Check Engine - Off/on/off/on what..

[Corrosive]

I have to admit that my VX has a somewhat of a rough startup and my gas milage is the same as yours, but then again I think that the gas milage is normal.

Small update ---- I didnt mess with the cap at all and today it turned off while I was on my way to work. I didnt pull the battery or anything, it just turned off on its own.

I still plan to take it in to get an oil change/check fluids/and brakes on wed so we just might find out something that is wrong.

-Mike

Beast... do you think it may be the weather (remember that we live in the same city)? Mine has only started doing this once it started to get colder?

[JHarris1385]

I have pulled the code of

po300 random
multiple cylinder misfire

at Autozone

13mpg is common?, I was getting near 18 before the check engine light.

I HAVE NO IDEA what to do with this code and no one around me wants to work on or even look into the VX

[Corrosive]

Mine went away and has been gone for quite some time now. As far as finding a shop... just tell them its basically a trooper... I find it hard to believe that they will not work on it, its not something crazy like a lambo or something.
-Mike

[Sue777]

Interesting thought, Corrosive..... my "Check Engine" light went on Saturday and is still on, and it DID just start getting cold here in Connecticut.
Sue

[Corrosive]

Long term update: It has stayed off since the last post and the weather has been off and on here. I have been looking like a moron at every fill up though, cranking it so much that everyone looks at the guy making all the clicking noise, lol. It was the gas cap no doubt and I am glad that debockle is all over.
-Mike

[VXtreme]

Check the codes and if it indicates that you have a large vacuum leak, (like a loose gas cap) it probably is the wire that goes to the purge soloniod on the gas tank. A common problem with the VX's and Rodeo's is that connection will corrode and or break through triggering the code and the check engine light intermittenly. Repair the connection.......problem solved.

[nfpgasmask]

Hey, if you are getting misfire codes, change out your sparkplugs and see if that helps...hopefully that will do it and it isn't something more serious.

Bart

I have pulled the code of

po300 random
multiple cylinder misfire

at Autozone

13mpg is common?, I was getting near 18 before the check engine light.

I HAVE NO IDEA what to do with this code and no one around me wants to work on or even look into the VX

[nfpgasmask]

I think the cold weather certainly does have an affect on the VX starting up. Mine has a weaker startup every morning since its been cooler outside. I usually let it idle for a couple minutes in the garage before I peel out down the street. Once it is warm, it starts up fine.

Bart

[JHarris1385]

So replace all my spark plugs aye? I would like to get the iridium ones but that would set me back another $60 im sure. I thought these were 100,000 mile spark pluggs? Any recommendation of pluggs to use? Thanks for anything.

[nfpgasmask]

Well, hopefully someone more in the know will reply, cause I am no expert. But I always thought that a misfire could mean that one of your plugs was bad/going bad causing the misfire. I had trouble about 2 months ago with really rough idle and a CE light. I thought it could be the plugs, so I changed them out, and still had the same issue. In the end it turned out to be bad gas and I was really low, but I did change the plugs and it was easy (except for the back right one, which is difficult to get at because of the master cylider). The plugs I bought were like $7 or $8 each, I can't remember the type/brand but I have it written down in my log book. If you want me to check let me know. Anyway, $60 ain't much to spend if it does the trick, but then again, if it doesn't?!?!?!

Bart

So replace all my spark plugs aye? I would like to get the iridium ones but that would set me back another $60 im sure. I thought these were 100,000 mile spark pluggs? Any recommendation of pluggs to use? Thanks for anything.

[nfpgasmask]

Here is a quote from a website about misfires and CE lights:

UNDERSTANDING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES
A misfirewill cause the Check Engine Light to flash while the misfire is occurring. A misfire that occurs in a given cylinder will also set a P030X code where "X" will be the number of the cylinder that is misfiring. For example, a P0302 code would tell you cylinder number two is misfiring. But here's the important point: The code does not tell you why the cylinder is misfiring. You have to figure that out by performing other diagnostic tests. The misfire might be due to a fouled spark plug, a bad plug wire, a defective ignition coil in a DIS ignition system, a clogged or dead fuel injector or a loss of compression due to a leaky exhaust valve, leaky head gasket or worn cam lobe.

from this site

Bart

[JHarris1385]

What plugs were those. My light will go on and off every other day almost. But when it does change from off to on while idle I notice a gain in the engine and honestly I does sound like a spark had taken place.