Car is all back together and in no better condition than when I started. Waste of time and money. Since the dealers were no help and most likely would end up in a replacement engine or a complete rebuild if I did take it in. We/I have decided to throw in the towel on this one. As soon as we find something else it's either going for parts or I'm going to watch it get picked up with the claw and set on a pile.
I'm not sure where I went wrong taking care of this car but it seems that there is something I missed.


Good luck to anyone else who has a problem like this but save yourself both time and money and dump the car before it's too late. I gave it my best efforts but I guess there comes a time when you just have to call it quits. As long as we can get better than scrap value out of it I don't see how it couldn't be a quality beater. I already can attest to the fact that it runs pretty darn good on low oil pressure. Maybe I'll spend enough to at least change the oil since it's pretty milky from the coolant leaking in during cylinder head removal.


No offense but this has been my first experience working on a Dodge and it did not go quite as I had planned.

 

Good luck!

 

Yeah, Chiltons specs 38in-lb or something like that for the valve covers. After doing that the first time it bent the covers and they leaked. I pulled them off and had to bend the covers to get it to seal again. Stupid me torqued them again and now they leak oil onto the manifolds again. Great fun driving with smoke rolling out from under the hood.
Black RTV to the rescue! Guess what I get to do today after work.


Just a heads up that the valve covers don't need tightened down very much and they are $100+ for each one. Don't over tighten them! Nothing a hammer, block of wood and a large pin punch can't straighten out though.

 

Not sure what happened now but the oil light only comes on at idle again. Prior to this it would be on anytime below 3000rpm. It's a big mystery in my book and I'm not even sure what to think. Spun bearing? Oil pump pressure valve seat? Or just a car that hates me?
We'll never know. I just thought I would put that up to prove that this car could be a reincarnation of Christine. Without the whole driving by itself and killing people part.

 

2 months later apparently. I got a big kick in the sack and the Stratus is now MY daily driver. I smile every time I am driving and there is the potential for the car to get totaled.


On a side note: Has anyone else ever noticed that you can't get your hand onto the shifter if in PARK and there is anything in the cup holders? Coupled with the fact that anything larger than a can will not sit flat because the dash actually sticks out over the cup holders. There's a good chance I hate that more about the car than working on the same problem with this car for the last 5 and a half years.


Stick around and maybe I'll keep working on it as long as I don't spiral into madness.

 

An update regarding how it's running. So far everything is pretty much the same. It now takes a 1-2 second crank, then pause before cranking again and it will fire up. This is only necessary if the car has sat overnight though. So, from my past experiences this points towards a lean condition which still makes sense because the lash adjusters are collapsed and not drawing full air in a couple cylinders. Making the O2 read rich and lean out all the cylinders on that associated bank. Blah blah blah, pretty sure I covered that a few pages back.


So, either my short drives to work have affected the AFR because it rarely sees closed loop. Or else the problem is getting worse and more cylinders are dropping out. Either way it's getting more fun to drive every day.
I really like the downshift from 2nd to 1st when it slams because of the inconsistent manifold vacuum. Sometimes I have to feather the pedal when coming to a stop if I can feel it coming on. No sense in taking out the transmission even though the engine is a POS.


I'm starting to kick myself for not checking all the rod bearings when I had the pan off. Not really in the mood to go through all that work again though. But darn it I can't help but feel bad watching a car die a slow death.

 

This miracle car is still alive and getting terrible mileage in the process. Other than the terrible fuel economy it still runs and drives just sluggish at times.
If I ever get caught up on a few projects, I believe I can drop the oil pan and get to the pressure relief valve without removing the oil pump. If that is in fact true then it's a 1 hour job to replace the spring and reassemble. Or I just do it anyway during the next oil change and see what happens. I have been looking around the internets and it does not appear there is any information regarding the pump relief valve spring specs.
I might have to send Mitsubishi an email and commend them on an engine that can run on practically no oil pressure for over 7 years and also inquire about the spring.

I can't say it was fun being on the forum but I doubt I'll be back until I either get this problem resolved or else the car is gone. I just want to have the courtesy to leave a trail in the event it helps someone some day. Nothing worse than having a similar problem when searching forums and there was never a conclusion be it good or bad.

 

At this point the subject of the thread should have been different.
Recently the car started dying with a terrible idle.
Bit the bullet and put in a new oil pump... no change to idle and I'd like it to run better before I find out if the pump solves the oil pressure issue.
Right now I have the injectors out to give them a cleaning and the cat converter removed to make sure it wasn't plugged. By any chance does someone know if the injector pintel cap has 2 holes or is it an hourglass shape? I'm thinking the gas has cut away the plastic on the caps over time and now just sprays a solid stream instead of splitting in two.
There is a mis at idle and it has to be either fuel or ignition related. Have yet to check engine vacuum and see what clues I get from a gauge. There were no codes before all this started aside from the normal "3&6 Misfire"
Amazon has a set of 6 reman injectors for around $85 which isn't a terrible deal. I have also suspected the normal sensors but without a code it's hard to know unless I just see what sort of signal they are putting out.

Rundown on items left to check or replace if needed:

1. Plugs/wires
2. Distributor Cap/Rotor
3. EGR
4. Engine vacuum when running
5. Injectors - if nothing else turns up
6. TPS, MAP, ECT, O2 sensors

 

4 months later and the car is still not running. Still no final thoughts regarding oil pressure at idle because it will not stay running long enough to find out. I put in a new cap/rotor and plugs. That resulted in no change. Engine vacuum is terrible low at 11 inches at idle. Gauge needle holds steady which from research indicates either a massive vacuum leak or timing retarded. Idle speed is low enough I don't suspect a leak but I did a visual of all vacuum lines and went over the engine with propane and that didn't point anything out.
I swapped out the cheap CPK sensor I changed out years ago when the "3&6 Misfire" first started and put the factory one back in. That also made no difference. Now I am questioning if I advanced the TDC mark on the crank pulley back 3 notches when I put the belt on after changing the pump.
I'm hoping that pulling the wheel and checking it with a light will show the pulley running around 30* advanced in relation to 0 on the cover. If not I guess I'll be pulling the covers again and checking. Had them off a few days ago because I forgot to put sealant on the oil pump bolts.
If I stay on the gas it will run enough to drive but anything less than maybe 10% throttle will allow it to die. I'm assuming that the PCM advances timing enough to run at that point.
In the event belt timing is good I have to be left with the distributor. I suppose I go through this video and see what I find out: Did I mention I hate this car?

 

Attention please help me find this car 2000 dodge stratus 2.4l black wisconsin title vin: 1B3EJ46X0YN306985 if you find this vehicle or have information please email me at mjboak04@gmail.com thank you it will be very much appreciated.