RUDE99GIRL

Hi everyone!

So I'm about ready to leave my car on the side of the road and let someone take it... Grrr!!!

So here's what's going on...
I had to replace my engine (B16A2) earlier this year, and put in a slightly used one (30K miles) in. Month later, radiator went out... changed it.

End of December, was driving home and heard my engine making a funny noise - almost like a card flapping in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Pulled the spark plug cover off and found out that Cyl 2 (3rd one from the Dist. Cap) had a broken spark plug of all things! Cyl 1 & 4 seemed to have normal wear, and Cyl 3 had a bit of white/grayish buildup on it. My dad went to Napa and got new spark plugs -- they sold him Denso PK20TT #4504. Replaced all four of them and car seemed to be fine for the next 2-3 weeks.

Saturday night, driving home - CEL came on and started flashing. Didn't drive it on Sunday, but had my dad look at it today. No broken plugs - but Cyl 3 was starting to get some build up on it again. Took the car to autozone - got the standard Misfire codes on all of the cylinders as well as the random misfire code.

Put another one of the PK20TT spark plugs into Cyl 3 just in case it was a bad one. The few miles I drove to get the new part, the plug came back out "wet" - so guess it's not firing??

Looked into the spark plugs a bit more... the ones that came with the engine and that the manual says to have are the Denso PK20PR-L13 - which the Denso website says comes with a 0.052 gap. The PK20TT looks to have a 0.040 gap.

Car is idling VERY rough - muffler shaking, etc.

I'm trying to find the spark plugs - but don't know if just changing that out is going to fix it?

Suggestions??
Should I get new Spark Plug Wires too??

Feeling helpless.... which route would you take to troubleshoot?

Thanks!!!

SOHConthis

go with ngk spark plugs. also check the timing,dist.cap and rotor button just a few to help ya out.

Si_chRis

Try a compression test, specifically check out the cylinder with the fouling plug. It seems carbon might have built up so bad that it's causing your valves to stick or not closing fully causing a crappy idle, misfire or loss of compression.

You also mentioned a spark plug broke? Worst case scenario is that the spark plug broke some pieces off into the combustion chamber and caused internal damage.

It could also be something else more simpler. Like mentioned above, your cap and rotor might need replacing. It could also be a fuel injector problem.

RUDE99GIRL

Well... Got the right spark plugs now... checked the wires, changed the cap and rotor.... did a compression test - and it turns out the Cylinder 3 has NONE. Well - like 2psi - so yeah, none.

The engine was bought from HM in Cali and is under warranty, but need to be able to get to work tomorrow.

Has anyone ever had this situation happen? What could cause the cylinder to die like this? Solutions???

Oh - and the broken spark plug had been in cyl 2. The only plug that had been getting fouled up was in cyl 3.

Beyond stressed right now. FML. =(

Si_chRis

You most likely have a chipped valve, burnt valve, or a valve that's sticking open/not fully closing causing the compression loss in cylinder 3.

The cylinder 3 spark plug is most likely fouled from either 1: fuel not burning off cause the cylinder is dead, 2: a bad oil ring causing oil burning and carbon build up which leads to a chipped/burnt/sticking exhaust valve, or 3: bad valve seals.

The only solution is to have the head removed and rebuilt or get a new engine

Your engine was from Hmotorsonline? So was it a JDM B16A?

I feel your pain, my B16A2 had the same issue and may I add, my timing belt jumped timing later on down the road and destroyed my cylinder head.