Note: Before troubleshooting the starter, make sure the battery is fully charged.
1. If the starter does not engage at all when the ignition is turned on, make sure the gear shift lever is in neutral or park (automatic transmission) or the clutch pedal is depressed (manual transmission).
2. Make sure the battery is charged and all wires at both the battery and starter terminals are clean and tight.
3. If the starter rotates but does not turn the engine, then the overrunning clutch on the starter is slipping, in which case the starter must be replaced.
4. If the starter does not work when the ignition is turned on, but the traction relay clicks, look for a fault in the battery, the main contacts of the traction relay, or the starter itself (or the engine is jammed).
5. If you do not hear the starter traction relay operating when the ignition is turned on, either the battery is faulty, or the fuse has blown (the circuit is open), or the traction relay itself is faulty.
The material was borrowed from the website [mitsubishiman]
6. To check the traction relay, connect the positive terminal of the battery and the terminal from the ignition switch (small) on the traction relay housing using an auxiliary transition wire. If the starter now works, then the traction relay is OK, and look for a malfunction in the ignition switch, the neutral position sensor of the transmission or in the wires.
7. If the starter still does not work, remove the starter with the solenoid relay for disassembly, inspection and repair.
8. If the starter turns the engine at an abnormally slow speed, first make sure the battery is fully charged and all terminal connections are tight. If the engine is slightly seized or the wrong viscosity oil is used, it will turn over slowly.
9. Warm up the engine to normal operating temperature. On engines equipped with the DIS ignition system, relieve the fuel pressure and leave the fuel pump disconnected during the test. On other models, disconnect the coil lead from the distributor cap and ground it to the engine.
10. On all models, connect the positive lead of the voltmeter to the positive battery terminal and the negative lead to the negative terminal.
11. Crank the engine and read the readings immediately after they stabilize. Do not allow the starter to crank for more than 30 seconds at a time. The voltmeter should show 9 V or more at normal starter speed. If the voltmeter shows 9 V or more and the cranking speed is low, the starter is faulty. If the voltmeter shows less than 9 V at low speed, the traction relay contacts may be burnt, the starter may be faulty, the battery may be discharged, or the connections may be loose.