V6 Rough Running

[Grandad]

I have recently bought a privately owned 98 V6 auto and am enjoying it. As soon as I got it I had the plugs and all the filters changed and the brakes checked, just so that I knew things were OK. However, a week later it has suddenly been running roughly as if a plug lead was broken and running on 5 cylinders. It is slow to accelerate and has great difficulty getting up a hill. When I slow down from 40 to 30 and then try to accelerate there is a noticeable juddering as it gradually picks up speed. Once it has got there, it will cruise along at 80 but it doesn't run as smoothly as a V6 should.

 

I am tempted to book it into a Ford main dealer but have been told the diagnostic test will cost

[fozzer]

My monies on coil pack or HT leads had same problem few years ago

[Guest fredt]

Coil pack or loose/duff leads, the coil packs are known for the insulation to break down allowing shorts to earth, to check this run the engine in the dark and check for stray sparks between the pillars? it may help if you spray a drop of water around the coil pack to encourage the shorts! you can rev the engine by manually opening the throttle from under the bonnetif you reach across and feel for the throttle pully

if the pack is breaking down as a temporary fix you could reseal the coil pack with epoxy resin or ships varnish :) if its a lead try pulling them with a set of insulated pliers while the engine is running and see the problem gets any worse if it is a lead you will need the correct tool to reconnect the plug cap to the plug, it should be stuck onto the bonnet stay? but I wouldnt count on it! the plug lead tool can be picked up at a dealers if you lucky :( IIRC the last member to try and get one got the run around! I got mine from snap on, not cheap but built to last :huh:

good luck and let us know how you get on as we need all the V6's on the go to show these old men and their TDI's what a real engine is :unsure:

[seatkid]

good luck and let us know how you get on as we need all the V6's on the go to show these old men and their TDI's what a real engine is

 

Fredt, Forget Tdi's, PD's, V6's, in fact forget Shalaxies all together (they will be a distant memory in 2 or 3 years time)

 

Now, if you want a great engine, then the VAG 1.2 litre 3 cyl 64bhp petrol is a peach. The one in my Fabia :unsure: makes the Alhambra sound and feel like an old asthmatic clattery tractor with reumatoid arthritis....

[Richmond]

Exactly the symptoms I had with a duff coil pack, but my engine warning light was flashing almost all the time (I drove from Tignes to London), presumably because unburnt fuel was getting into the cat. Doesn't each plug have its own coil or something absurd like that ? Why? It's a miracle that they're ever all working at the same time.

[Guest fredt]

Only the later 24V VR6's have seperate coil packs, the early VR6 has either a distributor or a coil pack the early coil pack version being fitted in the Galaxy the dizzy type in the VW MK3 Golf

[Grandad]

Many thanks for the replies - it's good to know there are friends out there with a similar feeling for the V6 and with a common desire to pass on there experiences and to get good value for money from repairs etc.

 

Anyway, I made some enquiries about the cost of a new coil (

[Guest fredt]

A decent set of plugs and leads are essential on a VR6 you can pick these up from most good VW tuning shops at a lot cheaper than Fords! the main thing is that you need the correct tool to remove/replace the leads onto the plugs buried deep in the engine, each VR6 had one when it came from the factory clipped onto the bonnet stay, but most dont have them after the first owners passes them on :D the tool can be picked up from Snap ON, the Snap On tool is well made bit of kit, stainless steel but is rather dear! a cheaper option is from HAZET

also the Hazet tool is available through VW dealers :D tool part number T10029 dont take any crap when they say they wont sell you it just go to another dealers or kick up a fuss till they will :rolleyes:

there are a few good VR6 web sites and forums out there :D

so the knowledge base is fairly wide :D the same problems seem to occur throughout the range of vehicles no matter what the engine is stuck in! so somewhere someone has suffered the same problem at one time or another and can help solve it :D

[Grandad]

Picked up Gal tonight - wow what a difference - can now overtake milk floats with confidence! Seriously though, it is a transformation - new plugs and leads, that's all it was. And Ford's only charged me half the usual diagostic fee probably because I alerted them to the probable cause, courtesy of this web site. So, many thanks to all who replied and have made hits to this message. This forum is a great site!

[Richmond]

FWIW, I had a coil failure earlier this year. I drove a fair old distance (700 miles) like that, with the engine warning light flashing and occasionally coming on for a few seconds when pulling away from stationary. I was woried that the cat might have been damaged, but the car has just passed it's MOT with the emssions at a fraction of the permitted max (it appears not to burning anything at all, but the fuel consumption tells a diffferent story).