Major issues all of a sudden

Went to go warm up my wifes car this morning. Took a few cranks to get started and was running horrbily, like the timing was completely off or something i dont know. Was sputtering, shaking and makin noises that were not happy at all. When i tried to give it gass the check engine lite would flash. Shortly after it started it died. Checked the plugs and they are covered in oil. Its a 2001 2wd auto rodeo V6. Engine has been replaced so 30-50k on engine & 110k on car.

Any ideas? Car was running fine before this except i had to clean the EGR.

Oh yeah, no CEL - cept when i give it gas then it flashes, car dies and funny smell.

You are misfiring for some reason. Which plugs are in there? Were all 6 plugs wet?

misfire eh, has got to be the worst misfire i have ever seen. Has Denso Iridiums in it(installed by previous owner im guessing). I pulled some random plugs, 2 front plugs and 1 back plug, only the 2 front ones had oil on em, but they were dripping wet. Think it just needs new plugs?

put new plugs in, no change. Still wont stay running, sounds like crap when its running and still flashes cell if u step on gas to keep it running. Almost all the plugs were dripping wet with oil where the ekectrode area is.

Flashing CEL generally indicates misfiring. The spark plug tube seals sound like they are leaking, but I don't think that is why it is running rough...

read about lots of problem with buildup in these engines. that said ive havent had the car for that long and I have never personally ran anything through it to try and clean everything out. Could something like that cause such a big problem like this?

Have you filled up with gas recently? Where at?

I *one* time got gas from a grocery store just last year, truck flat-out died on the highway doing 65mph - scared the CRAP out of me, when I finally got over and got it restarted, first time it wouldn't start, 2nd time it fired right up but ran god-awful. Somehow or another it managed to drop to 1/2 tank before this issue arose, went and topped off at a Shell gas station, and within 3-5 miles truck was running perfectly.

Weird, I know, but it's never happened since.

Well, my buddy mechanic came over to check it out. Pulled the fuel filter, i think the brown colored gass he was dumping out of it was a good indicator of the problem :lol: $8 filter and a can of seafoam and its running better then ever. Although i do need to replace valve cover gaskets, no big deal though.

so what i have learned today is that just because you push the valve on the fuel rail and gas comes out it does not indicate you are gettin good fuel. Buddy let me know you generally need atleast 35-40PSI of gas for it to run correctly.

Anyways, thanks for the help.

Have you filled up with gas recently? Where at?

I *one* time got gas from a grocery store just last year, truck flat-out died on the highway doing 65mph - scared the CRAP out of me, when I finally got over and got it restarted, first time it wouldn't start, 2nd time it fired right up but ran god-awful. Somehow or another it managed to drop to 1/2 tank before this issue arose, went and topped off at a Shell gas station, and within 3-5 miles truck was running perfectly.

Weird, I know, but it's never happened since.

Gotta love crappy gas. I always tell my wife to get gas at shell or chevron. I needed gas bad one time in my dodge srt-4 and had to get arco gas, turbo did not like it at all. Ever since that I always use shell or chevron cuz i definitly dont want any detonation with the damn turbo. Little sunco race gas is always fun once in awhile too.

Glad you got it! Guess you were missing due to lack of fuel.

I think I got a tank of bad gas not long ago. Car started chugging and croaked. Barely got it home, couldn't find anything wrong then pulled the fuel filter, brown crud came out along with some water. Never did pinpoint a problem and the car seems to be slowly getting better.

Cat Fuzz - keep diluting the gas with newer gas as much as possible, try not to let the tank get below 1/4

Cat Fuzz - keep diluting the gas with newer gas as much as possible, try not to let the tank get below 1/4


Yep, that's what I've been doing. Also been adding Iso Heet gas dryer. Problem seems to be totally gone now.

I have recently given up on even running low grade quality gas. The high test stuff makes my passport run SOOOO much better. It is only like 5 extra dollars to fill the tank and I personally see a significant change in fuel economy and the engine just sounds happy :grinyes:

Yeah, it's funny, this Rodeo of mine will not run on 85 octane, even in Colorado. I have to use 87 or it'll chug and run funny.