I have worked on cars for quite a while now but I am new to Mitsubishi.. I recently acquired a 2003 Lancer OZ Rally. At first I noticed the instrument backlight didn't work but periodically comes on. So this prompt me to check fuses...

I found that at least 3 fuses had wrong amp fuse in them and about 4 fuses have blown and I believe those were the radio and dome light fuses both in the engine bay and under steering wheel. So I disconnected the battery for safe measures and replaced all the fuses that were incorrect/blown. Reconnected the battery and I discovered the following...

1. My front corner lights and rear lights stay on when the KEY IS NOT IN IGNITION
2. There is a "humming sound" near the heater under passenger side dash, hums about two times for about 3-5 seconds
3. A staticy noise near the center of the firewall. Is there a relay in this area?
4. Instrument panel backlight (the red background) still does not come on, and I have played with the dim switch.
5. AC is always on when I turn the fan on, not matter how many times I smash the AC button
6. If I leave the radio fuse, the radio continues to work when the KEY IS NOT IN IGNITION

Obviously 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are not normal, I was wondering if anyone has ever encountered this situation and how did you remedy the problem?

Number 2 on the list however... is that humming sound normal? Its coming from front of the car, not from the back where the fuel pump is.


Thank you all in advance.

 

Hello, I just bought a 2003 OZ Rally myself;

I haven't experienced any of these issues and the car has 197k on it.
I would check wiring harnesses up near the fire wall where you hear the noise to check and see if any of the wires have been tampered with or even spliced into. This may explain why the wrong amp fuses were used to accomodate for whatever the previous owner was trying to accomplish. If someone even had an after market stereo system in the car previously they may have tried splicing wires for a deck/amp to disconnect.

The only possible electrical issue I have been experiencing is that my car intermittently won't start the first few turns of the key. It won't even Click, however when it does engage, it starts immediately. Other times it will start no problem first turn. Im thinking possible cam/crankshaft sensor problem or there is a sensor near the clutch pedal which isn't set properly to allow the engine to turn over.

 

I've actually figured it out... whoever owned my OZ before me decided to "bundle" up all the radio wires that he or she could not figure out where they go... with the copper wires exposed... So I think the first time he or she did the radio it blew all the fuses.. then decided a quick fix would be to put a a slightly higher fuse to handle the load (which is really bad idea).

So I suppose this leaves me with number 4 and number 5 on my list above... but I read that number 5 is quite common and maybe a recall.

As for you.. the sensor you are talking about should be a small button that gets pressed in when you engage the clutch to start the car.. Could try taping or gluing it in place so you can start the car without engaging the clutch pedal or even bypass it all together by soldering the wires together.

 

Yeah that's what I figured, People who try to do quick fixes when it comes to electrical should do things properly to avoid creating other problems. As for your backlight (#4 issue) It may be another wiring/connection problem or the lighting may have been blown from the wrong fuses being in place. I would take it in to someone to inspect unless you have the tool to do so incase the dash gets damaged in the process.

For #5, being a new Mitsubishi owner myself I am still figuring out the main issues people have had with them. My A/C is inoperable at the moment as I may need a new compressor. But I'll worry about that in the summer time haha.

As for my sensor issue, I've read there is frequent problems with the crank shaft sensor going in these cars. So I am betting that is more likely the issue; although a lot more work to fix. I still plan on adjusting the clutch pedal and checking the clutch adjustment sensor while Im at it in case it is set wrong.

Thanks
Hope everything works out for you

 

i have the same problem with the car starting i replaced the starter but still does it sometimes first turn of the key others 3 or 4 trys. how hard is the cam shaft sensor to change

 

it is very easy to replace.

 

#5 make sure the temp knob isnt on 'max ac' the button wont turn it off if its on that setting

 

Jesse, The crankshaft position sensor will not prevent the starter from spinning and turning the engine over. It would, perhaps, prevent it from starting despite being turned over by the starter.

No click sounds like a neutral safety switch, which would include one on the clutch pedal, and possibly another on the shift lever, though that is rare.

No click could also be a bad starter or bad ignition switch.

When you turn the key, and it doesn't even click, do you get instrument and warning lights? If not, think ignition switch. If so, neutral safety switch or starter.

SimpleAznMan, don't stop at the radio harness. Look everything over, just to be sure. Electrical hack jobs can be subtle. I so hate those things.

Having even the Haynes manual is a big help, especially with simple stuff like no start. I would expect the Haynes to show neutral safety switches and offer a troubleshooting diagram.

 

There is no Haynes manual for our cars

 

I sold the car like a month after my last post lol... Went back to my Hondas

In all honesty though, I think previous owner melted some wires together by putting wrong fuses in to the box... Thus even if I corrected the fuses the problem still existed because now I guess some of the fuses ran in series due to wires melting together. I did redo some of the wiring... the only thing that was left was the dash lights not working... I could have redone the whole cabin and made it perfect, but it was only a DD... plus I made money selling it back out after fixing 90% of the electrical issues.

 

Had the same ignition/starting problem. When you remove the plastic from under the steering wheel, on the left side, opposite of where the key goes in, there should be a black circular piece. Which is part of the ignition switch, mine had a sparking coming out from there every few try's with turning the key. Basically you push in on that black part while turning the key, should start up with no problem, if the ignition switch was the problem.

 

Hey there! Glad to be on here.
I picked up an ‘03 Lancer OZ Rally yesterday. I’m starting to see why I got it so cheaply. Lol.
Here are 3 I have a question about:
The heater only works on high, a/c won’t come on; fan or pump, dome light and lighter to plug my phone in don’t work. I thought they are all separate, minute irritants but I’m wondering now if any of you know if these are related?
I haven’t checked fuses yet; laid up today and can’t do it.
Thank you for any and all help!