I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer ES with 149k miles. Recently it has been stalling out while driving it or while at idle. When I try to start it back up, it will crank but not start right away. Eventually it started and I got it back home. It’s been sitting in my driveway for several months now out of fear of stalling it out somewhere.
recently I Added fuel treatment to it and let it idle in my driveway for a couple hours. It never turned off and idled fine. I took it out driving the next day and less than a mile away, the damn thing stalled.
history:
I replaced the cylinder head about 2 years ago due to a broken timing belt. I also replaced the fuel pump and maf sensor recently (thinking these were the problem). I removed and inspected the injectors. They appear to be clean. I really want to get this working because when it runs, it runs great, but its pissing me off right now. Because this isn’t a daily driver, I’d rather not invest too much money by taking it into a shop, so I’d like to diy as much as possible. There is no check engine light, but I’m working on getting a code ready to see if anything pops up.
Forgot to add. Even though it cranks and sometimes runs, could it still be a bad battery. I’m getting around 13.9v while running so the alternator seems to be fine.
It’s an automatic
13.9 volts at idle is too low. It should be at least 14.5 volts at idle. How old is the battery?
I’ll report back to you on that
You should be getting about 12.75 volts with the car off and 14.5 volts at idle. I would check the alternator and battery(load test.)
I was getting just under that while idle (13.9). I'll check what it is with it off.
It sounds like you haven't nailed down if this is a spark or a fuel issue yet.
You should do that.
During the next "stall/no start event" check which is missing.
Buy an HEI ignition spark tester. (around $15). That will tell you if you are getting any/sufficient spark.
If you have good spark then spray some starter fluid into the intake. See if it starts for a couple of seconds.
Your symptom sounds like a failing crankshaft position sensor or its wiring/connector but you'd want to begin diagnosing for that by checking for spark during a no start.
Thanks. I’ll try and have both of those items ready next time it happens and I’ll report back
I think you might be onto something. I was playing around with the connector and the car stalled. Of course it started raining so I’ll come back to ir
That's a pretty good clue
I finally got a chance to revisit it. I want to make a correction. I was checking the camshaft position sensor, not crankshaft.
I was playing around with the connector again and nothing happened, so I started lightly tapping on the housing where the sensor sits in and it stalled and was having issues starting back up. When it eventually started back up, I let it run for about 5 minutes and then tapped on it again. It stalled once again. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence or what that indicates..
I located a Lancer manual and checked voltage/continuity at the sensor, all seemed fine. It doesn’t mention how to check the actual sensor though. Should I just assume it’s the sensor at this point?
Have you tried using drygas fuel additive to absorb any potential water in the fuel? I dont know if this is necessary with today's gasoline containing ethanol.
https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/what-is-dry-gas
I used a fuel treatment from the lucas brand. The tank had less than 1/4 of fuel when I put it in, then I added fresh gas on top of that. That's when I let it idle in my driveway for a couple hours.
my caddy stalls after sitting for a few years with fresh gas added on top of old gas. i havent run a full tank through it yet. I think iwhen i drive it more regulary it will be fixed.
I will also check for any vacuum leaks. I think scotty has videos showing spraying some carb cleaner ( alittle bit) aroudn vacuum lines to se eif the idle picks up. that may indicate a leak.
Not sure how old your gas was or what fuel system scondition was.
I also had an unexplainable stalling issue several years ago that mechanics could not find. The car would just die even at freeway speeds, replaced distributor to no avail with a guess by a mechanic. The problem turned out to be a bad ignition coil, it was old and arcing from coil to something else. I ended up seeing the problem at night witht the hood open. replaced coil and no more stalling. Thats just a brainstorming idea. not sure about your system .