What is a cylinder misfire on my 2002 S60 Volvo?

Asked by missjan Nov 08, 2013 at 10:33 AM about the 2002 Volvo S60 2.4T Turbo

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Diagnostic stated "cylinder misfire" after I was stranded on the highway when the check engine light came on and car started to shake and was missing. We changed all 5 spark plugs. Mechanic stated we should drive it about 100 miles and this would resolve the problem and the car would be fine, engine light would be reset and go off? Is this true? I find this very hard to believe and read that we should change the coil but which one? Where are they located? Please help!!

6 Answers

13,475

need to see which cylinder is misfiring first. swap coil to a diff cylinder and see if the swapped cylinder starts to miss, if the plugs were the culprit it would be running fine after the tune.

2 people found this helpful.

I believe that this is a grounding issue...undo the main Ground connection and wirebrush the connection to allow the NEGATIVE to flow from the coil packs~

8 people found this helpful.

...see the starter motor wants to have a 300 or more amp connection...the ECM or ECU wants a perhaps a 750 mA connection...they really do not belong at the same party....but automakers put the ground all in "one basket" and when the 1/0 cable gets corroded from repeated high amperage starts fusing the connection between dis-similar metals creating a "brown power" condition....the ECM cannot think from varying available amperages things get screwey....a solid ground connection is paramount~

1 people found this helpful.

...well if the problem causes the CEL...the problem goes away....logically the CEL will go away as well....the coil is at the end of the spark plug wire...a "box" with the coil in it~...this really sounds like a ground problem...you mechanic should own a wire brush...he should have disconnected the main ground connection and wirebrushed it clean of all corrosion insuring a steady 12 volts (on the negative side)....this is an easy thing to do and will restore the ground connections needed for the ignition~ all coils are top O each cylinder~

4 people found this helpful.
23,430

I read a volvo bulletin at the public library that agrees with these assertions. They also cited adding of cerrated washers was not good. And the surface area the connection had originally was required. coating the connection after it was restored to protect it was recommended to block contaminants and the air. Any tech who can diag a misfire can swap and find the causal part. substituting it to another cylinder makes total sense. the problem follows the causal part to the neighboring cylinder.

Your Answer:

S60

Looking for a Used S60 in your area?

CarGurus has 4,502 nationwide S60 listings starting at $1,500.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2002 Volvo S60

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Christopher Paden
    Reputation
    1,860
  • #2
    EarLob
    Reputation
    860
  • #3
    Andrew Fabula
    Reputation
    500
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Volvo S80
7 Great Deals out of 179 listings starting at $2,495
Used Volvo XC90
399 Great Deals out of 11,444 listings starting at $1,495
Used BMW 3 Series
1,071 Great Deals out of 13,280 listings starting at $955
Used Honda Accord
1,365 Great Deals out of 29,244 listings starting at $1,075
Used Volvo S40
9 Great Deals out of 141 listings starting at $2,500
Used Toyota Camry
1,986 Great Deals out of 40,108 listings starting at $1,550
Used Lexus IS
265 Great Deals out of 5,522 listings starting at $2,500
Used BMW 5 Series
825 Great Deals out of 11,071 listings starting at $1,399
Used Honda Civic
1,196 Great Deals out of 32,466 listings starting at $1,495

Used Cars for Sale

2022 Volvo S60 For Sale
20 Great Deals out of 188 listings starting at $23,465
2021 Volvo S60 For Sale
43 Great Deals out of 453 listings starting at $19,800
2020 Volvo S60 For Sale
24 Great Deals out of 181 listings starting at $14,983
2019 Volvo S60 For Sale
10 Great Deals out of 116 listings starting at $16,999
2018 Volvo S60 For Sale
7 Great Deals out of 64 listings starting at $11,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.