My "check engine" light is blinking!?

About a week ago i posted another question about my car, but it is now a lot worse. My car was in a previous accident but the parts that needed work were worked on, but failed inspection, making my car have a waiver. My o2 sensor was bad but i got a new one . now my check engine light was blinking so i took it to autozone and had the code read and they told me cylinder 3 is misfiring. When the check engine light is blinking, when i step on the gas it doesn't get any faster. the rpm's go up and down without me doing anything.

Anonymous2009-04-22T05:36:31Z

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The "check engine" light is part of your car's onboard diagnostics (OBD) system, when a mechanic connects he's diagnostic scanner to your car's computer it displays a code and in this case the code has revealed that it is a misfire in cylinder 3 ( as you have stated, i just wanted to explain that the check engine light comes on for many reasons not just that )..
Anyway, a misfire could be a few things firstly i would check the spark plug for that cylinder, if that didn't fix it i would replace the spark plug leads, and depending on what type of car it might be the distributor or rotor button....
If i knew what type of car it is i could tell you which one is cylinder 3 and if it has a electric disy cap or not, to help narrow down the problem, but i think you'll solve this issue with step 1 by checking the spark plug...

?2009-04-22T05:34:07Z

Well if u have the money,u need to take this in to a good service station.They will have a better computer,that checks deeper than auto zone.(auto zone will give u a list of what several of the problems could b)but if u change everything it says u could spend thousands.A service station with a good computer,will pinpoint the exact problem and should let u know how much it will b to fix it b4 they fix it.The place I go to charges $46.to plug it in,but they take that off if they do the work on it.Sounds like a small problem to me but u have to know the exact part to replace.

BR Tiger fan2009-04-22T05:26:17Z

It blinks when it is misfiring.
You ever seen a 3-legged dog try to run?
That's what you're car is doing right now.
You are running on 75% power.

Brian A2009-04-22T18:44:50Z

FLASHING CEL IS VERY BAD IT MEANS MISFIRE. DO NOT DRIVE IT CAN MELT THE CATS DOWN. VERY VERY EXPENSIVE. tO SAVE UR CAR GET TO A TECHNICIAN ASAP BEFORE YOU DO MORE DAMAGE.

bob l2009-04-22T05:22:33Z

Sounds like a broken sensor. You have to take it to a good mechanic/dealer to have it looked at.