So I think I have a coilpack going bad. Occasionally at idle my car "misses" but when I give it gas it stops, but if I give it a lot of gas (like going up a hill, and needing to down shift) it "bucks". Last few times (3) its been a coil, but my CEL wont come on, and the people that work at AZ wont check it if its not on. Any ideas, besides the manual checking of codes ( I dont want to do this, because I dont want to break the plastic screw)

 

pull out the connector for eachc oild one by one, see a diff then that coil is good, dont see a diff then thats your problem, also last time you changed plugs? and if its not the coils might be injectors and since your a 99 this problem is a HIGHLY common issue for your car's year

 

plugs were changed about 2 years ago, I checked them about 4 months ago and they looked fine. I would pull individual coils but the problem is intermittent so IDK if that would work. I hope to buy the other 3 coils soon, and be done with this ish

EDIT: HIGHLY common and super annoying

 

This could also be the early signs of a catalytic converter clogging - just my 2 cents.

 

my car needs to throw a CEL. I dont think Ive ever wished for a CEL

 

You could go to autozone and borrow their code reader. Plugs in under dash on passenger side. Are you sure it's a coil pack? I had a problem with a car similar to yours and it turned out to be a hole in the air inlet. Unlikely, but worth a try.

 

I have checked all of the intake and found nothing. Day by day the problem is getting worse (as always when it does this), I say within 5 days the CEL will come on.

 

Advance Auto will just give you the reader for you to take it out and check yourself

Or maybe just unplug an O2 sensor to force the CEL on....lol

 

not around here, they will not let you rent the code reader at any of the parts stores around town

 

Which coils do you have? The Mitsubishi or Hanshins?

 

IDK