Calling all mechanic husbands..

[Misty]

My van is doing strange things.. When I accelerate, it gets jumpy and jerky until I reach my desired speed (55 or 60).. Then it stops being jumpy. Occassionally, there is also what sounds like a rock being thrown up under my hood (though it definitely is not a rock).

 

My check engine light came on two days ago after this had been going on for about two days.

 

I took my van to an auto parts store and had them read my check engine light with their little device.. This is what it said..

 

p0316 - Misfire detected on start-up (1st 1000 revolutions)

p0302 - Cylinder 2 misfire detected

 

What does this mean I should do now? Dh is military and gone so any help is greatly appreciated!!

[Dandelion]

My first thought was that it's your spark plugs. I googled this and found a great site that outlines the problem you're having, the possible causes, and what to do.

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/misfire.htm

 

Per the above site, it says a misfire is caused by "one of three things: loss of spark; the air/fuel mixture is too far out of balance to ignite; or loss of compression. Loss of spark includes anything that prevents coil voltage from jumping the electrode gap at the end of the spark plug. Causes include worn, fouled or damaged spark plugs, bad spark plug wires or even a cracked distributor cap. A weak coil or excessive rotor gas inside a distributor would affect all cylinders, not just a single cylinder."

 

If you know how to check and replace spark plugs, I would start there. The other fixes might require a mechanic (depending on how comfortable you are with car repairs). But at least this gives you an idea of what the problem probably is, so that you won't be "sold" a more expensive repair that you don't need.

 

HTH and good luck! :)

Edited May 2, 2010 by Dandelion

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

"Cylinder 2 could be misfiring for a number of reasons, from something as simple as a spark plug misfiring, or a coil for the spark,.....a tune up would take care of this.

 

Certain vehicles are prone to certain problems. Need more information to give you more ideas...."

 

K's hubby

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/misfire.htm I don't understand all this. What I got out of it was that the simplest thing it could be are the spark plugs. I would start there.

[Misty]

K's hubby,

It's a 2004 Ford Freestar. Thanks for your help.

[Misty]

My first thought was that it's your spark plugs. I googled this and found a great site that outlines the problem you're having, the possible causes, and what to do.

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/misfire.htm

 

 

 

Thanks!!!

[Misty]

Okay...

I have an appt. with Firestone tomorrow to have spark plugs replaced.. I hope this fixes the problem!! I also put fuel system cleaner in my gas tank yesterday and got the oil changed.

 

Thanks everyone!