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jarhead
29-09-2004, 10:06 AM
Hi everyone!

I have a 2000 (X) 2.5 V6 Sport Estate with just over 63,000 miles on the clock. I have been having problems with the Emission Control Warning light continuing to come on. I tool it to my local Mitsu dealer twice, who diagnosed a loose spark plug the 1st time and then an engine misfire which needed a re tune the 2nd time. The cost for these 2 visits was just over £200. Less than 24 hours after the 2nd visit, the light came back on again, so I had to make yet another trip tot he dealer. This time, the problem has been diagnosed as being a faulty Stepper motor, which controls the idling speed of the engine. The cost of the part alone is £397, + labour and VAT to fit it.

Needless to say, I'm pretty PO'd about this as it's been a very frustrating, time consuming and very costly problem. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to get it replaced as my car is starting to idle around 2000 RPM's, way too high.

I was just wondering if any of you have had similar problems and to flag this up as a possible issue with the model. As much as I love the car, I'm worried that something else may go wrong with it and that the reliability I had expected from the car is no longer guaranteed. As such, I'll probably be looking to replace it after it gets repaired.

lorriman
29-09-2004, 10:51 AM
Sorry to hear about your problems. Don't you have any comeback against the £200 you wasted before they found the real problem?

You might want to get a second opinion, otherwise, there's no guarantee that the problem is the stepper motor and you'll be another £400+ out of pocket.

I think all motors have their problems, but the extended warranty packages available from Mitsi are pretty good, though it's too late for yours now that you have a problem, but for £499 or thereabouts you get 24 months of trouble free motoring.

You could save yourself some cash by going to an independent for supply and fitting. Have you tried camskill for the stepper motor? They may be able to help source an alternative make for you at a discount (don't quote me on this, they may not).

Good luck.

zentac
29-09-2004, 11:26 AM
Dont buy one from Mitsi..... There are cheaper places and its a 30 second job to fit.

Faulty stepper motors are common on Mitsubishi`s and Protons (same parts) They symptoms are normally that the revs start hunting on idle. There are cheaper places to get them from camskill sell them for the FTO which will probably be the same for the VR4 and they are only £139 http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m3b0s9p362

You can also contact :-
Colin Smith
CMS Auto Services
2A Birmingham Road
Alvechurch,
Birmingham B47 7TA
ENGLAND
0121 4479881
colinsmith@cmstech.fsnet.co.uk

who also does reconditioned ones quite cheap, you will need to take a note of the "E9T" number off the unit


Does this earn me some more Reputation points ;)

zentac
29-09-2004, 11:28 AM
Come to think of it I'm almost positive its the same part as for the FTO as I had my FTO one fitted on the VF4 throttle body before I swapped it for a bored out FTO Throttle body.

jarhead
29-09-2004, 11:53 AM
Thanks for all the advice fellas. I like the idea of going for the £139 part instead of the £400 part! I'll do some investigation to see if this part will work on my Galant.

As for comeback, well, the dealer offered me 10% off the part and would only charge me 1 hours labour at the warranty rate of £69 per hour. No, that's not good enough, and have told them so. However, when you think that there's no other option, you really have no choice. If it does turn out that the cheaper part will work, I may even have a go fitting it myself. Whatever happens, i don't think I'll be using my local dealer any longer. They're attitude in this is not what I expect in terms of customer service.

zentac
29-09-2004, 10:53 PM
Been doing a little more research and just to confirm 6A12 uses a E9T15296, the 6A13 uses a E9T15298 however both will fit as there is very little difference in the tips. So the one from Camskill at £135 + a couple of beers for me ;) should be your best route

jarhead
07-10-2004, 11:57 AM
Hi everyone,

Just to update you on this saga. I contacted Camskill, but the part they have is not the same for my Galant, bummer. Nice try though.

As for the car, it's still got the problems, but they're no longer mine. I went around various dealers this week and have decided to swap my Galant for a 2002 MG ZT-T 190+. I got a better trade in on my car than I could've hoped for, given the high mileage, stepper motor probs and slight paint chipping damage on the rear bumper. And this time, i've stumped for the extended warranty, so i won't have these problems again.

I had a call from my mitsu dealer asking when I wanted to bring the car in to have the stepper motor replaced. I took great joy in telling them that I wasn't. They tried to make some noises about already ordering the part, but as I explained to them, that's nothing to do with me. They've had all the money from me they're going to.

So thanks for all the help, enjoy the Galants you have, they are fantastic cars. I've had 3 years of fun with mine, but it's time to change.

All the best,
JH

Nick Mann
07-10-2004, 01:34 PM
A good selection for the replacement. Another undervalued car, but slightly more common. (Especially when you drive past the factory everyday!)

Any chance you could post up where you got rid of it? I'm sure there are people who would want the chance of buying an unprepared cheapy!