General problems.....

Hi guys, new to the board. I'm here to ask several questions about my gf's 1995 Galant LS Auto (Jsut turned 101k)

It hasn't been taken care of the best in the past 25k, but it has the following problems: I've looked at previous posts, but nothing really has helped. Sorry if anything is repeat, but i've looked back quite far.

1.) Poor Mileage. Shes getting 16-20 for city/highway (combined).
Granted it is winter in WI, shes had a tuneup 15k ago, tranny service couple hundred miles ago (to fix a tranny that was leaking fluid, and slipping because of it). I believe her g-pa even changed the plugs/airfilter recently. Oil is changed every 3-4months and 3k or less.
All the fluids are topped - tranny,oil,coolant,ps. tires are inflated to 33 or so. Trann doesnt seem to be slipping like it used to. RPMs used to go down before it shifts. No blue smoke on start up.
2.) bad clunks in front and rear.
Ball joints (both recalls done 00 and 01), tie rods replaced in Oct. I believe what ever wasnt replaced on the recall (ball joints), were replaced last summer as well. I dont know about sway bar link, stabil. bars,etc. You can feel the clunk through the steering wheel and hear it - its pretty loud! Rear clunks as well.
3.) Should tranny be taking 10-15 minutes to shift into OD? Its not going into OD at highway speeds until it gets warmed up. I know some cars do this, but it still does it after fluid was changed/added. I
4.) Tranny will not downshift from 2-1 unless your going like 5 miles per hour (like a rolling start) or floor it at a stop and go light. I hear they are slow to downshift, but this one doesn't like to downshift 2-1, it will downshift 3-2,torque converter-3,etc. It just seems rather lazy. She doesnt beat it, but it has no pick up once you get going.
It seems like when you first start, its accel. is pretty slow. i dont think its slipping, but its just seems lazy.
5.) Check Engine light - randomly on. Went to Checker/AutoZone, used their scanners, found nothing - wouldn't init. scan. I believe this car is OBDII (manufactored in 6-95). I have a hunch there is a bad O2 sensor, but again, scanner either didnt find anything/had a problem reading it. She took it to a dealer several years ago and they couldnt find a problem (I dont know if the light has to be physically on in order to check the code) It RARELY comes on.
5.) Door locks randomly locks. I had to pay 75 dollars to get a locksmith to open the doors because I accidently locked the keys in. (other set was 100 miles away, yes i know....) Could this be a fuse?
6.) Slow to start when its sitting for a day or more. Regardless of weather Lights dim/fan blower reduces speed a fair amount when you let off gas( i know a little is normal). Could this be the alt./battery?

Timing belt/balance something were both replaced at 85k. Thermostat at 55k. Tires/alignment recently. Everything else seems to be OK.

She just would like to get the gas mileage to improve. She is a college student like me, and doesnt have alot of money (who does in college?).
Thank you for your time and helping her out. I have read the posts on these boards and their are alot of knowledgeable people who can hopefully help.
Thank you for your time

try replaceing the fuel filter, and running a bottle of complete fuel system cleaner through it. also, replace the pcv valve, and clean the throttle plate off with a can of "intake and throttle body cleaner". use a wrag to make sure you get every last bit of grime off the throttle plate. doing this will definatly restore some of your lost power and throttle response. its really cheap too(like 15 bucks for everything)
on obd1 cars if the oxygen sensor goes bad, its not going to send Check engine light. but it will cause the car to run over rich. giving you poor mileage. in time you can ruin spark plugs from running too rich all the time. So, if you've never replaced the o2, i'd recomend it. Replace the front one first.
your locks are malfunctioning due to a bad door lock actuator. you can only get these at the dealer.
a quick fix is to unplug your power door locks. yeah it sucks, but i will keep you from getting locked out. Or you can always take the keys with you when you aren't in the car.

Thanks for those suggestions. I actually ran a bottle (or 2!) of fuel cleaner through the engine - Techron stuff that is supposed to be good. Nothing. Did it again - nothing. I will have to figure out how to clean the throttle body.
I am still curious to any suggestions on if this car is OBDI/or OBDII?
Any other ideas about the problems?
Thanks!!!!

IIRC the 95s are an OBD1/OBDII hybrid of sorts, but has the functionality of an OBDII. Very curious as to why the scanner couldn't pick anything up.

How low did the tranny fluid get before the problem was noticed? That could easily relate to the tranny issues you've had.

RE: clunking... Have you replaced your struts? I'd guess that would be the issue.

I noticed on many 7G Galants the locks tend to get a little crazy after awhile. Do they work sporadically or not at all?

Scanner : Apparently, if the car was OBDII (which is 99% isn't), you need an adapter for a scan tool - a generic just won't get it done. Tried 2 places, neither worked. Said Connect Error or sometihng like that - seems very common according to other posts. I am gonna get the codes today the old fashion way to see if anything pops up. We'll see ( and i'll post)

Tranny? I honestly know know. It lost almost 1/4 a quart in a week or so, so I would guess it was leaking for possibly months...... I wouldnt know - I couldnt find the stupid dipstick before a month ago (when we got it fixed).

Struts? I dont think they were ever replaced. I did the bounce test in the front and it doesn't really bounce back.

Any ideas for the gas consumption?

Ok, so the car isnt OBDI at all, it is 100% OBDII. I looked and crawled under the dash and only saw a black port right next to the center column. That is the only one - nothing next to the fuse box,etc. Frustrating........

Power locks locked themselves....luckily I had the key in my pocket. go figure. It happens at random - no pattern!
Sometimes they dont even lock.....

Tranny slips a little when you start (rpms go down before it shifts, big production when I shifted aka clunk), I drove it around until the fluid was at operating temp, it is normal. It will randomly let you downshift from 2-1. It allowed me twice at higher speeds (20*30ish) but still not at slow slow speeds.

your car should be obd1.
just look at your vehicle catalyst under the hood. its actually on the hood, on the inside of it. it will tell you which model year, the base idle and timing, the on board diagnostic version, and should have a vaccum hose diagram near it.
the ecu runs obdi, but the diagnostic port is for an obd2 style scanner. its under your steering culumn right where the steering column panel meets the center dash panels. should be a trapezoid.
none the less, i don't think there is a check code for the o2 on the obd1 ecu's, it just tells you if its getting a signal or not, not if the signal is proper.

I looked under the hood - it doesnt say OBD2, but there is the adapter right next to the center that is OBD2 - like you said. so how do i check the code then if its OBDI computer and OBD2 adapter? I cant get the AutoZone and Checkers scanners to work. Called Mits dealer today and they said to call local import place to see what type of scanner they use. Firestone doesnt even test 95's....

i'm sorry, i could be going blind here but it looked like you typed that the mitsu dealer said to call someone else? Doesn't sound like the dealers i know.
this is the deal.
if you are not throwing a code, then all the scanner is going to be good for is telling you what voltage is coming from the o2. thats if its actaully a true diagnostic tool, not just a code reader.
i really think you should change out your o2 sensors anyways, did you ever check your plugs for fouling?
have you changed the spark plugs recently?
its also possible that your timing belt is out of time. which will kill your mileage and potentially your performance.

Yes, the dealer did tell me to check with local import dealers about the code scanners. Firestone doesn't even carry the software to use their scanner. Pretty nice, eh? Oh well.....

The plugs were changed recently (1-2k), if not, the oldest they would be is around 15k. I can check them as well. The timing belt was done at 86K for the first time I believe.

Here's what I would do, pretty much what others suggest:

- Replace front O2 sensor
This is the most likely culprit of your fuel economy and running like crap
problems. If she's going to keep the car for awhile, you'll end up doing
it anyway.

- Replace Fuel Filter
This is the second most likely culprit of your running like crap problem,
and your cold start problem. It's also cheap and relatively easy to
replace.

- Check for vacuum leaks
If you have vacuum leaks, the ECU can't control A/F mix properly.

- Clean the throttle body
This would make it idle better, but that's about it.

- Compression Test
This is hard to do and if the answer is "your compression is too low"
there isn't a hell of a lot you can do about it aside from a rebuild,
but it would explain the poor running condition and fuel economy
if you simply have worn out rings and/or valves.

- Flush and fill transmission with Mitsu Diamond ATF if you haven't already
If the fluid is old, the detergents are worn out and small transmission
parts get varnished, causing them to stick.

- Italian tune-up, if your girlfriend is a defensive driver.
[This just means driving it briskly at high RPM for awhile to
burn out the carbon deposits]

-Jack it up and check for play in all the transmission/steering parts.
Was the car clunking when you got the alignment? Didn't they notice?
You might check the exhaust hangers when you're down there.

-Check small distributor parts if its a V6, maybe replace the wires.

Yes, it was said that the ball joints + tie rods were just about ready to fall off. Her grandpa checked it out and replaced them within the past 6-8 months. When we got the tranny leak fixed at Mits dealer, they did a free check and didnt find anything else wrong with it (they probably didnt look at the front suspension).
I looked at the suspension on the ground yesterday afternoon, and I can't tell other than the parts all look really old and rusty. i just bought a new 2 ton jack for my car (OEM jack broke while I was changing the tire) so I should check it out!