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pungatree1
16-08-2007, 05:05 AM
Although it has been cold during the last couple of days I have noticed that when I start the car it starts ok but then almost immediately after starting feels like it is going to stall - seems to lose power before the revs pick up on their own and the car idles fine. What is causing this and should I be worried? :thinking: The car is an auto vr4 and so shouldn't stall! Just thought I'd ask here first as someone is bound to know :iloveyou:
bradc
16-08-2007, 05:46 AM
It might be the idle stepper motor, do the revs drop quite low if you turn the steering wheel from side to side when stationary.
pungatree1
16-08-2007, 06:39 AM
I have just went to have a look but it only seems to be a problem when the car has been sitting overnight - started fine after having sat for the last couple of hours! Idles at 1000 rpm fine and moving the steering wheel left to right when the engine is running makes no difference to the revs at all!

The problem occurs a couple of seconds after the engine has started - starts fine but then just seems to die for a second - just like a loss of power before everything jumps back to life and the revs pick up and away we go!
bradc
16-08-2007, 09:03 AM
might have something to do with fuel pressure or the fuel pump, overnight it might be letting all the fuel go back down into the tank apart from a small amount already in the fuel rail, so it starts then coughs a bit.
Paul Beazer
16-08-2007, 12:12 PM
Has the battery been disconnected recently? If so it may be the ECU re-learning how to do its thang?
pungatree1
16-08-2007, 10:48 PM
Haven't changed the battery or disconnected it! I am going to try it again this morning before heading to Wellington.
Kenneth
16-08-2007, 10:53 PM
Is your air conditioning on?

Also, do you have an aftermarket BOV? specifically a VTA type...

both of these can cause a bit of a hesitation as the idle stepper motor has to compensate.
pungatree1
16-08-2007, 11:50 PM
Hey Kenneth - I could understand it if I had a vent to the atmosphere BOV but I just have the standard valve that the car came with - not a vta. It doesn't seem to make a difference whether the air con is on or not as I have the air con on most of the time and the problem has just started over the last week!
wirdy
17-08-2007, 12:23 AM
Sounds like classic symptoms of a sticky idle stepper motor; common to much of the mitsi range including our Galants & FTO

You can clean as a quick fix them but replacement is usually inevitable.

About £80 new in the UK.

Looks like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MITS-FTO-VR4-EVO-1-2-3-IDLE-CONTROL-VALVE-STEPPER_W0QQitemZ290150541233QQihZ019QQcategoryZ10 400QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem