Intermittent starting issue
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Northern VA
Intermittent starting issue
Hey guys, my name is Mitch and I am new to the forum here!
I have a very unusual problem with a 2002 Lancer with 124,000 miles, it is an automatic. I searched but came up with little to nothing...
About a month ago the vehicle started to have some issues starting, it would crank and crank but the engine would never fire as if it was not getting fuel. Well the vehicle left me stranded one day so I had to have it towed to a service center. They found the fault to be with a Denso relay under the hood and it was replaced and worked once and then quit again, same problem and had to be towed.
It was towed back to the same shop and they messed with the relay and it worked again for about a week, and now we are back to where we started. It has been sitting at home since I don't have the money to have the shop diagnose a mystery problem at a rate of $80 an hour.
Does anyone have any ideas of what this could be? I am ASSUMING (bad, I know) that the shop checked the fuel flow and filter when it was in there. I am really at a loss here and I would appreciate any help from someone who has had this problem or any experts who would know something.
I have a very unusual problem with a 2002 Lancer with 124,000 miles, it is an automatic. I searched but came up with little to nothing...
About a month ago the vehicle started to have some issues starting, it would crank and crank but the engine would never fire as if it was not getting fuel. Well the vehicle left me stranded one day so I had to have it towed to a service center. They found the fault to be with a Denso relay under the hood and it was replaced and worked once and then quit again, same problem and had to be towed.
It was towed back to the same shop and they messed with the relay and it worked again for about a week, and now we are back to where we started. It has been sitting at home since I don't have the money to have the shop diagnose a mystery problem at a rate of $80 an hour.
Does anyone have any ideas of what this could be? I am ASSUMING (bad, I know) that the shop checked the fuel flow and filter when it was in there. I am really at a loss here and I would appreciate any help from someone who has had this problem or any experts who would know something.
Last edited by Sleeksilver; Sep 5, 2008 at 02:07 PM.
Evolving Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 386
Likes: 3
From: South Jersey
Sounds like a fuel delivery issue. Check residual fuel pressure at the rail after the car has been sitting awhile. Then check it while cranking. Low in either case could indicate a bad fuel pump or regulator.
If those check out ok, check if your injectors are pulsing by listening to them through a long screwdriver. If they aren't, it's 100% an electrical problem, most likely the EFI relay.
If those check out ok, check if your injectors are pulsing by listening to them through a long screwdriver. If they aren't, it's 100% an electrical problem, most likely the EFI relay.
