Urgent Starting Issue
 

Hey everyone,
Yesterday my mom bought a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited. Aside from some brake issues, which will hopefully be taken care of when we send it back to the car lot she bought it from, it recently developed a starting problem.

It seemed that whenever we would start the car, it would have a weak slow start, as if slowly turning over. It would turn over until I ran up to Walmart, bought a few supplies, came back to the car, slow weak turnover, but doesn't start. I waited about 2 minutes, tried to start the car, and it started (with the slow weak turnover).

When I turned on the street to where we live, the "Service Engine" light came up. I parked the car almost immediately, ran into the house to grab a flashlight to see if something was possibly loose.

I hop in the car, tried to start it, weak turnover, but no start. I wait a couple of minutes, and then see if the fuel pump is priming or not, so I turned the key, all of the electronics worked, I hear a long electrical tone, then to try and see if it starts, turn the key. Slow, weak turnover, but then it starts, with the "Service Engine" light, and now the "Low Gas Light", it was at a quarter of a tank when I got it on the street, now it ways saying that I was close to E.

I let it run for a while, the "Low Gas Light" goes away, and the fuel returns to normal, but Service Engine Light is still on. I pop the hood again, and right behind the battery, and to the left of the Brake Reservoir, is a black housing (not sure the technical term), and about every two seconds, a kinda muffled hum, would come from this little black hosing, a sound I hadn't heard when it didn't have this issue.

I close up the hood, turn the car off, and try to start it one last time, nothing. So this morning, my brother wakes up about 4 hours after the car died (4am), goes to start the car, and from his words "It started right up no problem, and the Service Engine Light is gone."

I am very confused, could it be a weak fuel pump? Faulty Starter, or ignition switch? And do you think it'll be able to start again so we can get it back to the dealership?

When the car was driving, it drove beautifully, everything worked, no issues (aside from a weird braking one), it didn't die or stall. (I dropped my other brother off and the car was so quiet he thought it stalled, but it didn't)

I have a 2001 Limited as well, and had issues similar to yours. Turned out I just had a weak battery. That will cause all sorts of things to play up - check engine light, etc. Get to an Auto Zone or someplace they can check the battery for you. They can hook up their device that will keep you from loosing your radio code while the old battery is disconnected and the new one is put in (if that turns out to be the problem).
Hope it something that simple! Good luck.

Thanks for the response!

It started yesterday morning and my mom was able to drive it to the car lot. They informed her that the braking issue had to do with the vacuum and ABS system needing to be replaced. The starting issue they didn't give her a direct answer saying that when they were detailing it, they left the doors open for 4 hours, thus probably draining the battery and weaking the Alternator.

The car lot didn't have the tools to figure out everything so they are going to take it to the Mitsubishi dealer and have everything looked over. Yet I can't complain, they gave us a rental car which is a 2013 Ford F150.

When we get the car back I'll see what the specific answer to the starting problem was.

Ok we got an answer! For the starting issue, the battery had died while it was at the shop and was thus weak. When we would let the car sit it wouldn't have a problem starting because I guess it had gotten cold and thus could hold a charge better, but whenever we were driving it would get hot and thus would have problems starting. I believe they fixed the issue by charging the battery back to 100% and making sure the alternator was in good condition.

The little black housing to the left of the battery was the ABS housing, apparently something in that little container had broken, and thus sent the ABS system into activating every time we touched the brake. They disconnected it and informed us the part would be in on Wednesday.

Now my mom got an opportunity to drive it, she says that the "Gear Shift lights don't turn on when I turn on the lights" Possible fuse?
She also said, which I confirmed when I got an opportunity to see it, that when the car is started, the Temp Gauge shoots up high (3/4th) then through normal driving goes back to average, but she claims that when the car is idling or turned off, she can smell the car overheating? Thermostat stuck closed?

I'm too have had similar starting problems but its not the battery, I turn the key and sometimes I'll get a click but often i get nothing and then it will start.... drive somewhere stop go in store come out and nothing. sit foir a while turn key several times and them it starts . what gives, just a matter of time fbefore it fails completey
..

Well on the last day of us having the car, the same thing happened. We would turn the key and get that clicking, and that was it. We towed it back to the dealer, demanded something else, and got a 2003 Acura MDX. But the guy asked if we tried to start it in neutral? Apparently the car started right up once we got back to them. Either way, that car had too many problems for us to keep. If we go back by the dealer, Ill see if I can get an answer.