BigMess Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Hey all, Old Pearl ('97 Legacy Brighton, 2.2l) overheated a couple weeks back (due to a water pump seal leak). Took her apart, did the pump, therm. etc. Put her back together, and she's been running sloppy at idol. Got new wires and plugs, tried a new coil and nothing does it. Took her apart again to check the timing, and she's right on. Compression's good, too. Not the head gasket either. At idol, the CEL flashes (cyl. 2+4 misfire). Once she's up to speed, it stops flashing. Anyone else have this problem before? Any remedies? A couple salts at the local dealership say it might be a bad valve slide, but I am trying not to believe them. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, -Big Mess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 how long ago did you wash the engine ? any chance you got water in the spark plug tubes? oil maybe? at the risk of insulting your knowledge and skill, what timing marks did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 19, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 19, 2012 Check for correct timing marks wiring problem to coilpack intake leaks plugs wires mass air flow sensor -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMess Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 Hey all, No worries about insulting my intelligence, it's too stupid to know the difference. Can't recall washing the engine in recent history, and I checked with the guys at the local dealership about the timing, I believe I have it right (cam pulleys at top, crankshaft sprocket (not pulley) at top). Did the plugs and wires, tried out a new coil (then promptly returned it after I realized mine was fine ). It does sound like I could have a leaky valve, it sounds and feels a bit different when coasting in gear. But wouldn't that have showed up in the compression test? Should I do one of them "leak down tests"? I'd have to find one of those testers... I guess in the meantime I'll check the juice going to the coil and such, thanks for the insight everyone. -BM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 19, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 19, 2012 Your car is a wasted spark system. Firing order is 1-3-4-2. 1 & 3 fire at the same time 2 & 4 fire at the same time When you look at your coil pack, you will see the two sections to it. Each coil inside it fires the two cylinders at once that are connected to it (front and rear sections of it). Usually when you have a 1&3 or 2&4 misfire together, you want too look at coilpack problems. That may be a bad coil pack, a wiring problem, ECU problem, etc. Most of the time, you can rule out any kind of valve problems, head problems, etc since the misfires are on opposite sides of the engine.....Even an intake manifold leak is kind of a stretch to be honest with you. Your coil pack is the first place you need to look. You were on the right track when you replaced it. Since a new one made no difference, its time to bust out the multi meter and start testing things. Any kind of specs or diagrams you need for it, let me know and I can get them over to you. -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creatingash Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Coil testing I have a 2005 gt which seems to have coil issues. I swapped 2 with 4 and now codes miss fire on both? Before misfire on 1 and 3. What is the ohm spec and how to test my coils. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Your car is a wasted spark system. Firing order is 1-3-4-2. 1 & 3 fire at the same time 2 & 4 fire at the same time i think this is a typo. the coil is split in to two halve, the front vs. the rear. the front fires 1 & 2 at the same time and the rear half fires 3 & 4 at the same time. so if you have a 1 & 2 mis fire or a 3 & 4 mis fire it could vbe the coil. but my first guess for a 1 & 3 mis fire (or a 2 & 4 mis fire) is the timing. 1 & 3 are both on the passenger side. but there are lots of other things it could be. including the igniter, which feeds the coil. but i think that would cause the same matching mis fires as the coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMess Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Hey all, Sorry for the delayed response, I just started new work and have been too busy to breathe. I tried all relevant electrical testing shortly after my last post and came up with nothing. Then, things got weird. I determined that I had no choice but to drive the pig as-is until I fixed it. One morning, I started her up, and she purred like a kitten. The check engine light also disappeared, and hasn't come on for about 1,000 miles (which causes more confusion, because I have always had a constant EVAP code since I bought the thing three years ago). All that aside, she still has an issue with overheating, completely randomly. I can do a 100 mile round trip with no problem, but she might overheat on the next 10 mile trip. No leaks at all, I think the head gasket might have gone when she overheated hard last month. I am going to continue driving her as is until I really have to stop, she just got to 260k. No need for any more suggestions (unless you want), I just wanted to provide some closure to those of you who were dying to find out what happened. I really don't know. Thanks for all the help, -BM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stasis Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Shagged thermostat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I think the head gasket might have gone when she overheated hard last month. this is entirely possible. severe over heating is just about the only thing that will cause a bad head gasket in an ej22. keep it full of coolant and oil and report back any new developments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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