Oldsmobile - Alero :: 2003 - P0306 Misfire Code - Engine Knocking?
Apr 23, 2012
My mom's 2003 Alero has had a bad catalytic converter for the last few years.. at least that's what she was told when she took it to the shop. The engine light (P0420 threshold below efficiency) has been on over the last few years and I occasionally check it with a code reader to make sure no other codes have been added. Up until today - as far as I know - none have been. Now today when she was driving it the engine light started flashing and running rough and making a knocking sound.She brought it straight home and I hooked my scan tool up and it gave the same cat code as I just mentioned, plus a P0306 misfire code. So I pulled the plug wire on number six cylinder and hooked up a spark tester to it - and it showed a decent spark. And to verify the spark being normal, I tested at another plug wire and the spark looked about the same..so I don't think anything is wrong with number 6 plug wire or coil or anything like that but am not sure. Also, the spark plugs were replaced a couple of weeks ago because the ones in the car were worn down about .010''. I can't imagine this having anything to do with the misfire because I did them myself and made sure they were gaped properly and that all the wires were put back on the correct plug/cylinder and plus it ran fine after the plugs were installed - but thought I would mention it anyways. And I was very careful not to damage the platinum on the plug when gaping them.
Did a little bit of research and found this: A code P0306 may mean that one or more of the following has happened: Faulty spark plug or wire Faulty coil (pack) Faulty oxygen sensor(s) Faulty fuel injector Burned exhaust valve Faulty catalytic converter(s) Running out of fuel Poor compression Defective computer
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So my 99 F-150, 4.2L started throwing a code a few weeks ago, P0306 #6 Cyl Misfire. This thing has got 238,000 and has been the most reliable commute vehicle I've owned.
Today I changed all the plugs and wires (they were due anyways) which didn't resolve the issue. After clearing the code, got about 3 miles out and it came back. Running SeaFoam through the system on this tank as well, but I'm leaning towards an EGR blockage like what is described here:
Sparky's Answers: 1999 Ford F150, P0306 Misfire Cylinder #6
I was about to buy a new coil pack but I'd rather not continue to throw parts at this, as I've read many others do with this same exact situation, only to end up with the same code. I've replaced the coil pack once already a few years ago when I lost a cylinder on the way to work.
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Having some issues with my 2003 Alero 4 cylinder. Upon start the entire engine shudders and the check engine light flashes. I have to turn it off and turn it on and it will stop most of the time. I've taken it in and the mechanics can't get it to reproduce the same issue for them. Just replaced all four plugs, boots, ignition coil.
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2001 Olds Alero. i'm getting a P0300 reading, Cylinder misfire, and i was told a could months ago my mass air flow sensor was out of range. are they related? how serious is a misfire? can i drive a couple hundred miles before service?
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I have a 2004 Santa Fe with the 3.5. Today I started it and the check engine light came on. It was not on before this. (We had a lot of wind and rain from the storm but nothing major.) And seems to be running fine. I went to the auto parts store and they ran a diagnostic and the Code P0306 came up #6 cylinder misfire. They said probably Spark plug, wire or coil for #6, then went to look up code in computer and did not have my truck so they went with Kia or Domestic, which gave different possibilities for a code P0306.
They had me buy some fuel injector cleaner as injector was on the list. The light is still on so I guess the cleaner was not the magic bullet. I spoke to a lady at another auto parts store who is a wiz when it comes to cars and has been around them and fixing them a really long time. She says the Code P0306 is Spark Plug, wire, coil #6. She has a 4cyl Hyundai car not truck and she had the code for her #4 misfire in the past and she started her repair cheapest first, Plugs, wires her code was still there she then changed the coil and that did the trick for her.
I on the other hand can't do this stuff myself. Can't afford the dealer anymore or to have a shop do a tune up AND coil if I don't need all new plugs and wires just a coil as they will charge a lot to do a lot all. And it may not need it or even be any of those things. I also suspect the dealer and shops will want to still hook up their computers to do an costly diagnostic because the light is on, even though I know the parts store already came up with a code P0306 twice. Spoke to the dealer on the phone and he already basically said they would want to do that first for $100 plus the cost of repair.
I brought the truck new. It now has 91,500 miles on it and the dealer has already done two tuneups on it in that time, Plugs and wires. I hear it probably shouldn't have even needed these tuneups in this amount of millage? So the last one was probably about 2 years ago and a few thousand miles maybe a guess 10,000-20,000 miles ago. Do you think a plug and wire would be bad already in that few miles?
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I have a 99 town car with 78,000 miles. I filled the tank and have run about 1/4 tank when the engine started to misfire. Got the Service Engine Soon light so went to O'reily. The OBDII code is p0306 cyl 6 misfire. What would you check first?
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I have a very Big problem with my Ford Escape 2002 I have this problems code: P0305 accuses Cylinder #5 P0306 accuses Cylinder #6.
I already change the gasket i buy the felpro Kit, and i Also replace all the sparks and spark plug boots, I clean the air sensors and i also replace the EGR, i try to switch cables, and all is the same the car start buy when i accelerate it just go off, i don't know what can i do next, somebody told me to change the fuel injector, i take the pressure in both spark holes the number 4 was 150 and the 5 and 6 was 120, No leaks oil. My car is a Ford Escape 2002, XLT 3.0 4x4
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Having 3 new codes coming up. P0306-misfire on cylinder 6, p0158, p2272. Use my truck as a daily driver for work. Driving along before 80km/h is not to bad but can still feel a little loss of power. If i step down on gas the truck has no power and sounds like maybe cat converter is plugged. If truck is pushed to limit she will make it to her 4000 rpm and will change her gears. So i'm just glad its not tranny.
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There is a car i am interested in buying but the person selling it says the water pump is going out. The car is an Oldsmobile 2003 Alero with 141000 miles on it. How much would it cost to fix this water pump and how can i check to see how its working?
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Ok, my 1996 Buick Regal is acting up. I got a CEL, which was a P0306 (Cylinder #6 misfire), took the car to my shop, and they diagnosed as a faulty Ignition Control Module. Fast Forward, a day later, the car now has a hard start problem and throwing the same code, plus a P0102 Mass Airflow Sensor.
So my questions are:
1) Could a faulty ICM cause a single cylinder misfire, did they just replaced a random part? I would think a bad ICM would a multiple misfire considering on this car each coil controls 2 cylinders.
2) Are the two codes related? ie fix one, and the other would go away? or are they separate issues?
3) What could be wrong with my car?
This mechanic has been in my family for years, however, I'm not very pleased that a day later, my car seems to have more problems than before. Am I being too harsh?
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2.2l '03 Olds Alero, 89k miles
My car has an unsettling noise. It is a loud clunk in the front end that can be felt. It only happens when turning right (just past where the wheels are aligned) when going forward. I believe it also happens when backing out of a spot to the left. It is only one solid clunk. This clunk isn't always loud, and can be subtle. If I do a figure eight, the clunk will be the loudest with the first wheel turn to the right, then will either get quieter or disappear all together. Let the car sit for a while, and the first turn will be the loudest.
Things that have been tried:Full Strut/shock assembly replacement on both sides of the front suspension.Sway bar link replacement on both sides.Both front control arms, complete with ball joints and bushings have been replaced.
Possibilities I haven't changed or on the list to examine/replace:
-Sway bar bushings
-Wheel bearings
-CV Joints
-Engine mounts
-Tie rod ends
What should I be looking at first? Is there something I am missing? It's been to the mechanics a few times. For a week after the control arms and sway bar links were replaced it was ok, or dull enough not to hear. Now it's back as loud as before.
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My 2001 alero 3400 engine is getting hot again this alero is running with a 2001 impala engine run great for few months, replace radiator, hoses, thermostat and suddenly coolant start leaking in the overflow, fans not working even with ac on, i replace the etc sensor and did not work, the fans turn on when I disconnect the etc sensor so i think the fan motors are ok. I got one pcm module from the salvage yard in case I need to replace it but I read that only the dealer can reprogram the computer system because vin number issues....
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I have an 01 olds alero, I been having problems with the engine stalling out. i was told it may need a new fuel filter so I replaced filter and now it idles rough till it stalls. What to do next? I replaced the plugs 2 years ago also.
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Car Details: 2004 Olds Alero GL, 250K miles, well maintained.
Our car recently started shuddering/vibrating at speeds over 45mph. Once the shudder begins, it continues for the remainder of the drive. It doesn't feel like it's in the wheels or the steering column, and there are no warning lights on the dash. It seems to be more intense when braking, as if something were fighting the inertia of the vehicle. There's no difference in the sensation when driving around corners.
After a few minutes of driving, there seems to be a burning rubber smell that is concentrated near the windshield in front of the driver's seat. I suspect that something is damaging a hose with heat or friction. I'll be taking it in to a mechanic.
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My 2000 alero was WAY low on oil so I added a quart then drove for about 45 mins at 40 mph the car seemed fine. the following morning when I went to start it the car turned over but would not start when it finally started the engine knocks and it is putting out a lot of white exhaust. obviously I need to see a mechanic but what might be wrong. my neighbor said one of the cylinders isn't doing what ever it is supposed to do he said it passed a compression test but I don't know what that means...
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I have a 99 f150 5.4 and i am pretty sure I have a cop issue. I have changed a few over the past few years and this one is acting about the same. The other day i felt a slight stumble but it went right away and drove fine. Well after heavy rain all night i went to take the kids to school and it was stumbling and acting like it was not firing on all cylinders. CEL came on and got the code read at the auto part store. Well driving it home it just cleared and drove fine. So i checked the #6 plug and changed the boot on the coil but all the same symptoms came back. It is the original coil so i am figuring that it is bad.
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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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My husband bought this car 12 days ago. Had NTB check it out and they said we were good to go.
This afternoon, out of nowhere the car started getting usually hot, even though is was almost freezing outside. (Pic of temp below)
I pulled over and let the car idle for about 10 minutes. It cooled down by an amount so small its not even worth noting. I decided to try to make it home. As I drove it started to drop in temp... The car started sputtering as I slowed down at a red light. It started to shake. Then it cut off. I think I made this worse because I keep stepping on the gas hoping to get it back on. It did but it shook worse and anything close to 20 mph made it shut off again. It did this a total of 4 times before I made it home. Each time I stepped on the gas repeatedly to get it going again.
Once home I popped the hood and the pictures below are what I saw. Its in what I believe to be the radiator overflow. I checked the oil, and I do not see it there. I got down on the ground and looked for other leaks but all I see is the gunky stuff. The consistency is light very watery caramel. There was like smoke coming from the engine and it looks wet (included below).
Called my local repair shop and they are quoting me 3 grand. They said I need to replace the engine. My husband can't get to the car for another week and it is our only vehicle.
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My 02 Alero will start, but when I went to put it into reverse it looked into neutral and wont come out. I can move the gear shift but it won't come out of gear.
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The car is a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero. At some point a little ways back, the cruise control stopped working. Checking the brake lights, I discovered that the brake lights were also out (all 3 - two on the side and the one on top). I checked the fuses and they looked fine, and I even swapped a spare 20A fuse to the stop lamp spot just in case. To no avail there, I replaced the brake light switch. This also did not fix the issue. Anything else I can/should check?
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My 2000 Oldsmobile Alero's gas pedal sticks when its 70 degrees or higher outside. I can drive it all winter long without it sticking, then when the weather gets warm it starts again. I have to pull the pedal back up with my foot and it unsticks. I have replaced the throttle cable with one from a junk yard, but it does the same thing.
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