VW Golf Coil Pack Replacement

[dl8860]

Engine Management Light has come on on my 53 plate VW golf 1.6, as a result of low compression in one of the cylinders according to the guy who serviced it for me.

Just had an engine diagnostic check done at a different place and been told that the coil pack in that cylinder has failed and will need replacing. Was also heavily advised to change the other 3 coil packs, as well as all 4 spark plugs. As far as I have read, the coil packs either work or don't, so actually changing one by itself is fine? And I can just change the others if and when they fail? The spark plugs were changed in January this year too, so will those be fine? Was advised that it's a job you usually want to do all at once, but I put that mostly down to sales tactics, also with the thinking that if a problem persists then I can return and get them done then.

Am I being a cheapskate? Actually hoping to sell the car quite soon as hopefully I won't need it due to job location change, but just wanted to get opinions on if I've overly cut corners.

 

[Finglonga]

The plugs will be fine, the one wit the miss-fire may need a clean as it will have a build up of carbon most likely. Personally I would replace the one coil pack as well as they are all separate to each other and could last years or could fail tomorrow but I would risk it.

 

[roboffer]

I had a 53 plate Octavia VRS and one went, I just replaced that one. Was years ago and never had a problem with another one. Just change the single one especially if you are selling.

 

[Armageus]

Engine Management Light has come on on my 53 plate VW golf 1.6, as a result of low compression in one of the cylinders according to the guy who serviced it for me.

Don't think there is a specific EML for low compression - only way you would know that is if a Compression test was done?


A fault code for a specific Coil sounds more likely - so as already suggested replace the individual one, clean the spark plug and should be good.



As a side note, worth investing in a cheap Bluetooth ODB2 reader and Torque (or similar app) for your phone - you can then pull fault codes yourself (to at least compare to what a garage is diagnosing)

 

[dl8860]

Ok so I picked the car up and it ran fine for all of... about half a mile. Engine slowly started to shake a bit more and 10 seconds later the check engine light is back on.

So I thought I'd change the spark plugs myself. Changed all 4 over and problem is persisting. The ignition coil on the third cylinder (the one the diagnostic check diagnosed as faulty) is sat a little higher than the other 3. This despite me pushing down on it as hard as the suspension will let me. Surely the garage can't have fitted the wrong ignition coil.

Or a second coil could have also been faulty but the diagnostics only identified the first (3rd cylinder) one? But surely if I was misfiring on two cylinders I'd barely be able to move?

Ideas left

1. swap ignition coils as a test to see how flush it fits in a different cylinder.
2. buy 3 (or 4) new coils myself and fit them.
3. anything Motors suggests?

 

[mushtafa]

You need to see what fault code has put the light on.

See here regarding the coil pack recall. I had mine done on my Octavia. As far as I remember, they only replace genuine coils and not after market ones. Worth a phone call to your local dealer though http://uk-mkivs.net/topic/55959-workshop-action-28f5-new-recall-coilpacks/#2783561

 

[dl8860]

Thanks for the tip, called dealership but closed for the evening now. Will call in the morning but pretty slim chance of getting in soon I would have thought. Getting tight as MOT expires Sunday, running out of ideas.

 

[dl8860]

Switched the new coil with one of the old ones just now and it sat a lot better but problem persists. Will buy 3 new ignition coils tomorrow (if dealership doesn't offer recall replacement very soon), if that doesn't fix it I'm out of ideas

 

[dovey]

Is it easy to unplug the coil packs whilst the engine is running? If you unplug them one by one you should be able to tell which one is dead by how the engine reacts as nothing will change. That should give you an idea as to whether the issue moves as you move the coil pack or whether it stays with the problem cylinder.

I had a coil pack problem recently on a 318i bmw and chose the cheaper option to replace the individual coil pack only to have two more die over the following 2 weeks / 500 ish miles. When it happened the third time I'd had enough and replaced the last two so they were all new. I know they have a limited life span but to have three fail within such a short space did surprise me.

 

[Finglonga]

As a side note, worth investing in a cheap Bluetooth ODB2 reader and Torque (or similar app) for your phone - you can then pull fault codes yourself (to at least compare to what a garage is diagnosing)

OBDeleven (Google it), cheap as chips and not only reads codes but you can do any adaptation that the dealer can make. Have done many with mine.

Is it easy to unplug the coil packs whilst the engine is running? If you unplug them one by one you should be able to tell which one is dead by how the engine reacts as nothing will change. That should give you an idea as to whether the issue moves as you move the coil pack or whether it stays with the problem cylinder.

I wouldn't with any modern car as they are lethal nowadays because they make a much, MUCH stronger spark than a few years ago.

You will be able to tell from the colour of the spark plug to the one that is miss firing.

 

[dovey]

I wouldn't with any modern car as they are lethal nowadays because they make a much, MUCH stronger spark than a few years ago.

Sorry good point, I meant the wiring harness to the coil pack. On the E46 BMW it was pretty easy to disconnect the plug to the coilpack which is what i did.

 

[dl8860]

Sorry good point, I meant the wiring harness to the coil pack. On the E46 BMW it was pretty easy to disconnect the plug to the coilpack which is what i did.

As far as I can make out the coil packs can only be undone by removing them first, no way to remove the wiring harness. Pic below, pulled from google but layout the same.

Bought 3 more coils and awaiting delivery of a engine code scanner today so if the problem ever was to do with the coils I'll find out in a few hours.

On a side note, what does the tubing I've highlighted in red do? It runs from a compartment in the engine cover to where you put oil in. Had to remove it from the oil cap while changing spark plugs and I'm not 100% sure it went in properly.

 

[dl8860]

This is turning into a bit of a log.

Had a go with the obd tool and it said 2 cylinders misfiring, both with old coils, so I replaced those 2 (and the one remaining one as that's probs about to pop too) and we're firing on all 4. Happy days. Just need to hope a. it stays like that and b. the catalytic converter hasn't been beaten up too much to get through the MOT tomorrow.

Any knowledge on the red highlighted area above greatly appreciated, can't get the bugger back in properly. Cheers

 

[Armageus]

Any knowledge on the red highlighted area above greatly appreciated, can't get the bugger back in properly. Cheers

Sounds like some kind of Crankcase breather

something similar described here:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=38791


also I googled "golf 1.6 pipe near oil filler" which came up with a fair amount of useful/similar results some with images

 

[FTM]

i had a 52 plate vRS...was a known fault with an entire batch of Bosch coil packs

1 of mine went and in the dealers they swapped all of them, its wasnt a recall as such but there was a dealer notice to replace them when a car came in.

 

[mushtafa]

Give the car a proper blast, get the CAT hot and it'll clean itself.

The pipe in the picture is a breather pipe

 

[Krisali]

You can buy 4 Bosch coil packs off ebay for around £65 if my memory serves me right. I had the same issue on my Audi A4, garage replaced the one faulty coil pack drove away and 5 minutes later it was misfiring again. I took the garage's advice and replaced all 4 myself (very easy to do) and then the car was fine. You might get lucky replacing the one faulty one but in my experience it's just easier to replace all 4. Just don't buy them from the garage as they tend to be expensive

Edit: just read youre sorted. Fingers crossed

 

[Orionaut]

i had a 52 plate vRS...was a known fault with an entire batch of Bosch coil packs

1 of mine went and in the dealers they swapped all of them, its wasnt a recall as such but there was a dealer notice to replace them when a car came in.

Personally (And professionally), I regard these coils in the same way as old light bulbs. They have a service life. If one goes, replace all of them!

Alternatively, you can just do them one at a time as they fail and spend the next 18 months breaking down every three months or so and paying for each new coil individually plus the call out charge!

#B Makes me more money,

#A Is what I advise.

 

[Krisali]

Personally (And professionally), I regard these coils in the same way as old light bulbs. They have a service life. If one goes, replace all of them!

Alternatively, you can just do them one at a time as they fail and spend the next 18 months breaking down every three months or so and paying for each new coil individually plus the call out charge!

#B Makes me more money,

#A Is what I advise.

***

Quoted for truth

 

[dl8860]

Yeah lesson learned that they all want doing at the same time, but even more valuable lesson learned is that I can do them myself now at much less cost than getting a garage to do them for me.

Breather pipe now properly re-inserted too so hopefully that's job finished for good. Until the next thing goes wrong. Thanks for the help all.