Smart Fortwo Pulse MHD 2009 ignition turn over

[ammoofficial]

Hi, I was hoping someone could help me with a little advice. I bought a SMART fortwo 451 Pulse MHD recently and i love driving it. however one thing that bugs me is that when i start it, engine cranks, making a sluggish whirring sound, for longer than usual before the engine starts then chokes at 2k Revs For example, it takes a second or two to turn over and when it does is seems as if i'm getting a weak spark, Whereas my cousins passion  451 2008 and brothers pulse 451 2010 start instantly and you feel the power of the engine and choke. i thought it could of been the spark plugs but i serviced the car last week, I've even removed the battery and re added it but it did't seem to do anything. could this be something to do with the MHD, Starter motor or even ignition coils or battery?

 

i don't want to be going changing stuff that doesn't need changing :-)

 

I was hoping someone could advise me what it could be? 

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Ammo

 

Edited November 21, 2019 by ammoofficial

[Chopper]

 MHD's have a poor rep here in the UK and are unloved by the Smart community.  Alas, the general small car buyer doesnt know this and think they're getting a hassle free economical car.  Because the clued up Smart buyer knows this they can be difficult to sell. and it's not unknown for sellers, and even garages to remove the MHD badging and the switch in the centre consol and fit the blank panel fro. a non MHD model to disguise the fact it's an MHD.

 

Obvious thing to check is that all the belts are intact, in position, in appropriate good condition and at the correct tension.  Most particularly the MHD belt should be present, on its pulley properly, tensioned nice and taut, and undamaged.

 

Any warning lights? 

 

Any codes?

 

Just because the plugs are new doesnt mean one or more isn't faulty, and this is more common than people realise.  Refit the old ones and try again.

 

Do a proper drop test on the battery.

 

Are all the coil packs correctly plugged back in following the service? You might want to remove them and get them tested, or substitute another set.

 

You say you serviced it...what exactly did you do?  Is there any coolant in it, or has it cooked itself? What is the oil level at, and is there any evidence of nasties in the oil? What oil did you use - these mitsubishi engines are generally tough, but are sensitive to the wrong oil and can suffer serious damage quickly.  Is there any oil pressure?

 

Alas, so many things it could be and it's difficult to diagnose from afar, but I'd be checking all the above in the first instance. That might at least give you some clue as to whether it's an external fault causing rough startng and running, or whether theres been a major internal failure.

 

Good luck.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Chopper

[ammoofficial]

Thanks for the reply. No, no warning lights or codes. the service included oil change 5/30, Oil, Air Filter, Spark Plugs. other than that the car runs smooth. i'll get some ignition coils and battery and try that.

 

Thanks for your help 

[Leadwing]

The following is a direct quote from the Evilution site in the UK.  ... 

 

"Mitsubishi make the petrol engines and they seem to recommend 5W-40 no
matter where you are. 5W-40 is fine unless you live in a VERY cold or VERY hot
country in which case go for 0W for cold and 10W for hot."

 

Are you in London, England, London, Ontario or one of the other three Londons?

 

[Willys]

Hmmmm.....does this version have the same SAM if so perhaps it also has the same SAM issues we have with bad solder joints which could be causing your issues, just a long stab in the dark....?    Also water issues seeing as these cars are so water tight....lol....being very sarcastic here.....they suffer from water damage all the time from what i see....check all connections and grounding pins. Don't just look at them, undo them and check between each eyelet connectors. Also all plugs in the SAM and ECU....then check main grounding wire going from engine to body at rear of engine.

 

Edited November 21, 2019 by Willys

[Chopper]

Try unplug the coil packs one by one.  If you remove one and nothing changes then that's your culprit.