Vehicle: 2014 JEEP CHEROKEE 3.6L Pentastar VIN: G
Looking for a second opinion on an idle misfire that has me stumped.
Symptoms:
* Rough idle
* P0300 random misfire
* Misfires are on Bank 2
* Misfire counters show:
* Cylinder 2: 262 counts
* Cylinder 4: 92 counts
* Cylinder 6: 80 counts
* Cylinders 1, 3, and 5: 0 counts
* At approximately 2,000 RPM the misfires stop or become negligible
* Engine runs much smoother off idle
Tests and Repairs Performed:
Ignition:
* New spark plugs installed
* New ignition coils installed
* Misfire does not follow coil or plug
Fuel:
* Injector on cylinder 2 replaced/swapped, then did all injector seals.
* Misfire remains on cylinder 2
* Fuel pressure approximately 50 PSI
* STFT currently near normal:
* Bank 1 about +2%
* Bank 2 about +4%
Air/Vacuum:
* Intake system smoke tested
* No external vacuum leaks found
* Intake manifold has been removed during diagnosis
* No obvious intake leaks found
Mechanical:
* Compression on cylinder 2 checked against 4 & 6 all within range (160's)
* Valve cover removed on Bank 2
* Rockers visually inspected
* Engine rotated by hand
* All rocker arms appear to follow cam lobes normally
* No obvious damaged rocker, collapsed rocker, or abnormal cam wear observed
* Oiling present at valvetrain
Timing:
* Camshaft actual values checked with scan tool
* Intake and exhaust cam values between banks are nearly identical
* No obvious indication of jumped timing chain or cam phaser issue
Scan Data:
* Freeze frame when code set:
* RPM: 713
* Coolant temp: 192°F
* LTFT Bank 1: +26.5%
* LTFT Bank 2: +3.9%
* Current trims closer to normal during testing
Additional Testing:
* Exhaust system smoke tested
* No obvious smoke migration through intake indicating a major valve sealing issue
Questions:
1. Has anyone seen a Pentastar with acceptable compression and normal-looking valvetrain still have an idle-only valve sealing issue?
2. Would you recommend a running compression test or leakdown test as the next step?
3. Any known PCM driver, injector control, wiring, or Bank 2-specific issues that can cause cylinders 2, 4, and 6 to misfire primarily at idle?
4.) Can anyone shed some light on why bank 2 injector pulse values are ALL lower than bank 1 ?
(I'm also nowhere near this organized I used chat gpt to keep track of everything i did, lol.
4. Any common Pentastar failures that fit these symptoms after ignition, injector, timing, and vacuum leak concerns have largely been ruled out?
Looking for ideas before condemning a cylinder head or PCM.
Looking for a second opinion on an idle misfire that has me stumped.
Symptoms:
* Rough idle
* P0300 random misfire
* Misfires are on Bank 2
* Misfire counters show:
* Cylinder 2: 262 counts
* Cylinder 4: 92 counts
* Cylinder 6: 80 counts
* Cylinders 1, 3, and 5: 0 counts
* At approximately 2,000 RPM the misfires stop or become negligible
* Engine runs much smoother off idle
Tests and Repairs Performed:
Ignition:
* New spark plugs installed
* New ignition coils installed
* Misfire does not follow coil or plug
Fuel:
* Injector on cylinder 2 replaced/swapped, then did all injector seals.
* Misfire remains on cylinder 2
* Fuel pressure approximately 50 PSI
* STFT currently near normal:
* Bank 1 about +2%
* Bank 2 about +4%
Air/Vacuum:
* Intake system smoke tested
* No external vacuum leaks found
* Intake manifold has been removed during diagnosis
* No obvious intake leaks found
Mechanical:
* Compression on cylinder 2 checked against 4 & 6 all within range (160's)
* Valve cover removed on Bank 2
* Rockers visually inspected
* Engine rotated by hand
* All rocker arms appear to follow cam lobes normally
* No obvious damaged rocker, collapsed rocker, or abnormal cam wear observed
* Oiling present at valvetrain
Timing:
* Camshaft actual values checked with scan tool
* Intake and exhaust cam values between banks are nearly identical
* No obvious indication of jumped timing chain or cam phaser issue
Scan Data:
* Freeze frame when code set:
* RPM: 713
* Coolant temp: 192°F
* LTFT Bank 1: +26.5%
* LTFT Bank 2: +3.9%
* Current trims closer to normal during testing
Additional Testing:
* Exhaust system smoke tested
* No obvious smoke migration through intake indicating a major valve sealing issue
Questions:
1. Has anyone seen a Pentastar with acceptable compression and normal-looking valvetrain still have an idle-only valve sealing issue?
2. Would you recommend a running compression test or leakdown test as the next step?
3. Any known PCM driver, injector control, wiring, or Bank 2-specific issues that can cause cylinders 2, 4, and 6 to misfire primarily at idle?
4.) Can anyone shed some light on why bank 2 injector pulse values are ALL lower than bank 1 ?
(I'm also nowhere near this organized I used chat gpt to keep track of everything i did, lol.
4. Any common Pentastar failures that fit these symptoms after ignition, injector, timing, and vacuum leak concerns have largely been ruled out?
Looking for ideas before condemning a cylinder head or PCM.
Jun 3, 2026 at 2:13 AM



