Random Miss

[Flametail]

I keep getting a random miss in my car. When I first got it back I was driving it back from a buddy's house and it started acting funny. Well I parked it and the next day my dad came and had a look and drive and said it was a missfire. I changed the plugs and it lasted until today when on the way home it started doing it again. It won't consistently do it, sometimes it will run fine. Any ideas? Is there anywhere that I could take it to diagnose the exact problem so I don't have to spend money on parts I don't need?

[Flametail]

Well I just let it sit for a bit and it started acting ok but when it got up to normal temp it started doing it again. I'm gonna run to the parts store and get new plugs and switch them out and see what happens.

[b.u.ti-ful]

How do the plugs look when you take them out.

Is any one of them more oily or sooty than the others?

[cooljess76]

cracked or leaking intake boot. With the car idling, spray some brake cleaner on and around the intake boot. If the car starts to rev, you found your problem.

[Flametail]

The intake boot does have a crack in it, but I also found water in cylinder 1. This is the second time this has happened. Anyone got a clue as to why this would happen?

[Flametail]

well I took the plug out and it sounded like it was swimming in water. Looks like the guy we bought the engine from is gonna get a call.

[b.u.ti-ful]

WAA?!

What do you mean?

Just the well that the plug is down in or the actual cylinder?

[Flametail]

There was water in the well, but I got all of it out and when I pulled up the plug it was drenched in water and smelled like gas.

[b.u.ti-ful]

Probably just some rain water, right?

Maybe not a problem.

Get the intake hole fixed and try it out.

[tiFreak]

must be water getting in through the hole in the boot, definitely get that fixed

[Flametail]

But how would it only get into cylinder 1? Is there any way just to patch it?

[tiFreak]

wrap it with duct tape, it won't be pretty, but it will keep it sealed

[Flametail]

Well I guess I'll try that.

[cooljess76]

Water in the cylinder is bad, very bad. Before you start the car, pull the plugs and crank the engine. This will blow any water and/or debris out of the combustion chambers. I hope I'm not too late, just read the thread. As for the cracked intake boot, I had the same misfire codes. Multiple and random cylinder misfires. I basically took my boot of and wrapped it with duct tape a few times from end to end. Then I reinstalled it with the hose clams over the duct tape. Cleared the codes and they never came back. The duct tape will eventually dry out and crack, possibly letting debris into your engine, so only do this as a temporary fix. I wouldn't let it go for more than a couple months. The boot cost around 35 bucks new.

[Flametail]

I taped up the boot, but I think I may have found another problem. I hate it when I get pissed off with my car cause I don't think properly. I ran the codes and it came back with 1286, Knock control test pulse. I'm gonna go to my mom-in-laws and get the one off my old car and see if that fixes it.