1993 Mitsubishi - won't start- key problem
Asked by Ricksoldschoolchevy Jun 08, 2014 at 12:47 AM about the 1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT SL FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My 3000GT SL won't start. Guages, lights - everything else works. For months, if you
turned the key just right, it would start. Well, it finally started for the last time. No
clicking or any other noise for that matter. I have a full 3 volume shop manual, but can't
figure out if it is the key cylinder or the ignition switch - or how to fix it if I were able to
figure out which one it is and I've been working on my own cars for 40 years. ANY
assistance you can provide will be GREATLY appreciated.
Richard Ernst
12 Answers
Rick,i think ,your car also has a electric starter control module which may be bad.If you don,t here a click when you turn igntion.
But also,if youve had bad luck with the key in the past,,,change cylinder lock first
Ricksoldschoolchevy answered 9 years ago
I hate to ask, but in this instance, I can not make heads or tails on how to remove the column cover to get to the cylinder lock. Any advice?
Remove screw,s from bottom side,should come apart,but thats the easy part.when you go to remove cylinder lock,key must be in it,turned to the unlock postion. should slide right out.
If you have manual you should be able to read threw it.
These are known to go bad. Most times jiggling the key while turning will get them to start if its the switch issue. Have you checked the clutch pedal switch. These to will give you no start issues.
Oh and another thing that happens with these is the screws holding the wire harness to back of switch become loose. When you drop the covering from the lower half of steering column you will see the harness on the left under side of steering wheel. Check the screws that hold it to back of switch. Might get lucky and they just be loose
tst said it all - he owns the SHOP MANUAL
Ricksoldschoolchevy answered 9 years ago
Wiggling the key worked for awhile. We have the full shop manual, but there was no illustration for getting the key cylinder out. No, I forgot about the clutch pedal switch. I feel semi-certain it's the key cylinder lock and I had no idea about loose screws causing the problem. Thanks to all, I now have some work to do checking out these things.
Yea shop manuals are great to have BUT they do not normally have insight into the real issues car owners have. They show you where stuff is and how to replace things but they don't have a clue about all the little weird things that a 21 year old car can throw at its owner. I will take the insight of a fellow DIY owner over a shop manual any day of the week.
marioflores answered 7 years ago
I had the same issue. I tested my starter and it was good, then the starter relay good also, the screws on my ignition cylinder were tight. And nothing, my car was dead for 2 weeks. Then i re pulled the starter and noticed the wire conector to the solenoid was a little loose, i took some pliers re crimp it and put the starter back on..... and just like that my car came back to life. Amazing how something so simple had me going crazy. Hope this helps.
