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97 mercury tracer: code for miss fire #4 cyl..idle air control

Answered by:SuperDave
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Customer Question

i have a 97 mercury tracer, keeps getting code for miss fire #4 cyl. put new plugs and coil in, coil had weak spark. also had intermette low idle staling, put in new idle air control. car still has # XXXXX miss code , sometimes has low or no power.

Country: United States
Make: Mercury
Model: tracer
Year: 1997

Already Tried:
coil ,plugs

Submitted: 404 days ago.

Category: Mercury

Value: $18

Status: CLOSED

Accepted Answer

Expert: SuperDave replied404 days ago.

There ia a TSB for your issue from Ford:

Engine - MIL ON/Misfire DTC's/Driveability Concerns

Notes

Article No.
04-9-1

05/11/04

^	DRIVEABILITY - ROUGH IDLE, LOW POWER AND/OR STALL AT IDLE WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) P0300-P0304 STORED IN MEMORY - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0L SPI ENGINE ONLY
^	ELECTRICAL - MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATED - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) P0300-P0304 STORED IN MEMORY - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0L SPI ENGINE ONLY

FORD:
1997-2002 ESCORT
2000-2002 FOCUS

MERCURY:
1997-1999 TRACER

This article supersedes TSB 02-09-01 to update the service and part information.

ISSUE
Some vehicles equipped with the 2.0L SPI engine may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminated and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300 through P0304 stored in memory. The vehicle may also have a rough idle or reduced power condition, and/or may stall at an idle. This may be caused by sticking exhaust valves due to excessive carbon build-up.

ACTION
Check for faulty fuel injectors and ignition wires. One or more exhaust valves may be temporarily sticking due to carbon build-up between the valve stem and guide. If the diagnostic checks point to a sticking exhaust valve, the cylinder head assembly may need to be replaced with a new level cylinder head assembly with revised valve guides, revised exhaust valves will also need to be installed to help prevent carbon build-up. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

NOTE THIS PROCEDURE APPLIES ONLY TO THE 2.0L SPI ENGINE.

This condition usually results in misfire when the engine returns to idle after running approximately 2000 RPM or higher.

Use the worldwide diagnostic system (WDS) to test for Power Balance with the engine at idle. Check for cylinder misfire. If misfire is occurring constantly, go to Step 3. If misfire is not occurring, attempt to induce misfire by performing the following step:

Apply the parking brake and keep the transmission in Park or Neutral. Bring the engine to approximately 2800 RPM and hold for one (1) minute. Check the WDS Power Balance display while holding engine speed constant. Allow the engine to return to idle and watch the WDS Power Balance display for a misfiring cylinder.

If WDS Power Balance indicates a misfiring cylinder with the previous test, one or more exhaust valves may be intermittently sticking due to carbon build-up between the valve stem and guide. Replace the cylinder head with the new level cylinder head with revised valve guides. Once stock is exhausted of the loaded cylinder heads, the cylinder head will come bare so revised exhaust valves will need to be installed in place of the original valves. The revised valve guides and exhaust valves help prevent carbon build-up. Consult the appropriate model year Workshop Manual for removal and installation procedures for the Cylinder Head Assembly.

If WDS Power Balance did not indicate a misfiring cylinder with the previous test or a misfire is occurring constantly, the misfire may not be due to a sticking exhaust valve. Refer to the appropriate model year Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) Service Manual for further diagnosis. Other possible causes may be, worn or arcing ignition wires, base engine compression, fuel injectors, fuel injector harness resistance or PCM injector driver signal. Perform diagnosis and repair as necessary.

After completing either Step 2 or Step 3, replace the PCV Valve (YS4Z-6A666-AC) (Motorcraft EV-244) on model year 2000-2002 Focus or 2000-2002 Escort. Vacuum fluctuations from engine misfire may prematurely wear the PCV valve on those applications.

Expert Type	ASE Certified Technician
Category:	Mercury
Pos. Feedback:	92.9 %
Accepts:	55
Answered:	4/9/2012

Experience: over 16 years experience

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Customer replied403 days and 22 hours ago.

thanks for the info, thought it was something like that.

Expert: SuperDave replied403 days and 12 hours ago.

You're welcome thank you for using just answer.

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