Hi,
I have an '02 series 2 TJ Magna auto sedan with 145K on the clock.
Recently, when I start the vehicle in 'P', it starts immediately, runs for a second and stops. This happened 6 times in a row. Because I was away from home, I tried to start car in 'N'. It started and ran fine and I drove home. I obviously have an issue with starting car in 'P' only. Any ideas please? Thanks.

Moved the thread to the appropriate place.

Welcome to the forum, Jabackit!

I am not very knowledgeable on the issue, but one test I know of is to unplug the MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor) that is attached the air intake just after the snorkel and air box.. if it runs better (albeit rich) that would be your problem. Give it a go.
Other than that I am sure someone with better experience will chime in soon.

When its in p, before it stalls/shuts off etc, do you notice any fluctuation in revs? Is it high? Low? Normal?

Any odd noises? How are your spark plugs? How's your leads?

Any further description on what your cars doing could help, could be several things.

Could be maf sensor, dizzy cap, plugs, leads, isc... umm probably missed a few still

Thanks for your help, Pickles. I will give that a try if no one has suffered a similar problem.

Thanks khn47. Car starts normally with higher revs (about 1750 rpm) then 'dies'. Doesn't cough or splutter. No odd noises. Plugs due to be replaced by end of the year. Car regularly maintained and in excellent mechanical condition. Car hasn't just been washed so it's not a 'water issue'. Not parked on an incline. Not low on petrol. As I said, move gear to 'N' and car starts and runs perfectly.

Ok well im gonna try to list what I think it could be, however someone with more knowledge then me might chime in and save you money and and time which ill be thankful for.

Now there's a few things that could cause your problem from my limited experience.

Your distributor cap could be worn out

Your fuel pump could be malfunctioning

In the rare chance, it could be your transmission wavespring which needs replacing however also unlikely (and hopefully not as this is a $2000 fix)

Could also be your torque converter, I've heard of this causing a similar issue in fords and holdens but never in a mitsubishi.

Now that's just from my limited experience, im not saying to replace anything or suggesting you spend tonnes of money, cause then you'll hate me for it.

Hopefully I helped hopefully someone else will chime in and help more

Battery, is a common issue especially when has been cold

Trying to fathom how in hell a wave spring causes a car to stall or a torque converter when park is same as neutral except it engages a park pawl

If a certain voltage is not still present post crank ecu relay shuts off thus the stall

Thanks again for your suggestions, khn47. Still having trouble getting my head around why some of the suggestions would only work when car is started in 'P'. I started car in 'N' today, drove for 50kms and didn't miss a beat. Appreciate your help.

Thanks for the suggestion, Madmagna. I maintain my battery pretty with regular cleaning/tightening of terminals. Would problem still occur in 'N' if it were a battery issue? I haven't noticed a slow down in crank speed.

Is it possible that the "P" contact in the gearbox immobiliser switch is dirty/damaged whereas the "N" contact is okay? Though if that were the case I would have thought there might be other symptoms (such as the lack of an "P" indicator light)...

As WytWun said, possibly faulty sensor in the transmission or actual gear selector. Have you tried to start in P and immediately shift to R before engine dies? Have you also tried starting in N, let it idle for a few seconds and then shift to P?

Not sure if you tried to start it the second time in 'P' and it didn't stall? If it runs after that then it is the battery dying.

I've had the same issue with my 2000 TJ Magna Executive.
Some days it will start no problem and others will take a few, even after I've driven and turned off then back on it will do it sometimes.

I've found it will start in 'P' if I maintain a higher rev when it initially starts before cutting out. (around 3k).

I've also had heaps of battery issues though so this could be the problem.

Battery, is a common issue especially when has been cold

Sometimes the most simplest of solutions is the answer!!! I agree here about the battery. Same thing happened with my VRX.
Unfortunately no matter how "well maintained" your battery is, they don't last forever! Volatge test your battery!

Hi guys, bit late into this thread but will give my experience with the same problem (TH Sport). When checking the voltage drop at the battery terminals while the "pillion in a million" hit the starter I had less than 11 volts. Next day less than 10 volts. Next day dead battery. Replaced battery and haven't had a hitch since. By the way, S*perche*p had a special on "65" type batteries which give far greater cranking power.

Mine has started doing this too, as its not driven daily now only started once a week the battery slowly losing charge, starts dies, but then starts and is fine, so basically what mal said haha

i had a thread on this about my brothers car and yesterday the harmonic balancer fell off but not all off it just the pully part so my guess is that the harmonic balancer wasnt driving the altnator

Battery, is a common issue especially when has been cold

If a certain voltage is not still present post crank ecu relay shuts off thus the stall

Hmm, sounds like what my TL starting doing this week. Mind you this was only after I did some engine degreasing and some water splashed onto the alternator. Better check my charging system and the battery.

Well I solved my stall issue. I just removed and reconnected all the BEM plugs and the ignition barrel antenna plug. Problem solved.

Well I solved my stall issue. I just removed and reconnected all the BEM plugs and the ignition barrel antenna plug. Problem solved.

Was there any corrosion on the plugs?

Hey everyone,
Thanks for all your suggestions. I cleaned up the battery again and it seemed to fix the problem. However, the problem started again a couple of months later. Replaced battery and all good again. Battery was obviously on the way out and motor shut down when not enough charge getting through. Battery was 5 years old so can't really complain. Cheers.