panicfilms

99.5 A4 1.8tip
I had a misfire on cyls 2 & 3 and wanted to determine whether it was the ignition control module or coil pack failure but I don't have a VAG.

My mechanic friend told me to switch coilpacks between cylinders and then pull the wires with the engine running. If the engine hesitated, then the cylinder was working therefore the coilpack was fine.

Seemed simple but switching the coilpacks between cylinders didn't seem to make a difference. So I replaced the ignition control module and plugs but I still have a misfire and don't know whether I have a bad coilpack.

Another mechanic told me I really messed up by pulling the wires and probably set the timing off, causing the misfire.

I pulled the top tb cover and blipped the starter a few times to try and line up the timing marks. It appears the timing might be off but it's hard to tell.

If I really set the timing off, what should I do to reset it? Remove the belt, align the marks and replace?

WJM

you really dont seem to understand your car enough...and dont take it to either of the guys you talked to before.

panicfilms

Don' you understand these cars enough to give a better explanation?

paulroad

What is this a 65 chevy? Not only can you screw up the ECU and the timing but in some case you could get a nice jolt.
Just un plug your battery wait a few then plug it back in. You may have to enter the radio code again.

Any mechanic with an OBDII can hook into the car and tell which cylinder is missfiring. It can be a wire, a coilpack or even a bad plug.

If it were me.. with limited tools. I'd look at each plug.. one at a time.

WJM

first pulling the plugs, is not gonna make your timing belt skip teeth... so dont worry about that.

second... do you have random misfires or are you running only on 2-3 cylinders?

I'd think you have only random misfires, so the procedure those quack mechanics gave you is bogus.

You need a VAG, you need to read the data blocks for the cylinders and see if the misfires are still on 2 and 3 after you moved the coilpacks around.

so here do the following...
-vag and check which cylinders are misfiring (if my memory serves blocks 15 and 16)
-shut off car
-move packs around (e.g. cylinder 2 <-> cylinder 1, Cyl 3 <-> Cyl 4)
-Repeat above
-Did misfires follow coilpacks
-If no, then perhaps spark plug (age of plugs?). Check gap and condition of spark plug. Replace plug or try lowering gap to perhaps to .027 from .030
-Conduct VAG check, any improvement?

Also inspect coilpacks to make sure the boot/stem is in good condition and isnt arking to the engine block, instead of going to the plug.

Ignition amplifier is an all or nothing thing...trust me i know

Good luck, and dont pull any wires while the car is running

panicfilms

ran ohm test on the new ignition amp and turns out it's defective. waiting on replacemnt part.

WJM

hope that works...