I've been in Germany for a few weeks now and have been doing 150-170 on the autobahn regularly. A few days ago, after buying the 90 octane military crap gas they have on base, the engine started to stutter in 4th and 5th gears above 100 when I got on the throttle. It seemed to flutter with loss of power, almost like a hesitation or missing causing the entire car to shake and shudder(knocking? timing being pulled?).

I babied it through that tank of gas, thinking I might have gotten a bad batch, and then filled it up with 95 from off-base. It seemed to fix it at first, but it now does it intermittently. Sometimes it's fine all the way to 170, sometimes it's even worse than before. The worst is when it makes a sudden, very brief, jarring, total loss of power almost as if I hit something. Other times, it just seems to flutter with some loss of power.

Does anybody know what could be causing this? Could this be caused by a batch of bad gas, or am I looking in the wrong place?

Mods that I've done/had done:
264/272 hks cams
greddy profecBspec2 (19psi)
660cc injectors
safc2 (tuned by RRE)
walbro 255
greddy ic/upper
exhaust, cat delete

 

i think that's your misfire.

I was misfiring like crazy too when I tried to go over 160mph on a close course. It just wont let you go, but it maybe the gas.

Evo's are rated to use 98 octane gas as recommended by the manufacture.

change your spark plugs and reflash. Maybe that'll help.

Can you go up to 170mph? I didn't know that. I thought the limiter will kick in... do we even have a limiter on our car?

I thought it kicked in at 150mph...

 

Did your service engine soon light turn on? Sounds like you may have the p0300 code.
if it's a p0300 multiple cylinder misfire then it's the same as what a lot of evo's have. Mitsu has a new reflash for it at the dealers for free.

Mine did it- at US highway speeds in 4th and 5th gear. Feels like a total loss of power. I took it in, 1 hour later, it was fixed.

Good luck.

 

The total loss of power feelin' like your hitting a brick wall is fuel cut. If you have a Service Engine Soon light have it checked. Like subgraphic said, it might be the p0300 code which the dealer will fix with a flash... but you're in Germany so I'm not sure how that's handled on a US spec Evo...

For clarification, the recommended 98 octance in the manual is Research Octane Number (RON). Typically pumps will show the average between the Motor Octane Number (MON) and Research Octane Number (RON + MON)/2. And typically gas has a MON 10 less that RON. For example: (98 + 88)/2 = 93.

For more information about pump gas here's a great link:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/autos/gasol.../preamble.html

If memory serves me correctly the manual also recommends against anything under 91. Your Evo should be pretty happy with 95.

 

hmm i didn't know that. Good stuff. Thanks.

You could also goto any auto shop, they should have a engine code diagnostic tool there.

 

Not to hijack your thread or anything but how do the locals (Germans) react to your car over there?? Must be a blast

 

Is it also free if we voided warranty?

 

lol @ 160 in the evo....


the reason it flutters is because of the way the car is geared , its gear limited to stay under 160....if it wasnt gear limited this car could reach 200mph lol but fluttering at 100, i dunno most likly the bad gas

 

wow, thanks for all the info/replies

plokivos: i've been doing 160-170 regularly... that's right about where it tops out. i haven't really tried to see if i could hit the limiter, but the limiter does seem to be far into the red. usually when i'm going that fast, though, i try not to look at the dash too long...

subgraphic: yes, the CEL came on and stayed on until the next day. i hope it's as easy as flashing for that p0300 code... i have no clue if it'll be available here, though... the mitsu dealers here can't even order the stock advans i'm going to the dealer either today or tomorrow to ask, though.

netmand: i thought that was fuel cut, but wasn't sure why i'd be hitting it in combination with the power loss, don't you usually feel the most power right before you hit fuel cut?

BuLocal: the evo is definitely uncommon here; the dealerships don't even carry them, you have to special order them. more people know what it is over here from WRC, so i definitely get lots of looks, questions, and crowds taking pictures everywhere i go, even though i don't have the big spoiler.

the autobahn sure is a blast, but i have to say: the evo gulps gas around 150... i haven't had a chance to measure it yet, but i'd estimate the mpg is down to around 5-8. you can practically watch the gauge move...

 

I wish we had an autobahn

 

me2

 

Okay, so I took it to a Mitsubishi dealer here, and it was indeed the p0300 code.

However, they contacted Mitsubishi HQ in Europe and they didn't know anything about the p0300 thing. I'm going to call the dealer in pgh that I bought it from and see if they can hook up the dealer here with the stuff he needs to flash it, but I might just be SOL on this one...

Can you guys think of anything I could try?

 

autobahn means highway in german.... we have highways.... (lol but i know what u mean)

 

I've found out that our ECU was programmed too sensitively. If you get the P0300 code, just reset your ECU.

You could do this by taking the two large plugs on the passenger side, under the glove box where the plugs go in to the ECU.


It's the first one from the left and last one to the left. Take it out for 10 seconds, replug, then let the car idle (it'll idle to 2000rpm when started) for about 5 minutes, turn it off and restart.

Not a big deal but it's annoying. Soon as you get your dealer flash, you'll be ok.

 

I have an Early 03 build.. I only thru the code once.. He cleaned my plugs and never happened again. Should i look into getting the flash even if i dont need it? will it make me liiiiittttlleeee bit faster? hheh