Thanks all. I've thought a possible blown head gasket may be the problem.. But the car has had the loosing coolant issue for several weeks now, and way before any of these symptoms. I replaced the thermostat a couple of weeks ago thinking it was causing a blow back into the reservoir, and I was loosing coolant this way. This was suggested by a buddy of mine, and so being hopeful, we changed it. I also flushed the cooling system well with a cleaning agent at that time. The misfiring began after the flush etc. I'm wondering if the flush removed some deposits around the leak (if the head gasket is blown) but again, it was loosing coolant way before the flush and these symptoms.
So what about those 02 sensors? The car ran the same without them plugged in! Is that something to note? And the SECURITY light showing up? Could a failing coil cause some sort of an electrical confusion in the system?

 

unhooking the 02s will cause the computer to go open loop. then it will not be using info from 02 sensors. should have thrown a code, at least an advisory code.

 

Appreciate the info Craby. I was surprised when the car didn't react to unplugging the 02's, and no light. So I'm wondering if it's relative to the problem?
If it is a blown head gasket, I'm soooooooooooooo reluctant to use a stop leak. I'd rather keep up on filling the radiator for now if the issues the car is having isn't related to a head gasket leak. Just can't afford the costly repair. Is there a good product out there for stop leak? (sigh)

 

Never use any stop leak, Most dont even claim to have any effect on a blown head gaskets and the one that do claim to fix headgaskets are pricey. In the end both types can plug radiators and heater cores and even passages in your engine. The ONLY way to fix a blown head gasket is with a new head gasket.

I am not saying your issue is a head gasket I am say you need to know where the coolant is going. I was just saying the head gasket would explain the warm miss.

You need to do a coolant pressure test. Check out youtube for "coolant pressure test to check for a bad headgasket". Pressure test will also show you other leaks. You can borrow a pressure tester from Autozone or like part stores.

Never drive a car when the coolant system will not hold pressure. A leak or a loose of coolant is a pretty good indicator that the system will not hold pressure. A small leak that will cause the system to "Not hold pressure" can be the cause of headgasket failure. "I was only leaking a small amount of coolant for a few months and now I have a miss I am lossing coolant faster" is a very common complaint. In most cases a new hose clamp or hose when the issue started could have avoided the repair.

It is starting to sound to me like your Check engine light has an issue. You should also have a code for the random missfires you had.

 

Ok and thanks Gorn. When I pull the plugs, I should be able to tell which cylinder is seeing the coolant right? What should I look for on the plugs?

 

Your looking for the clean plug.

 

I'll look for the clean plug. Anyone know why the SECURITY light came on after the crank sensor install? I did a reset for the ecm after the install and shortly after the restart the SECURITY light came on.

 

I wanted to note for the sake of the thread here, today I unplugged the o2 sensors at a cold start and drove home. About 4 miles into the drive, the SERVICE light did come on. I was glad to see that! And really the only noticeable difference in the running was the car seemed to run smoother with the sensors plugged back in, but with the miss still there.. if that makes any sense. But I'm encouraged that at least it seems they're still sending info etc. Perhaps I can eliminate the 02's with some level of confidence.

 

Solved:

Turns out this was a bad coil pack. Cylinders 2 & 5. I thought to check the coil packs but it seemed like a toss up. Definitely should have checked them early on. Nice it was the first one up top. I'll probably change the others when I have the funds. These are the delcos and are probably original. Also making note of plug wires heating and causing coil issues. I noticed mine were way hot when I was checking them, and that was right after a drive but you couldn't hold onto them but a second. I mean they were hot. Well it's always great to learn more and fix something.
I'm having my shop diagnose the loss of coolant issue. It certainly would be suspect in any misfire problem and just needs done anyway. Hopefully any Obama tax breaks will help along this season. Maybe its just the intake..
SECURITY light is still on.
Thanks for all the help.