Should my car be driven with a misfirng piston?
Asked by GuruDDFYBN Oct 28, 2023 at 12:27 PM about the 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Piston misfire when first starting and engine light goes on . There is no misfiring
sound and engine runs and idles smoothly. I am getting it looked at on Monday.
Can I drive it until then?
2 Answers
These vehicles are very weak, so if you need to drive it do so gently, these engines can blow a head gasket at the drop of a hat.
It sounds like the engine is not really misfiring so it should be ok to drive gently until you get it looked at. Just remember that a misfiring cylinder will ruin the catalytic converter, which is very expensive to replace! If the check engine light is flashing, the vehicle should not be driven until it's fixed to avoid ruining the catalytic converter. Hope that helps! Jim