420A CEL flashes 3 times... why?

[$lacker]

Hey, I'm not a newbie, but I haven't done much work on the 420a before (98 Eclipse NT, 5spd)
Anyway, today while driving on two separate occasions my CEL flashed 3 times (fairly slowly) when I was trying to accelarate in 3rd gear and the car was bogging
I tried to check for codes when I got home, but didn't find any
The car's been running rough lately (missing, bogging) and I don't know why... I was hoping this might give some indication, but I'm stumped

When I try the on/off/on/off/on method of checking codes, nothing happens. On = "on" and Off = "lock", right? My cheap OBDII reader came up with nothing as well.

 

[TwoLiterLaser]

You are going to have to get the ecu to hold the code.

 

[$lacker]

You are going to have to get the ecu to hold the code.

How would I do that? I assumed that the code would be there when I got home

 

[$lacker]

Ok, apparently the CEL flashes during a misfire, even if no codes are stored (no problems detected)
Wish I had some idea of what was causing the misfire
What's the best way to localize it to a single cylinder? It's not constant, it's most often under load, but occasionally at idle too

 

[TwoLiterLaser]

If it is not constant then it is almost impossible to figure out which cylinder (if it is only one cylinder) it may be. Replace your plugs and wires and see if that makes a difference.

 

[$lacker]

I replaced the plugs, it's not that
I'll go pick up some wires I suppose
I popped me hood at night (in the dark) and sprayed a water mist over the wires to try find arching... I didn't see any. It might still me an issue though I suppose

 

[TwoLiterLaser]

Arcing will not be the problem. Oil soaked wires do not conduct as they should and lead to misfiring.