2016 XC60 T6 2.0l Irregular coldstart misfire on 1 and 4

[christianwae]

Hi,
my XC60 (70k miles) is having irregular misfires on the cylinders 1 and 4 (Error Codes registered: P0300, P0301, P0304).
The problem only randomly occurs on cold starts and temperatures below 15°C.

I've replaced the spark plugs with new original Volvo ones (old ones where still looking good, but was first idea) and swapped the coil packs: 1<->2, 3<->4. After swapping the coil packs the misfires are still on cylinder 1 and 4 only so it seems to me like it'S not related to that.

Additionally I've replaced the Battery as it was getting weak (Start/Stop automatic not working, low battery warning after having the radio on for 10 minutes without engine running) and run fuel system cleaner 2 times. It seems like this helped for a little bit but can't say for sure as it's only happening randomly.
Also cleaned the MAF and replaced the airfilter, but that didn't seem to make any difference.

It never happens if temperatures are above 20°C (I'm in Florida it doesn't get cold here often) or if the engine is already warm.

Any idea what could cause a behaviour like this?

Regards,
Christian

[regent]

Welcome aboard!

Cold start miss is often caused by slightly lean mixture because of a failing ECT sensor (the car 'thinks' it's warmer than it actually is so the fuel-to-air ratio is ever so slightly leaner than it should be for a reliable cold start)

I would first look at the Short Term Fuel Trims and the Engine Coolant Temp readings at start (when it's cold enough to anticipate miss). The ECT should read quite close to ambient if the car's been sitting overnight.
Thanks

[giegaand1]

hello, did you solve your problem, i have same problem only on cylinders 2 and 3

[Stbrooks]

I have the exact same problem, same cylinders, same codes and I live in Florida as well. It seems to always happen after the car has been in the garage all day. I thought it may have been some bad gas I had purchased because it has only been doing the weird idle thing at start up for maybe a week and today it lit the CEL with the misfire codes. Haven't changed out spark plugs yet...

[Blackjaguar]

During this recent cold spell in Atlanta Metro, my 2017 XC60 (77K miles) triggered check engine light: P0300 (Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire), P0301 (Cylinder 1 Misfire), P0304 (Cylinder 4 Misfire). I cleared codes however a few days later same codes appeared. Car drove fine, no engine hesitation. I tested the battery and voltage was below 12Volts (battery approx. 4 years old). I replaced battery and discovered negative battery clamp was extremely loose. Since replacement my auto start/stop now works (I really enjoyed it when it wasn't if you know a fix, please advise). Center display no longer reads "low battery". I'll give it a week of driving to confirm misfire codes are resolved.

[matthew1]

I emailed the thread starter to ask if he found a solution. I'll follow up if I hear from him.

[tigerpaw458]

I currently have a 2017 xc60 2.0 T6 with that same cold start issue. I'm down to searching for ideas what to check. It's a gdi engine so build up on the intake valves is very important.(Cleaned up and no change). I've monitor the fuel pressure, 60-80 psi on the low side and above 1,500 psi down to 700 on the high side. New spark plugs and coil packs. PCV trap and smoke tested no leaks.Tested the fuel injectors and 2 were failing so replaced all 4, unfortunately no change. Any one solved these issue?

[chrism]

On a cold morning, before you start the engine, it might be interesting to perform a compression test just to make sure there are no weak ones.

[tigerpaw458]

I will look into compression, today I was looking at voltage. It looks like these generation of 2.0 engines have a charging system where the engine runs for 10-15 seconds at 12v then it spikes to 15- 15.2v and eventually settles down to around 13. I checked multiple 2.0 cars and they all have that charging algorithm. It seems to be struggling to start. Like it has excessive fuel in the system.