Problems with car stalling, any ideas?

snarfcat · Post by **snarfcat** » Wed May 19, 2004 11:36 am

Hi, I've got a 2000 Mits eclipse GT 5 speed and my car has started to stall out on me, even while I'm moving a little bit (say just stopping at a stop sign or just starting to go after stopping.. but I have forward momentum in several of these cases) ... and the car just stalls out. It's idling very low, when it's not stalled. It did this twice last night and about 4 times this morning.

3 of the 4 times this morning left me stranded in the middle of the road while I tried to get it started again, twice it had problems starting for several seconds.

Recently I had had a few times where it would not start immediately, the engine would turn over a few times before it finally caught. So we cleaned the battery connections because they looked to be gunked up, but I'm still having the same issue.

Does this sound like I need a new battery, or that my alternator is going out? And if it was either one of those, why is it idling low?

I guess the thing for me to do is have my battery tested.. just haven't had an opportunity since I am working today.

Thanks for ideas!!!

Lost Traveler · Post by **Lost Traveler** » Wed May 19, 2004 12:14 pm

sounds like maybe your idle is set too low or your plugs are fouled up, but thats just above a guess. check into a tune up (new plugs, wires and possibly the gas filter/pump).

creapyrob · Post by **creapyrob** » Wed May 19, 2004 1:51 pm

Could be fouled plugs also check your air filter. If its not allowing enough air though you could have a proble there.

Beyond that you could have a bad mass air flow sensor or something else involved with your EFI.

Has it backfired any?

snarfcat · Post by **snarfcat** » Wed May 19, 2004 5:50 pm

Nope, it hasn't backfired at all... and it ran fine with normal idle at lunch time. *sigh* my car sucks sometimes.

I will get a new air filter. I haven't had the spark plugs changed yet because it's almost 200$ to get them done, after taxes, because the back 3 you have to take the manifold off to get to, and I don't know how to do that. suck.

I hadn't thought of the air filter, thanks for the idea!!
I think the plugs are fine. I hope the plugs are fine. I was afraid it was my alternator or something... but air filter is cheap and it needs replacing anyway! let us hope,

I'll let you know, and if you have more ideas they'd be much appreciated. Thanks again!

snarfcat · Post by **snarfcat** » Thu May 20, 2004 9:53 am

well ... I had my battery tested, tested bad, so I got a new battery and a new air filter... put both those in and the battery tested good, and my alternator tested good... and it stalled 3 times trying to get out of the parking lot.
heh...

so now I'm going to get a new PCV valve because it needs to be replaced anyway.. maybe it's causing an issue.

and maybe my car should just be blown up. heh....

white_darkness · Post by **white_darkness** » Thu May 20, 2004 9:57 am

I've refrained from commenting, but as a former Mitsubishi owner, it's being a Mitsubishi.

Mine died in approx. the same fashion, before I finally gave up I ended up replacing the spark plugs, wires, battery, alternator, fuel pump, and a whole bevy of other items.

I'll admit, yours is going through the same process far far earlier than mine was, but gods did it suck my wallet dry doing it.

Now I have one rule: Don't buy a Mitsubishi.

I love my Toyota though.

snarfcat · Post by **snarfcat** » Thu May 20, 2004 12:36 pm

hehe, believe me... I have already created that rule myself. I enjoy driving my eclipse, I drive it fast and I drive it hard, and I'm paying for it, literally.

anyway it has almost 90,000 miles on it. so while it is only 4 years old, it's been around the block a few times. (I put approx 400 miles on it every week...)

anyway I am going to try to keep it til I get it paid off.. which should hopefully be another year or less, but it will be more if I keep having to pay thousands of dollars for shit that shouldn't cost that much, and doesn't on other cars. My clutch I just replaced, was a thousand bucks. *sigh* ... I did not need more stuff to break now.

oh and my rear break light is out. hehe ... oh well

white_darkness · Post by **white_darkness** » Thu May 20, 2004 1:09 pm

Yep. Mine was an eclipse too...get it paid off, then trade the sucker. I got 9 years and 190,000 miles out of mine, but it was definitely not happy for most of it.

I will give my old one credit for carrying me from New York to San Francisco...

Now is the GT the one that comes with the almost real engine? My '94 had the turbo charged toy race car engine. It says something that I'd used riding lawn mowers with more horsepower...

Hope she doesn't drain too much of the finances from you, if she does, shoot the nag and drag it into a dealership...

Vampilot · Post by **Vampilot** » Thu May 20, 2004 4:06 pm

two words: vaccuum leak.
check all your hoses and air filter mounts and MAP sensor. Is this car turbo? (sorry, just skimmed the posting) listen for any 'hissing' when running. find that hiss and try to stop it. Just my .02 <grin>
-V

snarfcat · Post by **snarfcat** » Thu May 20, 2004 6:17 pm

it's a 200 hp v-6 3.0L ... so yeah I guess for that size car it's decently substantial. Feels a little sluggish in 5th gear but 3rd and 4th are awesome. Plus no problems associated with turbos.

There is no hissing. sounds wonderful with engine running, no probs, except that it's stalling. hehehe ... so I don't think it's any leaking, though that is something else to check if this next experiment doesn't work. I have to go get that stuff tonight. Get to skip the gym to get it before they close! yay!

another possibility is the timing may be off slightly... causing it to idle too low. who knows... it got bad after they had my battery unplugged for days while my clutch was changed, and then got worse when I cleaned the battery heads... perhaps there is something to that. who knows

anyway it starts right up now, where it would take several seconds sometimes with the old battery. that's a plus..heh

I'll keep you posted

white_darkness · Post by **white_darkness** » Fri May 21, 2004 9:50 am

Good luck, and you've got the one with some brass balls, the 2.8 L turbo is not a fun engine. *shudders*

I couldn't pull out in traffic for anything.

Hopefully you'll snag this sucker, get another 100000 out of her.

snarfcat · Post by **snarfcat** » Fri May 21, 2004 9:52 am

Yay!

I think it may be fixed? currently it is not idling low or stalling. I replaced the PCV valve and even got my brake light working (shoulda seen how burnt out the old bulb was... ) ..

Perhaps my car is just messing with my head to make me THINK it's fixed but it is in fact just waiting for the most awful moment to stall out again, and will spring it's failure to run on me at that time. I guess I will just have to wait and see, and try not to be pulling out in front of any semi's any time soon.

Thanks for all yoru help, and maybe if you have a similar issue in the future you can check that little valve also. It's real cheap, just make sure to get the right kind.