A Mitsubishi Outlander owner noticed something was off with his RPMs when idling after completing routine maintenance.

In the TikTok, Matt Van Blaricom (@lorddotcom) shares the various repairs he’s done. Still, he can’t figure out exactly why his Outlander is idling.

His TikTok has generated over 4,000 views as of this writing.

“I need help from CarTok,” Blaricom begins.  

Blaricom shares that he drives a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and recently got an oil change. Following the oil change, he decided to keep the car maintenance train rolling. In addition, he changed the spark plugs. 

However, after changing the oil and spark plugs, his Outlander experienced issues with the RPMs.

“The oil change went fine. The spark plugs went fine. But now when my car idles or if it’s in park, my RPMs drop from like 9[00], 800 down to 300, and then it throttles back up and back down. Back up, and it’s eating up my gas mileage,” he shares.

Some Attempted Fixes

Blaricom tries a few different things to address the issue. First, he checks to see if the spark plugs were installed correctly, which he confirms they were. Next, he checks his oil levels. After seeing the oil levels were a little low on the dipstick, he added another quart of oil.

“It’s not the oil,” he says.

Puzzled as to why the issue is still present, Blaricom tries to use a mass air flow sensor cleaner. 

“I took off the mass air flow sensor. Cleaned that. Reinstalled it and it’s still doing it,” he reveals. 

After these three attempts, Blaricom is unsure what to do next. 

“I am really at my wits end here,” he shares. 

Evaluating the options, Blaricom mentions how he doesn’t want to trade in his Outlander considering that it’s already fully paid for. 

“I’m really enjoying not having a car payment. If it’s something I can fix or I can take it to a shop and it’s going to cost me less than $500 to fix, awesome. Let’s do it. I really don’t wanna have to trade in my car,” he concludes. 

What Ended Up Being The Issue? 

Viewers speculated in the comment section what the issue with the Outlander was with the vacuum leak. 

“Check for vac leak,” one TikTok commenter suggested. 

“Sounds like you got a vacuum leak. Best way to find it is to spray carb cleaner on your vacuum lines while the engine is running and it will rev up when you find the leak,” another added. 

“Check [to] make sure none of your vacuum lines are disconnected or broken, make sure your PCV tube isn’t collapsed, make sure none of them electrical conductors came loose or the wires connected to them got damaged while you were working on it,” a third shared.

While many believe it was a vacuum leak, some believed the wrong spark plugs were installed.

“Correct gap on spark plugs? Are [they] generic ones?” one commented. 

“Possibly wrong kind of spark plugs. might need a more expensive kind. for example, you may have used platinum when it needs iridium. the gap may also be incorrect,” another shared. 

Blaricom ended up revealing what the issue was with this experience.

“It was the spark plugs. Mitsubishi apparently hates copper plugs and prefers iridium ones,” Blaricom shares. 

What Kind Of Spark Plugs Does The Mitsubishi Outlander Use?

Now, spark plugs can come in a variety of different versions. AutoZone reports the different kinds of spark plugs include copper, platinum, double platinum, iridium, and double iridium. 

Considering there are five different kinds of spark plugs, Blaricom’s mistake can be a common one. 

As mentioned, according to Blaricom, the Mitsubishi Outlander uses iridium. He ran into issues with the copper spark plugs. PartsGeek confirms iridium spark plugs are the best for this vehicle. Mitsubishi forums also confirm the owner’s manual suggests using iridium spark plugs. 

The lifespan of a spark plug will vary depending on if it’s in an older vehicle or modern engine. Older vehicles need to get changed every 25,000 miles while modern engines can last up to 100,000 miles. It’s suggested to check spark plugs every 25,000 miles.

Some common issues that cause spark plugs to fail include physical damage, cracking due to vibration, erosion and wear, fouling with oil or fuel, and carbon deposits. 

To replace the spark plugs in a Mitsubishi Outlander will average cost is $70 for parts and $210 for labor totaling to $210. Now, if you want to cut the labor costs, spark plugs can be replaced yourself.  Just be sure to select the right spark plugs so you don’t run into the same issues Blaricom did. 

@lorddotcom anyone #gearhead out there of #cartok have any ideas on what's wrong with my #car #cartiktok #mitsubishi ♬ original sound – LordDotCom (on YT and IG)

MotorBiscuit has contacted Matt Van Blaricom via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if he responds.