tjbartjr

Ok, here's the deal. My gf's car is a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, and I just got back from vacation and the car is having starting problems. When we went on vacation, the Lancer just sat in the garage.. Came home, went to start it up, nothing, so I figured it was a dead battery. Jumped it in the morning, started right up, let it idle for a while, drove about 60 miles on and off the highway, with a few stops, no problems....get off the highway, stop at the bottom of the ramp, and the car dies (it's an automatic, btw). So I push it across the road, and try to jump it again. This time, the engine's turning over but not catching, and the car jumping it was a V8, so it had plenty of juice to spare. I went and had the battery tested, found it to be defective, got it exchanged, installed it, went to start the car, and.... same as before. Turns over, but doesn't catch. Anyone have any suggestions as to what's going on here? Alternator? Battery, even though it's new? Starter? It's got plenty of gas, and I replaced the plugs about a month or so ago. Thanks for the input.

SatsumaxA

check for good spark at plugs, if none/poor then remove and test the coil and ignition module at local autozone (no charge) cause both are pricy. Also could be bad ground or wire connection from ignition to ECU... Car engines have two modes of operation, default (ECU preset) for cold engine and an active mode (ECU begins monitoring/adjust engine after warm up) seems like both modes were good if you drove for 60miles with a few stops so I really suspect something going bad with the ignition.... Also some cars have interlocks and alarms that kill ignition for safety reasons.You really need a service manual if you are going to tackle the repair yourself....
Good luck hope I helped...