03 ts wagon po301 trouble code.

[internalcombust]

03 2.5 ts wagon, 114k miles. Newish plugs. I could hear a misfire on start up the other morning at high idle. Once the car warmed up it seemed fine. Now I have the dreaded po301, cylinder 1 misfire. I havn't looked for much as I just pulled the code this morning.

On my list of things to do:

Check wires for signs of arcing.

Pull plug, check for build up.

Check for vacuum leaks on cylinder 1 intake.

I will check for power at the injector as well. (It runs too well to be down an injector, but what the hell.)

I didn't get a code for 02 sensor, but i have a feeling I may end up there.

Any thoughts or input would be great.

Thanks.

 

[RallyCat]

This is why I hate selling cars - I feel like crap if something like this comes up after I sell it.

I would run that straight over to Evergreen and get Inski on it. Given the amount of engine work that was done to it recently, I would not expect to be having any issues. If it is something related to the work that was done back in March, I would hope they would take care of it for you.

Tim

 

[internalcombust]

This is why I hate selling cars - I feel like crap if something like this comes up after I sell it.

I would run that straight over to Evergreen and get Inski on it. Given the amount of engine work that was done to it recently, I would not expect to be having any issues. If it is something related to the work that was done back in March, I would hope they would take care of it for you.

Tim

Hey no worries Tim. This car is solid and I love it! This trouble code could come up for many different reasons, some of which are as small as a bad shot of gas. I have zero regrets with buying this car. I will work through it and it runs great even though it threw a code. If it isn't something simple I will let the experts take a look.

 

[inski]

This is why I hate working on cars. Pour your heart and soul into your work and something always comes up.

Spray water or soapy water onto the coil and wires. I use a spray bottle to get very precise direction. Look for arcing, listen for misfire to kick in immediately while spraying.

To check for a vacuum leak I hit the base of the intake at the head with brake cleaner. If theres a leak it will bog down momentarily.

If you bring it in I can look at the 02 correction percentages. Do not clear the codes unless you find and fix something obvious.

 

[internalcombust]

This is why I hate working on cars. Pour your heart and soul into your work and something always comes up.

Spray water or soapy water onto the coil and wires. I use a spray bottle to get very precise direction. Look for arcing, listen for misfire to kick in immediately while spraying.

To check for a vacuum leak I hit the base of the intake at the head with brake cleaner. If theres a leak it will bog down momentarily.

If you bring it in I can look at the 02 correction percentages. Do not clear the codes unless you find and fix something obvious.

Thanks Inski. You reinforced where I was headed. Its not a big deal, the car runs great. I am sure it will be something stupid like an arcing wire. It started after a night of heavy winds and rain.

 

[Pedro]

I was wondering who picked up Tim's car. Hopefully you can get the beast sorted man.

 

[inski]

let us know what you find. PM me or call if needed.

 

[RallyCat]

Did you find anything that would be causing the CEL? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[internalcombust]

Everything looks good so far. The code has gone away. I guess it cycled through enough starts without dropping the cylinder. I am keeping an eye on it, but it seems ok. Problems don't fix themselves so I wait to see if it pops back up and under what conditions. The search continues.

 

[internalcombust]

Started missfire again this morning, everything was damp here. I checked out wires tonight. A little water spray on the wires at the coil brought out some nasty arcing from wire to mounting bolt from cylinder #1 boot. Popped it off and there was lots of corrosion. Looks like I need some new wires. Easy fix.

 

[Pedro]

hopefully that is the end of it!

 

[internalcombust]

I will find out tonight.

 

[internalcombust]

New wires make me happy.

 

[inski]

Great! Glad you're back in the groove.