Car problems - what could it be?
Discussion
Live in oz and drive a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna TR (think older Galant from the UK).
Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Fiddlemesticks said:
Live in oz and drive a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna TR (think older Galant from the UK).
Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Aliens - classic case. You don't live in the outback do you?Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
msgmsg said:
Fiddlemesticks said:
Live in oz and drive a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna TR (think older Galant from the UK).
Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Aliens - classic case. You don't live in the outback do you?Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
andyquantum said:
Damn, I was going to say alternator as well.
Er...
Coil pack!
Coil Pack or HT leads might cause a misfire, but so long as the engine is turning at a reasonable speed the alternator should generate enough juice to power the lights. Or on the bright side it could be all 3! Er...
Coil pack!
chippy17 said:
msgmsg said:
Fiddlemesticks said:
Live in oz and drive a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna TR (think older Galant from the UK).
Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Aliens - classic case. You don't live in the outback do you?Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
james_tigerwoods said:
chippy17 said:
msgmsg said:
Fiddlemesticks said:
Live in oz and drive a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna TR (think older Galant from the UK).
Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Aliens - classic case. You don't live in the outback do you?Driving home tonight the car stars to judder, or rather the power started to judder, like the fuel is cutting in and out very rapidly.
Then the lights (internal and external) start to dim quite a lot and the radio basically just cuts out.
Then whilst all this is going on it wont rev any higher than 4000rpm.
So i'm driving along, lights dimming, power restricted and seemingly about to break down.
Then i start to hear like popping, or rather backfiring, but rather quiet from under the car just behind the engine.
Starting to feel like i was about to completely stop it all goes away and full electrics, power etc come back.
Anyway, make it home 2 mins later fairly relieved. Reverse into the garage stop and turn the car off.
Figure i'll try and restart and it wont, but the starter motor flicks over at very rapid speed, or rather making a very rapid clicking noise, but it wont start.
So, any ideas what might have gone?
Mitsubishis are known in Australia for having poor electronics that fail often, especially on Magnas, so it will likely be something like that. Magnas are stupidly cheap anyway so just buy another one, or else there is probably an abandoned one down the end of your street somewhere which you can raid parts off.
Road_Terrorist said:
Mitsubishis are known in Australia for having poor electronics that fail often, especially on Magnas, so it will likely be something like that. Magnas are stupidly cheap anyway so just buy another one, or else there is probably an abandoned one down the end of your street somewhere which you can raid parts off.
Ah ha. This'll be the source of your problem. Some pikey bugger has raided your car for spares!Munter said:
Road_Terrorist said:
Mitsubishis are known in Australia for having poor electronics that fail often, especially on Magnas, so it will likely be something like that. Magnas are stupidly cheap anyway so just buy another one, or else there is probably an abandoned one down the end of your street somewhere which you can raid parts off.
Ah ha. This'll be the source of your problem. Some pikey bugger has raided your car for spares!Fiddlemesticks said:
I think the Alternator also.
I didnt say that for the last year the battery light on the dash has flicked on and off and just recently it just stayed on. Car has always fired up ok though.
I take it the burning smell is probably the Alternator burning out?
I didnt say that for the last year the battery light on the dash has flicked on and off and just recently it just stayed on. Car has always fired up ok though.
I take it the burning smell is probably the Alternator burning out?
it sounds like the alternator brushes have worn out, the alternator has got hot and roasted itself.Alternator and has now caned the battery. If you charge it the car will start but as the alternator isn't charging all the power will come from battery which will die again in about 5 minutes.
Mine had all those symptons you mention spread out in the space of about 7 minutes; lucky I was 500m from home
Mine had all those symptons you mention spread out in the space of about 7 minutes; lucky I was 500m from home
Edited by Simes205 on Thursday 19th June 08:16
Cheers for all the responses.
RAC come out. Car bloody starts which is great but feel like a tit. Anyway, the RAC man said the battery is now charging but the regulator on the Alternator is knackered. So needs a new regulator.
Thankfully there are a few mobile mechanics here in oz so will get it serviced at the same time:
$143 for the service
$120 to fix the regulator.
If it works out well 130 quid to sort it all and service the car whilst at my house is fine by me.
RAC come out. Car bloody starts which is great but feel like a tit. Anyway, the RAC man said the battery is now charging but the regulator on the Alternator is knackered. So needs a new regulator.
Thankfully there are a few mobile mechanics here in oz so will get it serviced at the same time:
$143 for the service
$120 to fix the regulator.
If it works out well 130 quid to sort it all and service the car whilst at my house is fine by me.
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