well, the other day my car started rumbling/shaking and then i realized that it was a misfiring cylinder cuz the car seemed slow all of a sudden. I just wanted to know how much should it cost to fix so that I don't get ripped off when i do go take it in to fix.

i dunno if this is a stupid ? or not, but what goes wrong when the cylinder's misfiring? is it loose in the engine? why does it shake the car? how come it stops working? thanks in advance.

 

It's either the plug, coil pack, or injector. Is the CEL on?

 

check your codes to try to pin point the troubled cylinder then check above items.

 

Also, don't get cornered into thinking it's one of a few limited components. I spent a LONG time (like 2 years) trying to diagnose a random misfire on my wife's Grand Prix and finally in desperation due to not being able to reliably reproduce the misfire I swapped out the plugs, lead, coil packs and all injectors.

And the misfire was still there.

Turns out one of the injector signal wires was loose in the injector harness multiplug and I didn't notice it again until it finally fell out. Rewired the multiplug and it's been 100% since. That fix would up costing me over $1000 in injectors, coil packs and other parts (my own labor). The eventual fix was free.

 

The cost to have a shop fix the problem could be as little as $50 to a a few hundred dollars. It depends on what it is. If it's the plug it won't cost much at all....if it's the injector expect to pay alot. Learing how to check the plug, coil, and injector yourself could save you ton's of money.

 

0603 0604 0605 0606 0607 0608
If one cylinder is misfiring the problem is spark or fuel. A misfire due to a spark problem usually results in a Service Engine Soon light and one of these Diagnostic Trouble Codes:
0608 - Cylinder 1 misfire
0607 - Cylinder 2 misfire
0606 - Cylinder 3 misfire
0605 - Cylinder 4 misfire
0604 - Cylinder 5 misfire
0603 - Cylinder 6 misfire

There are two tests the home mechanic can make, the sound test and the resistance test.

Sound test...
This test is performed with the engine idling. Use a mechanic's
stethoscope or a length of rubber vacuum hose, and listen to each injector.
All injectors should sound alike. If you find one which makes a different
sound (or no sound at all) you have found a problem.

Resistance test...
This test is performed with the engine off. Use an ohmmeter to measure the
resistance of each injector. This does not require removing the injectors.
I don't know the correct resistance value for the injectors on your model,
but they are typically a low number such as 16 ohms. The important thing
is they should all be equal. If you find one injector with substantially
higher resistance than the others, it is bad. If you find one with zero
ohms (short circuit) that is truly unfortunate, because the injector is bad
and it may also have damaged the Engine Control Module (the computer)
because of excessive current drain.

Measuring the resistance of the front bank of cylinders is easy because the
injectors are in plain view. Disconnect the injector electrical connector
for cylinder #2, measure the resistance, reconnect the connector. Repeat
for the cylinders #4 and #6.

Measuring the resistance of the rear bank of cylinders is almost as easy,
but it is difficult to reach the injectors. The resistance may be measured
at a conveniently located electrical connector. Notice the largest,
thickest electrical harness at the top of the engine. This is the Engine
Control Harness and it is shaped like a U, with the open top of the U at the
driver's side of the car. The U has two corners. Look at the corner
nearest the passenger seat. Just inside that corner you will find an 8-pin
electrical connector. This is connector F131. Disconnect this
connector. Now look at the male part, the connector half with the pins
exposed. They are arranged in two rows of four pins.
The pins are numbered 1 - 4 (top row) and 5 - 8 (bottom row).
Measure the resistance of:
- injector #1 between pins 1 and 2.
- injector #3 between pins 1 and 6.
- injector #5 between pins 1 and 5.
Be sure to measure the PINS, not the female receptacles.

The dealer's shop is equipped with high-tech diagnostic instruments. These are wonderful devices but they are expensive and the dealer has to recover his cost by charging you for diagnostic time. Sometimes the home mechanic can do legitimate diagnostic work with nothing more than a ohmmeter and a rubber tube.

To Test Ignition Coils:
With the ignition off, disconnect the electrical connector from the ignition coil. Connect the positive (+) probe of an ohmmeter to terminal no. 1 and the negative (-) probe to terminal no. 2 of the coil connector - the meter should indicate infinite resistance. Reverse the meter leads ( negative probe to terminal no. 1 and positive probe to terminal no.2) - the continuity should be indicated, but not zero ohms. If the results are not as specified, replace the coil.
Connect an ohmmeter between the secondary terminal ( the one that the spark plug connects to) and terminal no. 1 - the meter should indicate infinite resistance. If not, replace the coil.

 

thanx for the help guys. I guess I gotta check for codes cuz yeah the CEL is on. I'll get back to this thread as soon as I get results.

 

sh|tty coil pack, damn nissan