P0300, P0302, P0304, P0306, Engine running rough with little power

[X5Cat]

So, you recommend the Veepeak VP201? What do I need the Hi Gain WiFi adapter for? Does it plug into the iPhone? Is it just to extend the WiFi range? Can I just sit in the car with the iPhone instead and be close enough without the Hi Gain adapter? Just wondering what I'm buying, I will buy whatever I need to. Also wonder if I could just go down to Best Buy and buy any Hi Gain WiFi adapter they have on the shelf. I see extension and splitter cables for sale on the site too, wondering what I would need those for, if at all.

[jfoj]

I will not common on the Innova tool other than I think any tool that does not support Freeze Frame and Live/Realtime data should not even be sold.

I will try to cover both of your questions.

I cannot say for sure if OBDFusion will actually work on the 4S with what ever iOS you are running. The App store states is requires iOS 7.0 or later. I am not an iPhone specialist, but it appears that iOS 7.0 and even slightly newer will work in the iPhone 4s, BUT have you updated your iOS on your phone???

I cannot say it will work or if OBDFusion will not work properly if you have an iOS earlier than 7.0, sometimes you get lucky without too many problems.

As for the Wifi portion for connection to the car. Be careful here, you DO NOT connect the Wifi OBDII adapter to your home network, the Wifi OBDII adapter sets up like an access point, say you are traveling to a hotel or restaurant, and you connect the phone directly to the Wifi adapter. You DO NOT need to add/change anything with your home network.

You WILL NOT be able to find anything locally and DO NOT buy anything from the Auto Parts store. You will be WAY overcharged and WAY underwhelmed with anything you buy at the auto parts store.

Trust me, I have been doing this for a LONG time. The "orange" tools at the parts stores are crap and they are even made by a US vendor, or at least the software and firmware is. DO NOT go there.

[X5Cat]

Boy, I know I am ignorant on so much of these latest gadgets. But it's sounding to me like the WiFi adapter would be for devices without built-in WiFi, like so many laptops were a few years back, and you had to plug in an external adapter to use WiFi. Is that possible? (BTW, I have iOS 9.1, so I should be good there.)

Cranked up the X5 and drove it around the block this morning, then read the codes again. The PO302 code did not occur this morning, but 300, 304, and 306 are still there. This is sounding more like a vacuum leak and less like a ground problem, to me. If it were a problem with a common ground, then I would think 302 would come and go with the rest of the codes.

[jfoj]

The reason the Wifi adapter needs to be used for iProducts is Apple and their security. They do not want to allow data to be transfer from a device to the phone via Bluetooth. I know it can be done, but I think Apple requires a lot of expensive testing and certifications so the developers use the Wifi adapter as a work around.

Again, the phone connect directly to the adapter via Wifi in Ad-Hoc mode as I recall. Very similiar to Bluetooth, but just using a Wifi adapter.

Do not get too wrapped up around the axle on this, just get the adapter and search the Internet for YouTube videos and forum posts where people describe how they connect the phone to the adapter.

[X5Cat]

OK, will do. Not stubborn, just ignorant & confused, although a little less confused since you explained it is only a work around.

Wife not happy about me waiting to order an adapter. I'll probably stick the new plugs in tomorrow evening anyway, and see if I can access that valve cover gasket in any way, to see if any signs of a vacuum leak source.

Thanks again!

[jfoj]

Plugs my be worth changing and can and will be able to give you an idea about their condition, however, keep this in mind.

I just checked your weather and it has been getting very cold in your area overnight.

I would guess the problem is only with cold start first thing in the morning?? Not likely really a spark plug problem, but they could contribute.

All you have to do is start the engine and if it runs bad, let it run about 20-30 seconds, shut the engine off, wait about 15 seconds and restart the engine. This usually can clear cold start problems so you can go about your day.

Smoke testing is the best way to find problems, BUT, the smoke test needs to be performed on a dead cold engine, not even started to move into a service bay.

I think these engines are still a bit young to show all the problems like the M54 which every plastic and rubber part under the hood should be changed by year 10 at the latest otherwise you will be playing an epic game of "Whack A Mole" with misfires once the weather gets cold.

[ard]

There are 3 ways to connect to the car:

1. A cable: plug into the port, run the wire into the USB port on the computer.

2. Bluetooth: Plug a bluetooth adapter into the port, and it connects to the computer (phone, tablet, etc) via bluetooth. NOT THIS WILL NOT WORK WITH APPLE PRODUCTS. As stated above it has to do with how apple manages stack overflow or something like that. Apple has prevented this in their OS, not related to testing- it is their decision to disable access.

Jailbreak the apple item and it works

3. Wifi. The wifi adapter is plugged into the port and in connects to the laptop, computer, phone, table via wifi.

These three options then need to work with the computer/iphone/tablet/laptop: is there a way to connect to your devei? is there software that runs ON your device...

Many laptops have USB ports- no phone does. So if you want to use a cable you are stuck with a laptop or a computer and their USB connection. What applications run on laptops? BMW-like stuff. ISTA, etc.... not much 'end user friendly' stuff.

The biggest market is apple products- apps that can be sold on iTunes. Since they dont have a USB port and you cannot access the bluetooth stack on an apple items, all developers for apple applications use wifi.

Smaller market is android compatible applications- those CAN use BT to connect to the car.

So it is an odd mixture of 3 criteria (cable/adapter plus device you will use plus software for that device) that drive this little problem.

and

agree with jfoj- dont spend too much time on it.

(I have one of each...)

[Perrier]

To original poster

I have experienced similar codes and after a lot of money spent on replacing possibly failing parts I found the following, and corrected both the misfires on multiple cyl and the Evap error code:

Opened the spark plug cover and found water and oil around the spark plugs. This was due to failure of two gaskets, the valve cover gasket caused oil leak, and the spark plug cover gasket allowed water splashes to get through to the plugs. I replaced the gaskets, cleaned the plugs and connectors. Started the car and it ran smooth and the codes reset themselves.

For the Evap code, I put some silicone spray on the gas tank cap and closed it tightly. Reset the code, and it hasn't come back (approx 5months ago)

Try these things before spending a whole lot of money.

[jfoj]

Forgot about the problem with the E70 and the plastic cowling in front of the windshield that can allow water to drip on the engine. The 6 cylinder/Diesels seem to have problems where there can be problems with the connectors on the fuel injectors and maybe even the coils/spark plug wells on the rear half of the engine. If you search here a bit I think you will find info on this.

This may not be your specific problem, but something to think about and consider.

One small comment about Android devices and USB. Most Android devices do have the ability to connect via USB. The charging port also doubles as a USB port and if needed you can get an adapter to converter the Micro USB charging port to a standard female USB socket to allow USB cables to connect. Not many Apps support the use of USB, but some do.

[X5Cat]

Originally Posted by jfoj

I just checked your weather and it has been getting very cold in your area overnight.

I would guess the problem is only with cold start first thing in the morning?? Not likely really a spark plug problem, but they could contribute.

No, it is not just cold start. The problem is constant. It misses and shakes and suffers loss of power from startup, all the way through a multi-mile trip, and back to the garage. It doesn't seem to disappear after warmup, although it may improve some. It still shakes, there is obvious missing at the exhaust, and the codes keep coming.

Last night was our first close encounter of the season with frost -- it got down to 34 here. While the temps have of course been dropping, it wasn't nearly this cold when the problems started a week ago Thursday, well up into the afternoon (Nov. 12th). Since the wife was traveling solo, I can't be sure if the problem was there at the beginning of the trip or if it started a couple of hrs later when she got near Baton Rouge, where she first noticed it, or somewhere in between.

I had her stop and dump in a bottle of gas treatment and top off the tank with name brand high Octane. She reported it seemed to help but the problem is still very much there.

I might try the run 30 seconds and wait to restart as you suggest when I get home to it this evening, but it will really surprise me if that does it.