Re: The great misfire question .. help!!

May 28, 2004 6 Replies


Ok, I have a 94 Pontiac Grand Prix, 3.1 V6 with 162k miles on it. Once


> again, the wife complains that the car is running rough. She get's home, and
> sure as s*it it is.
>
> I test the plug wires, and one of them isn't quite up to par. So I return
> the wires and reload em. The misfire continues. I removed the alternator,
> and checked all the plugs, non of them seem fouled (which you would like one
> would be if she was misfiring). I've removed each wire, one by one from the
> ignition coils while the car is running. No noticable difference is made. I
> checked the front three wires, by removing the boots from the plugs, while
> the car was idling, one by one, and you could tell a difference in the way
> the car ran. All affected the idle about the same. I will do the same of the
> other three plugs tomorrow when I can get someone to turn the car off. Am I
> missing something in my diagnostics? Could I have a bad plug, and not be
> able to tell? Can you check the resistance of plugs like you can wires? When
> looking for strong spark, should the spark color be orange? I almost assumed
> the timing was off, but she fires right up. I wacked the computer gently a
> couple of times, and no difference was noticed ..
>
> Please help, this is REALLY starting to piss me off.
>
>

An easier way to do a cylinder balance test:

Get some 1/4" vacuum hose, and cut 1/2' long pieces, cut six of them. Put one under each boot at the coil end of the plug wire, and push them up equally, then put the plug wires back on to the coil. I advise doing this one at a time.

Then get a good 12 volt test lamp, ground the alligator clip, and go near the opening of the boot one by one, and observe the drop in the engine RPM by ear. But, don't do this too long, you'll toast the catalytic converter. This will tell you which cylinder makes less of a difference.

Also, it is possible to cross the wires on the same coil, and not have a total miss, but a slight miss. Get a compression tester, if the compression is good, start looking for loose vacuum lines and spray carb cleaner lightly around all the vacuum lines and throttle body and areas around it.

Be careful with the carb cleaner too, too much will hit the catalytic converter, and your will kill you if you turn the car into a Tostito!

I hope this helps?

Refinish King

alternator,

am I the only one that does not understand this? Maybe I need a picture, but I don't get it. hose on the coil?

I am confused...

Rich

compression

The procedure describes installing short lengths of vacuum hose in series -in- the secondary circuit. (Vacuum hose will conduct secondary current.) The pieces of vacuum hose will give you an exposed place where a grounded test light can be touched, shunting the secondary current to ground thru the test light effectively allowing the secondary to be canceled to that a cylinder balance test can be performed.

Short pieces of hose:

So that the wire doesn't seat fully, and when you use the test lamp. It grounds the spark, in effect working like a cylinder balance tester. then when you're done, take out the short pieces of hose from "inside the wire boot"

Refinish King

Well, I've decided to take her to the doctor .. She's got a problem, and I can't figure it out...

alternator,

Let us know if the " doctor " pronounces her dead.......

========= Harryface =========

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE 3800 V6 ( C ), Black/Slate Grey _~_~_~281,540 miles_~_~_

~_~_~_~_U.S.A._~_~_~_~_~_

~~~The Former Fleet ~~~

89 Cavalier Z 24 convertible 78 Holiday 88 coupe 68 LeSabre convertible 73 Impala sedan

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