1G 1991 Laser 2.0L NA won't idle and sounds horrible

[2liTl2L8]

hello all,
I was driving on the freeway a few weeks ago when all of a sudden my rpm gauge dropped to 0 and I lost all engine power and wouldn't start again. Long story short I figured it was the crankshaft angle sensor since the engine was still spinning (I have a manual and it was still in gear and the car was moving) and ordered a replacement on rock auto. I installed the part and it started back up and sounded/seemed normal again so I figured that I had solved the issue. However, a few days afterwards while I was making a turn and had the clutch pushed in it died again. This time I was able to restart it so I figured it was a fluke or I had let out the clutch and not realized. I was wrong. It started happening more often and now the car will initially start and idle, but once I start driving for a few minutes if I push in the clutch or put it in neutral the engine immediately dies. If I heel toe and keep the rpms up above a thousand it doesn't die but it has started sounding off from usual, almost like a lawn mower? I am not super experienced with these cars but I know enough to be dangerous. It doesn't seem from what I can tell that the crankshaft position sensor has shifted at all from when I set it, maybe its a bad part but it seems like something else is going on too. Before I replaced the part the car definitely wouldn't start and didn't have any spark or injectors firing so I do think that it went bad, but seems like something else is wrong too? I have recorded a video of it running sounding funny and have also included a google drive link to the original video. It is at in the low 160ks for mileage and as far as I know the engine is completely stock, I wasn't the first owner and have only had it for about a year. Thank you for your thoughts!

EDIT: at least on my computer the video doesn't seem to want to play embedded on the forum, click the pop out button and it should play just fine in google drive. Please give it a listen!

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[pauleyman]

Please complete a vehicle profile. We don't know what's done to your car unless you tell us in a profile.
Have you performed any maintenance? Timing belt and balance belt?

As for idle issues and dying look here.

https://www.dsmtuners.com/forum/frequently-answered-dsm-questions.44/

FAQ on idle is in this guide. The reference page contains 30 years of trial and error. Excellent references for newbies. Just about every problem you can think of has likely already been discussed.

One more thing you don't have a crank sensor. If you're talking about the thing off the valve cover thats a cam sensor. 1g cars don't have a crank sensor only 2g do and it's under the timing belt cover.

 

[2liTl2L8]

Please complete a vehicle profile. We don't know what's done to your car unless you tell us in a profile.
Have you performed any maintenance? Timing belt and balance belt?

Sorry I will do that right away. I have not done a timing/balance belt change during the duration of my ownership but the previous owner was a mechanic who said he had recently rebuilt the head and done the timing and balance belt and showed me pictures. That was around 145k according to him, and I have no reason to doubt him as I have had the timing belt and valve cover off and it all looks good, no cracks and the rubber is still pliable and the belt is tight.

https://www.dsmtuners.com/forum/frequently-answered-dsm-questions.44/

FAQ on idle is in this guide. The reference page contains 30 years of trial and error. Excellent references for newbies. Just about every problem you can think of has likely already been discussed.

This URL puts me on the main page for all the FAQs; I don't see one on idling? Correct me if I'm wrong I've been trying to search around the forum to find threads on 1g idling but I haven't found any that sound like what's happening to me yet.

One more thing you don't have a crank sensor. If you're talking about the thing off the valve cover thats a cam sensor. 1g cars don't have a crank sensor only 2g do and it's under the timing belt cover.

Sorry that's what I was referring to it as since that's what the Mitsubishi service manual calls it. I took a screenshot so you know exactly which piece I am talking about. I know its connected to the cam and not the crank directly but if what I understand is correct is that its purpose is to tell the ecu the progress of the engine and crankshaft through the 4 stroke cycle so it knows when to fire the injectors and spark.

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[pauleyman]

Sorry I will do that right away. I have not done a timing/balance belt change during the duration of my ownership but the previous owner was a mechanic who said he had recently rebuilt the head and done the timing and balance belt and showed me pictures. That was around 145k according to him, and I have no reason to doubt him as I have had the timing belt and valve cover off and it all looks good, no cracks and the rubber is still pliable and the belt is tight.

This URL puts me on the main page for all the FAQs; I don't see one on idling? Correct me if I'm wrong I've been trying to search around the forum to find threads on 1g idling but I haven't found any that sound like what's happening to me yet.

Sorry that's what I was referring to it as since that's what the Mitsubishi service manual calls it. I took a screenshot so you know exactly which piece I am talking about. I know its connected to the cam and not the crank directly but if what I understand is correct is that its purpose is to tell the ecu the progress of the engine and crankshaft through the 4 stroke cycle so it knows when to fire the injectors and spark.

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That's very interesting. Is that a factory manual?

Look in the faq section. You'll find the section on idle.

 

[2liTl2L8]

That's very interesting. Is that a factory manual?

Look in the faq section. You'll find the section on idle.

It's the manual I downloaded from the FAQ section, 90-91ecb I believe it was labeled.
The front page says copyright Mitsubishi and has the Chrysler 5 point logo so I figure its the factory one.

I found this looking over everything again: http://www.dsm.org/how-tos/tttt/tttt3.html. I think I missed it the first time since it is labeled idle surge when I have the opposite problem, but the page does mention dying when idling. After reading it through I have some questions.

Are Idle Speed Control and Fast Idle Air Valve the same thing, are they different parts of the same system, how do they interact?
Does that valve close all the way and if so could it being stuck closed cause the engine to die if the throttle body is shut?
Is it possible that a slightly faulty Cam Angle Sensor could cause a problem with idling or is it one of those parts that either fully works or fully doesn't work?
If there was a problem with the Idle Speed Control system could that cause my car to be sounding the way it is? Or is that a potentially separate issue?
Is there potentially something I'm missing maintenance/troubleshooting wise that could have caused all these problems downstream so quickly? Or is it a just a coincidence that multiple things happened to fail at around the same time? Before this series of events this car has been very good to me and never broken down or had problems it just seems a bit strange that it's all happening at once.
Thanks!