Do you have a mystery check engine light? Been to your dealer a few times and had it cleared only to have it return in a few weeks or days?

Factory diagnostic procedures fall short on diagnosing intermittent problems - many have no concessions for them at all. One common trouble code that we see cropping up is P0300 random/multiple misfire. This is a generic code common to all late model vehicles, and time and time again we have heard "My engine light comes on and they can't find a problem with my car!" Why is this? 

First a little background info on this code. Since 1996, the on board diagnostic systems on all cars and light trucks have had to monitor the performance of the emission control systems. Misfires cause excessive tailpipe emission and lead to damage of the catalytic converter. The system detects misfires by watching the engine crankshaft accelerate/decelerate with the firing pulses and sets the engine light if it perceives misfires. Technicians using scan tools can see this information in the form of misfire counters.

So here is the common scenario. You start your vehicle and/or drive for awhile and on pops the Check Engine light. Your read your manual, and it says "See your vehicle service center/dealer for diagnosis," or something similar. You bring your vehicle in, they scan your on board computer and find P0300 random multiple misfire detected. The technician runs and or drives your vehicle while checking the misfire counters. They all read zero, codes are cleared, there is nothing wrong with your vehicle or it is an intermittent problem. Fine and dandy until the light comes on again and you go through the same scenario again. What gives?

If the computer sets the Check Engine light with a P0300, there is a problem with your vehicle.

After confirming the mechanical soundness of your engine and the proper operation of the ignition system, the likely culprit in this scenario is dirty/partially plugged fuel injectors.

Apex uses an injector flow bench to confirm and correct this. The injectors are removed and tested for flow volume, flow balance, leakage and spray pattern. We then sonically clean the injectors, and run the tests again. Most injectors pass at this time but some will need to be replaced. This service has a high success rate for fixing the above described problem and as an added benefit most vehicles experience improved fuel economy and easier starting.

Price is $40.00 per injector for the testing and cleaning, plus removal and reinstall time which is vehicle specific. (Adding injector cleaner to your tank does not deliver equivalent results. These over the counter products are not strong enough to clean problem injectors and if used in excess, can damage the internal components of some fuel systems.)

This is just one fix for one scenario. At Apex Specialized Automotive Inc. we have the experience, education, tools and technology to go far beyond the limited factory procedures for diagnosing and repairing Japanese Import and Domestic vehicles.

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