So about 2 months ago I put +4 plugs in because there was a misfire code and I finally got around to putting magncores on 2 nights ago. When i did 2 of the wires on the passenger side were really bad, one was not even making contact with the plug. So i pulled the plugs out one at a time and checked and cleaned them. All 4 on the passenger side were black and all 4 on the drivers side were white. But after a good brushing with a brass brush they looked good.

So it started fine, idled like a dream, and blew a bunch of what looks like fuel/oil out the tail pipe at first but then ran clean. So i took it for a 20 min ride and it felt really nice and like it had 25+ more horse power.

But now it feels the same again. It is hesitating on idle, lack of power, and leaving marks on my drive way where the tail pipe shoots. After the marks dry they look like black powder.

What would you do next? What do you think the culprit is?



Thanks guys-

 

So how many miles on it and what fault codes do you have???????????

 

It has 104,000 and I don't have the codes this time but the light is on. The misfire code(s) were 2 months ago and I don't remember them. I did order a OBD2 that should be here next week.

What would you guys do until then? Maybe pull the plugs clean them and rotate? How about some seafoam?


Let me know what you think Mike.



Thanks-

 

Go get a scanner and get your codes read, guessing isn't going to be of much help for you.

 

Ok so I went down to sears auto and got the codes read, because my scanner will not be here until Wed. The guy wouldn't let me touch the scanner and didn't really want to help me much so I don't think I got everything written down or correctly, maybe...


There were 9 codes - WOW...

P0150 = Bank 2 sensor
P0159 = CKT o2 slow response
P0174 = Bank 2 too lean
P1174 = random multiple cylinder misfire
P0300 = ?
P0308 = cylinder 8 misfire
P0304 = cylinder 4 misfire
P0306 = cylinder 6 misfire
P0302 = cylinder 2 misfire

Is there a place to look these codes up and make sure I know what they mean and got the descriptions right?

What do you guys think is wrong?

My guess is that its a sensor that's bad so its flooding it and causing all the problems/other codes, making my new +4 plugs black on the 8,6,4,2 side. But i am not a mechanic and would like any advise I can get here.

If anyone would like to talk on the phone instead of typing back and forth I would certainly appreciate that as well.


Thanks so much for all the help and resources here...

 

The Rave CD has the descriptions I will look them up in the meantime download it. All those misfires are on bank 2 so is not your ignition coil or your MAF. I don't think a bad O2 sensor would be causing all those misfires. Do you have coolant in your oil, smokey sweet smelling exhaust? Pull a plug and look in the cylinder.

P0150 = O2 sensor circuit malfunction (bank 2, sensor 1) Front sensor RH bank stoichiometric ratio outside
operating band

P0159 = not in the shop manual

P0174 = System too lean (bank 2) Multiplication injector adaptive fuelling - lean limit
exceeded RH bank

P1174 = System too lean (bank 2) Additive injector adaptive fuelling - lean limit exceeded
RH bank

P0300 = Random/multiple cylinder misfire detected Excess emissions level of misfire on more than one
cylinder

P0308 = Cylinder 8 misfire detected Excess emissions level of misfire detected on cylinder
No.8

P0304 = Cylinder 4 misfire detected Excess emissions level of misfire detected on cylinder
No.4

P0306 = Cylinder 6 misfire detected Excess emissions level of misfire detected on cylinder
No.6

P0302 = Cylinder 2 misfire detected Excess emissions level of misfire detected on cylinder
No.2

 

OK I got the RAVE downloaded - that will come in handy for a long time I am sure.

Yes the exhaust does smell different than before. And its still spiting out the tail pipe, looks like gas and oil/gunk, but i am not sure.

I am going outside to pull plug number 8 and see what I can see.



What do you think is happening here? Please don't tell me its the head gasket, I really don't want to hear that...


Thanks for your help lipadj46.

 

You MUST replace your spark plugs.
You cannot clean spark plugs anymore, they are made differently now from the old days when you used to clean and then re-gap them.
Once they go bad you need to toss them.
Go buy some new ones.

 

The 159 fault is an 02 sensor slow to respond, bank 2 sensor 2.
With your mileage, replace all 4 02's. since both banks 2 02's are acting up. it is safe to say that replacing the 02's will correct the misfire and lean issues.

 

I didn't know that but it makes sense now that you say it that way. Thanks man...