Hi guys,

Im new to the forum my names Chris, from Sydney and i drive a 1998 mitsubishi verada.

Im having troubles with my car at the moment hoping some here can help before i have to take it to a mechanic. If i push the accelerator really softly (just touch it) i can get of the lights ok but if i give it any more then light throttle, or if im on a hill, it just spits and spatters and makes all sorts of noise.

The problem is only under load, if i rev it in netrual it revs almost like it should (i can hold the revs at 3 or 4000rpm and its nice and smooth) going up a hill is impossible and driving with a car load of people is the same.
I have been told by friends it could be related to the fuel system as the problem is only under load and at low rpm.
I have replaced the fuel filter but that dosn't seem to have done anything to resolve the problem.

Is there a way of pulling fault codes from this car with out a computer (like reading the engine warning light flashes?)
The check engine light does not come on at all.
-Thanks in advance
Chris.

You can take it to an auto elec to get the codes read or Mitsubishi but be warned Mitsubishi Charge the earth.
Could be related to your ignition system as I know that when leads get old and they will break-down under load.
I'd start with leads/plugs/cap/rotor.

Im pretty sure its nothing to do with the ignition system as it revs out no worries, wouldn't the ignition system fail at higher rpm if there was a problem? Putting a load on the engine (put it in drive) dosnt affect the way the leads/plugs/distributer operate. Please correct me if im wrong.

I'm gonna say that you're engine is fine and there is something wrong with the transmission based entirely upon revving fine in neutral. Sadly I don't know enough about cars to say anything more than that.
Good luck though.

If it's ok in neutral doesn't completely discount an electrical problem as the engine is loaded differently.

Yeah its deffenantly an engine problem. It's not totatly fine in neutral, if i go half or full throttle straight away, it dosn't respond and splatters about but if i ease on the throttle it's fine.
Im pretty sure it's fuel related as the ignition system should'nt be affected by load, if there was an issue (missing) it would be in the higher rev range. So i have spark, the air flow meter seems to be doing it's thing, i have air, so i put it down to the fuel system. i've replaced the fuel filter but that didn't seem to fix it. What else in the fuel system would cause this type of fault? I was hoping for it to be a common problem, i guess not.
Im lost :(

Thanks for the speedy response guys.

No It's very common for leads to break down Under LOAD. and could be an electrical problem no doubt. have you checked for cracks in dizzy cap? That's about as far as my knowledge goes on this. Madmagna might be able to shed some light...

Yeah under load but also at high rpm, i've had a rough look at the dizzy cap in the dark, i can't see any spark jumping or hear any but im pretty sure the ignition system is ok, if there was a crack in the dizzy cap or a lead breaking down, it would do it at high rpm.
Hopefully madmagna guru see's this thread and knows what it is of the top of his head. I hope it's not something totaly random........

My brother TR had that identical problem and it was a hairline crack in the dizzy cap, that under load and increased voltage would let spark between two of the points merge. It would free rev fine and idle fine. Also so you know There is a diagnostic control input just along the leading edge of the kick panel directly below the steering column, it is a trapezoid shape. if you earth the left, top terminal (looking at the plug) with some wire to car chassis and then turn on ignition (dont start car), the check engine light will flash a code, if any are present. slow flashes are tens and fast flashes are ones so 22 for example would be 2 long 2 short (think morse code). i have another thread some where where i listed the codes and the meaning, ill find it. 9 short flashes indicate normal operation. if a code is present, tell me and ill look up the meaning in the manual. if there are more than one code, they will flash in succession with a pause between each one.

Does the car run nicely when you are up to speed?
Then if you try to accelerate again does it run rough?


Based on what you have said so far, I would be looking at spark plugs and ignition leads.

As you accelerate the load on the ignition system is the greatest.
If it was fuel the problem would most likely get worse at higher speeds.

Gerry

My brother TR had that identical problem and it was a hairline crack in the dizzy cap, that under load and increased voltage would let spark between two of the points merge. It would free rev fine and idle fine. Also so you know There is a diagnostic control input just along the leading edge of the kick panel directly below the steering column, it is a trapezoid shape. if you earth the left, top terminal (looking at the plug) with some wire to car chassis and then turn on ignition (dont start car), the check engine light will flash a code, if any are present. slow flashes are tens and fast flashes are ones so 22 for example would be 2 long 2 short (think morse code). i have another thread some where where i listed the codes and the meaning, ill find it. 9 short flashes indicate normal operation. if a code is present, tell me and ill look up the meaning in the manual. if there are more than one code, they will flash in succession with a pause between each one.

Cheers for you post mate, very informitive. I'll check out the engine codes tommorow and post up what i find...
In regards to the dizzy cap, wouldn't the spark jump around free reving at 4000rpm if it was cracked? What changes with the ignition when it's under load?

First thing im going to try is spraying the dizzy cap at idle with water, if it dosn't start missing, im going to replace the plugs. If it's still stuffing up, i'll check the leads. Can some one tell me what the resistance per foot should be for a HT lead? I can't remember.

Thanks for your help guys, much apreciated.

Chris.

Does the car run nicely when you are up to speed?
Then if you try to accelerate again does it run rough?


Based on what you have said so far, I would be looking at spark plugs and ignition leads.

As you accelerate the load on the ignition system is the greatest.
If it was fuel the problem would most likely get worse at higher speeds.

Gerry

Yeah the car runs nicely when/once up to speed but like you've siad, if i accelerate it's starts to miss and do stupid things.....
When you say "As you accelerate the load on the ignition system is the greatest" is it any different to been in neutral and free reving?
My thinking is, if it was the ignition system/leads/plugs it would miss at higher rpm regardless of wether the engine was under load or not. If i rev the engine to 3-4-5000rpm i can rev it all day and it dosn't miss a beat, it's only under load at low rpm.
You guys all seem to be pointing in the same direction, so i'll see what happens when i change out a few ignition system parts.

Cheers
Chris.

Honestly mate, Its not the cheapest solution but its a great quick start to see where you stand. Plugs, leads, Dizzy cap and rotor, probably about $200 all up, but at least you know any electrical bugs have been sorted in the ignition area which like I said, could cause these problems, however my mechanical knowledge doesnt really go past this type of basic diagnosis, if it continues happening I'll watch the thread in interest to see what others suggest, but yeah, 2.5 hours roughly of some electrical fix ups and I reckon she'll be on the money :)

in my experience its possible for a plug lead to break down ( only under load ) and arc into the metal tube surrounding it. check all leads first and look for signs of arcing. if they have done over 100,000 its good practice to replace them anyway..
oil leaking into the spark plug area can cause this too i suspect. i blow out all oil residue with compressed air before changing spark plugs to avoid oil getting into chamber.

Bosch aftermarket leads are good imho , as are genuine mitsu

I recently had some trouble with my 98 verada engine. It's unlikely yours is the same issue as mine was self inflicted but the simptoms are similar. After I took a look at my timing belt the crank angle sensor chopper plate moved and my timing was retarded to 5deg ATDC. In my case no ECU errors where detected and two Mitsubishi service centres couldn't diagnose the issue. My post "KF loss of power - please help" two weeks ago has the whole saga.

A simple check is to get timing light and check engine timing. Timing should be roughly 5deg BTDC at idle and increase with RPM.

Next step would be changing the fuel filter and air cleaner, and well worth the money even if they are not the problem. Leads are not a bad idea for $100 or so. For the distribiter cap, take it off and put in a bit of talkum powder and shake it round, cracks will be highlighted.

Other wise find an EFI speciallist (not a Mitsubishi service center) who will have the right gear to properly diagnose problems that aren't picked up by the ECU.

Have a dig around here for a manual. I found a link to a workshop manual on rapid share "magna_verada_diamante.zip" which has everything you'll need.

Can i jsut say i had a problem EXCATLY LIKE THIS!

i have a TH 3.5L. heres wat i changed. Leads, spark plugs, MAF, TPS and in the end it was as my mate first suggested (who has worked for mitsu for about 5yrs lol) he said do the cheaper things first lol and "you'll need to change ur leads/plugs anyway lol"

it was the COIL ! under load the COIL needs to produce more spark and its havnig a hard time doing that (coil or module) so CHANGE Ur dissy (contains both module and coil) and see how you go.

Can i jsut say i had a problem EXCATLY LIKE THIS!

i have a TH 3.5L. heres wat i changed. Leads, spark plugs, MAF, TPS and in the end it was as my mate first suggested (who has worked for mitsu for about 5yrs lol) he said do the cheaper things first lol and "you'll need to change ur leads/plugs anyway lol"

it was the COIL ! under load the COIL needs to produce more spark and its havnig a hard time doing that (coil or module) so CHANGE Ur dissy (contains both module and coil) and see how you go.

Had 3 cars in last week with same issue, if you gently rev engine all was good, if you load it then it sounds like it is going to stall

All 3 were the coil, I just popped shand dist in each, all good

One car, he had been to an "efi specialsit" who with no testing replaced the fuel pump, cleaned injectors, replaced filter and also MAF, he did not bother to check the ignition system. I threw a dist in and instantly fixed.

yeah its definitely an electrical prob, i suggest a distributer cap first as that will be cheaper than other ignition parts (in NZ anyway lol) for a cheap check, go to your local pickapart (upullit) and get a good secondhand cap to try. leads are also $2 each (again NZ ) so are cheap to test by swapping some out if the cap is not the cause.

Or find someone in your area with a working car and swap over the ignition parts until you find the problem.

Checking the timing like what agent6974 aint a bad idea if the ignition system isn't at fault....

or dirty throttle body. $7.50 carby cleaner spray fix. common problem.

I'd put money on something in the ignition system dude. Its either the coil, dizzy rotor, dizzy cap, leads or spark plugs.