I have a 1998 V6 3800. This morning my check engine light came on and it read P0304, which is a cylinder 4 misfire. This is the first time I ever got anything like this. For the last 3000 miles the car has been slightly rougher at idle, especially startup. However, higher RPMs feel and sound good, and once it warms up it's hard to notice. However recently (last several days), I've noticed a very slight stumble when I let the clutch out normally, I thought it was my driving but now I guess it may have been caused by the misfire.

What could it be? Spark plugs? Coil pack? I've heard horror stories of replacing spark plugs on the 3800 - is the 4th cylinder a difficult one to replace? What are the odds that it's a bad coil?

Would it be okay for me to drive to work tomorrow ~40 miles round trip ?

 

Weather or not it would hurt it would depend on what was wrong with it. As a general rule the check engine lite should flash if the computer thinks you are hurting the engine.

How old are you plugs and wires? Wires should be replaced after 5-7 years. Plug should be good for around 100,000 miles. Biggest killer of coils is bad plug wires.

 

Thanks Gorn. When I started it up this morning it flashed for a couple seconds and then stayed illuminated. Are you saying the light will continue flashing if something more serious was happening?

If a cylinder wasn't firing at all (like a bad fuel injector), would it be pretty obvious, or no? Reason I'm asking is because I really don't feel or hear any power loss- the only difference I've noticed in the past few days is a subtle increase in vibration at idle. There are no other codes present.

So probably electrical, I'm thinking? Either spark plugs, wires, or coil pack?