advice needed urgently!

Hi, I'm having a late night emergency with my car. I'd appreciate anyone helping out and would be very greatful. It's a 96 Mitsubishi Magna SE and so far I've had no probs, had the car for about a year now and am up to date with service. I'm a bit suss on my latest mechanic though, as I've had to change from my old one due to a move, and I'm not sure the new one is checking everything. It has about 95,000 km on the clock. I've had some trouble with the lights being dim, which the mechanic didn't help any, and a mate suggested I unplug the battery, give it a clean, and plug it back in. The engine light was staying on a bit too long when I started the car (normally all warning lights light up the go off) but not at all while driving. When I reconnected the battery, and started the car, it started up, then dropped out. When I drove it around the block it would go fine until I braked or slowed, then the engine cuts out. I need to get to work tomorrow, and I would really appreciate any advice. I have a feeling it's something simple but I'm not very good when it comes to newer models. Thanks in advance, I really appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and help out.

Reply to
meee
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You need to clean the throttle body. It gets carboned up from normal operation. Remove the air intale hose from the throttle body. Open the throttle and look inside, you will see the carbon on the throttle place and inside the throttle body. Using carb cleaner spray it down good and remove with a rag, repeat as needed until clean. This should take car eof your problem.

Mike

Reply to
Mike

You need a basic tune-up before you looks for more serious problems. This means checking the condition of the battery, plugs, plug wires, air filter, and as the other poster said, throttle body if carbureted. An auto shop can test the battery and alternator. If all checks out, you have to then check the fuel filter, distributor cap & rotor if present, perhaps vacuum leaks, clogged muffler, etc. Basically you have to ensure you have spark and fuel.

Reply to
Nexus7

Your advice is good if the car doesn't run, but his complaint is that it won't idle after the battery has been disconected. The reason this happens is that as the throttle body carbons up the IAC motor adjusts to compensate by opening further. The more carbon, the further it opens. This idle setting is stored in the ECU so that when the car is started it will idle properly. When the battery is disconected this information is lost, that is why the vehicle won't idle. It may relearn the idle on it's own but cleaning the throttle body will correct the problem imediately.

Reply to
Mike

Agreed. I have experienced idle control problems/dying after battery removal many times with OBDI Mitsubishis. More so than other makes, IOW.

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

well that does seem to make sense, as the problem started only after disconnecting the battery. Any suggestions on how to do this/where the throttle body is on the car? I'm only good for older cars so I'm totally lost on this one. I really appreciate help on this, thanks.

Reply to
meee

If you are curious about cleaning the TB, there are plenty of articles on the web you could search for pictures, guidance, etc. Basically, you remove the large rubber intake hose from the engine (this is the throttle body that it attaches to), then prop open the throttle 100%, inspect the throttle blade and bore with a flashlight, then spray throttle body cleaner (from an auto parts store) on the carbon buildup and brush away with an old toothbrush. Repeat last step until squeaky clean. Bad cases require soaking. In this instance, I saturate a paper towel with solvent and wedge it in the throttle blade and walk away for 15 minutes. This usually does the trick.

Now disconnect the battery again for about a minute, reattach and then drive around until the idle quality is satisfactory.

Toyota MDT in MO

P.S. There's a one in a million chance you damaged the ECM when playing with the battery terminals. Two in a million considering the crap ECMs that Mitsubishi used in that era.

Reply to
Comboverfish

OK, this may be way off for a mitsubishi, but i have had exact same symptoms on a dodge durango. The battery was bad, and the plug wires were dirty and corroded. I could start the car on a boost, and then would take off, when i got to slow idle it would die, unless i kept i revved...if i stayed and let it rev for 5 to 10 minutes, it would not die after i let the engine slow down, but this would start again after a few minutes. Turned out with the bad battery and poor connections, the alternator was not getting enough current to the engines electrical sytems to keep it going, unless the alternator was turning faster and cranking out more current..

This may be part of your problem

Reply to
Mr Gadget

Locate the air filter housing. Follow the rubber tube from the air filter housing to the engine. It is attached to the throttle body. Remove the rubber tube to gain access to the throttle body.

Reply to
Mike

Ok, we called RACQ out this morning, and they said just drive it around and flick everything on (ie lights, wipers etc) to help the ECU relearn everything. At least through this we have found a decent mechanic, so will be booking it in for a tune and service very soon. Going to go for a drive now and test it out; I think it is gradually getting better with every drive, so luckily it doesn't seem that anything major is broken. I'm severely pissed at the mate who told me to disconnect it; I've lost a day off work. Well at least I can mow the lawn!

Reply to
meee

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