Cylinder 2 Misfire & Acceleration Lag

rokkein · Post by **rokkein** » 18 Oct 2007, 16:41

A few weeks ago I had a cylinder #2 misfire. I cleared the code and my car seemed fine. This past week however I've noticed a performance decrease. There seems to be an acceleration lag; the engine revs before the car moves. This happens at any speed when I step on the gas.

Could the misfire be indicative of the simple need for new spark plugs and distributor cap? Would old plugs/cap affect the acceleration or am I look at a transmission problem as well?

1996 Volvo 850 Turbo

Arbelac · Post by **Arbelac** » 18 Oct 2007, 16:49

Plugs, cap & rotor are the absolute first things to check.

waynej · Post by **waynej** » 18 Oct 2007, 17:02

If "the engine revs before the car moves"the problem is in the transmission not the engine. Have you checked the fluid level? When was the fluid last changed?

rokkein · Post by **rokkein** » 28 Oct 2007, 15:01

Had the plus,rotors,wires and cap replaced. I asked the mechanic to check the transmission fluid which he claimed was fine. I don't know the last time it was changed as this is a relatively new car to me (since May). I have not had time to check myself.

Car stalled on me today at a stop light after about 10 minutes of driving. Quickly restarted, but seemingly all of this must be related.

rokkein · Post by **rokkein** » 28 Oct 2007, 16:49

Also, this when I turn my heat on there is a sweet smell, like syrup. Antifreeze leak? Could this all be due to a failing head gasket?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 28 Oct 2007, 17:07

I think your two problems are unrelated. The sweet smell is most likely a heater core going. Lift up your front carpets and see if it is wet under them. The heater core replacement is well documented and not that difficult. Your other problem could be caused by so many different issues- have you checked your fuel pump relay, or better yet (you had mentioned a missfire), a bad or dirty fuel injector?

rokkein · Post by **rokkein** » 01 Nov 2007, 08:13

I checked my transmission fluid level last night and it was very low. Apparently the mechanic didn't get a chance to look at it last week when he had the car. This weekend I'll refill and see where that gets me. So, two questions..

- What fluid should I use to refill it?

- Do I need to keep anything in mind when refilling, or is it pretty straight forward?

(1996 850 turbo)

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Nov 2007, 14:46

On a '96 turbo, it's Dexron III fluid...at any auto parts store...and the process is straight forward. You do know that you have to check the level after driving 30 minutes and the system hot....and with the car running, right? If you just pull the dipstick on a cold, unstarted car, it will show low.

Post by **pfeener** » 01 Nov 2007, 16:17

Other way around MIJ. It will read high with the car not running. When the car is started it pumps oil into the torque converter, filling it up and lowering the oil level on the dipstick.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Nov 2007, 17:35

pfeener wrote:Other way around MIJ. It will read high with the car not running.

You are correct. Sorry about that. But with the car still cold, and while running it will read low. The fluid seems to expand quite a bit when it heats up and that's when the levels really need to be read.