2002 wrx misfire

Jan 29, 2013 2 Replies

While driving home today suddenly the car started to run rough and had less power. Within a minute the check engine light came on. I was able to drive home. When I exit the car there's a faint rotten egg odor from the exhaust.



The ODB2 reader reported 3 codes: P0301, P0303, P0301. They mean cylinder 1 and 3 misfire.



I check the web and there are a dozen or so possible causes. Is there a way to coax more info out of the car so I can narrow down the problem?



For example, spark plugs could be a cause, but the chance of two spark plugs going bad at the same time seems low. On the other hand, car problems don't always follow logic, so I can't rule this out. Replacing spark plugs is a big hassle, so I don't want to do it unless necessary.



I found one bbs post say that if the knock sensor go bad, it could cause 1&3 or 2&4 cylinders to misfire. Is there a way to test this without buying a new knock sensor?



how many miles on the car? has the timing belt been changed? any mods/ repairs done?

is the car still misfiring/running poorly?

Turned out to be the spark plugs. They were carbon sooted. May have something to do with my driving style (lots of short trips).

No the timing belt is not changed yet. No mods. Years ago same problem occured on number 2 cylinder.

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