intermittent Stuttering/Skipping

cernst · 04-10-2023, 10:49 PM

2014 FB20 with 138k miles.

I replaced the valve control body in the CVT last summer at about 125k due to the torque converter lockup solenoid going out, throwing a code. That went well.

Over the winter, I had some stuttering and an occasional check engine light for a misfire on #3 that would come and go.

All of a sudden, the stuttering came back, but no code. Used a cheap bluetooth reader to look at the "test results"...looking at the misfire counters, there was a handful on 3 again. I've been late on the last round of spark plug changes, so I changed the plugs out. while I did that, I swapped the #3 and #1 coil packs. On the test drive, drove great. HOWEVER, when I changed out the plugs, there was a ton of oil in #1 and some in #3. #2 and #4 had sticky threads... I'm usually missing about a quart of oil every 7.5k miles, which I don't think is excessive.

After the change, I'm still getting occasional stuttering. Today wife said it was bad, so I scanned the test results again. #3 had 5 misfires and #1 had 1.

So I have a few thoughts. Could be bad coil since the majority of misfires traveled from cyl 3 to cyl 1. Could excessive oil cause misfires? Could the super low misfire count be irrelevant and and could actually be a valve/solenoid in the tranny fluttering? hoping someone has some experience.

we are looking to replace a vehicle this year and I'm seriously giving this the eyeball. My other is an 07 Outlander with 281k...is in great shape.

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19std · 04-10-2023, 11:44 PM

If you have a 2014 impreza, there may have been a valve train recall on it.

I had a 2012 with recall or tsb with the causes for oil in plugs but none of the symptoms.

https://mechanicbase.com/engine/oil-on-spark-plugs/

Anyway took it in and it stopped drinking oil after whatever they did to the valve train. Work warrantied for 1yr, don't know what that really means, but if it stopped running I was definitely going to try to blame them lol.

Look up recalls or tsbs from the ntsb, nhtsa or whatever other politburo monitors these things, put in your vin and see if you hit the Powerball. This is irrespective of mileage, dealership won't even fight you on this as they get paid by soa....

When they have your block cracked, they'll claim that everything is broken and you'll have to pay to have it fixed out of pocket, politely decline or tell them to shove it, and ask for the car back how it drove in.

Little bit of a gamble here, but my car at 180k+ now, definitely ran better after whatever they did and i declined to pay 1or 2k, can't remember, for whatever they said was broken, again can't remember.

GL

CaptainSlowbaru · 04-24-2023, 07:18 PM

Any oil in the plug area can easily cause a misfire. The fix for that is a valve cover replacement. I've also seen coils go bad: pull either cylinder 1 or 3 (or both) and pull the boot off the coil body. Check to see if there is any damage to the coil body from leaking spark. If the boots are just soaked in oil, the leak is most likely the issue.

What plugs did you use? NGK I hope?

Make sure the valve spring recall has been done, if your car is eligible- 2014 is the last year for the recall, so depending on your build date it may not get it.

Did you perform an AT relearn after replacing the valve body? I wouldn't suspect the transmission to be causing your issue though.

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04-10-2023, 10:49 PM	#1
cernst Scooby Newbie Member#: 392376 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: STL, MO Vehicle: 2014 Impreza Limited Blue	intermittent Stuttering/Skipping 2014 FB20 with 138k miles. I replaced the valve control body in the CVT last summer at about 125k due to the torque converter lockup solenoid going out, throwing a code. That went well. Over the winter, I had some stuttering and an occasional check engine light for a misfire on #3 that would come and go. All of a sudden, the stuttering came back, but no code. Used a cheap bluetooth reader to look at the "test results"...looking at the misfire counters, there was a handful on 3 again. I've been late on the last round of spark plug changes, so I changed the plugs out. while I did that, I swapped the #3 and #1 coil packs. On the test drive, drove great. HOWEVER, when I changed out the plugs, there was a ton of oil in #1 and some in #3. #2 and #4 had sticky threads... I'm usually missing about a quart of oil every 7.5k miles, which I don't think is excessive. After the change, I'm still getting occasional stuttering. Today wife said it was bad, so I scanned the test results again. #3 had 5 misfires and #1 had 1. So I have a few thoughts. Could be bad coil since the majority of misfires traveled from cyl 3 to cyl 1. Could excessive oil cause misfires? Could the super low misfire count be irrelevant and and could actually be a valve/solenoid in the tranny fluttering? hoping someone has some experience. we are looking to replace a vehicle this year and I'm seriously giving this the eyeball. My other is an 07 Outlander with 281k...is in great shape. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

04-10-2023, 11:44 PM	#2
19std Scooby Specialist Member#: 510366 Join Date: Jan 2020	If you have a 2014 impreza, there may have been a valve train recall on it. I had a 2012 with recall or tsb with the causes for oil in plugs but none of the symptoms. https://mechanicbase.com/engine/oil-on-spark-plugs/ Anyway took it in and it stopped drinking oil after whatever they did to the valve train. Work warrantied for 1yr, don't know what that really means, but if it stopped running I was definitely going to try to blame them lol. Look up recalls or tsbs from the ntsb, nhtsa or whatever other politburo monitors these things, put in your vin and see if you hit the Powerball. This is irrespective of mileage, dealership won't even fight you on this as they get paid by soa.... When they have your block cracked, they'll claim that everything is broken and you'll have to pay to have it fixed out of pocket, politely decline or tell them to shove it, and ask for the car back how it drove in. Little bit of a gamble here, but my car at 180k+ now, definitely ran better after whatever they did and i declined to pay 1or 2k, can't remember, for whatever they said was broken, again can't remember. GL Last edited by 19std; 04-10-2023 at 11:57 PM.

04-24-2023, 07:18 PM	#3
CaptainSlowbaru Scooby Newbie Member#: 445600 Join Date: Apr 2016 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: SE PA Vehicle: 2002 Outback Sport Green	Any oil in the plug area can easily cause a misfire. The fix for that is a valve cover replacement. I've also seen coils go bad: pull either cylinder 1 or 3 (or both) and pull the boot off the coil body. Check to see if there is any damage to the coil body from leaking spark. If the boots are just soaked in oil, the leak is most likely the issue. What plugs did you use? NGK I hope? Make sure the valve spring recall has been done, if your car is eligible- 2014 is the last year for the recall, so depending on your build date it may not get it. Did you perform an AT relearn after replacing the valve body? I wouldn't suspect the transmission to be causing your issue though.