Ford - Windstar :: 2001 Misfire Occurring - Blinking Check Engine Light While Trying To Accelerate
Mar 20, 2012
I have a 2001 Ford Windstar Sports SE with 155K miles. I did a tune-up eight months ago. With the tune up I had to replace the fuel pump because it was defective. Later, I found that there were misfires occurring since I was getting slow acceleration. I had the spark plugs on the guilty cylinders replaced again and the spark plug wires.
Periodically, I have had to return to the shop to have the vehicle checked. I sometimes get a blinking check engine light while trying to accelerate, which now occurs only while it is raining or I am exiting the car wash. The shop is at a loss as to what it is (spark plugs and wires are fine, no lose connections noticed). I am wondering if I should take it to someone else. Of course, taking it somewhere else will cost me $100 to check on someone's else work.
The shop replaced the ignition coil. Distributor cap is fine. They keep saying that the engine is running fine while in the shop and do not get any codes. I had them drive it while it was raining and they discovered that cylinder 4 is misfiring. They worked on the cylinder. The vehicle runs well, until it rains or I wash it.
My questions to the group, "If everything is OK, how come it is misfiring? What are they missing? What is the connection to the moisture?"
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So last Thursday I started my car up in the blistering cold and it ran fine for about a minute and started to misfire so I shut it off. It hasn't ran since. When that happened the check engine light was blinking because of the misfire. I didn't have a code reader at the time to read it. now that I got a code reader the damn thing isn't throwing any codes. it spits and sputters sometimes. I've had no previous problems with the car. Thinking It might be a weak fuel pump or bad coils and in not sure how to test them.
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Twice now (and maybe a third time once I start my van again) we've had problems with the van chugging and then the service engine light blinking. Both times it happened in the past, we took it to a mechanic who said it needed a tune-up - new spark plugs, wires, etc. I'm curious as to why this keeps happening. Mileage is around 105K. It first happened last summer, second time was in December. Now it's March. What could cause this problem to repeat?
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So I had a serious runability problem back in 2012 with code P0302 (misfire in cylinder 2) and the car was barely running. I changed the spark plugs, which didn't fix the issues. Then changed the coil, which fixed it. URL...But I was a little lazy back in September 2012, the old spark plug wires looked like they were still in great shape, so I left the old wires on. I think they were the original factory wires, they had the numbers of each cylinder printed on the side. Very nice wires!
Fast-forward to the present. Car starts running poorly with a blinking check-engine light. Not good! I check the code and it is P0306, misfire in cylinder 6. So my first thought was: OK, probably time to change the spark plug wires!I changed the spark plug wires. I purchased AutoLite Professional Series wires at Advance Auto Parts, part 97047. URL...Sure enough, the number 6 wire looked like it had a little corrosion inside the end that connects to the spark plug wire. It looked like I was on the right track! Changed the spark plug wires, and ran it. It still sounded like it might be missing on one cylinder. Just a quiet ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch at idle. I took it for a test drive. It ran OK at low RPM's, but had no power. When I tested some hard acceleration, sure enough the check engine light came back on. Tested the code and it was P0306 again. Conclusion: not fixed yet.
OK, maybe the spark plug wire was the problem, just the plug got fouled because the wire was bad. I purchased a replacement spark plug for that cylinder only. AutoLite Double Platinum as recommended elsewhere in this forum. Removed the old plug. I'm no expert, but the old plug looked fine to me. Installed the new plug. Tested it again. Still sounded like missing at idle ch-ch-ch-ch-ch. Test drive, OK with low RPM, no power. Tried hard acceleration, got the blinking CEL again. Conclusion: still not fixed - darn it!
Now remember, I just changed the coil back in September 2012. I had replaced it with a coil from AutoZone. The first coil had lasted ten years. So it couldn't be the coil again this soon, right? But... just to be sure, I went ahead and changed the coil again. I called AutoZone and happily it was still under warranty. The previous coil I had purchased came with a 24-month warranty, and I was on month 23 !!! Sweet!AutoZone also told me if I did a warranty replacement of the coil, the new one would come with a lifetime warranty instead.The part number of the coil at AutoZone was part C1312, Duralast Ignition Coil.
Before installing the new coil, I put a little Dielectric grease around the top inside of each connector on the new coil (7 total, six spark plug wires plus the electrical connector). I think this was recommended in my Haynes or Chilton manuals.I am a tall skinny guy with long skinny arms. So I was able to replace the coil without removing the cowl. Last time I had to remove the cowl (to do the intake manifold isolator bolt repair) the cowl had cracked, also some of the clips holding it down broke. So I didn't want to remove the cowl unless necessary. It turns out with my long skinny arms I can lay up over the motor and reach back around both sides of the intake manifold to reach the coil. It is a reach, but it was possible for me to do the job that way.
I removed the three bolts holding the old coil in place. Then I was able to slide the new coil back in there, around the driver's side of the intake manifold. I transferred over the spark plug wires one by one from old to new (as recommended by another poster) so I wouldn't get confused which was which. It worked well to transfer the rear three first. That hold the new coil near the correct location, and gave me more slack to move the old coil further out of the way.Next step was to remove the wire connector from the rear of the coil pack. It didn't want to release. I looked at the old part (from 2012!!!) and there was a little plastic nub back there to lock the connector in place. It looked like there was room to work in a small screwdriver back there to release the lock. So I wiggled a short flat-head screwdriver in back there (with a wide head) and it released. Then I was able to easily remove the connector.
Then I had more slack to move the old coil further out of the way, toward the drivers side and front of the vehicle. And then transferred the last three spark plug wires to the new coil.Then to secure the new coil in place, I carefully installed one bolt by hand, leaving it loose to allow for final adjustments of position. Installed the second and third bolts loosely. Tightened the three bolts finger tight using a short (3") extension and 7mm socket (1/4" drive). Then snugged them very gently using my small 1/4" rachet. The small 1/4" rachet was a perfect fit using the 3" inch extension and the small 7mm socket. Remember you just want the bolts snug, do not over-tighten them.
When I went back to AutoZone to process the warranty return, they had to do some fancy work with their computer to get me the lifetime warranty on the new coil. By default it would just assume the rest of the original coil warranty from 2012 - which was just about to expire. So they made it right for me - but only because I specifically asked about it. By default, the guy had already rung it up their "normal" way, which would not have extended the warranty for me.Another thing that was strange was back in September 2012 when I replaced the original coil, it had worked well for ten years or so! Also, the bottom of it was clearly cracked, so it was easy to see that it had deteriorated and needed to be replaced.
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Driving on the highway today and when I started to accelerate fast I noticed my check engine light blinking yellow and also noticed loosing boost I think I can only reach maybe 10-12 psi, I am stage 1 revo and also it was 95 degrees out, what it could be, thinking misfiring? so would that mean new coil pack and spark plugs?
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I have a 1996 chevy caprice wit a 4.3 v-8 one day i was driving and the car started acting funny and the check engine lite started blinking i had the codes read and 0p300 came up saying multiple misfire so I changed the plug wires they all connect in the front around the harmonic balancer well that didn't work its still saying multi misfire so I took a spark plug wire off of the electric dis block and no change in motor now I don't know what to do...
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Just bought 2007 Gs 350 in Dec 2015 with 60k miles. The other day I filled up with gas and drove to work. On the way home check engine light started blinking, check VSC appeared on display screen and traction light came on, car ran rough, and wouldn't accelerate. Got home and searched the net.. So I removed gas cap... No change.. Then removed neg battery cable for 10 min. Fixed problem for about 10 min. Then it all happened again. Next morning took it to Lexus dealer. The rep called and said it gave misfire cylinder 3. They said they checked valve springs and they are good, exchanged coil pack with different cylinder and still misfire #3. He said has to be injector so they want to replace injector ....
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I have a 96 Grand Voyager that had had sat for a year undriven or started due to being out of state. It ran like a champ when I parked it. Now I charged the battery and went for a drive on the freeway and my check engine light came on and started blinking. I had the code read it came back with 2 codes a P0306 and a P0300. I noticed that the cylinder 6 spark plug wire was arcing on the core support. So I replaced all the plug wires and spark plugs with Champion platinum spark plugs. I cleared the codes and took it on a test drive and the P0300 code came back. Is there anyway the old gas is causing the random misfire? or what else could it be?
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On my way to work, my check engine light started blinking and car was sputtering (real bad on idle). I ran the code and it came back with misfires codes. I changed the coils/plugs, fuel filter and fuel pump last year. Can the coils be bad already? When I clear the codes the car will run fine for a little while. But after a couple miles CEL will blink and the car will run roughly again.
Car : 2004 Golf 2.0
Codes:
16684: random multiple misfires
16648: fuel injector #2 short to ground
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My Girlfriend just got a 2003 Hyundai Elantra and everything was running great on it the first month she had it BUT the check engine light was on.. After about a month she called me up while driving and said that the check engine light was blinking and the car would hardly move. So I got to the car and looked at it and I noticed the oil filter was a little loose so I tightened it good this time and added a little bit of oil. It actually moved but it would hesitate. So we had it towed to a shop and they read the codes from the check engine light and told us it was leaking oil from the motor some where (not specific) and it also needed a new O2 sensor.
So I replaced the catalytic converter underneath the car and also a new sensor along with a new set of spark plugs. It ran alot better and I left it at that. Now about a week later she was coming home and noticed that when she turned left or right that the battery light and brake light on the dash came on. She drove it home and when she turned in the driveway the car went dead. It started right back up and we got it to the house and left it over night. I went out this morning and again it started right up. but when I lifted the hood I noticed the belts on the pulleys were all spinning very slowly. I'm not sure if it could be a timing chain or if it just needs new pulleys.
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General misfire when the engine light comes on. This error has been occurring almost daily, sometimes it pins it down to cylinder 3. My wife's nephew who is a mechanic says it could be the sensor, but I have only been getting around 30 mpg though the car seems to run alright. I did go ahead and get the plugs replaced, as I was told it could be a bad plug but the error light still comes on as before and the mileage appears no better. What could this be? I am retired on fixed income and dread the very idea of an expensive diagnostic & repair session with a dealer service. Their solution for about everything wrong has been to replace the gas tank (three times already in the life of the car). Last time that did not fix what was going on with the car..
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As the title says I have plugged a code reader in and it says "cyclinder three misfire". So I pulled the plugs and good god they were nasty. Some having a gap of 80-90 thousandths of an inch. So I figured the plugs were the source of the problem, thus I replaced them but to my dimise the check engine light is still on, and still reading the same ol' "cyclinder three misfire". I have put 350 miles on it in 24 hours of changing it to allow for proper time of the circuit cycling for the light to change but not sure if it takes longer...?
I also went ahead and checked the plug wires resistance when I had the plugs pulled and they ranged from 1.5-2.5k ohms shortest to longest (cylinder 4-1). And if your curious the magic cylinder three was around 2k ohms for however long that wire is, my guess would be 18 inches. Would this be out of tolerance, I know the norm is 10k ohm for every 12 inches or so...?
My next guess would be replacing the power pack or I guess you car guys call it the "ignition coil"...? I will say that the car does run much smoother after replacing the plugs.
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My windstar 3.8 engine has idle problems and engine light comes on at times. Code po305 (misfire #5). When I add sea-form to tank and drive awhile, the engine light goes out and the engine idle's normal. Is this an eva problem and what should I look for?
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I have a 2001 forester. it had a misfire which has been fixed but I can't get the "check engine" light to turn off.
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I have a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis. The check engine light came on and AutoZone diagnosed it as a misfire on Cyl. #4. I changed all the plugs but I do not know how to turn off the light to see if I fixed the problem. How to turn the light off.
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I have a 2004 santa fe with a 2.7 v6. I have had a little misfire issue lately. I had a major power loss with a check engine light on it lasted for just a minute before it settled itself out. Had the code pulled at a local parts store. P0301 so I checked the plugs and they looked worn out. I pulled the upper intake and replaced the plugs and wires plus the upper intake gasket. I cleared the code and that seemed to correct the problem. Two days later, same thing happened. The engine seems to be running fine now. I wiggled the wiring harness to the injector and to the coil, no change in the way it runs. I was thinking it could be an injector or a coil pack.
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2004 Elantra AT ... 6 months ago top of the radiator cracked caused it to overheat and blow the head gasket and warp the head. Repaired that and compression is fine now. It ran great for 4 months but now it randomly stalls. at or near idle. Seems to do it more at operating temp rather then cold. Occasionally the check engine light will pop on and the code reads (random misfire). It acts just like it has been shut off. But immediately restarts.
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My check engine light came on the other day, with no symptoms or problems. Today I stopped at the Auto Parts store and had the codes read. They were P0440, P0441, P0446, and P0301. They are for the EVAP system and misfire.
I had read here that one of the codes could be for the gas cap so I tightened it and then, also as read on here, disconnected the negative 12 V battery cable to perhaps clear the check engine light. I was curious.
When I started the car again, I now have not only the check engine light, but the red triangle exclamation point. How would you proceed? The 12 volt battery is around 5 years old. The entire exhaust system was replaced last year.(not O2 sensors though)
The hybrid battery was replaced at 70,000 miles and I now have 110,000 miles on it. I really wonder why disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it caused more error lights to appear? Also, the Auto parts guy said his code reader was fine for my car but I seem to remember here that there may be a special Prius one.
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2002 Ford Windstar: Whenever I disconnect the battery and then reconnect it, I get this hum that sounds like the CD player preparing to play a CD. There is no CD in the player. It last for about 30 seconds and then stops. Afterwards, my check engine light comes on and stay on until I have the mechanic reset the alarm. The battery is new. My meter shows that the battery is giving out enough volts. It annoys me to have the check engine light on all of the time. I'd rather it be off so it can report if something else goes wrong with the engine.
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I have a 2001 ford windstar the codes are bank 1 lean (wires have been cut) could this cause the miss fire on the #1 and 3 cylinders? The previous owner put copper plugs in it instead of platinum. How hard is it to change the plugs?
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My windstar blew fuse #16. replaced soon. blew again, replaced again. now theft light blinks rapidly and won't even crank over. left switch on long enough to get a code reading from the light, it comes up to # 15.
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