Engine misfires can be commonly spotted on busy streets where several older vehicles are experiencing them. The result is a thick cloud of black smoke from the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the car will sputter and slow as the engine misfires.
When the engine cannot complete the combustion process inside its cylinders, it indicates that something is wrong with your vehicle. Drivers are confused and wonder whether it is bad to drive their cars or not.
Summary
A cylinder misfire is a situation where an element is missing, which doesn’t allow the combustion process to finish. Improper air and fuel delivery are the most common reasons for engine misfires. Engine misfires mean something in the engine is not working properly. While you can drive with them, it can be bad to drive with engine misfires as it could worsen the engine damage and cause an accident.
In this article, we’ll also cover the following topics:
- What they feel like
- If a spark plug could be the issue
Continue reading
Whether you are driving a Chevy or any foreign car, it is important to know all the symptoms of this problem. Continue reading to find out what are car cylinder misfires, what causes it in the engine, and their meaning.
By the end of the article, you’ll know there are different error code you can come across:
- P0301
- P0302
- P0303
- P0304
- P0305
- P0306
What is a misfire in a car?
There are 3 essential components that the engine needs to operate the cylinders efficiently. It relies on fuel to burn and oxygen to facilitate this reaction. A spark will light up the mixture to produce the necessary power.
When one of these elements is missing, the cylinder will not be able to finish the combustion process. As a result, an engine misfire will occur. These misfires can happen either when you start the engine or when it is idling. The engine will stumble and lose RPM, which can be inconvenient when cruising.
Is it bad to drive with a car misfire?
You can still drive a car that suffers from a cylinder misfire. However, this is not recommended because you will struggle with keeping your car under control, especially when accelerating. The black smoke from your exhaust will also increase pollution and damage the environment.
Symptoms
When your engine misfires, you will notice a couple of symptoms. They let you know that there is something wrong with your car, and you can identify the exact problem by paying attention to these warning signs.
Rough idling
When you stop at a red light, you will notice increased vibration and uneven operation of your engine. The symptoms are the same whether you drive a VW Passat or a Ford. It happens because the cylinder becomes compromised and makes the engine work incorrectly.
Sluggish acceleration
Once the red light turns green, the struggle to accelerate will be obvious. Reaching higher speeds is difficult when the engine is misfiring. As you press the gas pedal, you will feel a bumpy motion making it difficult to drive your car.
Engine sounds
If you bought your vehicle years ago, you are probably already used to its engine sound. When the engine misfires, it will produce a different noise which you can notice quite easily. When weird sounds come from the engine bay, you are likely dealing with misfires.
Black smoke
Once the engine misfires, black smoke can be noticed in your rearview mirror. It indicates that the engine is passing fuel and air incorrectly. It is also an environmental issue, so you might want to solve this problem as soon as possible.
Causes
While symptoms will make the problem obvious, you must also identify the causes of a misfiring engine. All engines misfiring situations share the same causes. From Hyundai to Jeep and Dodge, here are the most common causes of an engine misfire.
Ignition system
Engine misfires are often associated with failing spark plugs. But spark plugs are just one part of the ignition system, which contains many more components. Any of them could fail and cause a misfire.
Air and fuel delivery
When these elements are mixed, they generate power once the spark plug ignites them. If there is an issue with air and fuel delivery, you will notice it through the symptoms presented above.
Emissions equipment
Some newer models have special emissions equipment designed for environmental protection. Ventilation systems and exhaust improvements will reduce pollution caused by your car. Still, they can also cause misfiring when not working properly.
Mechanical issues
Each cylinder has a piston that compresses the mixture to complete combustion. Some mechanical problems will prevent this simple operation or make it more difficult. As a result, the car misfires when accelerating.
How to diagnose a misfire
When diagnosing an engine misfire, you must look for specific diagnostic trouble codes. To identify the problem easily, these codes will help you narrow down the possible causes and focus on any possible malfunction.
Special diagnostic tools are used for this process, which will display a specific code on their screen. Some advanced ones can even tell you how many misfires occurred in a certain amount of time. You can also find the exact RPM when the misfire happened.
There are many diagnostic tools on the market. While some are highly practical, others focus too much on extra features instead of basic tasks. After searching the market for hours, we found the perfect product that includes both efficiency and comfort.
MOTOPOWER MP69033 Car OBD2 Scanner Code Reader Engine Fault Code Reader
MOTOPOWER is a well-known company that produces tools and devices designated to help you with your vehicle. This particular model has lots of practical functions. A built-in library allows you to identify the problem without further research quickly.
You can also get vehicle information, engine coolant temperature, and even the engine speed. It is a highly practical tool that does wonders in anyone’s garage. It supports 6 languages with English as default. But if your Japanese friend needs it for his Honda, his native language is also available.
With a compact design, this tool is easy to hold and will not make your hands feel uncomfortable after prolonged use. The LCD display brightly displays information on a large screen with a white backlight. This device won’t need any batteries since it gets power directly from your vehicle.
This performant diagnostic tool will display several codes on the screen. Each of these codes has a specific meaning, and you can use them to identify your problem precisely. Now we will discuss the most popular ones related to engine misfiring.
| Brand | MOTOPOWER |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion battery is required. (included) |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item Weight | 9.9 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 6.02 x 2.75 x 0.91 inches |
Pros
- It’s not a very expensive code reader.
- It gets the job done.
- It’s very intuitive.
- Keep one of these in each of your cars.
Cons
- You can get more advanced readers if you spend more money.
- You can get a free engine check at AutoZone.
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P0301
This code means that the powertrain control module detected a misfire from the first cylinder. The code lists the cylinders numerically, and you will know which one of them encountered problems. Incomplete combustion in the first cylinder is signaled through the P0301 code.
P0302
P0302 code signals you about cylinder two. The combustion process is incomplete within the chamber and doesn’t receive the necessary spark for ignition. This code also comes with a blinking check engine light on the dashboard.
P0303
There are many reasons why the P0303 code might appear on the screen of your tool. They are all related to engine misfires and tell you that the cause comes from the ignition system or the fuel system.
P0304
Once the P0304 code is displayed, it is time to look toward the spark plugs and coil packs. This code warns you about a possible internal engine failure that is caused by these parts.
P0305
This code is related to the 5th cylinder, and it tells you that it has a problem. The combustion process cannot be completed, and the powertrain control module has detected a misfire in this cylinder.
P0306
The air and fuel mixture in the 6th cylinder is not being ignited. As a result, the P0306 code appears on the screen. A mechanic can investigate this problem further and now easier since he knows where the cause comes from.
