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YACT : My Car sounds like its misfiring or something.. pls help... [2nd UPDATE]

The Stigenator

The Stigenator

Lifer
okay background:

Car: 2000 Ford Focus
Mileage: 62500
It started a few days ago (well i noticed it a few days ago).
It only happens in the gears, i dont hear it when i am in neutral and revving.
it sounds like a hole in the exhaust / one cylinder not firing etc. It sounds like "dub dub dub dub dub..."


I dont see a loss in power, but its definately there when you hit teh gas as your accelerating. Its fine when your just holding cruise.. but if your accelerating in gear it will do that. It did that in 4th when climbing a hill.

The resonator of the airbox has been taken off. I wonder if that's where teh sound is coming from? but then i should be able to hear it in neutral. I can rev in neutral and it sounds perfectly fine.. there is no noise..


Any ideas? I am going to post on teh focus forums to see if they can figure things out to.
 
If a cyl was misfiring or not firing at all, you'd *feel* it as much as you'd hear it. Pay attention to the smoothness of the engine. If you feel nothing, and no loss of power, maybe your exhaust has had it? Sounds very odd for a 4 yr old car but you neverk now.
 
Originally posted by: NutBucket
I assume its not throwing a code?
Click to expand...

no code nothing.. the check engine light hasnt come on yet.. i drove 500 miles and nothing came on.

Want to look at it? I am going to take it to the dealer just in case to see if they can spot the problem. If its an exhaust thing then its under the ford 8 year emission warrenty that comes with all cars.

But then it does not do it in neutral. I can rev the sh*t out of it and it wont make that sound.
 
Does it make a difference on what kind of load the engine is under?

IS it the same sound whether full or partial throttle?
 
If it's misfiring you'll feel the car kicking you at times.

Check if there's a potentiaal problem with ignition coils on your car.
 
Originally posted by: Sluggo
Does it make a difference on what kind of load the engine is under?

IS it the same sound whether full or partial throttle?
Click to expand...

well getting off first you can hear it.. so even partial throttle you can hear it..

so far i have only heard it when im in gear. I went into neutral and revved teh engine while the car was moving at 75mph and didnt hear a thing.. but went into 5th and accelerated and i could hear it..

it seems to gets a bit louder as you push harder on the gas pedal.

There hasnt been any kicking or rough riding.. the engine and car runs really fscking smooth.. barring the slight shake of the steering from the right front wheel (i need a new tire here - or rotate the rear ones up front).
 
It's so hard to conceptualize "text" sounds..

Can you perhaps be more specific as to the sound you hear?

If you don't feel a loss of power.. and there are no engine lights on, I would pay attention to it, and take notice if it gets worse or changes, but wouldn't worry tooooo much.
 
Yeah, sounds like it depends on if the car is under load or not. Whether you're going 50 or sitting still, revving in neutral will produce the same results if you're tracking that kinda problem down.
 
i wonder if its the motor mount??

could that make that kind of a noise?? under moving...

just tossing out ideas.

I will take it to Santa Barbara tommorow and then see what happens. Actually I will take it tonite to In-N-Out for dinner and see if I can record teh sound on my camera..
 
I know it sounds kinda wierd, but its possible that your exaust manifold has sepertated slightly from the head. My former S-10 had this happen, made a similar sound.

CrackRabbit
 
"It did that in 4th gear when climbing a hill."

That statement leads me to believe that it's ignition related. Sparkplug, ignition wire leaking or dirt trace in the distributer cap, look there. I'm no electronics wizard but the dielectric strength of secondary wiring does break down over time.

At 62.5k service is due. Fuel filter and a bottle of injector cleaner would not be out of order. Belts and servicing the auto trans, if applicable, should be considered.

Let us know how it goes goodguy.
 
Just dropping in, I have the SAME exact problem with my 96 T-bird. Been trying to figure it out for a while now, the check engine light is on, but it has been on ever since the "computer port" on the car went out. Advance can't tell me what is wrong w/the car because they can't hook the machine to it to figure it out. As for the sound, it is like an empty clicking when you are accelerating, once the speed stabilizes, the sound stops, as well as nuetral not having any effect either. Revvvvvvving just equals the enging + no noise. I'm curious to see what the dealer has to say...
 
I think since your "dub dub dub" sound isn't really a great description it could be hard to diagnose! I've heard that motor mounts can do that sort of a thing, though I bet you galvanizedyankee is right. Bad ignition coils, for instance, will make a ticking/clicking sound only at certain times - pretty much never when at idle, and most often when going up a hill, like in 3rd or 4th gear (probably when the RPM aren't particularly high too). It would depend on the car, and I don't even know if yours has coils, but it's not the coil's fault so much as the spark plug failing to fire properly (and you do have them!).
Just dropping in, I have the SAME exact problem with my 96 T-bird. Been trying to figure it out for a while now, the check engine light is on, but it has been on ever since the "computer port" on the car went out. Advance can't tell me what is wrong w/the car because they can't hook the machine to it to figure it out. As for the sound, it is like an empty clicking when you are accelerating, once the speed stabilizes, the sound stops, as well as nuetral not having any effect either. Revvvvvvving just equals the enging + no noise. I'm curious to see what the dealer has to say...
Click to expand...
That may not necessarily be ignition related, but I'll tell you I had the _exact_ same thing on my 00 Maxima (3rd or 4th gear, when between 2-3k rpm - sounded like almost a metal heat shield was rattling) - and it was bad ignition coils. Again, dunno if your car has them, but maybe it's just bad wires...

It was hellacious for me to diagnose too, because I found it hard to describe the sound, but a nissan dealer immediately knew what it was, and he was right.

Goodluck!
 
I don't mean to scare you, but I found this on Ford Service Database.

DRIVEABILITY - ROUGH IDLE, LOW POWER AND/OR STALL AT IDLE WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) P0300-P0304 STORED IN MEMORY - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0L SPI ENGINE ONLY

ISSUE:
Some vehicles equipped with the 2.0L SPI engine may exhibit a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated and Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) P0300 through P0304 stored in memory. The vehicle may also have a rough idle or reduced power condition, and/or may stall at an idle. This may be caused by sticking exhaust valves due to excessive carbon build-up.

ACTION:
Check for faulty fuel injectors and ignition wires. One or more exhaust valves may be temporarily sticking due to carbon build-up between the valve stem and guide. If the diagnostic checks point to a sticking exhaust valve, the cylinder head assembly may need to be replaced with a new level cylinder head assembly that includes revised valve guides and exhaust valves to help prevent carbon build-up. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.

I pray the dealership has better news for you. 🙁
 
Does the problem go away when you put the intake resonator back in place?

The engine won't necessarily sound the same in neutral as it does under load.
 
Originally posted by: Quixfire
I don't mean to scare you, but I found this on Ford Service Database.

DRIVEABILITY - ROUGH IDLE, LOW POWER AND/OR STALL AT IDLE WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) P0300-P0304 STORED IN MEMORY - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0L SPI ENGINE ONLY

ISSUE:
Some vehicles equipped with the 2.0L SPI engine may exhibit a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated and Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) P0300 through P0304 stored in memory. The vehicle may also have a rough idle or reduced power condition, and/or may stall at an idle. This may be caused by sticking exhaust valves due to excessive carbon build-up.

ACTION:
Check for faulty fuel injectors and ignition wires. One or more exhaust valves may be temporarily sticking due to carbon build-up between the valve stem and guide. If the diagnostic checks point to a sticking exhaust valve, the cylinder head assembly may need to be replaced with a new level cylinder head assembly that includes revised valve guides and exhaust valves to help prevent carbon build-up. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.

I pray the dealership has better news for you. 🙁
Click to expand...


Lets hope its not that.. my OBDII system light isnt on.. it should have gone on if that was an issue. I have put on over 700+ miles in the last 2 days. In anycase it really doesnt feel like loss of power, but it might be a slight loss, but nothing major. Its idling really smooth... but you know what there is a slight "burr" at one spot on idle (only when cold - goes away on warmed up engine), which wasnt there earlier. I know i am at 62K but so far the system is running fine. I will get the fuel filter changed at 75K I did the fuel filter at 25K with the fuel pump (back then it was a TSB, now its a recall and i got that paperwork on me)

The issue seems to crop up really nicely when the engine is cold. This morning when i went to drop off vanny, we could hear it really loud stuff. When warm it is a bit quieter. It only does it on acceleration under load. I havent seen it under neutral. I can rev the crap out of it, and it rev's smooth as ever. I just made an appt with the dealer, they are going to have a mechanic accompany me to see if they can find the problem.. Galpin rocks in customer service... I think i will stop for lunch at thier restaurant and try out their horseless carriage burger.

This is my dealer.. http://www.gogalpin.com


 
my guess is motor mount. that would be consistent with it not happening in neutral (no load against engine means it's not torquing against anything), and happening badly when you were climbing a hill in a high gear (lots of torque being applied against a heavy load, so the engine will be trying to spin around and bouncing off the broken mount).

or i could be totally wrong. 🙂
 
I agree that it sounds like a misfire. It's unlikely to be a motor mount based on what you've told us so far.

As far as that TSB goes, you can do a carbon clean to try and fix that concern first....get the cleaner from a Ford dealer...you can't buy it or any equivalent aftermarket, despite what some may tell you.
The stuff works.

As with any concern like this, you have to eliminate the basics first. The basics that apply here are fire (ignition) and fuel.
Start with the ignition and let us know from there.
You can have a misfire without having any codes.
 
Originally posted by: Warthog912
Just dropping in, I have the SAME exact problem with my 96 T-bird. Been trying to figure it out for a while now, the check engine light is on, but it has been on ever since the "computer port" on the car went out. Advance can't tell me what is wrong w/the car because they can't hook the machine to it to figure it out. As for the sound, it is like an empty clicking when you are accelerating, once the speed stabilizes, the sound stops, as well as nuetral not having any effect either. Revvvvvvving just equals the enging + no noise. I'm curious to see what the dealer has to say...
Click to expand...
Advance can't "tell" you what is wrong even if they could scan it....all they can do is tell you what codes it has....the codes DO NOT tell you what is wrong with the car, just where to start you pinpoint tests.

Yours sounds like spark knock. If you are using regular gas, as you should be, try some mid-grade or premium to see if the problem stops.
If it stops, you need to do a carbon clean, also. Get some Ford Combustion Chamber cleaner and follow the instructions, and you should see immediate results.
As far as your OBDII port goes, you probably have a blown fuse, which disables the test connector. Very common.

 
UPDATE:

I went to the dealer.. met with the service guy and told him im having a slight engine noise.. i start it up and he goes.. "ahh an exhaust leak".. i lift the hood and sure enough it was that.

I actually knew it was an exhaust leak when i left for the dealer. It was so loud that i pulled off on a side street lifted the hood and sure enough there was smell of gas and a definate exhaust leak sound - only problem i dont know where the sound is coming from other than the right side of the engine (when facing the engine).

The guy said $85 for the diag, but he said he will check and see if I got the extended warrenty still. Chances are i think that expired.. So i am stuck with this repair bill.

He said it could be as small as an exhaust hole leak knowing that its coming from one side (the right side of the engine when facing the engine). However he fears that this might be the exhaust gasket leak. He said of worst we got to do an top end rebuild. I dont know much of it is true.. He said he would have his tech look into it today or tommorow. They are abit swamped for today.

The dealer was really busy today but because the service guy knows our family he let me come on in and drop the car off.

I told him i was on Spring Break and I wanted to travel, so he said he will try get my car ready by tommorow.
 
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