My buddy's 1996 Windstar 3.8l engine has a bad misfire/stumble at idle when the engine is really hot. The van has 180k mi on it. The only code the engine generated was #4 cylinder misfire.
Since the engine smooths out under load, I thought he had either an intake leak or a bad EGR valve. Yesterday I was looking over the engine and noticed bubbling in the coolant overflow bottle when the engine is running. Conclusion -- blown head gasket. My buddy mentioned that there has been a slight but steady consumption of coolant. My advice to him was to scrap the van since I did not think that the money invested in a head job was worth it in an engine that has a bad reputation for reliability.
All this brings me to my question. Would a blown head gasket cause misfirng at idle or are we looking at two different problems here?
Since the engine smooths out under load, I thought he had either an intake leak or a bad EGR valve. Yesterday I was looking over the engine and noticed bubbling in the coolant overflow bottle when the engine is running. Conclusion -- blown head gasket. My buddy mentioned that there has been a slight but steady consumption of coolant. My advice to him was to scrap the van since I did not think that the money invested in a head job was worth it in an engine that has a bad reputation for reliability.
All this brings me to my question. Would a blown head gasket cause misfirng at idle or are we looking at two different problems here?
