Misfire

[sandstoneolds20]

So I just had the tranny fixed in my car. Complete rebuild. Now I have another problem. My car was running fine and then it started to idle real rought and shake when idling and service engine light came on. So I took it to a shop and then read the code and it has a misfire on 3 cylinder. They took the valve cover off and saw nothing worn in the valve train. They did a dry and wet compression test. On the dry test the cylinder had 75-80 pounds of compression and on the west test it had 100-150. The rest of the cylinders had 120-150 on a dry compression test. So, they told me it was either the rings had seized or they broke. So I'm wonderin how big of a job would it be to drop the pan and take off the head and re-ring that cylinder? Or would it be easier and cheaper to give the car to my little brother and let him drive it to school while i go and buy another car. It has 52,000 miles and is an 03 with the 3400. Any help is appreciated!

[Nate's Alero]

uuuh, drop the pan, fix tha bitch!

[rustyballs_69]

Just because the compression on the #3 cylinder is lower than the rest doesn't always mean its the piston rings. It could be the head gasket which is easyier to change then pulling the piston to put new rings on. How does you oil and coolant look? If it is the rings I would do the whole damn thing, better safe then sorry.

[Beholder88]

Only REAL way to tell would to be to remove the head and look at the cylinder walls. If the ring broke, 9 times out of 10 you'll have some nice looking scratches in there. This will also give you the chance to get 100% verification of the condition of the head gasket. For the V6, I would recommend replacing both of them at the same time, not just one. Did you check to see if there was exhaust gasses present in the coolant? Is the car smoking?

[Blktrax]

^^^^^^ Yea that....


Were you running the car hard and this happened or did it gradually occur? If you did a WOT blast and it started I would lean toward ring failure or cracked head, of it gradually happened or signs of coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant - head gasket.

[clutch1]

Do a cyl leakage test and see where you hear the air escaping.. excess out the oil dipstick hole indicates rings, bubbling in the radiatior or coolant somewhere indicates headgasket. Just a easy test and maybe you'll get a decent answer.

[sandstoneolds20]

I did notice a while back that the coolant did look dirty and I had to add some to it when my low coolant light came. yesterday when I got out of the car I could smell antifreeze. So I thinking its pry the head gasket. Oh, I did have to add a little coolant this morning too and I looked at the dipstick and I cant' see any signs of the coolant in the oil or a puddle under the car. I guess I'm gonna just take the head off and find out.

[rustyballs_69]

Sounds like a head gasket to me. Get it fixed before it clogs the cat.

[sandstoneolds20]

How big of a bitch is it to get the head off? Especially the one by the firewall since that's the one I will have to take off.

[rustyballs_69]

Well if you gonna take one off you had better take the other one off while your at it. Its really not that bad of a job.

[zzyzzx]

52,000 miles and you have already gone through a transmission and a head gasket? Are you sure that it's really not 152,000 miles? Or do you drive it like you stole it?

[sandstoneolds20]

No I don't dirve it like I stole it. Shit just happens I guess. This car is my baby and I'm doing my best to hold onto it.

[01OldsAleroGt]

the car probably was a rental in its other part of its life

[Nate's Alero]

the car probably was a rental in its other part of its life

lol mine was(old one) it was a POS, three P/S pumps and other shit...when i got rid of it it sounded like the tranny was gonna take a big hairy shit...