Misfire issues?

[marcusmcd]

What color is the smoke...black or blue?

White. I guess you 'd call it blue.

[Sveedy]

Big difference between the two colors. White would indicate water/ coolant being burned, while blue would be oil burning.

[misha]

Are you loosing coolant?
Is there an evidence of oil in coolant or coolant in oil?

Also...ignition components(cap & rotor,ignition wires,spark plugs)...time to check those if none of the above is the case.

[erikv11]

Good points about compression test - it is an easy, smart thing to do. It's just rarely an issue but sure, for peace of mind it should be on the list.

[marcusmcd]

Compression test soon, if not next. Did this come on abruptly?

I did a compression test earlier. Some variation but all seemed within operational parameters.

[marcusmcd]

Coil packs on plugs did not come into use until 1999 models. Car will be a distributor with plug wires to the plugs.

Check the plug condition. Also remove the distributor cap and check for damage/wear to distributor cap and rotor. Also look for oil in the base of the distributor.

Turbo or NA?

Check there is not oil running into the top of the engine from a blocked PCV system.

Also check the plug wires have not been trapped under the cover near the distributor. They can get picked and short out.

Let's try the simple stuff first before we panic about the compressions.

Neil.

I have cleaned the plugs several times.
No rotary distributor on this model; what would I check on the module?
Turbo.
I have the cover off, so no pinching.
Where would I look to check the PCV valve?

[amblerman]

No rotary distributor on this model; what would I check on the module?
Where would I look to check the PCV valve?
[/quote]

Your 1996 850 should have a distributor. The distributor-less engines didn't come until 1999.
If you really don't have a distributor, did someone swap engines?

Our cars don't have a PCV valve... they have a somewhat complicated PCV system.

The easiest and first test you should do is the glove test.


summary: take of oil filler cap, put a rubber glove on it. If the glove starts to inflate like a balloon, clogged PCV system.
If it looks to be trying to get sucked in? good system. Note. because of this, some people zip tie the glove on to the oil filler neck.

If your car fails the glove test then watch this: (may not match your model exactly but gives a great look into the whole system.)


-a

[erikv11]

Check under the distributor cap and check the wires as Neil suggested. Do a glove test.

[marcusmcd]

Coil packs on plugs did not come into use until 1999 models. Car will be a distributor with plug wires to the plugs.

Check the plug condition. Also remove the distributor cap and check for damage/wear to distributor cap and rotor. Also look for oil in the base of the distributor.

Turbo or NA?

Check there is not oil running into the top of the engine from a blocked PCV system.

Also check the plug wires have not been trapped under the cover near the distributor. They can get picked and short out.

Let's try the simple stuff first before we panic about the compressions.

Neil.

I have cleaned the plugs several times.
No rotary distributor on this model; what would I check on the module?
Turbo.
I have the cover off, so no pinching.
Where would I look to check the PCV valve?

OK, I was wrong about the distributor. But I checked it and everything appeared normal.

[Chuck W]

You're not getting a code for it, but what does the connector on the ECT sensor look like? I've had a bad/corroded connector cause misfires and generate those codes, but not throw one for the sensor itself.