Potential problem with AA work

*manda*

Yes that's fine- and no doubt that would be what they would say so if I phoned, so thankfully you've saved me the hassle of speaking to them!

Would it be worth just replacing all of them?

Weird_Nev

*manda* wrote: »

Would it be worth just replacing all of them?

No, they're expensive and can work practically "forever" without failure. It's just a random failure thing. Sometimes they fail, sometimes they never do. No predicting it. They're not a service item, like spark plugs.

No point replacing £400 worth of coils when £300 worth of them were never going to break in the first place.

*manda*

Even better news, thanks. This will probably sound really stupid- but how do you know which one is the problem? And is it worth going for genuine parts or will cheapy ones be as good?

Weird_Nev

*manda* wrote: »

Even better news, thanks. This will probably sound really stupid- but how do you know which one is the problem? And is it worth going for genuine parts or will cheapy ones be as good?

Plugging in a diagnostics ready will probably tell you directly - ie cylinder 1,2,3 or 4.
Failing that, the old fashioned way is to disconnect one at a time (there's a simple plug on them) and see if the problem remains the same. if it worsens, you've disconnected aworking coil and the engine is running (just) on two cylinders. If it doesn't change, you've unplugged the faulty coil and it's running just the same on 3 cylinders.

That said, there are many faults that can cause rough running, so you need a mechanic who knows those engines to plug it in and look over it.

*manda*

Thanks. Our mechanic friend will be able to deal with it I'm sure I was just wondering for future reference really- as in if it is a problem in future whether there is an easy way of identifying it. Our friend doesn't have the computer but can access one- it just means having to wait longer for him to do it but he will still be cheaper than going elsewhere. Thanks again for all help.

tedted

mondeos of this year have a single coil pack not individual ones but they do suffer from plug lead problems which can be misleading

*manda*

The plugs were replaced by the AA at the time ( I think) and the leads were done by OH about 2 weeks later. Is it better to do the whole lot or the fact they're relatively new means not? I know the leads were not overly expensive. Cost (for parts) isn't so much the issue- more wanting to fix the problem as best we can but ideally without going through dealers where inevitably a premium for labour will be charged.

Weird_Nev

tedted wrote: »

mondeos of this year have a single coil pack not individual ones but they do suffer from plug lead problems which can be misleading

Cheers, didn't know that. Thought they were coil on plug like any other modern engine!