I have a 97 saturn sl1, and just changed the spark plugs, one had back fired is it okay to run only on 3?

Okay So i had just changed them, yesterday, and everything was fine. THen my check engine light came on, so i took mr car to auto-zone for that test.The man said that one had backfired, and that i was running on 3. I had asked him if my car was safe and drivable to run on 3 he said yes. Im wanting to know is it okay and for how long. I don't have the money to shell out to fix this right now for at least another month. any advice would be helpful.. Other then that he said that she was fine. I believe that he had said it was the first one, that backfired.. Idk if its the wires, or the sparkplug i should replace??I have a 97 saturn sl1, and just changed the spark plugs, one had back fired is it okay to run only on 3?Alright. Yes you can drive on 3 out of 4 plugs firing. It's not good to do it for an extended period of time. Yes it will run very rough especially sitting still. Now you didn't really say if you changed the plugs or had it done. So I don't know if you know about cars. Here is what I would do first. Check each plug wire boot (where it connects to the plug) and make very sure it is on there good. Most will make a snap sound when they attach to the top of the plug. Make sure the plug wires are not touching each other and are in good shape. Worn spots on the wires can make them arc to each other and make it miss like that. Best way to see this is in a very dark garage, like at night and no lights on, engine running and look at the wires. If arcing you should see little blue sparks and maybe hear them snapping. Make sure each one is tightly connected to the distributor cap. After all that if the problem is still there, I would pull each plug and check it and the gap setting. SAFETY: Don't touch the wires or plugs with the engine running. They will light you up pretty damn good. When under the hood with the engine running, no loose clothes, jewelry, or long hair. Get that stuff caught in the spinning parts and your going to need a doc and a plastic surgeon.I have a 97 saturn sl1, and just changed the spark plugs, one had back fired is it okay to run only on 3?First off if a mechanic told you it was OK to run your car with a dead cylinder i would NEVER take my car back there again.

I would see if you are getting spark to that cylinder and if you are i would replace the spark plug. It is possible that it was cracked during installation.

If you are not getting spark then replace the wire.

Spark plugs do not backfire. Back firing is caused by the cylinder firing at the wrong time.

It could be a timing issue or something else. Hard to say without seeing the car.



Russ