I wonder if any of you enlightened gentlemen can help...

How can i test the coils fitted to my car? I am sure that one is playing up because the engine is playing up in exactly the way it did before the last one went.

problem is it has 5 coils and they cost £30 each so i really don't want to swap them all!!

I know I could buy one and swap it around until I fix the fault but I'm sure there is a more scientific approach! - and what if 2 are going ?

The setup is new to me, I have five cylinders with a LT lead going to each and then a coil attached directly to the spark plug....... weird

is it a volovo? you sure they are coil packs and not fancy rubber plug things?


can you fit plug steswtes - halfords selll a set of 4.

Or fit plugs into the removed coil pakcs and look for sparks when cranking the engine over? Will for sure show up a dead one but possible not one that it is on tis way out.

Its a Fiat and yes they are definately coils. they are about 6inches long and reach down into the head and plug straight onto the sparkplugs.

whats a steswtes ?

another problem with testing is that the computer will shut down the engine if it detects unburnt fuel in the exhaust... bloody computers! why did engines have to get so complicated? give me a pinto anyday!...grrr..

quote:

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Originally posted by DaveFJ
Its a Fiat and yes they are definately coils. they are about 6inches long and reach down into the head and plug straight onto the sparkplugs.

whats a steswtes ?

another problem with testing is that the computer will shut down the engine if it detects unburnt fuel in the exhaust... bloody computers! why did engines have to get so complicated? give me a pinto anyday!...grrr..

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I think I would be lucky to find a Stilo 2.4l Abarth in a scrappy... but possibly worth a look...

As for maximising dealer revenue... the headlamp bulbs are a main dealer replacement only and cost £200 to fit (front bumper off!)

All I can say is the computers (7 of them) are all linked and running an operating system based on Microsoft! arrrggghhhh. it really is windows for autos! Can't wait for my first blue screen of death!

What ever you do, DO NOT do ANY back probing with a multi meter. THAT action HAS been known to blow the ECU's on modern FIAT's.

you will have to change the lot im afraid as even if you find the one thats faulty the rest will follow in short time , learnt this the hard way on other french cars . i cant figure out why bosch can make single ciol packs for bmw engines last for years but the french cant seem to get more than a couple of years out of theirs?

[Edited on 24/7/06 by froggy]

they are Bosch coils........

quote:

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Originally posted by DaveFJ
they are Bosch coils........

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yes very drole but pulling connectors off is good way of buggering the coil drivers in the ecu too. i stand by what i said as its cheaper than replacing the cat later on ( i never said that the fiat was french but they all had the same smart idea of putting the coils in the hottest place they could find)

yeah not to mention that a bad coil doesn't mean to be a non sparking coil.

if the dwell time rises because of the malfunction of it...

you are really done..

i would do the next thing!

search for heat! go somewhere where they have the infared temp pistol.

read every exhaust tube you can and point out wich piston isn't like the rest.

thats the one with the problem.

you could then try to swap the coil.

and see if now the other piston fails..

its the easyiest option.

Tks

p.d. experience with a Ford RS2000 engine escort MK5

now that's an interesting solution.... will give it a try! may be fun though coz it's so titghtly sqeezed in that seeing the headers is nigh on impossible...