Ok this is what in in the process of. Bought this Montero Sport from a lady for $200. Why so cheap? Because she couldnt get it running. Or should I say, her "mechanic" couldnt get it running. She told me the problem with it was the fuel pump went out. She bought a pick-n-pull used pump assembly and was having her friend( who should not be allowed to wrench on vehicles) install it, but he didnt finish the job. He dropped the tank and installed the new pump on it and that is where the job sits. So anyway i bought it sight unseen (I seen a few pics of it) but she is a good friend, she was in a pinch and needed some cash to pay some bills, so i bought it thinking it needed the tank put back in and it would drive. So when i get there to get it going, first thing i see when i opened the drivers door is the ignition cylinder and everything under the column basically is just hanging down and the passenger side kick panel had been removed. So she tells me that she had lost her key and had this guy put a new key w/lock cylinder in that she bought on ebay.(It shipped from china of course). I asked her if the guy coded the key and she wasnt sure. Then i asked if it started after he put the new Lock cylinder in it and she said no. I asked why she changed the fuel pump and she said that her mechanic tested the fuel system for pressure and was reading No pressure. So obviously the immobilizer has shut down the fuel system. So my question is once i get the the fuel tank back in, what would be the logical and economical next step.I have her looking for the original key because she lost it somewhere at her house but as of now no luck. Is there anyway i can code the new key, or maybe bypass the immobilzer? Im not a mitsubishi guy but i know there are many here. So what would you guys do??

 

It is unfortunate situation, but fixable. I had similar experience with on of my fixer uppers that I bough. Ignition key was ripped out, NAPA ignition cylinder (two wires) wired in it's place. The vehicle would not run (no spark, no fuel, but every warning light is on). Once I put in proper ignition cylinder with the OEM pigtail, all electronics started talking to each other.

If you are unable to find original key, you should be able to get a copy made based on the VIN. If you have a Mitsubishi dealer nearby, that is the easiest way to do it. They can cut combination and program the correct code into it. If no dealer is near, start talking to your local locksmith people. Many of them can do this as well. You can also remove a lock cylinder form one of the doors and bring it to the locksmith with the "wrong" ignition cylinder. He can change out pins in the ignition cylinder to match doors, so that you have one key working for all like they suppose to. Then program the immobilizer code into it.