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2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse Sputters upon acceleration

Tiny
KANAKANAKA77
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 126,000 MILES
I posted this before and was told that it could be my:

map sensor
mAf sensor
tbs sensor
ignition coil
spark plugs or wires
fuel pump or injectors
or vacuum leaks. Etc

As I'm sure anyone with an eclipse knows these things aren't cheap! So if i'm interested in doing this myself how should I go about starting? There has to be a way to test these things or clean them rather than replace everything at random! I' searching these methods out online as I type this but Im curious as to the which order I should test these things for so I can at least isolate which components I really need.
Thank you
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 AT 12:03 AM

9 Replies

Tiny
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  • MECHANIC
  • 31,937 POSTS
Hi there, you can run a scan and check for any set fault codes, items like engine ECU sensors will give a code if faulty or out of parameters in there readings, coils can be tested on an oscilloscope, and with a multi meter if you know how to use one, plugs & leads just change and vacuum leaks can be tracked down using a length of hose as a stethoscope, you will soon hear a leak.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 AT 12:25 AM
Tiny
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So I took it to autozone and got them to use a fault code checker. It came back with 2 codes that the guy told me meant misfire on 2, which he said meant ignition coil 2 or spark plug? So I had him reset the ecu and swapped the 2 coils hoping that if the check engine light came on again it would read misfire on 4 ( this is what they told me to do). Only thing is is that the check engine light has yet to come back on but the car is missing like a champ. I had replaced the spark plugs about 3 weeks ago and everyhthing ran fine for 30 minutes and then got worse than before. So now I'm testing the wires. I'm buying a volmeter so I can test the maf, map, and tbp sensors next, then I imagine the fuel line would be the next best bet? Does this sound like a good approach? Thanks again for the help!
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 AT 11:11 PM
Tiny
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HI there, make sure that you now don't have a crossed ignition lead, ignition leads are cheap so I would just change them, I would be thinking that you may have a coil problem so I would be testing that first,

mark
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 AT 11:21 PM
Tiny
KANAKANAKA77
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  • 44 POSTS
Forgive me but I'm having trouble finding the difference between leads and coils. I know my car has 2 spark plug wires and 2 igntion coils. I looked up how to test ignition coils and that seemed simple enough. But looking at pricing for the coils why are they so expensive. What is it that makes them so much more special than the wire?
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Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 AT 12:22 AM
Tiny
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Hi there,

The ignition lead or wire as you call it is just that, a carbon lead in an outer insulated cover, the coil is some what more complex, see link for more details.

I hope that this helps explain this.

mark

https://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it_work/ignition.htm
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Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 AT 12:37 AM
Tiny
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Thanks for all your help. The link you gave me was quite useful! As I said before that I had switched the 2nd and 4th ignition coils to isolate a misfire issue. I did not mix up the leads. I took it back to auto zone and had them scan for fault codes and this time it came back with 2 miss issues with cylinder 4 so I'm guessing it was the coil afterall. Looks like your guess was right as well, thanks again!

I'm curious what it is about the component that generally goes bad? Do you think that trying to use like, an emory cloth to clean the metal components and then applying dielectric grease would be a good idea. If I can avoid spending $80 for a component that may just need to be cleaned j would clearly rather go that route. Or do these things generally go bad due to something I can't fix?
Thanks again!
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+1
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 AT 11:39 PM
Tiny
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Hi there,

It is usually the windings in the coil that break down or an earth leak through the body, the spark will always seek the easiest path to earth, so if there is a fault with a coil, it will short the spark and you get a miss fire, on V8 CID engines they can look like Christmas lights in the dark when they have a coil or lead shorting problem.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Thursday, December 10th, 2009 AT 4:29 AM
Tiny
KANAKANAKA77
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Thank you for your responses! Lol I just used some dielectric grease and boom. All is well again
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Thursday, December 10th, 2009 AT 7:53 PM
Tiny
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Hi there,

Thats good to hear, to be honest I would of thought that you would be up for a coil, but luck is on your side, the main thing is your up and running again, thank you for the feedback.

Good luck,

Mark (mhpautos)
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Thursday, December 10th, 2009 AT 8:01 PM

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