# Hard strating after sitting and P0300 **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 23, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137 "2014-05-23T00:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/21 "2014-05-23T23:08:03Z")
Yes. Black plugs, gas smell, hard start soon after shutdown mean too much gas. However, IF the rear bank plugs are also black, we’re back to MAF sensor or something else. Might be worthwhile to replace the MAF sensor just to take it out of the equation. ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/22 "2014-05-24T04:47:39Z")
OK maybe this Monday I have dome time I’ll remove the intake manifold and check the spark plugs because cleaning the maf sensor didn’t work ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/23 "2014-05-26T08:35:27Z")
OK guys I’m back with some new information and a video I removed the intake manifold and checked rear spark plugs this is what I found [http://youtu.be/aJIAwn2uEYg](http://youtu.be/aJIAwn2uEYg) ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/24 "2014-05-26T09:05:58Z")
@‌krod619 Are you working in a barn? Nothing wrong with that, in my opinion The reason I’m asking is because the pigeons . . . ? are very audible in the video I don’t really have an opinion as to why #4 seems to have more misses than #2 and #6 As for that oily plug, the spark plug tube seal might be failing. I’ll assume the spark plug tube itself was full of oil, correct? Have you hooked up a scanner and checked out the fuel trims? Have you smoke tested the intake system at any point? Perhaps you have some kind of a vacuum leak, which is creating a lean condition, which is causing the PCM to command more fuel for bank #2. That would partially explain fouled plugs I’m kind of grasping, I know . . . Another question . . . the plenum gasket, was the rubber seal still pliable, or was it hard, flat and unpliable? ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 10:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/25 "2014-05-26T10:07:01Z")
What about a clogged catalytic converter on the one bank? That can cause engine performance issues, rich running, and sooted spark plugs. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/26 "2014-05-26T19:40:19Z")
Interesting idea about the clogged cat In my opinion, the cat is actually the symptom, not the cause Something probably caused the cat to get plugged, if it is indeed plugged Mode 6 data would reveal if the cat is close to setting a P0430 ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/27 "2014-05-26T20:02:02Z")
I always work on my car at my bulinding in the city some lady just threw bread and caused a lot of pigeons to come and I have hooked up a scanner for the fuel trims and my mechanic has smoked tested it and didn’t find any leaks and the gasket was still moveable and didn’t look like it needed changing no cracks or anything like that but any ideas why intake walls to cylinder 4 is not covered in oily greses like the rest of the cylinders ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/28 "2014-05-27T17:02:21Z")
Any ideas guys as to why cylinder 4 intake walls are dry and not greases when the others are ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/29 "2014-05-27T17:32:48Z")
My experience is that the inside of the intake manifold on a high-mileage engine is always grungy, probably from the PCV vapors passing through. SO, the clean #4 intake is unusual and therefore suspect. The fact that it matches a misfire code must mean something. Could a leaking #4 injector produce a mist of boiling gas after shutdown, clean the #4 intake, make hot restarts difficult, and foul the plug? I’d replace the #4 injector. ---
**Author:** ![jesmed1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jesmed1/32/2097_2.png) [@jesmed1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jesmed1)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/30 "2014-05-27T17:42:08Z")
A leaking #4 injector could explain the clean intake walls, but it wouldn’t explain the misfires in other cylinders, so this is still far from clear. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/31 "2014-05-27T17:53:22Z")
“Far from clear”…no doubt! Maybe the gas mist from #4 also migrates to the other cylinders on the front bank. I don’t know how the internal passages of that manifold are configured. ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/32 "2014-05-27T18:35:04Z")
Before it was every where p0302,p0304,p0306 I got the p0306 more than anything until I replaced a vaccum tank that was broken that helped the misfire a lot then it just went to p0300 then I replaced the number 4 coil because I broke it trying to remove a spark plug that has brought down to a p0304 and if I replaced one injector don’t I have to replace them all which would cost me a lot of money ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/33 "2014-05-27T19:36:01Z")
Why would you have to replace them all? Can’t you buy just one? ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/34 "2014-05-27T20:43:43Z")
Yea I could just buy one but I heard that since the rest have aged together for me to get a new injector that it might perform better than the 12 year old injectors and would cause my engine to run uneven ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/35 "2014-05-27T23:27:14Z")
It’s basically an educated guess. Replace the #4 injector and put new plugs in the front bank. If #4 was leaking, you should see the improvement immediately. We know the 1,3, and 5 injectors are OK since their plugs are white. It’s an “upside/downside” decision. The upside is you fix your car or at least make it better and get a real indication of what the problem is. The downside is you blew another $100 and are no better off. To me it’s an easy choice. The key is the color of those front plugs, how fast they turn black, and in what order. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/36 "2014-05-28T00:11:10Z")
Four pages and I still do not know what ( HARD STRATING ) means. ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/37 "2014-06-08T22:07:48Z")
OK so thank you guys for all the support I just changed the two fouled spark plugs and the fuel injector and the valve cover gaskets because it was cylinder 3 in my video that had a leaking oil problem I did all this yesterday and the car runs better than ever it starts up with power and no more misfire I hope it stays this way and also I dropped some small metal shavings 1mm long in the crank case and I got out every thing I could see should I just replace the oil asap and hope that flushes out what’s left. any suggestions ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137/38 "2014-06-08T23:30:18Z")
I’d drive it a few miles and change the oil.Anything going into the crankcase will either end up stuck on the oil pickup screen or caught in the oil filter so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If this poor running issue surfaces again you still might consider the possibility of a clogged converter on one bank. The converter may be a symptom of a problem but it can also be the cause of a problem that led to that symptom. It’s a vicious circle. That could also explain the sooted up intake runners on the bank in question. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hard-strating-after-sitting-and-p0300/85137.md?page=1)