97 Bravda Idling/SES problem

[yorobson]

Lately whenever I idle at lights my Service Engine lite goes on, one shop said engine miss fired once but nothing else, another shop said fuel injector & intake gasket leaks spend $2100 to fix, also gets bad gas mileage. Vehicle has 97,0000 miles, is it time to put to pasture? Another post suggested EGR valve could be a problem - spendy shop said egr was not a problem. should I keep getting opinions?
Thanks
Jim

[maxwedge]

And the codes were??

[Chris Stewart]

Some chain type auto parts stores like Autozone will scan your computer for trouble codes for free. Check with one, write down the trouble code number and we'll talk about it here.

[yorobson]

code I see is P.O. 300, N. 6 misfires

Jim

[maxwedge]

P0306? What is the service history, how old are the plugs and wires? Very short on info here, are you loosing coolant?

[yorobson]

I went to Autozone & had code checked- PO 300 - They said it means vehicle needs a tune up. Which is what I went to spendy place to get in the first place- spendy place said a tune up would not help the fuel injector/intake leak & didn't perform the tune up.
So at this point I may try another shop for their opinion.
A friend suggested an Olds dealer so may check with them as well.
My friend also suggested if the prognosis is a $2000 job, would it be wiser just to replace the engine for cheaper?
I have had vehicle about 1.5 years, haven't replaced plugs & wires, have replaced 2 selanoids, fuel pump, new tires.

jim

[maxwedge]

You still do not know whats wrong, intake leaking? Where is the random misfire, why do you need a new engine, ok so you've had it for 1.5 years and did no tune up how do you know when it was done? If the intake was leaking, again, you would be loosing coolant, if the injector assy was bad you would experience hard starting occasional loading, up black smoke, poor fuel mileage and check engine lite for other issues than the p0300 or p0306. What ever you do make sure you get a warranty that the misfire will be fixed as this seems to be only problem, based on your description , that is actually a problem!

[Chris Stewart]

If your antifreeze level is staying normal, get a tune-up...new spark plugs and wires.
You get other codes for leaky fuel system and EGR trouble. I'd change the spark plugs and spark plug wires if I got a P0300.

[yorobson]

Thanks guys, I'll let you know what I find out.

Jim

[yorobson]

Okay heres what I finally had done, new shop tore down & replaced fuel regulator, under $450 instead of $2100.00. I can live with that - Funny thing is - they still haved had it tuned up! Vehicle runs good now, freezing in Mpls at the moment so will keep tabs on how well it runs. Thanks for everyones input.

Jim

[Chris Stewart]

Thanks for the update Yorobson!
If it stays OK, we'll have to include that in our bag of fix, although it's the first Sequential MPI trouble I've seen yet.