imAC

Hey everyone. I am having a very difficult time finding out the culprit to my problem. I have a 1997 es300 and cylinder 3 is misfiring. I did what others had suggested before (swap the coil pack around to a different cylinder to see if the misfire moves....and....its still misfires on cylinder 3). i changed my spark plugs maybe 6-8 months ago but i did NOT change the wires. Could it be the wire going to bank 3 ? Any help would be AWESOME !

Also, when slowing down for a stop sign or red light....when I gas it....it will sometimes make an awful loud backfire noise. I have neighbors thinking I am shooting a gun lol.

lostape45

Is that the only CEL your car is throwing? Just for cylinder 3? Is the CEL flashing or just lit on the dash?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Pull the spark plug and inspect. Your fuel injector is probably bad.

imAC

Ohh and also my car shakes very violently even when I'm parked. Still could be a fuel injector ?

imAC

The cel is sometimes solid but other times its not and it flashes

ES300NZ

all engines that are mis-firing shake, some more violently than others. this is because of say 6 cylinders only 5 are working or 4, so the engine is 'out of balance' as it rotates, it's missing the 'push' force of those cylinders which are not firing (e.g. mis or failed to fire).

in a nut shell. yes.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Flashing is worse as it means you're dumping unburned fuel. Get it resolved ASAP.

Do you smell a strong fuel odor when it's doing that?

imAC

I am just a college student and do not have much $$ to spare. Is it possible to unclog a fuel injector or do I just need to replace it ?

Is there a way to test fuel injectors ?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

It sounds to me like it could be a spark plug that's not firing or a fuel injector that's stuck open. Both will cause a misfire. Swapping the coils will not guarantee that you're getting spark.

There is a test you can do to check for spark, before you attack the fuel injector.

Just so we're on the same page, which cylinder do you think is #3?

imAC

I was thinking the back side middle one....I hope that's correct haha.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Okay. Try swapping the spark plug wires for #3 and #5 and see if the misfire moves. Also check for obvious damage to the wire.

Then if it's the same, remove the spark plug out of cylinder #3 and inspect it. If it's good, lay it on top of the engine while plugged into the wire. Have somebody crank the engine and watch for spark. DO NOT TOUCH the spark plug.

Lastly, what spark plugs did you put in the car?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Cylinder #3 is under the plenum so make sure the wire is still securely attached to the spark plug. It could have easily popped off.