Random Stalling and Hesitation

[noboost4you]

1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX A/T 54,XXX miles

Every now and then at a stop light, the car decides to idle extremely low, shake, and stall. This doesn't happen all the time, but enough to where I know there is a problem. In the ten minutes of driving today, I got it to stall 5 times. Only when I am completely stopped or slowly coming to a stop (pulling into a parking space) the car dies.

When I put the car in neutral and sit at the light, I have no problems. I only stall when the transmission is in drive.

I replaced the spark plugs and drove around for 5 minutes and it wouldn't stall. Before the new plugs, it stalled 4 times within 5 minutes. A couple days after the new plugs, we're back to our old ways of stalling.

Even though the CEL isn't on, would a diagnostic machine pickup anything that could be wrong or do I need that light?

Any suggestions?

TIA

 

[ntjoe]

This happened to me also. I replaced the plug wires and that cleared it all up for me. If that dosent solve your problem, then you might want to see if the computer has any codes.....

Good Luck!
Joe

 

[noboost4you]

I changed the wires to no prevail. Car goes in for a diagnostic test tomorrow. Hopefully something will pop up.

 

[shwinp]

For future searchers:
Bad ECU is another possibility - after checking everything else, replacing the ecu worked for my mom's GS

 

[karbon]

I've had this happen after the battery posts get a little corrosion in between them and the ring terminals. It'll only take a few bucks to get a post + terminal brush and some corrosion inhibiting grease, and clean all that crap up. While you're at it, clean off the white wires' ring terminals (for the alt.). You may be amazed.
Another to check would be the alternator itsself.

 

[Game Over]

The GSX was doing it for a couple weeks only in neutral, but the battery was on its way out so we replaced that and it stopped the stalling problem too.