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Need help have spi missfiring

2K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  crazy_urn 
#1 ·
My wife wagon is a 2000 se wagon with spi engine. it started sputtering and missing like water in the gas. I put dry gas in it cleared up and ran fine for 2 days. Then it started missing like bad coil so today I changed the coil plugs and wires. It then would not run that well. I read the codes and the only one is o2 sensor bank1 sensor 2. am I misssing something car is high mileage but it was mostly highway and the compression is still good. I did check it and for timing belt slop and no issue. I am confused I thought sensor 1 would cause missing not downstream sensor2. Anything I am missing????

Help she needs for work and to hual the kids around
 
#2 ·
well the spi does drop it's valve seat alot, but idk the signs of it. there's a ton of forums for it that'll tell you what to look and or listen for. I wouldn't be surprised as you used spi, high mileage, and engine problem in the same sentence
 
#5 ·
symptoms before the dropped seat can be an intermittent loss of compression in one cylinder. It will misfire once in awhile. You can do a compression test on it with no trouble.

Not convinced it's the problem though.
 
#6 ·
I read thru the valve seat issue. I bore scoped the cylinders no valve seat issue. I think this is electrical or bad gas. There plugs were pitch black and smelled like bad fuel. The wife just filled it up and drove over 20 miles before it started missing. The only code was for downstream O2 no heated circuit. The car has over 260k not sure if the engine has that on it. Anyone have mass airflow go bad without a code?
 
#7 ·
I had a similar intermittent misfire issue with my SPI. Sometimes it would pop a code, sometimes it would not. I cleaned the MAF and cleared up the problem.

It is definitely not the valve seat prob. but thanks for the uneducated insults caleb.
 
#8 ·
Missed the "insult", thought the "high mileage, SPI,and Engine Problem in one sentence" was a chuckle....

Dirty MAF wouldn't necessarily "code" (in fact it probably wouldn't) so it's good to see a comment that THAT was the issue in a similar circumstance....

"Like" ing fuel as the issue, but with all the coil pigtail issues we hear about a look there wouldn't be out of place....
 
#9 ·
Missed the "insult", thought the "high mileage, SPI,and Engine Problem in one sentence" was a chuckle....
The insult comment was not directed at you. (hence why I said 'caleb', though I guess I could have been more clear.) I just don't appreciate cheap shots by uneducated noobs.

good call on the coil pack. that could also be the problem.
 
#11 ·
to me it is not about whether the SPI engine has a problem with the valve seats, they obviously do. but what some people don't seem to know or care is that it is a preventable problem.

My main issue is that there is no need to take a cheap shot at the SPI here. I don't go around saying the SVT has timing belt issues in every technical thread. if it doesn't apply to the problem, it doesn't matter.
 
#12 ·
Gotcha Cpn..

Hey, a Cross-Flow, Hemi Head engine - that's known for the BEST fuel economy of the avail. Focus Mills can't be ALL bad!

(grin)

Did you notice it's getting MORE support these days? Saw an aftermarket replacement head advertised for it in Hot Rod magazine....

Keep "defending" it!
 
#13 ·
Gotcha Cpn..

Hey, a Cross-Flow, Hemi Head engine - that's known for the BEST fuel economy of the avail. Focus Mills can't be ALL bad!

(grin)

Did you notice it's getting MORE support these days? Saw an aftermarket replacement head advertised for it in Hot Rod magazine....
Sorry, I get a little riled up. nearly ten years of fighting the same battles will do that to you.

Also, apologies to calebstubstad. saw in another post you have an SPI. didn't mean to jump on you. sorry. lets just show some love for our crappy little motors.

sailor said:
Keep "defending" it!
always. [thumb]
 
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#15 ·
And sorry for repeating I only read the first page to see what I missed. Didn't see page two.
It was meant merely as a joke and to point him possibly in the right direction.
On a lighter note, what can be done to prevent the valve seat issue?
 
#16 ·
Apologies again Caleb. thought you were another zetec hater.

check out the SPI performance forum for information, but a new head is said to prevent the valve seat failure.
 
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