Mitsubishi Repair: 94 Diamante, unsolved prob, mitsubishi diamante, 1994 mitsubishi diamante

Question
Hi Anthony,
 I have a 1994 Mitsubishi Diamante ES 3.O V6 sedan. It has an automatic transmission. The problem started about 3 weeks ago. while driving home from work, I slowed down at traffic lights and when I hit the gas paddel, the car seemed to hesitate. The next day the car started fine but started stalling as soon as I hit the gas. The car would not go above 5 miles and if I tried to the engine would die. I tried to go up a hill and faced the same problem. It seems as soon as I put some pressure on the engine, first it stalls and if I persist then it dies. I took it to the dealer and they said the distributor needed to be replaced. They did so but still the problem continues. Even the dealer is stumped, he says that he is not getting any codes and everything is fine according to him. I did not get any check engine light when this happened. The spark plugs and the wires were changed 500 miles previously and a complete tune up was done. The fuel system was also cleaned. The car has clocked 122000 miles on it. I really hope you can help me on this.
Thank You

Answer
Karan,
The dealership mechanic may not be your best choice for a mechanic now that your car is over 10 years old.  I don't understand why he would suggest replacing the distributor when this sounds more of an air, fuel or transmission problem.  Shop around your area for a mechanic with experience with foreign (particularly Japanese) cars.  Ask what they charge for an hourly rate.  

It sounds to me that either your car is not receiving enough fuel when you step on the pedal, the intake air pressure is too low, or your transmission is faulty.  Any mechanic can check your fuel and air flow.  Have those items checked before you go any further.  If they prove to be fine, look for a transmission specialty shop in your area.  They should check your torque converter.  The torque converter is responsible for varying the amount of the torque (or turning power) that goes from your engine to your transmission.  If the torque converter is not functioning propertly, your car may think it's always stuck in one gear.  Many car's with faulty transmissions will be stuck in 3rd gear.  This is a default gear where by you're still able to start or idle your car, but can never accelerate quickly and can never achieve a very high speed.  

Have the items I mentioned checked out and see if you can find more information from sources other than the dealership.
Good luck!