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Bad Idle, with CEL

SnafuFlux

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 7, 2002
Messages
385
Location
London Ontario, Canada
Looks like i have a misire. Up until this morning, the car runs absolutly fine. I started the car up this morning and it was running like crap. I pulled the codes and I get p0302, p0430, p0420. I could assume the 430,420 is being caused by my misfire and with all the extra fuel, the sensors are going off.

Since the car ran fine yesterday, and then this morning it started to run like crap. Would you suspect its jsut a bad plug/wire?

Edit: it also is really damp today. I called my mechanic and he thinks my wires are arching somewhere.
 
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pull plug wires and plugs and check for signs of carbon tracking.

if the plugs and wires are of any age I would just replace them.


Also I have never heard of getting a P0420 or P0430 from a miss fire ....


if the plugs and wires are free of carbon tracking use some dielectric grease to lightly coat the end of the boot where it seals to the plug
 
yah I'm not sure why I'm getting the other two codes then. It was recently Etested and passed, and also runs fine (other than this misfire). The plugs are fairly new. I haven't put enough km's on them to be dead already (I guess anything is possible). but I will look for both.

Does it make sense that one day its fine and the next it just starts misfiring? It was like a switch; from good to bad.
 
...Does it make sense that one day its fine and the next it just starts misfiring? It was like a switch; from good to bad.
It happens, especially with the changing weather. Do as suggested (plugs, wires) and then go from there.
 
wires and plugs are good. I'm told its the coil pack. my mechanic said he pulled cyl 2 plug wire off and saw no spark coming from that coil. So I've removed the old one and waiting to go the wrecker tomorrow to buy a used one. I'll keep you posted.
 
Before you go to the wreckers, switch SP wires (2 to 1, and 1 to 2). If you get P0301 now, you know it is the SP wire.
 
well unlucky for me, I've already removed it, so I can't. I could just put the pack back in the spot, but would I have to bolt it down, or do you think it'd be fine not bolted down and idling?
 
If it is not bolted in, you would have a problem with the ground wire. Just bolt it in (4 bolts). Actually, you just need to bolt two of them, the front ones.
 
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