An engine misfire is a pretty rare car problem, but when it happens, it’s crucial to recognize it on time.
Lots of people either don’t notice or ignore an engine misfire and continue driving, which can easily cause more serious engine damage.
This article should help you avoid that, spot the problem, and, more importantly, solve it on time.
Luckily, most of the symptoms of an engine misfire are easy to notice.
Besides this website, you can also watch videos on our YouTube channel, where we have many car-related videos that may help with maintenance, driving, etc.
SYMPTOMS OF AN ENGINE MISFIRE
1. ROUGH IDLING
When an engine misfire appears, probably the first thing you’ll notice is a rough engine idle.
Instead of the usual smooth and even idling, you’ll hear the engine sputter, stall, or even want to cut off completely.
2. VIBRATIONS IN THE PASSENGER CABIN
The rough engine idling will cause some serious vibrations inside the passenger cabin, on the steering wheel, and elsewhere
So, even if you don’t hear the engine misfire problem, you’ll sense it on the steering wheel and notice it by the shaking and trembling surroundings.
3. THE ENGINE SHAKES AND JITTERS
When mentioning a shaking engine, this is the next symptom you’ll easily notice.
Just take a look under the hood into the engine bay, and if you see the engine shaking, trembling, and jumping around the bay, there is probably an engine misfire.
4. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS
At this time, or even earlier (during the rough idling), you’ll see the check engine light appear on the dashboard.
In the beginning of the problem, it may appear intermittently; later, it will be on all the time.
In the case shown here, the check engine light was first lit up all the time, and later started blinking as the engine misfire got worse.
For more information about the most common causes of check engine light problems, click here.
5. LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND POOR ACCELERATION
At this point, if you try to drive the car, you’ll notice a big loss of engine power. A rough estimate would be that 30 to 50 percent of the engine power will be gone
You’ll best notice the symptom when accelerating, the car will first stall a bit and then accelerate sluggishly.
Depending on how many cylinders are misfiring, the engine may even tend to cut out completely, or you may have trouble starting the engine again.
6. HIGHER FUEL CONSUMPTION
If you drive the car in this condition, you’ll almost immediately notice a higher fuel consumption.
It isn’t uncommon for the consumption to double during this time, especially when the engine is cold.
If you want to learn how to calculate the fuel consumption of your car, click here.
7. SMELL OF GASOLINE FROM THE EXHAUST
Finally, when you start the engine, you may sense a strong smell of gasoline from the exhaust pipe.
The engine misfire is causing bad or no combustion within one or more engine cylinders, and a rich or non-combusted mixture comes out of the exhaust, causing the characteristic smell.
CONCLUSION
An engine misfire is one of the car problems that should be solved as soon as possible; it should not be postponed.
If you do delay and drive like this for a longer period of time, you may cause some serious damage not only to the internal parts of the engine but also to the appliances, installations, and else.
Also, doing regular maintenance on your car within the proper intervals will, if not eliminate, then it will seriously reduce the possibility of an engine misfire.
Written by: Sibin Spasojevic
Former car technician, life-long car and DIY enthusiast, author for Despairrepair.com
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