Cylinder Misfire Repair Cost

How Much Does a Cylinder Misfire Repair Cost?

Last Updated on February 21, 2024
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by Certified CFA CFA Alexander Popinker

The cylinder misfire will happen for several reasons but when this happens, you will usually notice that your car will start to buck, jerk, or run roughly.

Any slight change will cause the cylinder to misfire. this is because each spark plug is electrically timed to fire precisely when it should, to deliver the engine’s specified output.

Repairing a misfire can be tricky and usually a lot less straightforward than other car repairs. The problem can pop up for a few reasons, including worn valve seals, a vacuum leak, worn-out spark plugs, or others.

It’s very important to bring your car to the mechanic as soon as possible when you think the engine suffered a misfire because, in time, this problem can worsen to the point where it damages other parts of your vehicle.

How much does a cylinder misfire repair cost?

As we said above, there are a few common causes for a cylinder misfire, which is why to make things a little easier to understand, we have made a table that will tell you exactly what you should repair when you need to fix a misfire condition.

As you will notice, these costs can vary considerably, depending on the actual reason that caused the misfire to happen. So, when considering all of the variables, you can spend as low as $140 for just the spark plugs to be replaced, to as high as $1,000 or even more when faced with a vacuum leak.

Possible Cause of Engine Misfire
Average Estimate
Vacuum leak $250 to $900
Fuel injector $300 to $500
Faulty ignition coil $200 to $350
Carbon or oil-fouled spark plugs $150 to $350 (this will depend on local labor rates and the cost of plugs)
Broken valve springs $550 to $850
Broken piston rings $1,700 to $3,500
Bad spark plug wires $140 to $350
Bad fuel delivery $250 to $1,200 or more (will depend on why the bad fuel delivery happens)

When it comes to older vehicle models, almost always the issue will be the ignition system, according to the YourMechanic website. This is because these vehicles usually have no sophisticated sensors that show when a misfire is bound to happen.

When it comes to newer, more modern vehicles, these usually show the “check engine” light when the misfiring happens, giving you information on the exact misfiring cylinder, as well as whether the problem comes from the cylinder, the injector service, or other systems that work with the ignition spark.

You might also like our articles about the cost of coolant leak repair, spun bearing repair, or engine camshaft repair.

Most of the time, the code will point to cylinder 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 misfire. These numbers will tell you the exact spark plug that is to blame.

One Reddit thread has a member talking about the check engine light coming on due to the misfire of cylinder 1. He was quoted $609 by the local mechanic for the repair, although this didn’t include the $80 charged in diagnosing cost.

Cylinder misfire fix overview

Spark Plug Cylinder Misfire Repair

Most often than not, the engine might misfire due to either a worn-out camshaft, broken valve springs, the fuel injector not working, broken piston rings, a faulty ignition coil, burnt-out valves, or a faulty spark plug.

To diagnose the issue, a mechanic will first use their code reader to see what the problem is related to.  From there, if the spark plug may be to blame, a mechanic will run the engine at an idle speed to see if the spark plug can hold its own, followed by removing the leads from the coil pack to see which wire may be to blame.

If you check the spark plugs and ignition and those aren’t to blame, then the injectors will have to be checked to see if either of them has to be replaced. The mechanic will have to make use of a multimeter and check the resistance value, which is expressed in Ohms. The ones that read outside of the values specified by the manufacturer will need to be replaced. As a last check, the fuel pump should also be examined. This is another part of the engine that can cause a misfire. A simple fuel pressure check will be enough to check it and ensure it works in parameters.

Common causes of engine misfires

You might also notice while driving, that not one, but multiple cylinders are misfiring. The sound is similar to sneezing or popping. You might also hear sounds like backfiring.

Loud noises aren’t the only signs. The engine might also produce a bad smell that is very similar to gasoline but combined with engine oil or coolant. A bad smell could point to damaged cylinder walls.

The vibration of the engine could also cause a loss of power, which would lead to other internal parts rotating unevenly. This will easily cause wear and tear on your vehicle.

If this is coupled with big clouds of black smoke that seem to be coming from the exhaust, then this should make you take the car to the mechanic as fast as possible.

How can I reduce the cost to fix a cylinder?

It’s always less expensive to prevent an engine misfire than to fix it. So as long as you follow through with all of the scheduled maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer, you should be able to prevent a misfire from even happening. As long as the engine is tuned to the manufacturer’s specs, you should uncover any problems that could arise in the future.

You should go to the mechanic when you see the smallest sign of a misfire, to make sure that the problems don’t get bigger with time. The longer you wait, the bigger could the repair bill become.

longer you wait, the bigger could the repair bill become.

Alec Pow
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