Misfire In Cylinder 4

[shoe989]

Hello. I have a 2005 PTCruiser with 65,000 miles turbo edition 2.4L, automatic.
My check engine light came on and I had noticed a slight rattling behind the front passenger tire at times. I took it to a shop and they said the code was my fourth cylinder misfiring and that I was leaking oil through my valve gasket. I had my spark plugs and valve gasket replaced and the code cleared, as I pulled out my light came back on and it was throwing the same code. The cleared it and said they may not have cleared it properly the last time...it cost my 450$ by the way which I am pretty sure is a huge ripoff, and the light came back on the next day. It is still throwing the same code and since the shop wasn't open I can't go until monday, so I had my oil changed today and they said that the last place to change it had put 10W30 when I need 5W30. So oil is changed, plugs, and valve gasket is changed and my fourth cylinder is stilll misfiring and my engine light flashes sometimes too. I can't take it back to get looked at til Monday and I'm a single girl and I don't want to get jipped again just because they think they can. Any suggestions about what could be wrong???

[cruserdad1976]

OMG WOW don't know where to start Please tell me that the plugs and wires were changed and if not you really need new NON STOCK wires and if all they did was the plugs and the gasket man you need to figure out how to report them that is just STUPID plugs are under $40 and the gasket and labor can NOT be or should not be $400 the wires are more important than the plugs

Next there is NO way to tell what oil they were taking out( as far as weight ) other than like a chemical analysis and Im sure they did not do that so you are ok on the oil i would suggest you use synthetic but I know that is a lot more expensive and as easy as the PT is to change oil Id bet if you wanted we could walk you through it

My 06 Non turbo throws the same code and I clear it and keep driving i have done a compression test and changed plugs and wires so all is well
it could be water in your fuel or a dirty injector or most likely if they did not do the wires it is the wires
it could be many things but it will usually be ok to drive

and one more thing there really is no way to clear a code wrong if they cleared it then it is cleared

Id say a good starting point is wires and a good set of wires are under $60 and a ok set is under $30 almost anythig is better than the stock wires they are junk from the factory
as much as they charged you they should change the wires for free I know they wont but they should
now if i read something wrong then Im out of line this is just my thinking

[mdfrodolives]

Shoe, did they replace your valve (cover) gasket? Or the "spark-plug well seals", which are IN the valve cover? These O-ring-type seals prevent oil in the valve area from seeping into the spark plug well (s)--and thus fouling your number 4 spark-plug wire connection ... as well as, the other three cylinders.

At 30,000 miles, my 2003 PT had oil coming up the number 4 spark plug well. It was still under warranty at the time, and they pulled the valve cover, turned it upside down, yanked all four of the spark-plug well seals, and put in new ones. Then, of course, they used a new valve cover seal when the put the valve cover back on. Since oil had gotton onto (and into the connections of) my spark plug wires (for I didn't know how long), I also told them to replace the spark plug wires--since oil shouldn't stay on your plug wires too long--much less inside the boots. The whole job would have cost me $238.00 if I had not had a warranty. Not $450.00.

Are these guys the dealer? If so, they're a bunch of monkeys, fighting over one peanut ....

Tim

These guys need to replace your spark plug wires, also.

[linkinparker445]

Your intake manifold gaskets are likely the cause of the misfire. Turbo PTs with the aluminum intake are notorious for this.

Had the same issues as you on my 04 and new gaskets fixed me up.

[4x4safari]

If you don’t have access or knowledge of how to use compression testing, fuel pressure testing, intake manifold vacuum pressure testing then start with the basic's. Create a log sheet for the following and monitor them religiously for a week, this will help.

Record the following:
1) Oil level, and fluctuation over a week. Check the dipstick daily.
2) Coolant level, and fluctuation over a week. Check the level daily.
3) Fuel consumption, measure your fuel usage. Compare to average rated fuel consumption.

Reasons for the above,
1) Oil leaking into the combustion chamber from the head gasket or valve system seals. Leads to gumming up of the spark plug and misfire.
2) Coolant leaking into the combustion chamber from the head gasket. Leads to improper fuel mixtures and misfire.
3) Over fueling or rich mixture from a leaking or stuck open injector. Leads to rich mixture in the combustion chamber and misfire.

This is a start for a basic diagnoses, you will need more equipment to do a thorough evaluation. goodluck.

[shoe989]

Yeah it wansn't the dealership, they were going to charge me even more. I know the oil was wrong from the receipt and sticker. My neighbor is a retired mechanic and he said I need to probably get the wires changed too. But the funny thing is my engine light went off yesterday and hasn't come back on....so does that mean everything is okay?

[shoe989]

by the way, thank you all for your helpful posts. It makes me feel alot better.

[mattsptgt]

my pt is doint the same thing i replaced all the spark plugs and i am planing on changing the spark plug wires. can any one give me advice what should i be looking for i am missing somthing its a 2003 ptgt.

[soyomb]

anything but oem. i just bought some bosch premium wires for both my wife's and mine from amazon.com. don't know the part numbers, but got both sets for $58 and change. free 2 day shipping cuz i used amazon prime.

[Kawizx9r]

Originally Posted by mattsptgt

my pt is doint the same thing i replaced all the spark plugs and i am planing on changing the spark plug wires. can any one give me advice what should i be looking for i am missing somthing its a 2003 ptgt.

Don't use platinum plugs. Also, make sure the gap is set correctly. I think from the factory they were .050 or .045? I'd go with .035-.040 at least.