Mitsubishi Repair: intermittent problem starting 1999 Galant, mitsubishi galant, fuel pump relay

Question
I have recently developed a problem starting my 1999 Mitsubishi Galant ES with 4 cyl automatic engine. Car turns over but stalls immediatly. This will happen over and over until I disconnect the negative terminal and then reattach it. When the car starts again it can start for weeks without a problem and then all of a sudden happen again. I tried both keys thinking it was a faulty chip, tried resetting the alarm by putting key in drivers door. I already changed the fuel pump relay as it was the easiest thing to change. Could this be caused by a faulty ignition coil even though there are two coils for the car? If so, would this be intermittent and show on a scan of the cars computer? What else would cause this considering the car runs smoothly once it starts?
Thanks, James

Answer
James,
If removing and reattaching the battery cable allowed it to start can indicate a computer problem.  Your ECU is the main computer that controls the fuel, air, and spark for your engine.  By disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, that is like a hard reset of your computer.  Once reset, your computer must relearn the environment conditions and your driving style.  So after a while, it had relearned and that can cause it to fail after a few weeks.  You will usually only be able to scan your ECU if the check engine light had come on.  But it's possible your transmission computer (TCU) could hold some codes.  You may want to consider having the dealership inspect your car's computers and determine if they need to be serviced.
Good luck!