99 Mitsubishi Gallant Starting Problem

Asked by Frans Dec 09, 2017 at 02:53 PM about the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I could really use a professional opinion as to how to proceed with
troubleshooting this problem. Have a 1999 Mitsubishi Galant (4 CYL)
(157,000 miles) and has been running fine until yesterday. Ran an errand
and came out to find the car turning but not starting. Checked the basics
before having it towed home. 1. Pulled a spark plug boot and it arced a spark
to metal so were good there. 2. Tried spraying starting fluid into air intake
(not even a sputter) so I’m guessing it’s not a fuel problem (or maybe starting
fluid not making it into cylinder?) 3.I looked through the Oil Cap while my
brother tried to start again (Didn’t see any movement) 4. Loosened timing
belt cover to inspect belt (same thing its not turning when we try to start) the
other accessory belts turn along with the starter but not the timing belt.
Question-Is it supposed to?
I am going to take the cover all the way off now that I’m home and in a
garage and inspect the belt closer and see what’s going on.
Again, I’m operating on the assumption that the timing belt should be turning
and maybe its stripped on the bottom.
What steps should I be taking towards troubleshooting this?
Thanks for your help.

4 Answers

330

Timing belt should always be moving whenever the engine is turning over. My guess is you probably have a stretched or broken timing belt - especially at 157K miles if it has never been replaced before. Engine crank & cam need to be positioned according to Mitsubishi specs before replacing the timing belt.

1 people found this helpful.

Thanks hotrox, Can i fill you in on where I'm at? 1. i removed the bottom timing belt inspection cover and verified that the belt has stripped some teeth. Is there any way to check for internal damage so I could know if replacing belt/pump/cam sensor/idlers ect is worth it? my fear is that I could go through all of this effort and expense only to find that there is piston/valve damage and I'm back at square one also, would you recommend just replacing the belt and stuff and seeing how (or if) it even runs? also, if i do replace the belt should I just cut off whats remaining of it so that when I align the various timing marks that it does not move other marks? Any advice on how to proceed is greatly appreciated

330

There is a video on YouTube that shows how to change the timing belt & water pump on the Mitsubishi 2.4L engine. After you view the video, you'll see that you need to do a little more than just cut off the old belt and slip on a new one. One thing you could do to see if there is any piston/valve damage is to replace just the timing belt and then do a compression check. Poor compression on any cylinder could indicate a bent valve. If compression is good, then you need to decide what other components to replace to complete the job.

I would recommend pulling the head even if the compression test turns out good. At 157k the head gasket may be failing. You will also need to check all tension and idler pulleys as well as counter weigh belt. The timing procedure is complicated. I think you can get various gasket and belt kits depending on the work you want to do. The value of the car and weather you want to keep it will also help make your decisions. I just did all this work on a 2003 galant with a 2.4 had no rust. Posted Jan 12, 2020.

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