Mitsubishi Repair: 92 EXPO WONT START SOMETIMES, coolant temperature sensor, engine coolant temperature sensor

Question
I HAVE A 92 EXPO 2.4L AUTOMATIC AWD 164,000 MILES.EVERY NOW AND THEN ENGINE WILL NOT START.IF YOU LET SIT FOR10-15MINUTES IT WILL START OR IF I PULL THE COIL WIRE OUT OF DIST.CAP AND CRANK ENGINE WITH WIRE NEXT TO ENGINE WILL GET SPARK.I HAVE TO TURN KEY OFF STICK COIL WIRE BACK IN CAP AND ENGINE WILL START.IF I DO NOT TURN KEY OFF AND STICK COIL WIRE BACK IN CAP ENGINE WILL NOT START.
TIMING BELT WAS RECENTLY REPLACED,COIL 2 YEARS OLD,PROBLEM IS ABOUT 6 MONTHS OLD.

Answer
Brian,
There may be a couple causes for your problem.  First, you should have your starter solenoid (electrical switch on the starter motor) checked.  As solenoid get older, they tend to not function well under high heat.  But once they cool done, they tend to function as they should.  If the solenoid is the problem, you'll need to have your starter replaced.

Second, You may need an ignition tune-up, which would include spark plugs, plug wires, dist. cap, and rotor.  All those items typically need to be replaced every 30,000 miles or so.  If you cannot find your problem in an ignition component, you may have a faulty engine coolant temperature sensor.  When those sensor start to go bad, you run into the problem you seeing where if you wait 15 minutes or so, the engine will start back up.

If all else fails, have your car's computer checked out.  Read this article for further information:
http://www.90gsx.com/eclipse/cap/caps.htm

If your ECU is malfunctioning, starting problems are usually what you would see first as evidence.  Have it checked to be sure it's not part of the problem.
Good luck!