Hi guys,



I have an Australian 2002 auto Mistubishi Challenger 3.0 v6 which has some issues.
6G72 engine.


About a week ago I ran out of petrol, I called roadside and had it filled back up.



About 4 days later, the engine light came on and the car starting missing (hot and cold) it also idles now at only 450rpm.



I initially thought the fuel must be the culprit. So I replaced the fuel filter and put a bottle of injector cleaner in it.



Still the same problem remains.



I decided to use the manual method of scanning the Ecu by bridging port 1 and 4 on the OBD2 connector to retrieve the codes.



I got 2 codes, one was the EGR vale and the other was the ignition 3 and 6. (coilpack).



I removed the clip off that coilpack and the idle did not change. I did the same test on the other 2 banks and the idle instantly drops when u unplug them. So I decided to swap the coilpack over with a good one and test again.



This is where it gets weird....when unplugging 3 and 6 the idle doesnt change again, and yet it does when unplugging the others, even after swapping the coilpacks. Am I looking at an ECU or wiring problem here? Is it just a coincidence that this happened 4 days after running out of fuel? I'm at a loss at the moment and don't have the money to pay some mechanic to stuff around with it until he figures it out. I'm all for trying to do as much as I can myself before resorting to that.



I am thinking if it was an injector clogging issue it wouldn't just be on that bank and doesn't really explain the problem I am having with the ignition 3 &6.

also, I decided to blow out some of the fuel from the old fuel filter to see what it looked like. It was pretty brown and dirty...

I have reset the ECU with no luck.

I have read this same problem has occurred for others and it's turned out to be a faulty Ignition Control Module, can anyone confirm/deny this?


Anyone with any ideas, I would be most appreciative!



Cheers,

Pete

 

well done that man!, that's the kind of info we (whatever "we" is left) need to help you help yourself.

1) yes it's probably a coincidence.
2) unless those cylinders ran lean and overheated, frying your plugs - check/replace them first.
3) failing that it definitely points to the Ignition Control
4) i'm guessing the ICM is fed by sensors, probably a crank angle sensor or some such, and it is missing the trigger for 3/6,
in the olden times, this would be a matter of checking your distributor cap and contacts... nowadays.... good luck!
(i would make sure the ICM is getting the correct input to trigger 3/6 before dismissing the actual module as faulty)

 

Thanks for the quick response Akzle! I would definitely like to check whether the ICM is getting the correct input before undertaking the task of removing that inlet manifold/plenum to change the plugs! Any further instructions on how to do this? I'm guessing I would need a multimeter and maybe a pinout diagram? Any help with this would be great!

Cheers,
Pete

 

I think I found what I need!

http://www.justanswer.com/mitsubishi...v-6-rough.html

 

lawdy. A factory tech suggesting a multimeter?!
You will need a fast response/peak hold RMS multimeter for that to work.
An LED test lamp or osciloscope would be my choice.
Sounds like it runs a TIM 01x icm, which arent hard or expensive to replace.
Id suck it up and swap the plugs out or you could end up chasing gremlins.

 

bit of an update:

the ignition control module was swapped over with 2 others to no avail.

I also replaced all 3 coilpacks with 3 off a known working low km engine to no avail.

I will plug a spare lead into the 3/6 coilpack with a plug in it and crank it to see if there's a spark.

If there's no spark then I know it must be an issue related to the wiring somewhere or the ECU itself.

If there is spark then I'm guessing the issue is somewhere in the engine, i.e. plugs or injectors.

 

My first coil pack was firing, second and third not. Swapped first connector to verify 2 and 3 worked, yes.
I had changed the camshaft position sensor because I was getting both crankshaft and camshaft circuit codes. Turns out one wire from the new connector of the CPS was loose. Pushed it in, started instantly.

Drove for 15 miles. Then started up again, drove 15 miles back..began to lose power like rolling dead but then a little throttle play and it kept going. Idle went down, really low and stalled. Started and stopped a few more times until idle set up. Drove home with no problem, got home, won't restart.

Getting p0340 camshaft position sensor circuit

I've been fiddling with wires for 2 days now. I wonder if it's something stupid like a key code reset or something with the ECU, a fuse maybe.

 

Sounds like wiring issue from PCM to ignition coils. I'd be tracing wires and checking connections before swapping anything.

 

This is a common issue, sometimes when a sensor that the ECU controls goes wrong, or an electronic serge or fault happens, sometimes from incorrect Jumpstart. The ECU makes an adjustment and then can't correctly compensate. So needs to be reset and memory cleared to load the default settings, to do this disconnect the negative lead from the battery for 1min, then start the car let idol for 15 min while the ECU learns. During this time idol might fluctuate but should come good again.

 

This is a common issue, sometimes when a sensor that the ECU controls goes wrong, or an electronic serge or fault happens, sometimes from incorrect Jumpstart. The ECU makes an adjustment and then can't correctly compensate. So needs to be reset and memory cleared to load the default settings, to do this disconnect the negative lead from the battery for 1min, then start the car let idol for 15 min while the ECU learns. During this time idol might fluctuate but should come good again