2002 stratus 2.4 idle prob and 2 middle cyl not firing
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Joined: May 2012
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2002 stratus 2.4 idle prob and 2 middle cyl not firing
I have searched the forum for some help and cant seem to find the exact fix. This car has 179k miles. I replaced plugs, coil,fuel injector rail with all injectors and cleaned. The car rough idles and when we unplugged a wire the two outside wires will kill the car....the two inside wires have no effect. No issues with water in oil or smoking at all.
Frustrated and spending way too much money. Its a 16v dohc 4 door. Thanks for any help.
Frustrated and spending way too much money. Its a 16v dohc 4 door. Thanks for any help.
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
From: NY
The only reason why you have spent too much money is from buying parts that weren't needed or paying for repairs that didn't fix the car. Either one is a very bad idea. You need to take the time to DIAGNOSE the problem before it can be fixed.
An inline four cylinder engine typically has a firing order of 1-3-4-2. That means that the #1 and #4 pistons are at TDC at the same time (one on compression, one on exhaust). The same can be said for #3 and #2 pistons. So, we need to look for a problem related to those cylinders:
1) Have you checked your compression? A head or head gasket problem could be allowing gasses to pass from one cylinder to another. Sometimes, it only shows up at low engine speeds. Usually, it'll get worse to show up at all times. A compression test would help diagnose / rule out a compression problem.
2) Wasted spark ignition systems fire two cylinders at the same time. If you have a problem with the ignition circuit that fires the #2 + #3 cylinders, it could only manifest itself at low speeds.
3) Intake / Vacuum leaks can affect cylinders that are close to each other. They will also be more pronounced at low engine speeds (less vacuum at high speeds makes vacuum leak less). Check for any loose intake bolts (perhaps between the #2 + #3 intake runners). Also look for any vacuum hoses that connect to the intake manifold where the #2 + #3 intake runners meet.
There are other things that could be checked (injector spray patterns, etc...) to rule out possible problems, but I would focus on the items listed above first.
-Ken
An inline four cylinder engine typically has a firing order of 1-3-4-2. That means that the #1 and #4 pistons are at TDC at the same time (one on compression, one on exhaust). The same can be said for #3 and #2 pistons. So, we need to look for a problem related to those cylinders:
1) Have you checked your compression? A head or head gasket problem could be allowing gasses to pass from one cylinder to another. Sometimes, it only shows up at low engine speeds. Usually, it'll get worse to show up at all times. A compression test would help diagnose / rule out a compression problem.
2) Wasted spark ignition systems fire two cylinders at the same time. If you have a problem with the ignition circuit that fires the #2 + #3 cylinders, it could only manifest itself at low speeds.
3) Intake / Vacuum leaks can affect cylinders that are close to each other. They will also be more pronounced at low engine speeds (less vacuum at high speeds makes vacuum leak less). Check for any loose intake bolts (perhaps between the #2 + #3 intake runners). Also look for any vacuum hoses that connect to the intake manifold where the #2 + #3 intake runners meet.
There are other things that could be checked (injector spray patterns, etc...) to rule out possible problems, but I would focus on the items listed above first.
-Ken