Hi all, new guy here. I'm working on my friend's 2000 Protege 1.6L with about 100k miles. The check engine light is on with a "#2 misfire" code. I cleared the code but it came back in a few days. According to my friend it runs fine and the car is otherwise in good shape.

I plan on replacing the spark plugs and wires first. How about the coils? Are there any known problems with the coils on this model? It looks like there are 2 coils on the top of the engine. I'm assuming if one of the coils was getting weak, it would cause a misfire in 2 cylinders. Is this true? I just want to be sure before I tell the owner to spend $$$ as they are on a tight budget.

Thanks!!!

 

New plugs would be a great place to start off with. Use NGK plugs for best results. Protege with 1.6 calls for a ZFR5F-11 plug. Not likely to be a wire though as only #1 and #3 are supplied spark thru wires. Have not seen a lot of problems with coils but a few here and there. While replacing the plugs try swapping the coils. If missfire then moves to #4 cylinder with a P0304 stored then you will know the coil is at fault.

 

Thanks for the info Huey I really appreciate it. Turns out the plugs were shot (the electrode was almost gone) and the spark gap was huge. Replaced the plugs and swapped the 2 coils just to be sure. The car is running great so far.

Thanks again!!

 

Glad to hear it was just some worn out spark plugs MrMan without having to replace some more expensive coils/wires.