90 Galant won't 1. start, 2. keep running, or 3. runs fine????

[jhflorida]

Hi everyone,

I have a 90 Galant (sohc). Two weeks ago I had to replace the distributor. The car ran fine until yesterday. Now it starts intermittently, and when it does start it will run for about 30 seconds then shut down as if the key was turned off. It does this at any engine speed. To make things even more confusing, a couple of times it started and ran fine without stalling, then when I shut it down and tried to start it again it went back to either not starting or starting then dying after a few seconds?????

I replaced the distrubutor again this morning thinking I had a defective one. I get spark to all four cylinders when the starter's cranking. Spark plugs look ok. I also replaced the fuel filter. I'm guessing the fuel pump is good since I can hear it running and right after I crank the motor the fuel line feels like there's plenty of pressure.

I already bought a new car and if I can get this one back into a dependable state without spending too much it's going to my nephew. Otherwise it's going where all good Galants go after they pass on

Anyone have any thoughts?


-----UPDATE 7/5/04
Got the car started and running. I adjusted the timing and let the car run for about 10 minutes. Engine sounded good and had a smooth idle. I shut it off and have not been able to start the damn thing since! It just gives one or two putts every now and then. I even tried to put the distributor back where it was (retarded about 5 degrees). Fuel pressure and spark are still present.

HELP!!!

[myjc]

If your fuel is is good and you have sparks you might want try changing the ECU. The Galants between 90-93 are prone to ECU damage. Mine did not start as well, had fuel, had sparks, changed the ECU car starts.

You could try pulling the ECU out and spraying some electrical cleaner on it, but I heard that one of the capacitors actually leaks or goes bad.

I found a site that explains how to replace the caps but can't find it anymore. I'll post if I find it.

Good luck.

[53/1000]

Pull the ecu and look iniside of it See if there is any black marks on the top of the board around the CAPS

[Scooby2204]

make sure your distributor and spark plug wires are in the right sequence to your cylinders

[topohill]

Sure sounds exactly like my wife's '90 Galant problem. A new fuel pump solved the problem.

[smokedout]

i hate the same problem with my 90 galant sohc 2.0l i think it just looses spark, im pretty sure it gets fuel, i was told it could be the ignigtion module, any idea where they r on a 90 galant? or any other help.. plz!

[jsinton]

The ignition module on a 91 Galant w/ 2.0 L is a one inch chip screwed onto a 10 inch or so metal bracket which in turn is bolted to the back of the head or intakes (not sure which one it is) It all sits near to the distributor and there is a wiring harness that plugs into it that is almost bigger than the chip. Took me time to figure that out, since Mitsubishi did it so many different ways.

Here is the picture:
http://www.partsamerica.com/PartDeta...pe=194&PTSet=C

[jsinton]

If the ICU went bad, you probably wouldn't get any spark if it refused to start. The can do wierd intermittant things, but they mainly just die completely, and never work again. So I'm not so sure it's the ICU.

[smokedout]

well, after reading a few other posts.... i decided to have a look at my ecu... well, its leaking alright... il let you know how i got on replacing (or repairing) it........ thanks

[smokedout]

got 2nd hand ecu $60, put it in and problem solved.

[mr bishi]

ive had to put two new ecu's in my galant gti (which are as rare as a fish with tits) and yes the transisters do leak when they burn out and its like an acid which then burns the board.
you wont be able to test it with diagnostics either as a duff ecu gives off faulse codes so it tells you something is broken and it aint. my car would not inject and then the second ecu just made it run really rich and was burning petrol like it was going out of fassion