I need more expertise
#1
Senior Member
Posts like a Camaro
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I need more expertise
OK, I'll document everything I can recall. I'm hoping I'm good to go, but want some assurance. I finished up, and when I started the car, it chugged a bit and took a few moments to start. It ran a little rough, nothing bad. I took it for a drive, it ran fine. That was Friday afternoon. This morning I was going to drive it, started it up and the service engine light came on. It seemed to idle a little rough, I revved it up a bit and it seemed to clear it out. I took it for a short drive and it seemed OK, though the RPM'* seemed to go higher than normal. Under light acceleration as it went through the gears it was up over 2K until I settled into a steady speed. Before I thought it was lower than that. Later on I decided to take it to the parts store for a scan. I think it was while I was there, before going in, I checked things out and noticed that tube going to the rear of UIM was not all the way on. I also checked the plug wires and the #3 wire seemed a tad loose. The guy checked it and noted a vacuum leak, which I told him about the tube loose. He also noted a #3 misfire. He cleared it and told me to drive it. As soon as I left it was chugging pretty bad right from the start. Once I got going faster it was mostly cleared up, but once I came to a stop at a light it would get a bit rough again. I went back and it still showed a #3 misfire. He suggested swapping fuel injectors. I came home, looked things over some more. While at the parts store I also noticed rotten eggs. I wasn't sure if it was mine, but I smelled it once I got home. I didn't really smell it out of the exhaust, just a general egg smell.
So I get on here and found that I need to make sure the #4 plug wire isn't touching the O2 sensor. Well sure enough, it was touching. So I fixed that issue. Next I pulled the #3 plug. It has what appears to be a touch of oil on the white part of the electrode and the ring where the threads start is brown like it'* burnt. So I switched out the plug for another new one. I'm hoping I just got grease from my hands on the end when I put it in. I also was thinking when I put that one in the first time (I redid it also) that it seemed like I didn't need to turn the socket much to tighten it. So I'm wondering if it could have been not in all the way? Well I took it for a drive, and as soon as I started it, the light went out and it drove great. I pulled the plug when I got back, and it was clean. I'm going to test it a couple more times later, but should I be worried about anything at this point?
So I get on here and found that I need to make sure the #4 plug wire isn't touching the O2 sensor. Well sure enough, it was touching. So I fixed that issue. Next I pulled the #3 plug. It has what appears to be a touch of oil on the white part of the electrode and the ring where the threads start is brown like it'* burnt. So I switched out the plug for another new one. I'm hoping I just got grease from my hands on the end when I put it in. I also was thinking when I put that one in the first time (I redid it also) that it seemed like I didn't need to turn the socket much to tighten it. So I'm wondering if it could have been not in all the way? Well I took it for a drive, and as soon as I started it, the light went out and it drove great. I pulled the plug when I got back, and it was clean. I'm going to test it a couple more times later, but should I be worried about anything at this point?
#4
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A bit hard to tell in pictures but that looks yellowish/brown.
Even new plugs can have this. If coolant got on the plugs, it'* fowled. Autolites are about $2.62 a pair at Menards.
Glazing appears as a yellowish, varnish-like color. This condition indicates that spark plug temperatures have risen suddenly during a hard, fast acceleration period. As a result, normal combustion deposits do not have an opportunity to "fluff-off" as they normally do. Instead, they melt to form a conductive coating and misfire will occur.
#5
Senior Member
Posts like a Camaro
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Yeah, I have one more left (had to buy in packs of 4 from Rock Auto) if I need it. I took it for another drive after a couple hours and so far so good. No more rotten eggs either. All of the old plugs were greyish, so I'm hoping this was some freak incident (I'm putting my bets on greasy fingers).
Last edited by Grimm; 09-19-2009 at 03:57 PM.
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