Cylinder misfires or bad injectors, please post here.

When was the last time you did plugs? Did you check the gap when you did the leakdown?

hay guys. shot in the dark here. i have bought a 97 legacy gt (twin turbo ej20) and the guy i got it from says it has blown 3 coil packs in a row in number 1 cylinder sounds a little more serious than it should be. he did a plug change and fresh fuel after car sat for a couple years. the coil pack went dud as soon as he tried to start it. from what i have read on here and other forums it should be pretty straight forward. i have bought car unseen except for pictures and his description (rookie i know) just wondering what it could be really.

 

 

[ATTACH]159285[/ATTACH]

 

 

 

thats what the coil packs look like. any help would be greatly helpful.

 

Sounds like an electrical issue. Check for proper fuses/relays and look for bad wiring (grounds, exposed wiring, short circuits, etc.). Also inspect the harness that the connects to the coil packs.

 

A car that has sat may have had animals eating at the wiring insulation. Be sure the oil and coolant is also changed before turning it over.

Edited August 20, 2013 by compsurge

Maybe you guys can help me out.

 

My car is an 05 LGT. There is a stumble at idle and at heavy throttle. I bought the car last year, it had a burnt valve and the dealership rebuild both heads before I purchased it.

 

I plugged in my laptop and ran Romraider to log. #2 cylinder has roughness, usually maxing out around 10. No codes are showing. Cleaned the MAF sensor awhile ago. Car is stock aside from an AEM dryflow intake filter replacement. New battery and had the alternator rebuilt 2 weeks ago.

 

I just swapped coils between cylinder #2 and #3. Roughness stayed on cylinder #2, so I figure it's likely not the coils then.

 

What should I do next? Replace the spark plugs? I don't know if the dealer put new ones in when they rebuilt the heads. Otherwise, is the next likely cause the injector? I can swap those between cylinders to see if it moves.

 

Any help would be appreciated, this is frustrating. Aside from the stumble, the car runs well. Doesn't burn oil between changes, same gas mileage as it has always been.

Edited September 14, 2013 by Enraged

Plugs.

 

If your LV shows pulled timing, or maxed MAF trims in cell A, check for leaks. The turbo inlet tube is a common culprit.

I bought mine 1998 legacy outback MT.In 06 with 87000 from first owner.In 07 at 97000 HG gave up(no surprise:cool:).HG done by mine friend.no problem till 175000.When I start notice slightly rough idle,and then miss at #4.Did full tuneup,did't change anything , checked injectors ,and find piece of something(like piece of rubber or old caulking??) in #4.Removed and clean it all was fine,car runes like new.then at 190000,it started with little rough idle again,Did full tuneup.nothing changed .hit higher speed on highway and have the catalytic converter below eff.Changed second o2 sens. cleared the code. And now whenever I hit speed over 80 mph popping code, miss on #4 or#3.and little jerking in traffic at low RPM.Changed fuel filter and fuel pressure regulator changed the SP again NGK. Did the cylinder compression test. Around 180Psi on each.So no problem there.Cables an coil double checked OK .What should be the next step?Vacuum? The first O2 sens?

My 99 gt is missfiring on cyl one. its not the plugs or the wires I checked them and there both fine. I cleaned my maf sensor and my egr valve. It's still getting gas in that cyl so im assuming the only thing left would be the coil? I was looking for other peoples opinions on this before I order a new one I was quoted $205 plus tax for a new one.

Or the injector...

Or the injector...

 

It still seems to be getting gas though. I can smell the un-burnt gas when it's running and the spark plug is wet with gas too when I take it out.

Injector over-fueling the cylinder. Possible it's also mis-firing due to too much fuel? Move the injector and see if the mis-fire follows.

It's not getting any fire to cyl one though, I took the spark plug out and had it in the wire and held it close to metal and turned it over, no spark at all. Tried the same plug and wire on cyl 3 and it worked fine. Also tried the cyl 3 plug and wire in cyl 1 and it didnt fire when on it either

Dead soldier there. Check your plug wires, your coil pack. Info and specs attached.

Ignition Coil Testing Nov98.pdf

Ignition Coil Service Precaution Sum04.pdf

Dead soldier there. Check your plug wires, your coil pack. Info and specs attached.

 

Thanks for the help! It ended up being the coil pack that was bad. Works like a champ again with the new one in

Mine is a 2009 spec.B with a misfire on 4 with 97K miles on the clock. Swapped the 4 coil with 2 and it's still coming back with the same misfire code on 4. Plugs changed and the compression check was good. Idle is very rough about one in every 5 stop lights. SPT exhaust is the only mod. Cobb AP v2 with 93 octane tune which I have flashed back to stock and still having the same issues. Anyone have any ideas?

You have to try swapping the injector now if the coil didn't change anything.. You can also make sure there is enough voltage getting there

Misfiring, check engine on. CEL showed cylinder 4. Replaced plug and plug wires. No help. Had ignition coil changed. That did the trick.

Misfiring, check engine on. CEL showed cylinder 4. Replaced plug and plug wires. No help. Had ignition coil changed. That did the trick.

Thanks for the reply, but when I first got the CEL with the misfire on 4 I swapped the coil in 4 with 2 and got the same code for 4 so the coil shouldn't be the issue. Any other thoughts?

You have to try swapping the injector now if the coil didn't change anything.. You can also make sure there is enough voltage getting there

That was my next option after swapping the engine coil, but I was told by someone that I respect at Southern States Subaru here in Raleigh ("the dealership"); someone that has been around these cars for a good deal of his life, that the injectors are probably not the issue. Do you (or anyone else) have other experience? I was going to put this back further on my checklist and didn't want to have to submit to a valve job (again) on 2 and 4 (had one done on 1 and 3 around 75K by "the dealership" before I bought the car from them). Most of my weekend work in the past has been on old 83-85 Mercedes Diesel cars and some work on a 67's Scout International. I am not a professional by any means, but I am trying to learn more about my more more modern car to try and do more of the work on my own. Thanks in advance.

Okay - haven't reread all of this, but did you check the plug? Plugs will foul/fail and initiate a mis-fire. If it's not the plug, then I check the coil-pack, then the injector. Unless the car has been sitting with limited to no activity, the injectors are pretty solid. Not to say that they can't/won't go bad, but they're not a typical "suspect"...all else equal.

 

And before I'd pull the injector, check the resistance on the terminals. Is it between 5 — 20 Ω? If YES, then injector is likely OK, but there could still be upstream issues with the wiring. If NO, replace the faulty injector. More injector info on pages EN(H4DOTC)(diag)-166 and -167 of the FSM.

Okay - haven't reread all of this, but did you check the plug? Plugs will foul/fail and initiate a mis-fire. If it's not the plug, then I check the coil-pack, then the injector. Unless the car has been sitting with limited to no activity, the injectors are pretty solid. Not to say that they can't/won't go bad, but they're not a typical "suspect"...all else equal.

 

And before I'd pull the injector, check the resistance on the terminals. Is it between 5 — 20 Ω? If YES, then injector is likely OK, but there could still be upstream issues with the wiring. If NO, replace the faulty injector. More injector info on pages EN(H4DOTC)(diag)-166 and -167 of the FSM.

 

Yes, I changed all of the plugs (second thing that I tried after swapping the coils from 4 to 2 and the misfire returned on 4) and since my last post I swapped injectors and the misfire again, returned on 4. I didn't check resistance, but it's something that I can add to my check list in the future, so thanks for that. I decided that I have reached the end of my ability to look at this on my own and took it in to a full time subie mechanic. He confirmed everything that I found without me telling him what I had tried: since I am new to subies, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing something wrong. Today he started pulling the engine to check the internals. I will post the resolution once I get the results back. Thanks to all for recommendations.

Hello!

 

To start off, i have a 99' Legacy 5-speed.

 

I've had the car for two months, everything was running fine and dandy.

 

After i got off work on Friday 4/18, everything was fine as i turned it on and cleaned my windows, i drove 1/2 a block and then the C.E.L flashed, i hurt a slight knock with ticking, so i drove it home going under 2,500 rpm and check the codes.

 

P0301 and P0302, Misfire cyl 1 and 2, week prior i used Royal Purple Max Clean and use 91 octane, anywho... i cleaned the MAF, changed vacuum lines to the EGR system and one hose that connects to what i think is the FPR, check all four plugs, they were all burning clean and normal wear and tear (plugs are a month old, along with wires), the plugs gap was at .044 so i closed them to .040, cleared the codes... then after 7 miles the light starts flashing again and it's the same codes...

 

Car idles fine and picks up smoothly... doesn't even seem like it has a misfire... only thing i do hear... is a pop every time i shift... Detonation maybe?

 

Reading all the posts... i assume i should check my injectors next (which could explain the ticking i hear).

 

Anything else i should check? My dad thinks it might be a vacuum leak elsewhere?

Coilpack is what I'd check - given that you're on cylinder 1 and 2.

 

OEM NGK Copper plugs?

OEM Subaru wires?

 

To avoid misfires, avoid anything that's not OEM on these.

 

Check your valve cover breather lines to the torque (air cleaner) box to make sure they aren't torn, cracked or separated.

Yes, I changed all of the plugs (second thing that I tried after swapping the coils from 4 to 2 and the misfire returned on 4) and since my last post I swapped injectors and the misfire again, returned on 4. I didn't check resistance, but it's something that I can add to my check list in the future, so thanks for that. I decided that I have reached the end of my ability to look at this on my own and took it in to a full time subie mechanic. He confirmed everything that I found without me telling him what I had tried: since I am new to subies, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing something wrong. Today he started pulling the engine to check the internals. I will post the resolution once I get the results back. Thanks to all for recommendations.

 

Listed below is what it took to fix my CEL along with a "might as well do the 105K service": I wish this upon no one... ever - not even Honda owners :

14035AA421 : Gasket Intake manifold

44011AC030 : Gasket

13270AA190 : Gasket Rocker Cover RH

13272AA140 : Gasket Rocker Cover LH

13293AA051 : Gasket Rocker cover NO 2

806732160 : Oil seal 32X55X8.5

806742160 : Oil seal 42X55X8

13028AA240 : Timing Belt

13033AA042 : Adjuster AY Belt Tension

13033AA142 : PT340292 Idler CP Belt

13073AA230 : Idler CP Belt

13085AA080 : Idler CP Belt NO 2

806742160 : Oil Seal 42X55X8

806732160 : Oil Seal 32X55X8.5

13228AB352 : Lifter Valve

13228AB372: Lifter Valve

13228AB382: Lifter Valve

13228AB312: Lifter Valve

13228AB342: Lifter Valve

13228AB402: Lifter Valve

13228AB412: Lifter Valve

13228AB292: Lifter Valve

13228AB362: Lifter Valve

13228AB332: Lifter Valve

13228AB322: Lifter Valve

16608KA000: Fuel Injector Seal

13202AA660: Valve Exhaust

11044AA770: Gasket Cylinder head

Oil 5W30

11126AA000: Gasket

15208AA12A: Elem Oil Filter

Verified Concern - Found P0304 in memory - swapped coils - no change - swapped injectors - no change - Found # 4 Cylinder to have low compression - 80 PSI compared to 120 PSI in all others - found 80% leakage from exhaust ports on #4 cylinder - removed LH Leakage from exhaust ports on #4 cylinder - removed LH Cylinder head and found all exhaust valves in need of replacement (*OUCH*). Replaced valves - performed valve clearance adjustment - reinstalled engine into vehicle - test drove vehicle - vehicle no longer has misfire code at this time."

 

Total : A lot.

 

Positives: Got a huge discount.

Negatives: The clutch fork was reinstalled incorrectly, which made me think my clutch was f-ed up after just spending major $. However, It was put back right the next day.

My 05 Lgt has a hard miss at idle and is inconsistent. When I put my header and up on, I could pinpoint the explosion occurring in the rear runner on the passenger side. There's no check engine light staying on so I assume there's no fault codes yet

 

Is there any possible way a bad injector would cause this or am I for sure due for valve lash adjustment?

Just installed the MSD Coil

 

Light was still flashing, so i decided to swap injectors between cylinders.

 

Light still flashing and no change of codes.

 

Checked the valve cover breather lines as suggested, their fine.

 

I have NGK Iridium plugs and NGK wires.

 

So after i swap plugs and wires... if the codes are still the same... what's my next option?

 

only have had this LGT for 2 months and still have a year to pay it off.

Just installed the MSD Coil

 

Light was still flashing, so i decided to swap injectors between cylinders.

 

Light still flashing and no change of codes.

 

Checked the valve cover breather lines as suggested, their fine.

 

I have NGK Iridium plugs and NGK wires.

 

So after i swap plugs and wires... if the codes are still the same... what's my next option?

 

only have had this LGT for 2 months and still have a year to pay it off.

 

Forgot to add... there's no loss of power, no actual misfires that are noticeable, The light only flashes when i shift around 2500-3000 rpm