Suggestions needed (DTC: P0300,P0301,P0316)

[matrixxx1]

My 2002 Ford explorer, v6 sohc, 4x4 took a dump this weekend.... keeps going into 'limp home mode', stutters and hesitates, feels like its gonna stall out, struggles going up hill... the check engine light on.

First time it happened, I cleaned the MAF and Air filter... Read the following codes with the scan tool:
P0300 - Misfire on random/ Multiple Cylinders at different times (Could be triggered by 1 cyl not working, then working for 200 revolutions, then not working again.)
P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected
P0316 - Engine misfire detected on Startup (First 1000 Revolutions)

Then reset the ECU.. Damned thing drove awesome, plenty of power, no stuttering, etc... Everything was great.... about 15 miles later, same thing.

I hooked up my scan tool again.
P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected
P0316* - Engine misfire detected on Startup (First 1000 Revolutions)

Reset the ecu.... ran good again (but not great)... Tried a test... anytime I put >50% load on the engine, the MIL would go on again.

Anytime the MIL came on after the first time... the thing was barely drivable.

I checked the wires, all seems ok, nothing seems loose. Checked for vacuum leak noises, couldnt hear anything.... Will check with guage tommorow.

I noticed a very small/slow oil leak on the valve cover gaskets, right above Cyl #1.

I was a little less than a quart low on oil... I put in the oil, no difference. Ive owned the vehicle for about 1.5 years... Was never even a drop low.

Oil/Coolant/Voltage guages never showed anything abnormal

Spark plugs are about a year old... Spark plug wires are about a year old, cap looks good.

Air filter is a K&n filter charger, about 3 months old... No difference after applying the k&n oil to it.

Any suggestions on other things to check? I took screen shots of my scan tool in action under different scenarios (engine off, in gear, idling, etc)

I can also get the exact fuel/air ratios and such if you think its helpful.

Here are the Images thus far:
http://www.strangeusa.com/Userspace/matrix/

I have a full garage, and all tools needed to diagnose... just no energy to do any major repairs at the moment (health issues)... Was hoping to find the exact issue, and pay a shop to fix it.

So any suggestions to diagnose would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks guys.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Sounds like a bad coil.

Just because the plug wires look o.k doesn't mean they are.

 

[matrixxx1]

Update: Pulled plug from Cyl1... looked pretty nasty... but I have seen far worse, run far better.... Cleaned it very thoroughly with a wire brush... I uploaded pics of it onto that link from the earlier post.

I checked the vacuum, constant 18/19 really no fluxuation.

I dumped in 11 gallons of super, and a bottle of FI cleaner.

I reset the DTC's, and drove it very rough for about 20 miles.... No CEL yet... and it *seems* to be working properly...

I suppose I'll find out tommorow, as I'm gonna take it out longer in the day light when its not raining.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

1/2 the problem are those POS BOTCH plugs. Explorers hate them with a passion.

Put in a set of Autolites or Motorcraft.

What plug wires do you have? Are they the original plug wires?

 

[matrixxx1]

With the plugs... I always saw a big difference in fuel economy in my older chevys and my wifes newer toyota.... But I agree, in the ford... not much difference... Planning on grabbing some cheapies tommorow, and replacing them all.

Plug wires, just standard replacement wires from the stealership.... so stock, but newish.