97 saturn misfire in #1

bmather1408 · #1 09-19-2007, 09:38 PM

I have a 97 saturn sc1 that is misfiring.the fuel pump was just replaced after it went out.put in new plugs,checked all relays and fuses, intake gasket is good.(took carb cleaner after the gasket to see if it leaks)took the car to auto zone and it still says misfire in #1.wires have been replaced and still misfires..when I go to start the car after its been sitting (cooling off all night) the car will idle at about 2000 rmp for a min then go down to 1000.at stop lights and signs it chugs almost to the point of stalling and when I shift it into "n" it goes to 2000 rmp and goes back down to 1000 again.with ac on I cant get no speed at all or power at all,gas pedel all the way down and Im still going 5mph,with the ac off it does much better but still hesitates bad and misfires in number one.no other codes are givin at all.It needs a water pump now.seems to be a little worse when it starts to run low on fluid.also when idling I push the pedle all the way down and it will not go above 4500 so what could be wrong with it?

sickcallawayc12 · #2 09-19-2007, 10:37 PM

what kind of plugs did you use?

bmather1408 · #3 09-20-2007, 08:43 AM

I used cheap ones.. Ill go get the recommended ones today and see if its any better.. had the number 1 misfire before change also.. if it were the plugs wouldnt all of them act up and not just in #1?

drew300 · #4 09-20-2007, 12:47 PM

On my '99 sw1 I had the intake gasket go bad.
That sucked enough air to vary the idle, as well as cause a misfire on #1.
It's easy to check by spraying some burnable fluid (W-40, throttle body cleaner, etc) around the #1 intake while running the engine.

bmather1408 · #5 09-20-2007, 03:37 PM

I did the spray test and had no change at all

drew300 · #6 09-20-2007, 03:52 PM

Well, that should eliminate the gasket....
I've read a post where some-one had a problem with corroded bolts that hold the ignition coils in place - they get grounded thru them.
Maybe something to check.

bmather1408 · #7 09-20-2007, 06:25 PM

I pulled the coils off and took a wire brush after the plates, block, bolts, and anything metal that even touches the bolts.. no change

bmather1408 · #8 09-20-2007, 11:50 PM

some more info
I unpluged the EGR and there was no change at all..
car only has 92,000 miles on it and was sitting for a while before I bought it due to the prior owners rear ending someone. the damage was only to the hood, headlight and fender..
the car seems to be much worse when warm
its almost like it dont misfire when cold, just has the high idle thing till it warms up then starts misfiring
it dont use any oil or any other fluids, but it does go thru water/anti freeze at the moment due to the water pump..

does this help you a litte more to help me fix it??

Alleninpa · #9 09-21-2007, 11:15 AM

Maybe it's time for a compression check.

bmather1408 · #10 09-21-2007, 10:50 PM

well I just got new breaks and a new water pump done today... still doing its misfire.. I dont have a compression check tool, but I thought that if it was the compression I would be burning oil or something... but like I said before it is not smoking at all, or using any fluids
Im gonna go get a new EGR valve tomorrow (maybe) and see if that works..

I hear the injectors pulsing but every few seconds the pulsing sounds like chitty chitty bang bang crossed with a heart that just skipped a beat... could it be my injectors?

sickcallawayc12 · #11 09-21-2007, 11:48 PM

It may be a long shot, but have you checked to see if the ECTS has been replaced with a brass tipped unit or if the stock nylon one is still there? The original nylon unit can cause all sorts of problems to these cars including misfires. Again, its a long shot, but its easy to do, cheap to do, and really needs to be done regardless.

bmather1408 · #12 09-22-2007, 06:36 PM

well I didnt get the parts I said I was gonna get today...
instead I went out and fine cleaned the egr valve, then took off all injectors, rail, and regulator.. cleaned out the rail and regulator with carb cleaner to get all buildup off.. got some used injectors from a pull it yard here, cleaned them up and put everything back together..
the old injectors looked like they had rezin inside ..
NOW I went to start it and it runs!! BETTER! could these be my whole problem? my rpms are about back to norm, no engine lights, not even with ac on... or ac and it in in gear (e brake)

so HOPEFULLY when I go to test drive it it will be firing in all cylinders
Ill keep ya posted!

bmather1408 · #13 09-28-2007, 12:42 PM

ok... starting to really HATE saturns!!!
its not misfiring anymore
BuT NoW...... when I run the ac I have to push the peddle down almost ALL THE WAY to get any speed at all!!!
and when I stop at light and stuff it kinda stutters just sitting there..
before when this POS was misfiring it had an SES light on..
now the light stays off but yet another one comes on that says service and shows a wrench.. but it goes off not even 5 min after turning on..
the temp gage went up to half today all the sudden..
has new water pump and fresh oil change (no cheap fluids)
and the plugs are copper core..
anyone know whats going on with it now???

bmather1408 · #14 09-28-2007, 12:47 PM

it feels like my brakes are either dragging or down right locked up.. but there not..
steering has an every now and again shimmy to only the wheel starting about 50 and gets more shimmy like in the wheel the faster you go..

psnee111 · #15 10-07-2007, 05:32 PM

You might want to check into replacing the Crank position sensor. That can cause idle problems and it's cheap and easy to replace. You might also want to consider replacing the igntion module/coil pack. They can cause similar low RMP problems and still run fine at higher RPMs

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