Just go the car scanned for codes so I can figure out what is going on with it, and I got two codes. One is for the skip shift, and the other is code 63: Right Bank Heated O2 circuit. Now for the history....

Car always seemed like it had a miss somewhere, then one day it ran like crap. Huge loss of power! Felt like it was running on 7 cylinders. So I thought...opti time.

Wanted to see if it was the cap and rotor, or the optical part to see how I wanted to go about fixing it. No codes came up that would have anything to do with the opti. Only the O2. Could this thing really cause it to run this bad? The reading on the right O2 wasn't even moving, while the left was all over the place. I am so confused.

 

o2 failure will make your car run bad replace it and then worry about ignition if that doesnt fix it

 

and that's what is weird to me. I went to change the oil one time and noticed that the same o2 wasn't even plugged in! But the car didn't run any different after I did plug it in. I didn't think that the o2 sensor made that much of a difference in performance though

 

oh yeah...plus it threw that O2 code LONG before it started running like this. The way it's running now was like it just started doing it overnight

 

It all depends on the type of failure. Sometimes the sensor will stick at a low reading which makes the computer think its running lean so then it will add fuel to try and get it to richen up but if the sensor doesn't move then it keeps adding and eventually it will run like crap. By having it unplugged it will work off preset numbers in the computer by comparing the MAF, TPS, and temp sensor which could end up making it run better than a false reading by a bad O2 sensor. Hope that helps you understand better.

 

Changed O2's...no luck. But it does smell like it is still running real rich

 

check for damaged or burned spark plug wires

 

I'll have to do that tomorrow
One more question...if there is a problem with the opti, will it always throw a code for it? Basically can it be bad and show no codes???

 

they can be bad and not throw a code. but also i wouldnt be so quick to jump the gun and replace the opti. if it is just misfiring here and there, then I would check the plugs and wires or injectors first. there are plenty of other things that can go bad for the car to misfire.

 

well, not really a misfire here and there...feels like it's always running on 6 or 7 cylinders...all the time. I need someone to tell me what cylinders are misfiring

 

pretty tough to do that through the internet. might have to take it to a local mechanic unless you want to try to fix it yourself. If you have a scanner handy, hook it up, warm your car up, and monitor your fuel trims. That can give you clues as to what side of the engine the misses are coming from. Before I proceed, do you have access to a scanner?

 

With car running, pull a plug wire one at a time (wear gloves and don't lean on anything grounded). If engine runs worse or stalls, that plug is firing. If it doesn't change how the engine is running, that's the bad cylinder. Then shut her off and pull the plug to see if it is fouled or bad. If spark plug is OK, look for burned spots or cracks on the wire. If it's misfiring on more than one or different cylinders, I'd look at replacing the coil first, then wires, then opti. The misfire can also be fuel related, clogged filter, bad pump, clogged injectors.