I've got a 2005 Stratus coupe, and I'm having problems with a recurring misfire. The "service engine soon" light came on, so I brought it in to my mechanic and they replaced the plugs, wires, and the coil for cylinder 2 (which was misfiring at the time). The next day the engine light came back on, this time reading a misfire on cylinder 3. I took it back in and they checked the plugs, wires, coil for cylinder 3 as well as the fuel injector. They couldn't find anything wrong, and suggested I take it to a dealer to see if it's a bad drive on the computer. Does anyone know what this could be or how expensive it could get?

 

if dealer replaces computer at least thousand or more most likely, you don't have to go to dealer if theres a shop in your area with a DRB III scanner they can access computer data . several other possibilities ,bad cam or crankshaft sensor , possibly a bad ASD relay(depending on which controller car uses), wiring corroded for intermittent problems

 

You mentioned coil, so ill assume you have the 4cyl. If I remember correctly, cylinders 1 and 4 share a coil, and 2 and 3 share one. I had problems at one point with both of mine, and after I went through 2 replacements on each I pinpointed it to the fancy spark plugs I decided to put in it. That engine with those coils runs wonderfully on the cheapest, most basic spark plugs. Is there a chance that could be the problem?

I also had a sort of 'hiccup' when driving years after, and it ended up being the camshaft position sensor. Easy and cheap fix if i recall correctly. Its near the thermostat.

I personally have never seen the computer as the culprit for drive problems on the coupe as long as ive been on the forums.

 

So the dealer got back to me, and said that I need a new cylinder head. Chrysler doesn't make that particular engine anymore, so they can't get the part for me but they recommended I take it to a smaller mom-and-pop shop that will put in refurbished parts. Has anyone run into a similar problem?

Also, I've read that if you replace the cylinder head you're almost guaranteed to need a new head gasket as well. Is that actually the case? Everything I know about cars has come from Google, so my understanding is fairly limited.

 

yes the head gasket should be replaced would cause nothing but problems if it stayed in one piece and they try to reuse ,it should be included when they pull head off check with them gasket runs 25 to 37 dollars at autozone

 

Did they say WHY you needed a new cylinder head? Did you let the car over heat and it warped? Are valves bent and destroyed the ports? Its not a part that 'just goes bad'. Id say it sounds fishy but theyre not offering to do the work so they wont profit off it. Sounds odd.

Id take it elsewhere and not mention that you were told it needs a new cylinder head.