Engine spluttering and wants to stall!

Veyron

Active Member
Dec 3, 2009
2,307
3
Birmingham
Hi, i have started having a problem with my 1.2 tonight. It suddenly started to shake when moving off and pull back if that makes sense? I can resolve it if i rev it a bit more (take up to about two and half - three thousand). It only does it after changing gear really, but if i sit with the engine idling it feels quite lumpy and every now and again the revs drop to 500!

I thought it might be some muck in the fuel system so took it up to 4K and then the engine management light began to flash, before going off once my revs dropped back down.

Does anyone know whats up?

Cheers :)

BTW it doesn't seem to be a coilpack as that went a few months back and felt a lot rougher!
 

fandyboy

Guest
Jumped a tooth in the timing chain? Probably best to get it vagcom'd.
 

fozzybear

middle aged speed freak
Feb 4, 2006
318
19
halifax,west yorks
though a 1.4 my wifes did something similar the first time was a sensor on the induction side and was easy once found on diagnostic check...need a proper vag com as didn,t show up on local garages machine...was also cheap fix once found....then a few months later a coilpack caused a similar problem but engine management light came on when engine pushed,would also idle normally then start to go lumpy as if about to stall then pick up again......hope this helps.....coilpack was around 25 quid
 

Veyron

Active Member
Dec 3, 2009
2,307
3
Birmingham
Jumped a tooth in the timing chain? Probably best to get it vagcom'd.

I hope not! It had the tensioner done recently :(

though a 1.4 my wifes did something similar the first time was a sensor on the induction side and was easy once found on diagnostic check...need a proper vag com as didn,t show up on local garages machine...was also cheap fix once found....then a few months later a coilpack caused a similar problem but engine management light came on when engine pushed,would also idle normally then start to go lumpy as if about to stall then pick up again......hope this helps.....coilpack was around 25 quid

Thanks for that, i had a coilpack go recently and only changed one, some say you should change the entire set

I don't think it is the coilpack because mine is only three cylinders and it is really noticeable when it is on 2! Will try my cheapo vag-com and see if that picks anything up!

Thanks
 

Veyron

Active Member
Dec 3, 2009
2,307
3
Birmingham
Just ran it through Vag-Com and found:

4 faults found:

17925 - Main Relay (J271): Electrical Malfunction
P1517 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent

18043 - Powertrain Data Bus: Missing message from A/C Controller
P1635 - 35 - 10 - - - Intermittent

16804 - Catalyst System: Bank 1 : Efficiency below threshold
P0420 - 35-00 - -

16685 - Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected
P0301 - 35 -10 - - - Intermittent

Cylinder 1' coilpack went a few months back and i replaced that but it felt more violent when the coilpack had gone so i'm not sure whats up now?
 

dusty dash

Guest
Hi Veyron,
I dont think its your camchain,
I parked my car up running fine, jumped in it next day and it jumped a tooth on start up, my revs were going up and down like a yoyo, there was no smooth running at any revs if I took it up to 3000rpm it would drop to about 500 then go back up to 3000.
The guy who fixed mine thought it could be the camshaft sensor (Ive seen one on ebay for about £20)but the fact it went on start up pointed him in the right direction for mine and a £580 bill
 

phillpotts92

Buy Cheap, Buy Twice! :D
Oct 2, 2010
3,480
6
Bristol.
www.seatcupra.net
Sounds to me like a coilpack. What brand pack did you replace it with because cheap brands can be very intermittant, bosche ones are the best. I had a coilpack fault (1.2 running 3 cylinders too) and i had one coilpack go on me first, then replaced that and with 20secs of the car left in idle the second cylinder went! Replaced that and the 3rd cylinder went when i was driving up a hill to get to the local garage!!!! After that one went my dad managed to get to a garage in limp mode and i drove his 2.0l vectra.

The guy at the garage replaced the coilpack and questioned what brand i replaced them with? I told him that it was just a coilpack from partco. He then asked if i also replaced the spark plugs at the same time as doing the coilpacks, which i hadnt. He informed me that if a coilpack goes then its best to replace both the spark plug and the coilpack.

Just an idea why dont you try replacing the spark plugs and if you havnt already buy bosche any time you can.
 

Veyron

Active Member
Dec 3, 2009
2,307
3
Birmingham
Sounds to me like a coilpack. What brand pack did you replace it with because cheap brands can be very intermittant, bosche ones are the best. I had a coilpack fault (1.2 running 3 cylinders too) and i had one coilpack go on me first, then replaced that and with 20secs of the car left in idle the second cylinder went! Replaced that and the 3rd cylinder went when i was driving up a hill to get to the local garage!!!! After that one went my dad managed to get to a garage in limp mode and i drove his 2.0l vectra.

The guy at the garage replaced the coilpack and questioned what brand i replaced them with? I told him that it was just a coilpack from partco. He then asked if i also replaced the spark plugs at the same time as doing the coilpacks, which i hadnt. He informed me that if a coilpack goes then its best to replace both the spark plug and the coilpack.

Just an idea why dont you try replacing the spark plugs and if you havnt already buy bosche any time you can.

Hmm, that sounds likely then! It was just a cheap one from Euro car parts (£22). Wonder if i can get a free replacement as it was only two months ago? :)

Thanks for the replies and "dusty dash" £580! Really hope it is the coilpack!
 

fozzybear

middle aged speed freak
Feb 4, 2006
318
19
halifax,west yorks
its a coilpak ,like dusty says his was a different problem ,and a coilpak can go any time.brand new ones can fail straight away,only thing you can do is try it...as above though change spark plugs too as will be choked up if coilpak fault...and it also ticks off a possible plug problem too
 

RaggedLob

The worst is yet to come
Mar 29, 2009
179
0
Thatcham, Berkshire
16804 - Catalyst System: Bank 1 : Efficiency below threshold
P0420 - 35-00 - -

QUOTE]

This VAGCOM problem is commonly a Lambda sensor, will cause rough running and a drop in fuel economy, as it did on mine. Usually the engine management light is on for this.
Mine was just a bit rough, it wasn't extreme revs like yours though.

Word of warning, i ignored this and because the failed lambda probe throws off the fuel/air mix, after a few months the unburnt fuel had destroyed the cat and manifold, a £600 bill overall!

So possibly get your mechanic to check the lambda and look inside the cat, hope it helps!
 

Veyron

Active Member
Dec 3, 2009
2,307
3
Birmingham
its a coilpak ,like dusty says his was a different problem ,and a coilpak can go any time.brand new ones can fail straight away,only thing you can do is try it...as above though change spark plugs too as will be choked up if coilpak fault...and it also ticks off a possible plug problem too

I will try and take it back and get a replacment, and a new set of spark plugs! The thing is though it doesn't seem as bad as the first time the coilpack went, could it be having intermittent problems?

16804 - Catalyst System: Bank 1 : Efficiency below threshold
P0420 - 35-00 - -

QUOTE]

This VAGCOM problem is commonly a Lambda sensor, will cause rough running and a drop in fuel economy, as it did on mine. Usually the engine management light is on for this.
Mine was just a bit rough, it wasn't extreme revs like yours though.

Word of warning, i ignored this and because the failed lambda probe throws off the fuel/air mix, after a few months the unburnt fuel had destroyed the cat and manifold, a £600 bill overall!

So possibly get your mechanic to check the lambda and look inside the cat, hope it helps!

I've had that problem since i brought the car a year and half ago! If i use Shell fuel fuel the engine light won't come on but if i go to Asda it will come on after a bit.

Do you think the fuel mixture will be Ok if i keep using shell and ensuring the light doesn't come on?

Cheers :)
 

shep0706

Active Member
Aug 19, 2011
243
0
Darlington
Hello sorry about bringing up a semi old thread, But when your coil pack went did it bring a light up on the dash ? my car has lack in power top end but is driveable, but when you have the throttle at steady speed and revs the car starts jerking and wont rev and goes to stall and when i press the clutch in and rev the cars it revs fine and will drive again until i stay at steady speed/revs and it will start jerking ,i have scanned the car and no faults have come up ???
 

phillpotts92

Buy Cheap, Buy Twice! :D
Oct 2, 2010
3,480
6
Bristol.
www.seatcupra.net
Coil pack my friend. Do the ever so difficult and confusing task to see which pack it is. The way to do it is...... Prepare for this it's hard to do mind.......... Pop out each pack and see which ones make a difference to engine/stall it. The one that doesn't is the one that's fooked. Don't forget of you change a coil pack it's best practice to change the plug too.
 

shep0706

Active Member
Aug 19, 2011
243
0
Darlington
I got a code up for the MAP sensor cleaned it and now i get these codes

16556 - Fuel Trim: System Too Rich: Bank 1
P0172 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent

17658 - Fuel Level too Low
P1250 - 35-00 - -

If it was a coil pack wouldnt it bring up a misfire code ?
 
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