so i've never done like a complete fuel system cleaner or anything on my car besides a seafoam but i decided it was time... yeah it was from STP and the next day my check engine light comes on along with my VSA and that exclamation mark light comes on. so i take it to autozone for them to read the codes and they say alot of cylinders are randomly misfiring? and it does feel shaky at acceleration... and idk wat to do... they say it may just be the stuff working its way out and it will clear out but has anyone experienced the same thing? should i stop driving it and get it looked at by a mechanic or just keep on driving? sorry and thanks again for your help u guys always save me!!

 

how much stp did you add to how much gas?
if would take gallons of product to cause problems~

Chances are 1 coil failed--did you recently change spark plugs?--coils easily damaged then and fail a few months later or they fail on age/vibration/just because

the car gives multi cyl misfire code- cars runs shaky

Buy 1 coil for 50 bucks- install on first cyl listed as possibles on code scan
(car doesnt know which one--just that something is wrong-gives possibles)
reset ecu with clock fuse and drive

not fixed- move new coil to next listed cyl, reset ecu-drive
when its smooth and lights off-you are done!

alternate testing with multimeter for those with tools

once that stp is run thru,--buy seafoam and do it right
read stp label and its pretty weak dosing

 

What do you mean by "...feel shaky at acceleration..."? Unless it's actively missing (old school term for misfiring) just fill it up and drive it for a tankful first to see what happens. Did AZ clear the code(s) and then they return? Or was it just a one time thing? Maybe you got some fuel w/ water in it?

 

i added the whole bottle with a whole tank of gas... recently changed 2 of 6 spark plugs (i know it was stupid but my dad not knowing any better got it done without letting me know) ok well idk how to change the coil lol... any shop u would recommend? like firestone?

 

yeah he just said it was a bunch of misfires and said to drive the tank and just see if its acting up cuz the stuff is "doing its job"... they didn't clear the codes but yeah it jus said misfiring and i notice sometimes the check engine light will actually blink when i accelerate... i'm assuming thats bad? idk if i got water in there possibly some condensation idk but its so frustrating and now my parking brake isn't working... any idea on how much it would cost to fix?

 

Having uneven and improper branded sparkplugs will cause this problem.
The TL only runs trouble free practicably on NGK Iridium sparkplugs.
Change all 6 to NGK Iridium... - will fix problem

 

thats my thought--wrong plugs went in

if dad bought whatever the parts guy said was cheapest-(bosch.ac delco etc)
-and were NOT the correct ngk iridium --you need to replace all of them now!!!

nkg platinum were stock, but we can upgrade to gen3 plug -`iridium` as its the same price and better metal

then reset the ecu with the clock fuse as discussed before

the dead coil issue may be true as well--dad was in there and didnt know how sensative there are to setting down hard on workbench
that would cause the same problems

You remove each coil to access the spark plug underneath it--each plug has its own coil..thats why the multi cyl code--its not sure where the prob is

 

you used the weakest dose of stp at 1 bottle to full tank,,that wont have caused this problem

 

i mean its jus coincidental that right after i put that stuff in my car starts acting up?... it's been 6 months since the sparks have been changed which are 2 ngk's and 4 pulstars

 

The STP didnt cause this.

And get rid of the mix mach plugs. Get ALL 6 to be the same.

 

if its a coil that can happen-delayed failure after initial damage
Or that mismatch plugs--pulsestars? how were they working --improved mileage?
how were the 2 that were replaced?

its the same story as: you get one thing fixed on your car at shop and the next day some unrelated part fails--these things happen~

get all the correct plugs in there and retest for bad coil

 

ohh i see it was just a big coincidence i guess... as for the pulstars i honestly didn't notice any difference they have great customer service though lol but not worth the money i spent on them...

yeah i really appreciate ur guys' help again as usual but anyone have any idea on how much all this is gonna cost?

 

new NGKs are about 8 bucks each, so 50 dollars for them and and 1-1.5 hors of labor
Should go fast since the parts have been removed before
Remember to treat the coils like fragile glass- set them on a folded towel when off the engine

park brake prob--doesnt work at all? or weak?
ck cables under car are moving with pedal operation
If they are good then pull a rear wheel, caliper and rotor off-to inspect
the park brakes are a mini set of drum brakes located inside the rear rotor
the wide center section is actually their `drum` brake!

adjust by old school style `star wheel` inside unit -tighten until wheel resist rotation by hand then back off 6 clicks

 

pulsestars dont work on the TL since we already have coil on plug ignition--no ~signal~ loss

on cars with a distributor, 1 coil and plug wires- there is significant loss of signal/power thru all that--so pulse plugs work well on them to boost power back up

 

Get your money back on the Pulstars and install a fresh set of NGK Iridiums. The Pulstars are junk. They work fine for a while then the mis-fires begin.

 

park brake doesnt work at all... like i noticed last night when i hit bumps i can hear something from the rear right wheel like something's loose... oh idk how to do it myself i was gonna take it to hibdon later today but was jw how much i should expect to pay

 

oh i doubt they'd refund me now... its been well over a year since i've had them =/

 

30 day guarantee on the pulsestars..put them on Craigslist for 10 bucks each to pay for the correct plugs!
specify in ad- not for coil on plug cars
our plugs fits many import cars

noise inside rear brakes!! how was the park brake doing until now? good tight holding? --ever done a lube service on them?
Its about 1.5-2 hours labor to remove the entire rear brake parts and get to the park brake--
requires removal of caliper,bracket and rotor to get to the park brake mechanism
its normally cleaned,lubed and adjusted when new rear pads or rotors go on,,assuming shop removes rotors to do when it only needs pads at 70kmiles (doubtful)
Preventative maitenance~
when book says lube brakes thats what it means-but the average tech/shop doesnt actually do it

hopefully you broke a retainer clip for a shoe, and a simple parts replacement will fix it
Or the cable that droops down got snagged and torn loose

new park brake shoes are about 35-40 bucks for the set if needed...
say if one's spouse has driven off with p brake on--- more than several times,,backing down the driveway and away they go!!

 

while we are talking rear brakes- let me remind everyone that several pad makers are using the wrong backing plate for the rear pads
it has a 3rd raised tab on the inner pad--on the RL those backing plate are really for= it fits their p brake mechanism

On the TL that middle tab hits the caliper piston first, cocks the pad at an pretty good angle and results in less than half the pad surface contacting the rotor-- messes with the brake pedal feel and operation

if you have aftermarket pads now- get under rear of car and inspect rotors inner side- if its shiny all the way across from working right--stop-you are good to go

If you see half shiny and other half rusty across rotor width--guess whats wrong!
remove pads- grind off middle tab if pad wear not severe and reuse
Otherwise get new pads

MAKE SURE rear pads you buy have only 2 raised tabs on inner pad- one holds the noise maker and other is a blank
return to thread topic= seafoam rocks over stp~

 

Nobody is going to buy plugs that have been installed in a car & used for a year-

 

true.. take it as a loss and move on.

 

being pulsestars which are $25? each new--someone wanting them for an older car on the cheap...
they are good for many years

you wont believe what people will buy on craigslist!
If you list it they will buy~

 

yeah i admit i was an idiot and drove with the parking brake on out of anger (on accident of course though) after getting pulled over for "rolling the light" to turn right onto the highway... so stupid... but yeah so idk hoping it wont cost too much to fix... and yeah as for the plugs i'll prbly put them on ebay or something and thx again for your help

but jw would it possibly be the fuel filter clogged or anything? cuz like i notice when i'm on the highway it starts out kinda shaky but as i give it more gas its smooth again... and when i press the pedal lightly it shakes again... i jus wanna verify that plugs being the problem would do this or possibly the fuel filter?

 

No fuel filter to replace on this car. The fuel pump in the tank has a strainer but that's it. You should have to replace it unless the tank has been contaminated. Not sure what the shaking is all about.

 

bad ignition firing--replace plugs now
clogged egr ports?

 

ooh okay... it didn't mention clogged egr ports but i'll get to replacing the plugs asap and let u guys know how it goes thanks alot guys for your help, its greatly appreciated!! =]

 

I have the same issue when i put in stp cleaner. I changed all my plugs to ngk iridium to try to fix the issue. I also seafoamed the gas and throttle body. I have also tried to unplug each coil one by one when the car was running to see if one of the coils were bad and the car reacted the same for each one. I then bought a new coil and installed it in each valve and ran the car each time. I did not reset the ecu though. Is resetting necessary? The car still shakes. Did you ever resolve your issue?

 

MUST RESET ECU EACH TIME YOU MOVE A COIL

remove CLOCK fuse from end of passenger side of dash for a minute then reinsert

Seafoam at 1 can to half tank is the safe awesome cleaner thru gas
I would use it now and see if the prob is removed
mixing stp and seafoam? not sure how that is going to work for you
When you did seafoam in gas before, you did a full service of the system,
vac port method just boost the piston and valve cleaning and does it instantly

Have you ckd for vac leak at hose where you seafoamed--
did you use master vac port at throttle body?
all lines and clamps are on right in there?
How much stp to how much fuel did you use?
its possible to dislodge stuff and not liquify it (like seafoam does) so you would get a clogged injector system

If coil ck says all are good (may need actual tach/person watching cars tach as you unplug coils (no need for ecu reset) --the drop is minor in rpm when coil good
No rpm change means that coil wasnt firing anyway
coils may not show until more rpm/load is applied

Coil damage and failure can occur after a plug change if they are dropped or handled any way but `extra gentle`

you need the codes its giving now,,the multi cyl misfire will often list some cyl numbers as possible source of fault,,gives you a shortcut over testing each one
Parts stores ck codes for free (except Ca not allowed)

 

I'll try resetting the ecu this time with the new coil.

All of the issues that i am having with misfiring from all cylinders all started after i used STP fuel cleaner with a full tank of gas. After the tank was empty, I seafoamed 16oz with 75% tank filled and 1/3 bottle through the vac port and this did not fix the issue. I checked the vac lines and they are not leaking.

When i unplugged each coil when the car was running, the rpm went down and the engine starting shaking and knocking.

 

I thought misfires threw a blinking CEL? When a coil is down, the car shakes at idle and lower RPM and feels a bit better up top. Not a slight shake, more like a "holy shit what is wrong with my car" idle!

 

I love when people try to help someone the best that they can with their issue, but the OP doesn't return and post the fix so people can use the info later on.

 

This is exactly what is happening. blinking CEL and tcs light. the blinking cel comes on everytime put gas on the car, especially when coming from a stop.

 

I wonder if more then one coil went bad? Will they allow you to return a coil?

 

I may have to buy more than one if resetting the ecu doesnt work. I assume if I make it look like it hasnt been used then I could return it.

 

When my coil went bad I swapped them one by one and started the car after each swap. After the 3rd one, I started the car and it ran great...didn't have to reset the ECU.

 

Generally, no return on electrical parts.

Possible exceptions if obviously unused (still in sealed bag), good relationship w/ parts dept. Expect restock fee.

 

every parts store I have been to has a sign `NO return on electrical`
So buy 1 coil at a time~

coil can be failing without the massive failed totally shake

We need codes! parts stores do it for free (except Ca due to smog law bs)

you want to clear the ecu so its memory and adjustments made while running a bad coil
will be removed, the car will relearn your driving with all good parts, and run a self test all the systems

 

I know what you mean, but it sounded like you were saying that you wont be able to tell if the issue is resolved without resetting the ECU. It should be a night and day difference if only one coil is bad and it's replaced I thought, looks like the OP hasnt been on for months now.