View Full Version : CEL - Emissions Workshop
madajb
11-04-2005, 08:10 PM
Ok, so the GTI decided to misbehave this afternoon.
I've got a CEL and an Emissions Workshop warning.
Other symptoms:
Before the light came on, the idle was pretty rough, and there was a little surging under acceleration (not big, but noticeable).
After the light came on, idle was noticeably rougher, surging more pronounced. Enough that you'd be thinking "I wonder if we'll make it the two miles home".
Other symptoms include an "off" odor. It doesn't smell gassy, more of an exhaust type smell, but not as acrid. I've popped the hood, but it doesn't appear to be coming from the engine compartment.
Possibly a coincidence, but worth noting, just before I started the car this afternoon, I'd removed some of the remaining plastic "shield" from under the car (the bit that goes over the oil pan, etc). I suppose it's possible I knocked something loose(a hose or or somesuch, maybe) while doing that.
There were no noticable symptoms before this afternoon. I drove the car on Wed. without any trouble.
I'm going to see if I can find someone on the 'Tex with a vag in my area, but while I wait for the shop to open on Monday, any ideas about what to look for?
-ajb
Carlos
11-04-2005, 09:14 PM
lmk what the light says. i'll try to help. i'm a supposed tech. lol
madajb
11-05-2005, 12:03 AM
lmk what the light says. i'll try to help. i'm a supposed tech. lol
All the information I have so far, I've posted.
-ajb
ncttrnl
11-05-2005, 12:38 AM
No VAGs up in our Northwestern territories?
Could be a bad coilpack
madajb
11-05-2005, 01:45 AM
No VAGs up in our Northwestern territories?
Could be a bad coilpack
I've not run into anyone with a vag in my town, but the vw community is pretty small up here and mainly air-cooled.
I thought the coilpack problem was 2001 and later? Could be though.
I stuck it up on the jacks and looked underneath, no obviously disconnected hoses/wires or leaks.
Anyone know what that plastic shield costs to replace while I'm under there?
-ajb
madajb
11-05-2005, 02:27 PM
No one?
Where the hell is Dan when I need him?
heh.
-ajb
mitssn
11-05-2005, 02:33 PM
Some people have been saying places like AutoZone, etc have an OBD-II tool to pull your codes free of charge. I would try that. Their diagnostic tool will more than likely only pull the # of the codes. You can cross reference the # here:
http://www.bentleypublishers.com/tech/vw/vw.dtc.table.htm
do you have a VR or a 1.8T???
madajb
11-05-2005, 04:47 PM
do you have a VR or a 1.8T???
VR - 12v.
-ajb
thats a real odd ball, Ive seen that message when the vaccum line pops off the black ball canister infront of the oil pan, but not with the symptoms you describe ...................you didn't get an inept Oregonian gas attendant that filled your car with leaded gas did you...............rough idle and bad smell..............hmmm.........is it lacking power? Could be a bad catalyst.....................let me know what P-code you get, go get a free scan at autozone or kragen..............
Carlos
11-05-2005, 07:01 PM
it can be anything! you need to start off with a fault # or else we can sit here and guess all day what it might be.
madajb
11-05-2005, 07:43 PM
Ok, the latest from the friendly folk at Autozone(thanks for that, I didn't know they did that at their stores).
According to their scanner:
Code 1 of 1.
Cylinder 1 misfire.
P0301
Bad plug maybe?
-ajb
It could be either a bad coil pack like Tony said the VR coilpacks are know to crack. Or it could even be a bad plug wire.
madajb
11-06-2005, 06:17 PM
It could be either a bad coil pack like Tony said the VR coilpacks are know to crack. Or it could even be a bad plug wire.
Well, the plug wires look fine.
They're all secure and tight.
What the hell does a coilpack look like? =)
I'll check that as well.
-ajb
RavinJetta
11-06-2005, 06:24 PM
The coilpack is on the side of your engine where all the plug wires run to. You should see a rectangular box with 6 plugs going in to it. Read this it might help
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1568254
madajb
11-06-2005, 06:31 PM
The coilpack is on the side of your engine where all the plug wires run to.
Ah, the distributor.
All these new-fangles technologies. heh.
"The behavior is usually exaggerated in wet or foggy conditions as the moisture in the air provides an easier path for the spark to jump."
Interesting.
It's been raining here for 12 days in a row, so I think we count as wet.
Once it gets dark, I'm gonna try the spray bottle.
-ajb
VR6 has had a coil pack for like 12-13 years now, no more dizzy......
federal emissions, look in your owners manual, I think is a mandatory 7/70, so it might still be under some type of warranty............... but its probably a coil pack
try a spray bottle with salt water, i used to use this trick on the 8V cars, the salt is a better conductor than the water alone so it will help show a weakness....
joe18tbo112
11-06-2005, 07:04 PM
VR6 has had a coil pack for like 12-13 years now, no more dizzy......
federal emissions, look in your owners manual, I think is a mandatory 7/70, so it might still be under some type of warranty............... but its probably a coil pack
try a spray bottle with salt water, i used to use this trick on the 8V cars, the salt is a better conductor than the water alone so it will help show a weakness....
yah spray down where the plug wires plug onto the coilpack and look for sparks. if there's nothing there, ya might wanna check out the fuel injector. i just replaced a bad vr coilpack that was arching like crazy, but then it was still misfiring and ended up being a bad injector. not very common but it could happen
madajb
11-06-2005, 08:04 PM
Alright, I sprayed the coilpack with mike's saltwater in the dark garage and there were definitely sparks.
Had to get it pretty wet though.
Since I'm guessing there are supposed to be no sparks, even a small spark is probably bad.
It's somewhat hard to tell where the sparks come from precisely. What are the odds of my being able to find the crack if I do take off the coilpack?
-ajb
RavinJetta
11-06-2005, 09:39 PM
You don't really need to find the exact crack. Take off the coilpack and then get yourself some JB Weld and cover the entire coilpack in jbweld. Cheap and easy fix.
joe18tbo112
11-07-2005, 12:09 AM
You don't really need to find the exact crack. Take off the coilpack and then get yourself some JB Weld and cover the entire coilpack in jbweld. Cheap and easy fix.
also take a look at the wire and plug in the misfiring cylinder. you might need to change the wire, and if you change the plug, you might as well change them all unless they're pretty new
Coat it in JB weld????? you must be kidding..........................
Replace it and put di-electric grease on the ends of the boots on the coil pack, it helps conductivity and promotes a better spark
RavinJetta
11-07-2005, 11:12 AM
Actually no I am not kidding. People have been doing it for awhile now and have had great success with it. Maybe it isn't as good as buying a new one but it cost pratically nothing and it works.
RavinJetta
11-07-2005, 11:16 AM
Here is a nice how-to for you Alan.
http://chris.quietlife.net/passat/coilpack.html
madajb
11-07-2005, 07:31 PM
OK, the coilpack is out.
Don't see any visible cracks so far.
I've wiped it all down, now I'm waiting for it to dry out.
-ajb
Carlos
11-08-2005, 06:37 PM
dry up the coil pack, put dielectric grease. i would replace the ignition wire. the vr6 wires have the tendency to break down internally. if your car does not misfire all the time you should be good. vr6's fry the cat pretty quick with misfires so be careful. i always sell the whole set of wires when it comes to vr6's, however you can buy them individually at the dealer. find a good aftermarket set because each one cost about 25-35 depending on the dealer you go to. and if you didnt do your plugs at 40k, now is the time to do them.
madajb
11-09-2005, 05:09 PM
OK - Update.
I took out the coilpack, and set it in front of the fire for a day or so.
I'm thinking it's pretty dried out now.
I see no visible cracks or breaks, but I did the epoxy thing anyway since I already had it out.
It's been dry here for the last few days.
Put it back in the car today, and ran about for 10 minutes or so (enough to let the car warm up).
There was a rough idle on startup, but it was a little better than before.
The surging is still present but somewhat reduced. It seems to only show up when the engine is under load.
Since I had the battery out, the CEL light is gone, and did not reappear in my 10 minute drive.
To summarize:
Problem is still there, but reduced.
-ajb
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