I just had my plugs and wires changed and was on a trip back to my house from my parents (105 miles or so) about 90 miles in, the SES light started to flash, it would flash 5 times and then stay solid, and then randomly repeat itself. From what I know, that means there is probably a random cylinder misfire.

The car runs/starts great, although when I first picked it up you could tell it was running much smoother, now since the light came on you can tell it kind of "gurgles" a little bit more then usual, sorry for the vague description but that's the only thing I can think of to describe it.

Any help? Is a wire not connected all the way or a plug wire burnt or any other suggestions.

The plugs were replaced with the same exact ones that came out, AC DELCO platinum something or another and the wires are OEM replacements from Borg Warner.

 

Is it running smooth? Are you sure they are all routed correctly?

 

when I first picked the car up, it was running as smooth as it ever has.

For the first 100 miles or so, it was fine, as soon as the SES came on it seems like it started to run a little bit choppy although not what I would call "rough".

I doubt they are routed incorrectly, as it was running fine for a while, so I'm sure 2 wires didnt just come unconnected and switch themselves.

 

More than likely it is related to your recent spark plug and wire change. If you have an Autozone nearby or access to a scanner, I'd scan the car and figure out which cylinder is misfiring. You can also check to make sure all the spark plugs are in there tight and that none of the wires are loosely connected on the plugs and opti.

 

I'd even go as far as to say it is definately related to my plug/wire change. I have never gotten an SES the entire time Ive owned the car previous to this.

There is an autozone here, I will go after the stupid cable guy gets here. Do all autozones scan for free? They can scan OBD2 there?

 

Open up the hood after dark and turn he car on. See if you can see any of the plugs arching to the manifolds, or other metal things in the area. If any of the plugs were accidently cracked during installation, this could be your culprit.

The other red flag that pops up in my head is that you were able to drive about 90 miles before the problem started. That is probably just about long enough for one of the wires to burn through if it was laying on or near the manifolds/headers. Check all of your wires to see if they have burnt through. If they have, they can sometimes ground out and cause a misfire...

 

Ill do that tonight.

I'm going to be really pissed off if that is the case. I can't even see the damn wires from under the hood, do you have to get at it from underneath or what? I don't have jackstands or anything here, so I'll have to wait until the weekend and bring it back to the mechanic.

 

You will probably be able to see the wires enough from the top to see if the manifolds are burning them. Just follow each wire a little ways from each plug until you are sure none are laying against the manifold/headers. If you see (or feel if you just have to reach down there) any of your wires touching the headers/manifold, check to see if it is burnt at that location...

 

Is there any funny smell under the hood? That will point you in burnt wire direction. Try to push wires boots on opti to make sure they are all fitted tight. They are at the angle which allows them to become loose if not properly put. If your car is not lowered it can be done without lift. Passenger side - from top, driver - from bottom.

 

It sounds like a burned wire. Autozone can pull codes from OBDII cars. Heck, OBDII even tells you which cylinder it is.

 

Went to autozone, code is: PO300 Random Cylinder Misfire

 

I take it that this means more then one cylinder is misfiring. Does this mean that more then one wire is most likely burned through or could only 1 being burned cause this code?

I'm going to wait until it gets dark and check for arcing, any other ideas?

 

It probably means that ONE cylinder is RANDOMLY misfiring...

Which is a classic sign of a burnt wire. Sometimes it'll short out, other times it might not...

 

ok, I got under there and looked, and it doesn't look like any of them are touching, although I couldn't see so well, mostly felt around.

I'm going to go buy a set of rhino ramps and get a better look, any particular areas I should look at moreso then others?

 

I think you have that backwards: driver's side top, passenger's side bottom.