Intermittent engine miss

Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
  • MEMBER
  • 2014 FORD ESCAPE
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 90,000 MILES
Have been having a miss in our escape while driving. It just comes and goes. Seems like while going up hill or around curves. It is usually worse when you leave it sitting over night and first start driving it. Like a cold start. It will sometimes also make a rattle sound when it does it sometimes but not all the time. We changed the spark plugs didn’t help. No lights no codes. The power train warranty won’t fix it until a code or light comes on. I was told to ride it until it throws a code or light. I am afraid I will tear something else up. We can not figure it out though. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Kristy
Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 8:29 AM

12 Replies

Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello,

Okay, so the first thing we need to do is figure out which cylinder has the miss. Your vehicle likes to miss when it's cold, and right now for us that's a good thing. To figure out which cylinder is missing, it will have to be missing at the time we run these tests. So, first thing in the morning, you and a helper need to go and start your vehicle. Confirm that the miss is present. Next you will need to go around a one at a time, with the vehicle idling, unplug a fuel injector connector and listen to what the engine does when you do this. If the engine bogs down then this is not the problem cylinder. Plug the fuel injector connector back in and move to the next cylinder. Repeat this until you unplug the fuel injector connector and there is no change in the engine. This is the cylinder with the miss. Here is a link for you to go to explaining how to fix misfires below:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-misfires-or-runs-rough

Please go through this guide and get back to us with what you are able to find out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 8:45 AM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
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We had this vehicle to the place we bought it but they did. It receive a code. Would you not get a code if the cylinder was bad? The miss only happens when you drive it. It won’t miss while parked. I might have to try this out though.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 8:51 AM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
They did not receive a code I mean.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 8:51 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

I'm sorry, what I meant was the problem cylinder, or the cylinder with the miss in it, not a bad cylinder. It is just a figure of speech and I am not implying that your vehicle is broken, not by any means. Misfires happen all the time and they are usually pretty easy to figure out and fix. Get back to us with the misfiring cylinder and we will go from there.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 8:57 AM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Would I get a code on the cylinder bad on a test? The car dealer got no codes. Just wondering. We will try to look at the cylinders. It will also make a noise sometime like a rattle but only sometimes.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 9:01 AM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Thanks for your help. It seems to be hard to figure out without a light or code but we can try the cylinders. I hope I figure it out soon or I will probably be trading it in.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 9:17 AM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
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  • 9 POSTS
Also, when you talk about cylinders do you mean spark plugs? We changed all these new and still does it.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 9:44 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

A misfire sometimes will cause your vehicle's Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or "check engine" light to illuminate, and sometimes it won't. If it was illuminated for a misfire it would have the Direct Trouble Code(s) P0300(Random Misfire)or any combination of P0301 - P0304 (Misfire with the last number being the cylinder with the misfire)(P0301 Misfire in cylinder 1)(P0302 Misfire in cylinder 2) and so on. But a misfire might not turn on the MIL or "check engine" lamp. The key here is not whether the MIL or "check engine" lamp is illuminated or not but to find the cylinder or piston that is misfiring. We will do this just like I described above. Then we can figure out why your engine is misfiring, which is relatively simple and get it fixed. Please get back to us with what cylinder(s) or pistons are misfiring and we can go from there. I have also included a layout of your vehicle's cylinders, or pistons, so you have a reference to tell us which cylinders, or pistons are misfiring.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 2:55 PM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
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If it is spark plugs we already changed them.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 3:03 PM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

Okay, it could be a few things, but first, we need to find the cylinder where the misfire is happening. We can't fix it if we don't know where it is. Please find the misfiring cylinder as per my first reply and get back to us with which cylinder it is. Please don't be intimidated. You can do this, it is not as hard as it seems. And we will be right here with you every step of the way. Please get back to us with the misfiring cylinder and we can go from there. You guys can do it!

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 6:17 PM
Tiny
MEGSMOM2005
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Reply my husband said the dealer was suppose to check the cylinders and all worked. They said since no code it was not a miss. That is exactly what it feels like though. They thought maybe something in the transmission but without a code they were lost. We are just at a loss. I would love to figure this out but I guess I have to ride it until it quits.
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Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 AT 5:05 AM
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

Okay, best of luck. Please don't hesitate to ask us any other vehicle related questions. We will have answers for you, what you decide to do with the information is up to you.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 2:12 AM

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