Engine missing right after oil change

[Jecca]

This is my first post but I've lurked the forum and found a lot of fixes for my Explorer's minor issues in the past. I couldn't find anything relevant after searching, so here goes.

I have an '02 4.0L V6, auto, 4x4 Explorer. I just changed the oil, oil filter, and air filter and, after driving about 60 miles, the engine has started to miss. It misses mostly at low speeds and I can feel a little buck especially when it has just changed gears. The check engine light is not coming on. I can hear a slight exhaust leak that started a while back but I haven't really been on the ball with getting that checked out because I have had no performance issues with the vehicle until now. I know that my exhaust leak could be causing the misfires but, in my very, very limited mechanical knowledge, I don't know if this would've become so symptomatic right after an oil change without some other underlying cause.

I have only recently started trying to do even very basic maintenance myself and, honestly, I still don't know how to do much. I would really appreciate any insight to help me understand what is going on. Even if the issue/repair is beyond my ability, I would love to be able to talk to the mechanic with a little bit of knowledge so that I'll at least know if what they're saying or doing makes sense.

 

[malohnes]

Pull your plugs and check their condition. I had an something similar happen to me, right after an oil change and found a lot of buildup on 2 plugs. I cleaned them up, and eventually replaced them and the miss went away. The oil was caused by loose intake manifold bolts.