I'll start out by - I have been hunting this issue down for a LONG TIME and I thought I fixed it with new plugs.. but nope..

No codes are thrown so no help there.


I get a massive misfire in #3, quite a bit white smoke and the car cuts out.

I just pulled the rad/coolant bottle and it does confirm a leaking head gasket(brown milky oil in coolant and a good bit of it). My question is can this cause what I am explaining to follow


#3 cylinder does not fire -- plug is soaked in fuel and the car dies out. I think more than one cylinder misfires.

Crank and cam angle sensors are new and the ecu has been swapped out. I have two.

I just did a compression test --

Test #1

180
175
180
170

Test #2
180
185
180
180


Those number sure do not indicate a blown hg -- but this was done on a cold engine as I can not get it to start/run. Maybe the gap only shows up when hot?

I have included pictures of the spark plugs. These were brand new and have exactly 50 miles on them.

For some strange reason when I pulled it out this summer from storage I decided to throw in fresh plugs. It fired right up like nothing ever was wrong. I was able to drive it the 50 miles nonstop(went on a trip thought plugs were the issue) and at the destination it sputtered.. white smoke and cut out. Wouldn't start.. needed towed home.

It should be known that plug #2 was wet/soaked in gasoline. I couldn't tell if any of it was coolant though.

Any input on misfires/leaking head gaskets would be appreciated.

Plugs are laid out in order #1 on left, #4 on right.

 

Current suggestions are..

When the car heats up .. the head lifts -- the head studs have been used probably 10 times...

So the cold numbers aren't really helpful


And that my bpr9es plugs are to cold and i need to run 8s...

 

Another suggestion is there's a crack in the block/head?

 

I'll play. Why are you running plugs with a 9 heat range? Thats two steps cooler than the stock 7's. Have you tried a stock range plug or even an 8?

What's the condition of your injectors? Did you state that cylinder 2 or cylinder 3 is soaked in gas or both? Maybe said injector is stuck open?

If the injectors are fine then it could be an ignition issue. How are your coils doing?

I know Im just throwing things out there but Im not really sure where to start...

 

injector stuck open flooding the # 3 cylinder. It might be possible to get reversion from the intake to # 2 if # 3 injector failed open since the system is wasted spark and injection puse. White smoke from cylinder washdown.

Those compression reading look great. Try pulling the injector harness off # 3 and starting it to confirm now dry along with # 2 cylinder.

 

Its a 2.4l roughly 9.5 to 1 and 31 psi on 93. 9's were suggested to me.

No, I have not tried a 7 or an 8. Would a plug foul in 50 miles if its to cold? Are these plugs even too cold?

Injectors have been swapped out. They are ID1000's and they have been checked by FIC AND ID.

#3 cylinder is not firing. But has fuel.

Running a Sparktech Noncdi. Should light just fine. I have swapped #3 and #4 coils -- problem remains in #3.

 

Ill do that and one better.

Im going to plug 2 in to 3, and vice verse to rule out the harness.

I am using an IR thermal gun to determine which cylinders are firing.

 

I hate when people dont visit back to their threads and explain what happened/fixed it.. so here I am.


Turns out it was a head gasket. But it only failed under vacuum.

Compression test was perfect, leak down test was perfect.. but as soon as we hooked up a vac pump to the compression test fitting... we started sucking this watery oily mess out of 2 and 3....

Mystery solved... I was fouling 2 and 3 via water.

New head gasket is on.. and bam.. runs just like it was new.

 

Hey thanks for clearing up what happened, I think I’m having a similar problem with my gasket. My system is staying pressurized and spitting coolant out from somewhere. Can’t pinpoint it. Leaning toward the HG