2000 miles and 2nd CEL

[badmotorfinger]

A little over a week ago threw my 1st CEL. Took to the dealer, they said they "found a misfire on 1 and 4, but no codes". They reset light and said "C'ya".

Me: What caused the misfire & why did it trip a CEL?
Dealer: Um, we're not sure. No code stored in the memory, but it's OK now. If it happens again bring it back, we'll keep it awhile and pull the codes.

So I'm driving on the highway last night doing about 60, downshift to 5th to pass a car (fairly hard boost) and then like 10 seconds later. CEL is flashing then goes solid.(argh)

Anyone else have similar misfire issues/CEL? How the heck did they know it had a misfire on 1&4 if there wasn't a corresponding code?

Absolutely no mods yet (Nano pre-ordered) except winter 17's.

 

[FrequentFlyer]

Usually a CEL means the ECU has a code. I don't understand how it could have tripped a CEL and not stored a code. How did they know it was a misfire on 1 and 4? When they plug in to the OBDII port, the ECU doesn't tell them, "Hello, I had a misfire on 1 and 4!". No, it gives them a code, which in turn they look up to be misfires on 1 and 4.

 

[mattj3636]

I had the CEL for random misfire code... they refused to fix it because of the Corksport intake and that my A/F ratio was so far off there scanners couldn't even read it (B/S...) but anyways, they said they can't do anything under warranty, so i simply asked them to clear it and they told me they couldn't do that either because since it's misfiring, it would just come back on.

Later that day I went to autozone and used theyre CEL Scanner thing and just cleared it myself, and it hasn't come back on since... and this was 2 and a half months ago.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

LMAO... What is happening with these dealerships? Crazy.

 

[mattj3636]

i mean, seeing them not looking into it more becuase of the intake and FMIC and BOV, is reasonable i suppose...

but saying that it was so far off that they couldn't even read what my A/F was? like come on... im not stupid..

they also said multiple codes were thrown but they didn't tell me what they were and when i scanned it with the cheapo auto zone one only the P100 or whatever random misfire is came up.

i hate dealerships, i think im gonna start my own mazda certified service center in michigan... we'd bring in so much revenue mazdaspeedster... lets do it! ha

 

[badmotorfinger]

As a follow up, I took my car in for the 2nd CEL. When I started the car the evening prior to going to the dealer the light went out on its own. Took it the dealer and they asked to keep it "for a while" so that one of their techs could drive it with a laptop plugged into the OBD port. They gave me a free loaner car, and said 'we'll call you when it trips another code". Now really, that could take weeks. But I thought I will give it a few days. Then I chickened out. I started having visions of a hillbilly mechanic driving through the countryside doing clutch dumps and Dukes of Hazzard-style stunts to get the code to replicate. After 36 hours I picked it up, with no code repeat, and no answers. Guess I need to get a DH.

 

[BOOSTR]

So I'm driving on the highway last night doing about 60, downshift to 5th to pass a car (fairly hard boost) and then like 10 seconds later. CEL is flashing then goes solid.

Why are you even in overdrive at such a low mph much less hard boosting in high gear at a low rpm? That is just as hard on your engine as your vision of a hillbilly mechanic driving your car Dukes of Hazzard style.

Here's something that you should read
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/ic100474.htm

 

[mattj3636]

6th gear cruising on the highway going 60 is fine, i cruise 50 on streets in 6th,... he downshifted into 5th and then gave it boost going 60, thats perfectly fine... lol

 

[BOOSTR]

lol @ granny style driving. There's nothing funny about boosting hard in high gear at a low rpm and placing unneccessary load on the engine. But hey to each their own as the saying goes

 

[mattj3636]

going 60 in 5th is not low rpm in the speed3?

 

[badmotorfinger]

Boostr, thanks for the article link. What gear do you drive in @60mph on the highway? 5th? Oh yeah, 5th is overdrive too. Must be 4th...spinning what, 4-4.5k? Sounds like unneccessary revs. But yes, to each his own.
If I wanted to fly past at full throttle I would have dropped into 4th (or possible 3rd if I wanted to shift back to 4th a moment later when I would have been 5.5k), but wasn't in that much of a hurry. We have a narrow fun-zone which I view as 3k-5.5k after which power goes down the crapper. I was my boosting was in the fun zone.

 

[mattj3636]

speed3's rpm range is diff the protege speed, 60 mph in 5th is right around 3k isnt it? if not a little higher...

3k is prime for giving it boost in our cars

 

[Alexsered]

A little over a week ago threw my 1st CEL. Took to the dealer, they said they "found a misfire on 1 and 4, but no codes". They reset light and said "C'ya".

Me: What caused the misfire & why did it trip a CEL?
Dealer: Um, we're not sure. No code stored in the memory, but it's OK now. If it happens again bring it back, we'll keep it awhile and pull the codes.

So I'm driving on the highway last night doing about 60, downshift to 5th to pass a car (fairly hard boost) and then like 10 seconds later. CEL is flashing then goes solid.(argh)

Anyone else have similar misfire issues/CEL? How the heck did they know it had a misfire on 1&4 if there wasn't a corresponding code?

Absolutely no mods yet (Nano pre-ordered) except winter 17's.

I had that a couple of times, but they might be completely random and has nothing to do with the misfires, but I get some lucis oil Ocatane booster and it seams to get rid of it. I do that maybe every 5 tanks of gas and haven't had an issue since. the first time I had to use it was when I got the code, I reset it, and got it again immediatly. Than I tried the octane booster and it didn't come back on. Try it and let me know if it works.

Also, easy way I found to reset the computer CEL is to disconnect the batter for a while and than reconnect it. Wasn't sure if you knew or not.

 

[BOOSTR]

Boostr, thanks for the article link. What gear do you drive in @60mph on the highway? 5th? Oh yeah, 5th is overdrive too. Must be 4th...spinning what, 4-4.5k? Sounds like unneccessary revs.

Your welcome, its a good article that gives you some things to check out.

Granted, I've never driven a Speed3 so it just struck me as odd why you would be going what I consider to be slow in OD or 5th. I do not go 60mph on the highway. Speed limit here is 70. 4th gear going 60mph = 3500 rpms
5th gear going 80mph = 3650 rpms. Both are still in the MSP fun zone.

Good luck solving the random cel.

 

[badmotorfinger]

Boostr: Sadly, in my state of PA, highway speed limit in metro areas remains 55mph. Thankfully no more CEL's (3k miles now). But I have been much more aware of throttle and RPMs. If I'm going to boost hard I try to be above 4k now (narrowing the fun-zone even more). This kind of bugs me, because the car wants to pull hard @ 3k.
Alexsered: Thanks for the Lucas tip. I knew I could reset by battery disconnect, but wanted to find out the "why" part...which I never really did. DH is in my future

 

[Alexsered]

Boostr: Sadly, in my state of PA, highway speed limit in metro areas remains 55mph. Thankfully no more CEL's (3k miles now). But I have been much more aware of throttle and RPMs. If I'm going to boost hard I try to be above 4k now (narrowing the fun-zone even more). This kind of bugs me, because the car wants to pull hard @ 3k.
Alexsered: Thanks for the Lucas tip. I knew I could reset by battery disconnect, but wanted to find out the "why" part...which I never really did. DH is in my future

it could be bad gas is basically where I was going with that, do you fill up at the same station normally?

 

[badmotorfinger]

Yes, usually at the same station. Always with 93 octane. The strange thing is, it doesn't happen soon after fill-up. If I recall correctly it was around 1/2 tank. If it was a matter of bad gas I would think it would show soon after filling.

 

[dpeeps74]

today my cel came on in my 07 speed3. i was accelerating from a stop light and around 2nd gear it came on. then i noticed as i continued to drive home that in 2nd and 3rd gears if i accelerate hard the light flashes through them but then when i put it in 4th it goes back solid. i've had the fuel cap mishap a couple times but it seemed on fine this time, so i have an appointment for monday morning. everything is stock at 25900 miles.

 

[badmotorfinger]

Got rear-ended at an intersection yesterday. But no CEL! I feel so lucky.

 

[MikeHTally]

That can't be good. Hope all's well with you.