Today while driving to work I heard a weird noise coming from the engine, then the car lost some power briefly and the service engine light came on.
I drove back home after work and the service engine light was still on.
I stopped at "Advanced auto parts" and they hooked up their little computer and told me "Cylinder 4 misfired".
I came home did a little reading online about misfiring cylinders and went to look at my car.
I removed each plug wire and inspected the spark plugs (Spark plugs still attached to engine), the one all the way to the left seems fouled with black and white residue (Is left cylinder when facing car #4 on Escort 97?).
I tested that wire (Where the plug is fouled) starting the car with that wire off the plug and holding it close to metal and I see sparks (letting me know wire is good I guess).
I don't have the tool to remove the plug so I will buy one tomorrow along with a new plug and see if that fixes the problem.
I have a weird question that I hope you can answer:
I had a complete tune up done 4 months ago and I noticed that the wire tip (The part that connects to the plug) looks different that the other three where the plug got fouled.
I mean the shape of it is different, it looks much older and dirtier than the other three wires that work correctly. Is this normal?
I mean shouldn't have the mechanic replaced all 4 wires and wire tips (Forgive me for calling them wire tips I don't know what the part at the end of the wires that connects to the plug is called.)?
Shouldn't they all look the same?
I removed one of these three newer looking wires and started my car and I got so many more sparks than that older crappy looking one it was scary.
I am tiping towards paranoid a little maybe, thinking the guy might have left an old one knowing it would fail and make more business for himself.
I figure I would ask you guys here as you might know some tricks that car challenged people like me don't know.
At any rates thanks a lot
Patrick
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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 AT 7:40 PM
