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.

 

[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?

 

[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

 

[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

 

[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.