Cylinder 2 Misfire
 

My check engine light came on recently after going on and off for a few weeks. My saturn then started hard shifting and was noticeably pulling. I have a 2007 Saturn Ion 2 sedan with about 98k miles.

I took it to O'Reilly's and the code came back as a cylinder 2 misfire (p0302). I replaced the spark plugs (kept at manufacturer gaping) and the coil for cylinder 2. That fixed the problem for about a week and then the check engine light came on again and the hard shifting come back.

I read on here that it might be dirty fuel injectors, so I put some Chevron Techron in my tank and have driven about 80 miles with no noticeable difference. I hate to take it to the shop if I can fix it myself. Any ideas as to what it could be?

I'm not familiar with the Ion at all. I know on the S series Saturns that a faulty ECTS or connector can cause all kinds of problems, though. Maybe that?

Damn near looks like a copy and paste from another site I read. If you know the spark plug is good. If you know the coil pack is good. It's likely in need of a new fuel injector, not fuel injector cleaner you pour in the gas tank.

What does noticeably pulling mean?

PS: Ms. amn0025
Stop in the new member area and give yourself a proper introdution. When done go to the USER CP top left of the page and add your first name, location, and car info to your "signature".

I mean that it has a lag when accelerating and noticeably lacks power for a few seconds.

Hmmm, how difficult is that to replace?

Not hard at all. Don't go to Al's Apple Orchard and Auto Parts for the injector. Get it from the dealer you'll not be sorry. Use top tier gasoline look it up if need be.

Why is your IP address a new one each time you sign on? 3 count so far, all differant servers, dynamic, static etc.

Stop in the new member area and give yourself a proper introdution. When done go to the USER CP top left of the page and add your first name, location, and car info to your "signature".

I suppose my IP address is different because I switched computers since I moved from work to home.

Could you point me to a good video or guide to changing these out?

Search you tube or the internet. Might be something, good luck Girl. Good job on the signature.

I'm on it! For some reason there's never much about '07 models.

06 is 100% the same....and other years are close enough to give you an idea.

Try going to youtube and look for a guy called richpin. He's done a lot of video how tos on the Saturns.

I have looked at richpin's videos, but so far I haven't seen anything for a model close to mine. The fuel injector cleaner helped for a couple of days, but the check engine light came on this morning again. So, I guess I'm taking it into the shop/

Well Ms.Amy whats the word? Good we hope.

I took it to the mechanic and the cylinder is misfiring due to compression loss. He said it's a valve issue and that it could be fixed but it would be about $2,600. He also felt like the transmission might be on it's way out. He doesn't do transmission work, so I felt comfortable that he wasn't trying to upsell me.

The mechanic agreed that it would be better not to get any work done and to just trade the car in as is. A sucky situation, but at least now I know. Now the car hunt begins!

Very rare for an ecotec to loose a cylinder for any reason, and a bad trans.......also extremely rare for a 2007. The best part is the bill, it'll be about $2,600 and he has no idea whats wrong.

If it were my car I know what I'd do.

Do yourself a favor and go to an auto parts store and get a can of Seafoam and follow the directions on it. You may get lucky and just have a piece of carbon that's not allowing the valve to fully close. The Seafoam MIGHT help clear it out, if that's what it is. As far as the transmission "might be on it's way out", that's a load of crap. Does it seem to be shifting okay to you? Sounds to me like someone's trying to empty your purse and get their Christmas shopping done early and on your dime. I'd find another mechanic and get a second opinion.

I have noticed some jerky shifting over the past few weeks, mostly from park to drive, so I wasn't completely surprised about the transmission statement. Again, he doesn't actually do transmission work, this was just his opinion based on the way it drove. The cylinder misfire is making it hard shift though, so it could just be that.

As for the valve, he did go into great detail on what he thought it was and how he would fix it, but I don't know enough about the engine to really grasp it. The mechanic has a good rep for being honest and seemed very willing to explain everything he was doing. In fact, he was the one who suggested NOT getting the repairs done.

I may try the seafoam, where do you buy it?

Most after-market parts supply houses carry it ...

You can even get it at Walmart. Try that first and let us know what happens. As far as the transmission goes, you might just try a fluid and filter change. If it's never been done, then it's way past due.

what was the compression reading in the cylinder? IF it was zero, forget the rest

The cylinder pressure was at 110 psi while all the others were showing 180 psi.

So, how exactly would I use seafoam to clean the valves?

I've been car hunting and I really hate it, so I would love to just be able to fix my car. Any suggestions?

How to use sea foam? Read the container. When a car is running bad, a side effect could be an odd operating transmission.