That means you have a dead misfire which can destroy the cat. Don't drive it.

 

What is a "dead" misfire versus other types of misfires? Are there other types of misfires that can hurt the cat?

 

"Dead Misfire" means it's happening at all times, not intermittently or randomly.

Any misfire or misfires bad enough to damage the convertor will cause the MIL to flash.

When a cylinder misfires, the fuel isn't being burned. Unburned fuel then travels through the exhaust to the convertor. The fuel will burn in a convertor at operating temp. This overheats the convertor, melting the catalyst.

 

Could you get a "dead" misfire caused by a non functioning (clogged) fuel injector in which case there would be no fuel passed on to the cat? This would be a lean misfire, correct?

 

gt2690b - not that you have the exact same problem, but my car is running well now after getting the fuel injectors professionally cleaned/rebuilt/tested.

Here's the link to that thread...

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=292304

 

Yes, a non-functioning injector would cause a misfire, as would a bad ignition coil, plug, etc.

 

thanks guys and random1... i believe i have a dirty injector since i only get the blinkage at idle.. im thinking a bad coil would make the thing blink sometimes when driving too.. i did replace my spark plugs they were kind of brown on the ceramic part but i dont notice much difference inthe idle problem now so i suppose i gotta get my injectors replaced or cleaned or something.. gah what did i do wrong!?! maybe it was not replace my air filter soon enough?

anyway... midas will clean a fuel injector for $50... do they do a crappy job or something?

 

My guess is that they will just run a can of cleaner into the fuel rail instead of gasoline. Your injectors will not be removed and cleaned/tested to verify them/rebuilt (new o-rings, filter basket). If they do this I'd would look for fuel leaks afterwards. If the two washers are not replaced where the fuel line connects to the fuel rail there is a chance for a leak. Good luck, let us know what happens.