need to clean out the inside of ignition coil & top part of spark plug

londonTiger

Hi

Had a bit of an accident and got copper anti sieze compound inside the ignition coil. I gave it a little clean and fitted it, but it caused intermittent misfires so I just bought a new one from ECP and replaced it.

Now I want to fix the old one and keep it in the boot for emergencies (ignition coils on the mk4 golf tend to go pop at around 60-80K and can cause the car to go into limp mode, so a spare one in the boot would be handy).

What is the best wau to clean an ignition coil and are there any compounds I need to put inside? I noticed there was some whiteish cream thing dabbed on the inside of the new ignition coil.

AdrianC

"inside the coil"? !!!!!!?

Coil-on-plug, I presume, and inside the terminal to fit onto the plug?

Aerosol of brake cleaner or electrical cleaner or WD40 or whatever spray solvent you can find, then a twist of kitchen roll to give it a wipe.

Norman - I presume a smear on the plug thread, combined with some ham-fisted muppetry.

Norman_Castle

AdrianC wrote: »

Norman - I presume a smear on the plug thread, combined with some ham-fisted muppetry.

I deleted my question. No time for pantomime.

Joe_Horner

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I deleted my question. No time for pantomime.

Oh yes there is!

forgotmyname

Under £10 for a decent new one is it worth the effort?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

if you went under the bonnet with copper grease you need to stay well clear of DIY car servicing in the future. No need for that stuff under the bonnet. The most I ever used that stuff was when changing brakes, and suspension bolts (minus use on nylock nuts) upon refit to prevent seizing in the future if I ever needed to work in that area again apart from that, the only other grease that would see under the bonnet would be lithium grease on the bonnet hinges and bonnet latch, and I kept those greases away from my tools and any new components I was fitting and washed my hands after using it.


saying that, and wondering why the hell im offering you advice, is to use a bit of electrical contact cleaner and some rags.

BeenThroughItAll

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

if you went under the bonnet with copper grease you need to stay well clear of DIY car servicing in the future. No need for that stuff under the bonnet. The most I ever used that stuff was when changing brakes, and suspension bolts (minus use on nylock nuts) upon refit to prevent seizing in the future if I ever needed to work in that area again apart from that, the only other grease that would see under the bonnet would be lithium grease on the bonnet hinges and bonnet latch, and I kept those greases away from my tools and any new components I was fitting and washed my hands after using it.


saying that, and wondering why the hell im offering you advice, is to use a bit of electrical contact cleaner and some rags.

So you wouldn't use copper grease on, say, the battery clamp bolt? Or the headlamp fitting bolts? Or perhaps the alternator clamp bolt? Wing bolts? Other fittings?

AdrianC

Copper grease gets used on just about every bolt I fit to anywhere but the interior, and it VERY definitely gets used on spark plug threads.

BeenThroughItAll

AdrianC wrote: »

Copper grease gets used on just about every bolt I fit to anywhere but the interior, and it VERY definitely gets used on spark plug threads.

Yep, me too, except where contraindicated by Loctite or Nyloc. Anyone who's ever had to remove sheared plugs from an Endura E will too.