[glassybarrel]

After a head gasket replacement I started the engine and the "CHECK ENGINE" light came on. I bought a tester and it displayed a "P0301" code. I checked the code definitions and it says that it is a "cylinder 1 misfire". How can I remedy this problem? Any ideas?

 

[glassybarrel]

Also the compression in that cylinder is 180 PSI.

 

[glassybarrel]

Vacuum gauge readings...

when at idle the vacuum reading is 14 to 15 in Hg

when I open the throttle it the reading goes to 0 in Hg and then when I close the throttle it jumps over 20 Hg.

Is this a good reading? Does this information help?

 

[green machine]

Check your spark plug for any damage or swap out to eliminate (I got a bad NGK in the last round I bought). Verify the spring that conducts voltage from the coil to the plug in the DIC didn't fall out or is compressed not making contact with the plug (you can pull them out and stretch them an 1/8" to 3/16") and make sure there is plenty of dielectric grease on the boot such that voltage isn't tracking. If all checks out verify injector to the number one.

 

[glassybarrel]

thanks green! so it is really dark over here now so I am going to swap out the plug tomorrow but I will tell you what I did do.

I got rid of the "CHECK ENGINE" light by deleting it using the little computer thing that I bought. I my car around and it never came on again. Does this mean that the problem was eliminated? The car is still running very strangely shuttering often. It seemed to be performing better when I changed the oil earlier today but with time the shuttering came back.

Also, the temperature gauge is at the 1/2 mark between the H and the L so it seems normal. However, when I took it around my town and stopped to check on everything under the hood everything seemed really really hot. The DI Coil was too hot to handle and I was even afraid that the boots would melt!

Thanks,

Rich

 

[24601]

The "prongs" (or whatever you choose to call them) on the DIC often get VERY hot. This isn't really abnormal, especially if you were pushing the car kind of hard. The temp gauge, from what I've seen, is pretty useless; it will tell you if you're overheating, that's about it.

Not to be condescending in any way... are you using NGK plugs? Use of improper plugs tends to be the common reason for a misfire on this forum.

 

[longjon76]

Clearing the CEL with your OBD is doing just that, clearing the code. The light is off but it is very likely that your cylinder is still misfiring and you will get another CEL. Depending on what kind of OBD you get, there may be a indicator that says that there is a code "pending".

Go get four new NGK plugs. They are cheap, you'll know you have the right ones and you've eliminated a common reason for a cylinder misfire.

 

[Ero]

this doesn't seem to be your case, But sometimes clearing an engine unrelated code will restore the car to running smoothly. For example, when my abs controller died, it threw a CEL and while that CEL was on, the car idled like crap. When I'd clear the code it'd be fine until the code came back.

Other times when the car thinks there is a catastrophic failure it will go into limp home mode, which is a mode that it runs like crap in but will let you drive it to the mechanic or get home. . When my dic died and I got misfires in multiple cylinders, my car went into limp home, and would stall out unless I kept it at above 2500 rpm I think.

In your case though I think you should test the DIC first.

 

[glassybarrel]

I got four new NGK plugs but maybe I should get another four since the original 4 NGK plugs I bought have been through hell and back being used when testing. They were oil soaked and now scorched it seems like.

I went to Kragen Auto Parts and they need to special order them. Does anyone know a place where they readily have them?

 

[glassybarrel]

Ok I got some new NGK plugs and replaced them with no improvement. As I examined the old plugs I noticed that cylinder 2,3, and 4 were normal brown/tan/gray color while cylinder 1 had a plug that was dry and black.

I have no idea what to do now. Please help.

Rich

 

[Ero]

check the fuel injector maybe? and the DIC, see if you can get a known working one (as in, one that currently runs a car)

 

[glassybarrel]

how can I check the fuel injector? Could I have wired it wrong when putting the cylinder head back on after a head gasket replacement?

I will work on finding a good working Saab with a red DIC

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

IIRC, the fuel injectors always have +12VDC to them (with the key on) and a ground from the ECU causes them to spray. If you have the injector out with the key on, a ground should cause it to spray so you should be able to see it's pattern... Ron

 

[glassybarrel]

Problem solved! Out of desperation I switched my "good" DI Coil with my "bad" DI Coil and it worked. So the lesson of the day is that a DI Coil can cause a cylinder misfire. I am really happy it was that easy... or so it seems

Thanks for the input everyone

 

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

Hey, glad you got it figured out. Let us know how it's running after a few weeks. I would carry some premixed antifreeze (50/50) and a couple quarts of oil just in case. I do just for piece of mind... Ron

 

[longjon76]

Glassy, you might want to add a head and head gasket to '97 Saab SE Turbo's suggestions.

 

[glassybarrel]

haha I have 8 qts of oil, 2 jugs of coolant, starter fluid, fuel injector cleaner, a head gasket, 10 head bolts, a torque wrench, spark plugs, socket set, a jack w/ jack stands, a spare DIC, and my AAA card on hand in my trunk 24-7! I am serious too. I should probably add flares, canned food, water, gas tank, flashlight, swiss army knife, and an extra engine too.

This car is just too much. Today I noticed that my steering is pulling hard to the right and the front passenger side shock absorber seems super bad. I have no idea where to begin. I hate that I love this car so much.

 

[haydende]

Problem solved! Out of desperation I switched my "good" DI Coil with my "bad" DI Coil and it worked. So the lesson of the day is that a DI Coil can cause a cylinder misfire. I am really happy it was that easy... or so it seems

Thanks for the input everyone

u mean you simply swapped in an old comlete DIC or you opened up an old DIC and removed one of the coils.. and installed it in the 'good' DIC?

 

[AZR Racing]

if you bought your DIC from ebay and does not have the SAAB plate on the bottom it will throw a CEL. the DIC is more than a set of ign coils. there is a knock sensor and more in there.

 

[glassybarrel]

What I think happened was a simple accidental swap. I thought I was installing the good DIC, the one that I bought used, when in reality I had installed the bad one. It was a simple mix up that was corrected when I swapped the DICs again...

Hope that clears things up a little. I wonder how long this DI Cassette will last.