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Cylinder 3 misfire, burning oil/blue smoke, please help!

31K views 62 replies 14 participants last post by  YJK 
#1 ·
Hello, I bought my 2014 Ghibli SQ4 about a year and a half ago, and havent had many issues with it until today. I was driving around and all of the sudden it started to stumble and hesitate and the motor was shaky and rough, and the check engine light started flashing. I pulled over instantly, turned it off, and had it towed home. I then checked the oil to see if it was low. It was at the 'MIN' fill line, so I topped it off until it was back at the 'MAX' line. I thought that was weird, since I just got the oil changed 3 months ago (2,000 miles). anyway, after that, I did an OBD test on it and it gave me a P0303 code (misfire in cylinder 3).



Then, I decided to start it again to reverse it into the garage, but when I started it, it cranked for a long while and eventually started and still sounded very rough and the CEL was still flashing. Also, I noticed a good amount of blueish smoke coming out the exhaust while it was running for that brief amount of time. I also noticed a fairly strong smell of fuel coming from the front of the car.



so- given that I have a misfiring cylinder code, lowish oil, and blue smoke coming out of the back, its leading me to believe that some of the oil may somehow be leaking into cylinder 3 causing it to misfire and burn the oil.



The car only has 26K miles on it, I have not replaced the plugs yet. I am not exactly sure how I should go about fixing this....my plan as of now is to just replace the spark plugs and to replace the ignition coil on cylinder 3, and hopefully that will fix the misfiring (I have read that those are the two most common culprits for cylinder misfiring). The blueish smoke coming out of the exhaust is still very concerning to me though...

If someone has had a similar issue, or knows whats going on, or how to fix it, then please offer up any advice you can, I would really really appreciate it!


Thank you!
 
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#2 ·
Hi,
My advice would be to do a compression test while the plugs are out, this will clarify whether it is a mechanical problem with cyl 3 (which I hope not) if compressions are OK, you have nothing to worry about.


A coil ans new plugs will certainly resolve the problem.


Another test you can do, is to swap coils around and see if the error DTC follows the coil or stay on the same cyl.


It's quick and costs you nothing, might even save you buying a new coil.
 
#3 ·
FredVr, thank you for your response!

I unfortunately do not have the tools (or skill set) to do a compression test myself, I would have to have the car towed to a shop to have it done. Should I do the compression test before I do the plugs or anything else? Or should I do the plugs and igniton coil first to see if that fixes it before I do the compression test?

Also, I like your idea about switching around the ignition coils, I will do that.

Quick question- Which exact spark plugs do you guys recommend? Should I just order 6 OEM from the dealership, or is there a better option.

And lastly, when I do get the new spark plugs,what is the torque specs for them? I don’t want to over or under torque them.


Thanks again!
 
#4 ·
You can always try to change everything and see if it cures the problem.


The plugs seem to be NGK SILKAR8C-6DG gap 0.6mm
Cheaper every else than the dealer...



To be confirmed by other members. (I have the Diesel version in Europe)


Torque is here
https://www.ngk.com/learning-center/article/522/plug-torque-settings


Don't worry too much little risk to rip the thread, but careful not to crossed on start up, this is the most important.


Good luck, keep us posted.
 
#5 ·
issue didnt get resolved

I finished replacing all of the spark plugs today, as well as the ignition coil for cylinder 3 (the cylinder that was causing the code P0303)

I used proper torque specs and got all the certified parts from the dealership.

Unfortunately, I am still having the same problem. I started it back up and it is still running rough. the check engine light is still flashing, and there is still a whole lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust.

I let it run for about 1 minute, and then I tried driving it down the street and back (1/4 mile), to see if it just needed to be "broken in". nothing changed, still spat out a lot of smoke and stumbled upon acceleration, and the code is still showing P0303.


Do I need to just let it run longer? or will that just make it worse?

what else would be causing this issue? I am really starting to get worried that this is something very serious (and expensive). if anyone has any advice then I would really appreciate it, thanks a ton!

Matt
 
#7 ·



^^Here is a picture of the spark plugs from cylinder 3 and 2. the one on the left is from cylinder 2, and the one on the right is from cylinder 3 (the cylinder that is causing the code). there was alot more buildup on the one from cylinder 3, and it also smelled a little like gasoline, whereas the other plug did not. Thanks again!
 
#11 ·
compression test

Ok, I will do the compression test next. I did some research online on how to do it, so please correct me if I am wrong but I think the steps are as follows:

1-Remove the plug wires /ignition coil from each plug, but leave the spark plugs in
2-Remove the Spark plug from the cylinder that I want to test (cylinder 3)
3-Hand screw in the compression gauge
4-Remove the Fuses that control the fuel pump (fuse 49-the Fuel pump secondary circuit relay input... Fuse 51- LH fuel pump primary circuit relay input... and fuse 53- RH fuel pump primary circuit relay input)
5-Crank the car over and hold it for 5 seconds and then get a reading on the compression
6-Repeat for the other cylinders and compare all of their compression's to see if any have significantly lower compression


I have done a decent amount of work on cars in my life but I have never done a compression test before, so I apologize for how new I seem to this. I just want to make sure that I do it right. The step that I am not too sure about is step 4; I am not sure if I am supposed to remove those fuses or if I am supposed to remove something else instead.

Thanks again of course, and please let me know if I need to change any of those steps!
 
#12 ·
For the fuses on the petrol version, I can't help you I'm sure someone here will be able to confirm.


Either the fuses or the fuel pump relay, it's either or.


For the steps 1 & 2
I would remove all the coils and all the plugs, I would then put the plugs back in each coil and the plug touching the engine block. Like this the energy from the coil will be dissipated. Some coils don't like to fire without a plug on the end to discharge.



It will also be easier for the starter motor to turn the engine over.


I think Maserati has a was to do the compression test without dismantling anything, they work it on the base of the started motor power usage. That info comes from a Maserati Tech.
But you need their VERY EXPENSIVE bit of kit.


Keep us updated on the results.


Good luck.
 
#15 ·
compression test

Ok so here is a quick update-

I received my compression gauge in the mail today and went to try to run the compression test. I ran into a problem though; when I removed the fuel pump fuses (#49 and #51 , fuel pump secondary circuit relay input and the LH fuel pump primary circuit relay input, respectively) to disable the fuel system, the car would not crank at all. So if I remove those fuses to disable the fuel pump, I can not crank the car and so I cannot build up any compression to do the test. So I need to figure out a different way to disable the fuel system that will still allow me to crank the car over so that I can do the compression test.

Any ideas on how else I can accomplish that?


By the way, I noticed that all 6 of my old plugs had a black carbon deposit on them when I replaced them. Also, cylinder 1's plug had a small amount of oil on the threads of the plug when I pulled it out. Hopefully that information might bring us closer to a diagnosis, even without having the compression test results yet.

Thanks again to everyone helping me, I really do appreciate you all
 
#16 ·
P.S:

I read online that another cause of this misfire could be clogged/dirty fuel injectors, caused by using bad gas. I have only ever put the best (93 octane) in my car, and I typically only use gas from reputable gas stations (shell, valero, etc.) I suppose it is possible though that I randomly got a bad batch of gas that is causing the air/fuel ratio to go out of wack, which might explain the carbon deposits on the plug. I bought a bottle of Chevron Techron Fuel Injector Cleaner (I read that was the best brand, along with BG44k). Would it be a good idea to add that injector cleaner to the tank and let it run for a bit to try to clean the injectors out? Or would letting the car run just make it worse/possibly cause more issues?

Another piece of information- When this misfire first arose , I saw bluish smoke coming out of the exhaust when I started it. now, however, I do not see blue smoke anymore, but I do see a whole lot of grayish white smoke coming out (much more than usual, it has a strong scent, and it persists as long as the car is running, so I know it is not just water vapor). I feel like the presence of this smoke coming from the exhaust may be a clue as to what is causing this misfire.


Sorry for so many posts, I am just trying to give you guys as much information as possible because I know solving car problems is like a puzzle, the more pieces you have the easier it is to solve
Thanks!
 
#18 ·
It is really good information to help troubleshoot and provide guidance for others.

You are in the 25-30K mileage range with the MY14. Since you have the "classic" rough running and misfires it very well could be carbon build up on the valves in the intake ... needs intake manifold removal and manual cleaning. I do think that is becoming more common with the older models ... although not mentioned a lot on this forum. Maybe sc00bk or MasteratiTechNNJ can comment as I'm sure they have experience in this area.
 
#23 ·
I have doubt about this Hydrogen clean up, I remapped an Alfa Diesel once which just had it done, honestly the inlet manifold was **** full of tar.


It might work, but it needs hours to go through the build up.


In the past I used a helicopter turbine cleaner, it is the same product they use to clean massive ship engines while running, I spray it in the inlet, then stop the engine and let the product act, for 15-20min, I repeat the operation 3-4times.
This works as long as the built up is soft and greasy/tar if it is solid soot it is much harder.
 
#24 ·
I'm skeptical too, but it's so cheap, I don't think you really have anything to lose.
The only fear I have - altho I never heard of this happening - is for the hydrogen generator machine to malfunction, and accidentally spray the filtering liquid or water in the intake.
 
#26 ·
Thank you for all of the replies, the intake cleaning sounds like a great idea.

I have heard two suggestions, one is to have the manifold taken off and manually cleaned (sounds more thorough, but also also a lot more expensive) and the other one is the hydrogen decarbonizing machine that was mentioned. Which one should I do?

Also, First, I would still like to do this compression test so that I can rule out the major problems like head gasket leak or cylinder damage etc... but I still havent found a way to disable to fuel system in order to run the compression test. When I take the fuses out for the fuel pump, the car wont crank, so I cant do the compression test. Surely there must be another way to disable the fuel and conduct that test without having to pull those fuses?
 
#29 ·
Thanks everyone, I will be doing the compression test today. I will update when finished and hopefully we don't see any issues with the compression.

If there is no issues with the compression, then I will take it in to the dealership or an indy and have the valves manually cleaned since that seems to be the most likely thing causing this issue.

Wish me luck!
 
#30 · (Edited)
I don't think carbon build up is your issue, it would run progressively worse over a period of time, not all of a sudden like you describe. Injector failure is a possibility of you've ruled out spark.

However none of that would account for the increased oil use, engines use oil but yours does sound excessive, I'm guessing it's the best part of a litre from Min to max?
It could be a pcv issue, that may be an easy fix but I think you have a more serious issue. I hope I'm wrong, good luck and report back with the compression results.
 
#31 ·
Compression test results

Hello all, I did the compression test last night and got great news. Here are the results:

Cylinder 3- 118
Cylinder 2- 115
Cylinder 1- 112
Cylinder 4- 111
Cylinder 5- 110
Cylinder 6- 112


So given those results, I can now rule out a compression issue which is great news.

while doing the compression test, I noticed that a puff of fuel was spraying out of cylinder 3 when cranking the engine while all of the plugs were out. Fuel didn't come out of any of the other cylinders, just cylinder 3. Cylinder 3 is the one that is generating the CEL error code, so this has to have something to do with it.

Any guesses to why this might happen? leads me to believe it is a fuel injector issue since it is only happening on that one cylinder. Here is a picture of what it looked like after the test- you can see its wet with fuel if you click on this link for the picture - Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
 
#33 ·
Yes that's good news, no3 injector is dead. As a reference it would be good to run an ohm meter over that one and a good one just out of interest.

On the the oil use, if it's been over fueling for some time you could have been getting a degree of bore wash and fuel passing the rings and contaminating the oil. I'd would be tempted to change the oil as a precaution and you should be good to go.
 
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