Car will not rev over 3,000 RPM's, check engine light is on

FRYD117

MEMBER
2004 MITSUBISHI LANCER
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
92,000 MILES

I have the car listed above it is a Ralliart )not Lancer) with the 2.4L MIVEC in it. Driving home from work the other night my car all of a sudden seemed like I hit the rev limiter and the rpm's went all the way down to 2,500 from about 4,000 and would not go back above 3,000 rpm's. I can turn it on and it idles at about 800 rpm. When I go to drive it feels like there is no gas pedal until it is mashed to the floor. It is not overheating but the check engine light is on. There is no knocking or other sounds coming from the engine.

5 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,815 POSTS

When the CEL turns on, an error has been detected by the engine control system and it could affeect the engine performance. Get a scan done to retrieve the trouble codes and post the code here so I can get the required information for you.

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Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 AT 12:30 PM

MUSBAHGT

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hi, I have a Mitsubishi Spacewagon. The car has a hard start when I press on acceleration pedal noting responding. The check lamp flashing on the dashboard. Pardon I do not speak English very well.

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Saturday, May 5th, 2018 AT 11:08 PM

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
12,968 POSTS

MUSBAHGT, would you please use this link to ask this as a new question. Add as much information as you can. year/make/model and engine size and describe the problem. Do not be concerned about your English, most of the folks who worry about that usually are much better than they think. Thank you.

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/new

As a first item you say a flashing CEL. That usually means you have a misfiring problem. Spark plugs/wires/coils being the common problems. However, it could also be fuel related like a plugged fuel filter or low fuel pressure causing a lean condition. Or a broken/cracked vacuum line which also results in a lean mixture and misfires.
Any of the above will make it harder to start and lower power.

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Sunday, May 6th, 2018 AT 7:30 AM

MUSBAHGT

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3 POSTS

I have these codes; p1225, p0220 and P1012. Space Wagon 2000, four wheel drive A/T.

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Tuesday, May 29th, 2018 AT 3:20 PM

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
12,968 POSTS

Okay, the first two codes point to the throttle position sensor/actuator. If it has failed that would put the engine into limp mode and flash the CEL. To diagnose it you would need a good scan tool to watch the response from the ECU as you slowly move the throttle and watch the responses from the two control circuits. It could be a faulty sensor/actuator or the wiring to it could be damaged or a corroded connection.
If you do not have access to a scan tool the fastest "test" can sometimes be to just replace the unit itself.

The other code is for high fuel pressure. This could be linked to the other two codes as the power train controller uses the inputs from the TPS and other sensors to increase/decrease the fuel pressure based on engine load and throttle position. If the bad sensor in the actuator is telling the computer that you are holding the throttle wide open, that would increase the pressure, but the other sensor would be saying you are not holding it wide open, so you get the code as a warning that something is wrong.

I would check the wiring over good first. If you find no corrosion in the connector or damage to the harness then you can either use a scan tool or replace the unit.