Hi,

Recently I got codes that both cyl. 1 and 2 were misfiring in my EJ22. I had a problem like that in the past but it was only in one cylinder. Turned out to be a plug had gone bad.

 

What could be causing two cylinders to be misfiring like that suddently? It's too much of coincidence to be a plug or wire to me....

 

 

Thanks for any input...

 

--Damien

Actually when it' s electrical 1&2 or 3&4 miss together. Due to the "wasted spark" ignition system Subaru's use.

 

Could be a plug, wire, or coil pack.

 

You can start by moving the wires front to back if you'd like and perhaps change the plugs while you are at it.

 

If the code follows the plug wires then they are the problem. If not it was a plug(you may have changed out) or the coil pack.

Are you getting any driving symptoms yet? Any bucking when warm, but not when cold? Has your front 02 sensor been changed in the last 40k miles?

 

change the wires and use a plane jane ngk plug check the coil for track marks to the base. To find them i mist water on the plug wires and coil pack with hand sprayer and watch for sparks and listen for misses

plugs and / or wires are the most common cause if misfires.

 

the 1&2 combination suggests the coil due to the way it is designed. but the coils are pretty hardy. i think the igniter is a little more likely than the coil but i guess it could be either.

plugs and / or wires are the most common cause if misfires.

 

the 1&2 combination suggests the coil due to the way it is designed. but the coils are pretty hardy. i think the igniter is a little more likely than the coil but i guess it could be either.

 

I sell way more used coils than ignitors.

 

That said it's usually plugs or wires.

well I swapped in a new coil pack (a task simple enough). But it made no difference. Engine sounds like only 3 cylinders are working.

 

 

--Damien

It's going to the shop tomorrow. I drove it around some more but still one or more cylinders is cold.

 

I'll let you guys know what was wrong with it exactly as soon as I get it back so you know.

 

 

Cheers!

 

--Damien

oh I see....under the 'wasted spark' system if one line fails so will the one that 180 degrees out-of-phase.

 

Is this correct?

 

 

--Damien

Yep.

 

Really an incomplete circuit.

 

That's what tells you it's electrical (plugs/wires/coil).

 

If it were mechanical it would likely be on one cylinder or both cylinders on the same head (like if timing belt jumps) 1&3 or 2&4.

Well I worked up enough nerve to twiddle with the wires...

 

I pulled both wires out, inspected them, and reinstalled them.

 

Now it seems to run fine again...

 

Could be the gas, tho...a big, huge depression moved into the area (it's obvious what it is if you live here) and decided to stay...as it often does here in New England.

 

All the excess moisture in the air may have gotten sucked into the tank...given that ethanol is hydrophilic.

 

I used to get that problem all the time with a Saab I used to own years ago...

 

After 5 years of headbanging mania most of us can't wait to get back into depression...

 

--Damien

All that excess moisture in the air could have also helped the plug wires show their age. It may be a good idea to just replace them, and the plugs as neither are very expensive.

I just barely managed to drive it to the shop today.

 

On the highway both cylinders completely went cold...I managed to limp it the final 5 miles to the shop (shuddering and all).

 

Seems like an electrical/electronic failure...I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

 

 

 

--Damien

Well I was completely right. Turns out the crank pulley was failing (part of the timing belt assembly).

 

But also all four plugs were completely shot.

 

One symptom I noticed was the crankshaft rotor was getting wobbly...so I wasn't nuts to think it was the timing belt.

 

The wobble was pretty noticable...so if you see that symptom you'd need to get it in sooner rather than later.

 

Somehow I managed to limp it for 5 whole miles at highway speed with shot plugs and a failing timing belt assembly!

 

My mechanic says it's not an interference engine but he said it's been known that when the timing assembly fails on one of those engines it can bend the valves somehow anyway...

 

Cheers!

 

--Damien

Was it seperating at the rubber or did whoever did the last timing belt not get the crank bolt tight?

 

What repairs did they do?

 

Do they realize how tight that bolt needs to be and did they say anything about the keyway?

yes...he did mention the 'keyway' and something about a strip of metal.

what year ej22 ???????????

well it's a '98 but the engine came from another vehicle...seemed like a lower-miles engine (at least relative to what I'm driving which has 140K miles).

 

 

The engine seems fine now...but a shimmy has crept in.

 

 

--Damien

make shure crank pully is tight realy tight !

One symptom I noticed was the crankshaft rotor was getting wobbly...so I wasn't nuts to think it was the timing belt.

 

The wobble was pretty noticable...so if you see that symptom you'd need to get it in sooner rather than later.

 

I think only the early engines are non-interference. btw, what is the symptom of a wobbly crankshaft rotor? I'm having a misfire with a CEL that new plugs & wires did not fix.

btw, what is the symptom of a wobbly crankshaft rotor?

 

typically it indicates a lose or loosened crank pulley. which may or may not mean a slipped crank sprocket and / or timing belt.

 

and an odd miss for no other good reason could be due to this, a slipped / jumped timing belt.