Engine misfiring and leaking coolant...help!
whtisthmtrx
03-15-2004, 03:40 PM
I recently took a trip from Washington DC to Savannah, Georgia, roughly 600 miles, and now my car has serious issues. This was not the first time I had taken the car on such a grueling trip and it only has 67,000 miles on it. It is a 96 1.9 Liter wagon and has always been a reliable car. Now for what happened....
Before leaving on the trip I inspected the car thuroughly. The oil was a little dirty but not low and not in dire need of a change. The car had always had a tendency to guzzle coolant and I could never figure out why. I always assumed it was leaking but could find no traces. While looking under the hood before the trip i saw a small spot on the bottom of the engine compartment where drops of coolant were lying. I figured I had finally figured out why I was always putting coolant in it and didn't see it as a danger. I filled the coolant in the car just to be safe.
I left on the trip and the car made the 8 hour journey without incident. I pulled into my dorm parking lot here and parked it and left it there until the next day. The next day I go out to the car and try to start her up. It turns over fine but immediately begins to shudder and choke and actually stalls out. I try it again and she manages not to stall but still shudders and is obviously struggling to keep running. Revving the engine helped not at all. I rechecked all the fluids in the car. The oil was still a little dirty but not bad enough to cause such a shudder and the coolant was still full. Then i checked under the car and discovered a small puddle of coolant. Within the hours overnight that it sat in the lot it accumulated a puddle under it, and I had never seen it do that before. Reaching down under the bottom lip of the radiatorI felt more coolant, but was unable to find the leak. But it was not leaking enough to drain the overflow coolant container.
Our next bright idea was to try and drive her around the parking lot and see if there was anything else wrong. Upon doing so the check engine light began to flash at one second intervals, which the owners manual says is a sign of a misfiring engine. I felt better to now what was going on but now I am trying to figure out what caused it to possibly save money by either avoiding a shop or being able to tell them exactly what to fix so they don't screw me over.
The plugs are all new, the plug wires are all new, fuel filter and injection system have all recently been replaced and flushed. Air flow seems to be unblocked, although while the car is running the fan in the front does not spin. I'm not sure if this only kicks on when the car is under extreme heat or what, but that might be a big clue. The only other thing I could think of would be if the DIS was messed up somehow. I don't know how that would happen but it is a possibility i suppose.
If anyone has extensive knowledge of the escort under the hood, give me some educated guesses as to what you think it might be. I'm pretty sure it is going to need to go to a shop to get fixed up, but any tips you can give me to fix it at home, or to save money at the shop, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Before leaving on the trip I inspected the car thuroughly. The oil was a little dirty but not low and not in dire need of a change. The car had always had a tendency to guzzle coolant and I could never figure out why. I always assumed it was leaking but could find no traces. While looking under the hood before the trip i saw a small spot on the bottom of the engine compartment where drops of coolant were lying. I figured I had finally figured out why I was always putting coolant in it and didn't see it as a danger. I filled the coolant in the car just to be safe.
I left on the trip and the car made the 8 hour journey without incident. I pulled into my dorm parking lot here and parked it and left it there until the next day. The next day I go out to the car and try to start her up. It turns over fine but immediately begins to shudder and choke and actually stalls out. I try it again and she manages not to stall but still shudders and is obviously struggling to keep running. Revving the engine helped not at all. I rechecked all the fluids in the car. The oil was still a little dirty but not bad enough to cause such a shudder and the coolant was still full. Then i checked under the car and discovered a small puddle of coolant. Within the hours overnight that it sat in the lot it accumulated a puddle under it, and I had never seen it do that before. Reaching down under the bottom lip of the radiatorI felt more coolant, but was unable to find the leak. But it was not leaking enough to drain the overflow coolant container.
Our next bright idea was to try and drive her around the parking lot and see if there was anything else wrong. Upon doing so the check engine light began to flash at one second intervals, which the owners manual says is a sign of a misfiring engine. I felt better to now what was going on but now I am trying to figure out what caused it to possibly save money by either avoiding a shop or being able to tell them exactly what to fix so they don't screw me over.
The plugs are all new, the plug wires are all new, fuel filter and injection system have all recently been replaced and flushed. Air flow seems to be unblocked, although while the car is running the fan in the front does not spin. I'm not sure if this only kicks on when the car is under extreme heat or what, but that might be a big clue. The only other thing I could think of would be if the DIS was messed up somehow. I don't know how that would happen but it is a possibility i suppose.
If anyone has extensive knowledge of the escort under the hood, give me some educated guesses as to what you think it might be. I'm pretty sure it is going to need to go to a shop to get fixed up, but any tips you can give me to fix it at home, or to save money at the shop, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
dougand3
03-15-2004, 08:37 PM
If you can get it to Autozone...they can check the malfunction code with OBD II tester (for free). But if one or more cyls is not firing, better not to drive. Autozone lends tools...they may lend you OBDII after deposit. It will give you a fairly specific code...like cyl 3 is not firing.
"The plugs are all new, the plug wires are all new, fuel filter and injection system have all recently been replaced and flushed."
That said...I'd think ignition module
As far as coolant...no coolant in the oil is good, very good. Potential leaks- hoses, loose clamps, heater, radiator, water pump (If it goes, temp redlines in a minute) but it could be slowly leaking.
"The plugs are all new, the plug wires are all new, fuel filter and injection system have all recently been replaced and flushed."
That said...I'd think ignition module
As far as coolant...no coolant in the oil is good, very good. Potential leaks- hoses, loose clamps, heater, radiator, water pump (If it goes, temp redlines in a minute) but it could be slowly leaking.
mightymoose_22
03-17-2004, 03:42 PM
Sounds to me like your intake manifold gasket is leaking. A leaky gasket accounts for the rough idle, the loss of coolant. The misfiring might possibly be related to this... with too much air in the mix the computer may not be firing properly.
The gasket is only about $10, but it will be fairly costly to have a shop do the repairs. It is not difficult to do yourself, but is time consuming.
The gasket is only about $10, but it will be fairly costly to have a shop do the repairs. It is not difficult to do yourself, but is time consuming.
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2026