Cylinder, coil pack or ignition cables?

[timbook]

I'm not savvy enough to know how many injectors are in this car or where to look for them!

I could buy a single spark plug and a plug ratchet and change plug 4 and see if it makes any difference? Would it matter to mix and match spark plugs? The 4 that are in right now were expensive high performance plugs when I bought them last summer. If I replace the last one with a normal, standard plug and the problem is solved, will I need to replace all the plugs or get a high performance plug to match the other three?

 

[timbook]

Just checked ebay for fuel injectors for my car and they are sold loose and in sets of 4, so that hopefully answers that! Still wondering about the spark plug? Is it ok to mix the plugs with other types of plug longterm or should they match for better performance?

 

[Burnerman]

Muiltipoint injection then.....come to think about it, that's probably what MPI stands for Specsaver beckons!
For a test, any plug of the same reach will do.....if the old plug is faulty, the improvement will be immediate.
John

 

[timbook]

Ok, so any cheap plug to run the test will do, right, and if it works, then maybe I can look at matching it up to the others.

These take 14mm plugs and I think it requires a 16mm wrench. Hopefully I can pick up a cheap plug! For some reason, they're 3 times the price here as they are in the UK!

 

[Burnerman]

Some plugs are iridium tipped, long life or whatever Tim and the price reflects that here too.
To spot the fuel injectors, notice the fuel goes into the engine on one side, and exhausts out of the other.....the injectors are located the tracts that allow the inlet air into the engine, just before the cylinder head.
That plastic air box will have to be out of the way, of course.
(Thats probably confused things more )
John [/code]

 

[timbook]

Halfords won't sell me a single spark plug. Only packs of 4, starting at 33 Euros!

I will buy a full set IF and WHEN I figure out whether or not I actually need them! Hopefully Consort will sell me a single spark plug tomorrow(and a wrench to swap them out). If not, I'll have to buy online and wait til Tuesday or Wednesday to try the potential repair.

Head melting!

 

[Burnerman]

Aye, that's Halfrauds, Tim.....'proper' motor factors sell plugs singly.
Well done for sticking with it.....one way or another, we'll get there.
When your are in that region, can you spot the injectors? A nice close up pic if you can.
John

 

[Mursal]

Cheap set of general sockets off the market with a spark plug socket to suit the plugs you have.
Take all 4 plugs out and find the wet one, don't mix the leads up. Take your time being careful not to break the top off.
If you have a good local breaker they will have all the stuff you need, might even let you change the plugs using their sockets. But be careful, they don't like messer's, not sating you are, but they can save you a fortune.

Halfords are fine, but are not on the right level to sort you out, they just want sales. Local small independent garage will be far more helpful, but again you need to be genuine, if you're on a budget just say that.

 

[timbook]

John, thanks. I will get a close up pic of the injectors asap. I hope to change the air filters this week, so I guess, I'll be forcing the engine cover off. I know I can force it off, but the suction thingy's make me feel like I'm going to break something!! I'll get it done though.
The spark plug can be changed without the cover coming off so I might try to do that first. But I will get that injectors pic up, and I appreciate the help of yourself and Mursal on this. Thanks for the patience and for sticking with me!

Mursal, thanks for the feedback too. I understand what you're saying. I am kind of on a budget yes, but I suspect it may have worked out cheaper to bite the bullet at the start!!!
The thing about this for me though, was about trying to learn how to self maintain basic stuff. I want to be able to do an annual service(which I now know I can) and change out some of the things in this car. I'm happy to try to tackle stuff that isn't too messy and handy to get at. I've done Thermostat and Coolant sensor already! I'm willing to have a go and learn along the way within reason. I was so sure it was going to be the coil or the leads. I'm shocked that it was neither, as most of my research suggested one or the other. But I am happy that I have now changed these things too and so have learned something else!

After doing the leads/cylinder test, I was able to confirm that the misfire seems to be coming from the 4th cylinder/shortest lead. This is the plug to replace. If that doesn't solve it, then, I know it aint the plugs! All that will be left then is injectors, cylinders and maybe the engine control unit! These seem like jobs that might be beyond my willingness/risk and maybe best left to a pro.

I've spent money on coil and ignition leads, and next will be spark plugs, and while in the end a trip to a breakers might have worked out cheaper from the start, at least I'll have learned something!

Thanks again and stay tuned!!

 

[Mursal]

To be honest it just depends on the breaker, some are not very helpful. But they are usually cheap.
Have you one or 2 temperature sensors, I wonder? Also consider air getting into the inlet manifold at that end of the engine, might just need a tightening. The injectors will be mounted/pushed into the inlet manifold so you can check both at the same time.
If you have a birthday coming up, a Haynes manual (if you already haven't got one) can sometimes be helpful.

 

[timbook]

Ok. Well, I've managed to get a spark plug and spanner from Consort. I'm waiting for the engine to cool down. Then I'm gonna swap it into the 4th cylinder. It's a Bosch F7 LTCR plug. I've heard they're good plugs too! If this solves the problem, should I replace the other three plugs with the same type? Fingers crossed anyway!!

 

[timbook]

Ok. So far, so good. I'm feeling positive. I took out plug 4. It was covered in dark/back oil. Looks unhealthy, right?



I put in the new one. I tightened it by hand and then did about a 30% circle turn to tighten with the wrench arm. Is that sufficient???

When I started the car, the engine light remained on, but stayed solid. Engine was ticking over nicely, and not shaking as much as before. It sounded quite well.

I assume the engine light needs to be reset or will turn itself off in time?

Now the big question.....should I replace the other 3 plugs to match this one or not?

 

[Burnerman]

Ye gods Tim that plug hasn't been firing for ages
Let's not be hasty.....if the plug was the issue then your troubles are over, so just drive the car for a while to see how it goes.
No need to replace the other plugs just yet, they will be fine. Plugs have a washer that crushes when you tighten the plug down - for the first time anyway so I guess your technique is fine.
Fingers crossed, stay it touch.....we'll deal with the management light once the car has proved itself.
John

 

[timbook]

Hopefully it didn't damage the CAT.

I suppose spending money on new leads and coil isn't a bad thing, even if replacing the spark plug would have only cost 14 euros from the beginning!!

Fingers crossed now everything's fine! Thanks for all your help. Mursal too.

 

[Burnerman]

We've all been down that road, Tim.....replacing components because it HAS to be faulty......the secret is not to let on to anyone
No one would expect a spark plug to fail after a short mileage - in fact it's rare these days.
Cat damage? Who knows, honestly.....they are tougher than you think, they can stand excess fuel but they don't like oil.
Is your car needing the MOT soon?
John