gets around 700 km / 435 miles per tank, but after filling it, the fuel gauge dropped roughly the first quarter after only about 40 km / 25 miles.
Other observations:
- Car feels slightly heavy/sluggish when driving.
- It pulls strongly once the throttle is pressed, but there is a slight delay before response.
- After travelling around 100 km/h / 62 mph, then slowing to around 80 km/h / 50 mph, the automatic sometimes seems to hold the lower gear noticeably too long before shifting up again.
- Tyre tread was checked by a mechanic and is fine. Tyre pressures still need checking.
- Spark plugs have not been changed yet.
- There appears to be oil around the spark-plug area.
- Air filter is visibly dirty and needs replacing.
- Fuel filter has not yet been replaced.
- Fuel pump has not been tested.
- Engine oil looks fairly clean, but the level did not appear completely full when briefly checked.
- Transmission-fluid level and condition have not yet been properly checked.
- Coolant condition has not yet been properly checked.
- When checking inside the radiator, I briefly felt a small hard particle/deposit with my finger.
- A/C does not blow cold air.
- Heater gets warm but not particularly hot, even after the engine is warmed up.
- I have not yet confirmed whether both cooling/condenser fans operate with the A/C switched on.
- Service book shows regular servicing.
- I cannot see evidence of a recent major service, timing-belt replacement or water-pump replacement.
I already have basic service parts ready, including spark plugs, air filter and fuel filter, but I do not want to start throwing expensive parts at it without diagnosing the main cause first.
For fuel consumption this bad, what would you check first on the 4G93?
Would you first look at the oxygen sensor, leaking injectors, fuel pressure/regulator, coolant-temperature sensor/thermostat, or could the automatic transmission behaviour be contributing significantly?
Also, with these symptoms and mileage, if the rest of the car is solid, would you consider this Lancer worth diagnosing and fixing rather than walking away from it?
Thanks.
Did you have a mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection? It sure sounds like a lot of things that should have been checked prior to purchase have not been checked.
You can't rely on the gas gauge to determine consumption. Fill it up, drive it for a while, fill again and do the math.
Aside from wear items like filters and spark plugs you should do a full diagnostic scan for codes and live data to get an idea of what's going on, then proceed from there. You can also look for clues such as spark plug condition and tailpipe to check for too rich mixture.
Once you have a handle on that and are ready to tackle other problems please keep the forum rules in mind:
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