Q: Reduced engine power

asked by on December 11, 2016

My wife and I were leaving the movies, I started the car and as I was pulling out of the parking lot, a reduced engine power warning light came on along with the check engine light. White smoke was coming out of the exhaust with a strong smell of gas. I immediately pulled back into the mall parking lot and turned the engine off. I called a few people I know for some answers on what the problem might be. I started the engine to see if it was still doing the same thing and again the reduced engine power light came on and white smoke with the smell of gas. I turned it off again. We sit there for 10 minutes expecting to have it towed. I decided to move it to a better location for the tow truck. I started it and no warning lights came on and it drove like brand new again. The check engine light is still on so I drove it to Autozone to get the codes for the problem. The codes were P0087 Fuel rail low pressure, P0302 cylinder 2 misfire, P0304 cylinder 4 misfire, P0306 cylinder 6 misfire. Help

My car has 103000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Engine is misfiring Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Misfires across multiple cylinders is typically due to a fuel delivery issue. It is possible you can have bad gas. If the fuel is contaminated - dirty, excess water,etc - it can cause a fuel pressure issue. The fuel filter and/or injectors can be clogged with dirty fuel. You can try putting a couple of bottles of fuel treatment or "dry-gas" into the fuel tank to see if that helps. If not, the problem can lie elsewhere. A failing/weak fuel pump or fuel pressure regulator can cause issues as well. Fuel injectors require a certain amount of pressure to open and it varies by vehicle and type of injection system. Low fuel pressure will cause injectors to misfire, or not fire properly.

If fuel treatment and refilling the fuel tank do not help, have a certified technician look into the engine misfiring to isolate the cause.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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