Cylinder 4 Misfire dectected

[Cavaturbo]

i have 96 escort lx

its from my scanner code 0304. Is that something thats bad like Valved droped into cylinder or Cracked head? or is it simple like spark plug or wires?

Also, the coolant get used up pretty quickly, i have to put in a liter every week ....i dont smell anything and the exhaust dont smell anything like coolant and i dont see any leak in the garage floor. any ideas where the leak might be?

[GTP Dad]

Pull the spark plug from the cylinder and check it. If you have a coolant leak the plug may be wet or have a strange color. If you are putting that much coolant in it the coolant has to be going somewhere. The check engine indicating a misfire can be caused by a bad coil, bad plug, bad wire, or bad fuel injector.

If you have a coolant leak in one of the cylinders it could indicate a bad head or head gasket. It can also casue the misfire by fouling the plug. You will need to do some detective work to see if you can locate the problem.

[Cavaturbo]

thanks, i will try to work on the car abit this weekend.

i am just curious what would the code be if the a broken valve droped into the number 4 cylinder? would it be the same code?

[Cavaturbo]

oh yeah one more thing...this sound came up since the time the engine light first started on (i think) ....the sounds like the car farts(kinda like a suspension rubbing sound) but lower in pitch. I hear the sound (not often) after i turn the ignition off. It sounded like somewhere underneath the car towards the rear....

could this be the Catalic converter? because my cylinder number 4 is not buring the fuel and the CAT is complaining?


thanks again

[GTP Dad]

There would be no light if a broken valve dropped into the cylinder but there would be a huge amount of knocking and the car would probably seize up shortly thereafter. As for the noise, check the cat as it may be plugging up and causing the hissing you hear although I would first check the vacuum line to the transmission as it may have a crack or small hole in it.