Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 44
 
Location: NSW | Administrator - 20/8/2013 12:03
Jeff...if your car is under warranty then YES it is a warranty item.
As for any LPG parts...contact paul Nolan at Impco in Melbourne...they did one for me just afew months ago (see GTL going to QLD thread)
I cannot praise this kit enough, it delivers superb economy and performance.
oh yes..."slow" oxygen sensors in a 380 are FAULTY oxygen sensors!
Thank you John and Terry especially, for your help and advice so far.
Before I picked the car back up from the LPG specialist, I insisted that the O2 sensors should be replaced. But he basically said he spent some time talking to the people at Impco, and loaded a new tuning program that "heats up the cat faster", and also replaced the automatic fuel limiter to cure the overfilling issue. He reiterated that it is a great car with only minor issues that are now fixed. Charged me $50 for LPG again (apparently the dealer has covered all other costs), and off I went...
Not long after, I noticed the idling revs when in-gear would vary greater than before. The variation would start after the engine has been idling for about 20 seconds or so (e.g. at a red light). On one particular trip, the idling in-gear revs went up halfway through the trip from the usual steady 650rpm or so, to about 850rpm, and stayed there until the end of the trip when I stopped the engine. While I was slightly concerned, I perceived this as the result of the car adjusting to the new tuning program. As this is a Friday to Sunday car (I take public transport otherwise), it made it through the first weekend.
However, when driving the car last Friday night, I noticed the idling in-gear had become more "lumpy" and erratic, and would begin as soon as the car has stopped. Revs would drop (to just over 500rpm) and rising (to about 800rpm) more frequently at random intervals, with the engine shuddering and jerking. Then, the Check Engine light came back on and stayed on while the car was moving. And whenever I try to accelerate, the engine would refuse to rev for a few seconds, then the revs would flare up resulting in a burst of acceleration, and the Check Engine light would flash as soon as that happens. Unlike previously, I now have video evidence of the issues. Here they are (please turn up the volume on your computer while viewing):
First video
Second video
Third video (probably the best out of the three)
[I also have slightly downsized versions of the above videos, but it is harder to make out the "jumping" tacho, and my commentary from those.]
I have not touched the car since.
The car, a 2005 model with less than 145,000 km, was purchased early in June. The contract includes a warranty that (I quote)...
NOTE: The selling dealer must be given first opportunity to arrange warranty repairs
* 3 months or 5,000 kilometres after sales (whichever first occurs) for a motor vehicle that has been driven for not more than 160,000 km and was manufactured not more than 10 years before the date of sale. No warranty if the vehicle exceeds either of these requirements.(end quote)
And then in smaller font (again I quote)...
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure. (end quote)
I have continued in my email communications with the dealer. This time, I have asked for a full refund based on the fact that I have already given him an opportunity to repair the vehicle, and I have already stated that I reserve all legal right to request a full refund if the problem is not fixed. Also, based on the fact that I have lost all confidence on the vehicle, as stalling in a motorway tunnel around a blind corner at night on the first night I got it (I was unaware of the Australian Consumer Law bit at the time) has to be perceived by any reasonable person as a major failure, and now after the supposed repair of the minor issue(s), different symptoms have now popped up, one of which presents itself as a new danger to both my surrounding motorists as well as myself (for a car that does not accelerate when I ask it to, which means someone can rear-end me...and then the subsequent burst of acceleration means I can rear-end someone else), not to mention the rough idling that seems as if the car is running on four out of six cylinders...totally not in keeping with any 380!
In response, the dealer simply asked me when I can bring the car (back to the ACT) for him to look at its current condition... Questions: A) I note that The selling dealer must be given first opportunity to arrange warranty repairs. Does this mean that I can now take the car to say, Terry, so we can check out the waveforms and put them up here (it will be a great help Terry!)?
B) Terry: does that also mean that I can/should take the car to your recommended Mitsubishi dealer to scan the fault codes? C) Is it true that prolonged running in this state would have already damaged the car mechanically, so it is definitely not a good idea to keep owning (sorry but I am running a very tight budget at the moment, and the car that I keep, I need to drive into the ground over many, many years!)? D) Is it possible for me to continue this in a PM addressed to BOTH of you? Sorry I seem to only be able to PM one person at a time... Grateful for your assistance! Kind regards, Jeff
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Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 44
Location: NSW | Thank you Terry. I will see if I have time left to email the two of you.
Without disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, I will run it purely on petrol tonight, and then back to LPG again, and see what happens.
Will try to reassess idle revs tonight, with the air con off.
I have had numerous opportunities to drive my Mum's 2005 Mazda 6 since new. Its 5 speed auto can lockup/unlock torque converter from as little as 40km/h in 3rd gear, depending on how much accelerator is applied, and my 380's lockup/unlock felt and behaved similarly. But what I experienced last Friday, is that the revs would stop rising about halfway through reaching the required accelerator angle, and then a few unpredictable seconds later, the revs would catch up and rush up immediately, resulting in a surge of acceleration...so unlikely to be related to the torque converter...
Is there any chance I can show you the car some time this week? |
Recent LPG Starvation Issue
