96 V6 running rough

[Shohn]

I've got a 96 4.0 liter V6 2WD that's got me about ready to pull my hair out. It started idling and running really rough last week, then eventually the MIL came on. I had the code read at AutoZone, and it came back as P0302 (I think), or misfire in cyl. #2.

So yesterday I changed the plugs and wires, which seemed to make a slight improvement. I drove it on a couple of errands, and by the time I was done, I realized it was still pretty bad. I don't know how to explain it other than it's just running really rough- shaking a lot. The RPMs don't seem to be affected by all this, and it travels OK- just not quite as quickly as once it was.

So today I swapped out the air filter, cleaned the MAS and the IAC and looked around for vacuum leaks- there was one tubing union that looked a little fishy, so I fixed it. But the truck is still running poorly, especially in gear. In neutral it seems like it's okay- or at least a lot better than it was before the plugs and wires.

Anyone got any ideas as to what I should look at next? I'm no mechanic, but I feel okay on some stuff. Thanks a million for any help you can render!

Shohn

 

[JohnnyBoy1102]

Check your Coil pack and your injectors. i know its odd but when i redid my spark plugs and wires for some reason the coil pack just blew. i replaced that and all was well. be ready to pay a pretty penny for it though. with my dealers discount it was 86 bucks. list price i think is 160. Either that or it could be your injectors maybe? idk im not a mechanic either but theres three parts of an engine running. fuel air and spark. and since air is not the problem and your wires and plugs are brand new its either a fuel problem or an electrical problem.

 

[team]

Disable the fuel pump and pull out the number 2 plug. Unhook all the other plug wires from the coil except number 2. Put the number 2 plug in the end of the number 2 coil wire that is still plugged in and clamp a wire from the plug to a good vehicle ground location. Have somebody bump the ignition over and look for a good blue spark at the plug. If you have a good spark, swap the number 1 and 2 fuel injectors and see if your misfire code follows. If it does then your injector is at fault.

 

[Shohn]

I've been wondering about the coil.

I should have mentioned upthread that I cleared the misfire code, and it hasn't come back.

 

[robertoa1a]

I read a thread last week Where a guy had a rocker arm loose. That is unusual. You may have a vacume leak and maybe in need of intake gaskets. A vacume guage is a big help in trouble shooting. You can find a spark testing tool that has a spark gap that allows you to look at the spark while the engine is running.