Cylinder 2 misfire photo
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Cylinder 2 misfire photo
Hello Forum!
I thought a photo of my problem might provide some insight into the cylinder 2 misfire issue. Can you spot the problem in the photo? Ha ha.
I bought my 2001 RX300 with the P302 error code at what I thought was a very reasonable price. The vehicle had never had the rear valve cover or PCV replaced and had 150K miles on it. Initially, I had replaced those parts hoping the error code would disappear, however when it didn't, I decided to replace the engine.
With the old engine on the shop floor it was easy to dismantle. Others can weigh in, but essentially as I understand it, the general reason this happens is because the oil in the crankcase doesn't flow nicely through the engine due to the poor design of the pcv and rear valve cover which creates pressure in the engine that particularly affects cylinder 2 more than the others. Looks like the pressure blew a hole right through the intake valve! It's also worth mentioning that (not photoed) cylinder 4 (right next to 2) intake valves were covered in white crusty stuff (but no hole).
With so many of these cars still on the road with no rust and nice leather interiors and 200K, engine replacement doesn't seem so unreasonable. Worth mentioning, my engine came from Japan with "less than 50K" miles on it (bought it online) and after 3K miles it's still working fine.
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snorander
RX - 1st Gen (1999-2003)
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08-06-15 11:20 AM