Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Thank you Youtube. Car Fixed.

I was up half the night watching car repair videos on Youtube.

This morning I was at it early.  I removed the heat cover, which is just four bolts.

And there were the coil packs right there, easy to access, with the spark plug wires attached.  Because it was so dirty, and I might be a little bit of a clean freak, while still in my pj's, with Mad Max supervising from his garage cage, I cleaned up the top of the head.

The Four Coil Packs with wires, but too dirty for my liking.

Cleaned up, with a couple of the wires off.
According to youtube videos, I just needed to start the car, and pull off the wires to see if the engine sound changed.  If I pulled off a wire, and it didn't change, that coil pack would be bad.  So I did, and I found the bad coil pack.

The video clip is a demonstration.  I pull one wire off and immediately the engine speed drops.  Then I pull off the suspected bad coil pack wire, no change.

Further Youtube videos had advised to switch the suspected bad coil pack then to another cylinder, hook up the wires and repeat the test.  If the problem then switched to that cylinder, when I pulled off the wire (no change in engine sound), then it would be indeed that the coil pack was bad, and not the wire harness or spark plug.  The problem did follow the coil pack to the new cylinder.

My friend came over from Corvallis then.  First we drove Mad Max home.  Then we got a new coil pack at Napa for $64.  Took about two minutes to put it in.  Engine is running again on all four, sounds good, drives good.

Yay.  And am I ever grateful for the DIY'ers on Youtube.  My heroes!

Bad coil pack

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8 comments:

  1. Live and Learn2:05 PM

    Hooray! I'm so happy that you were able to fix your car. You are one talented person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Strayer3:01 PM

      I'm exceedingly relieved, L and L. Thanks.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous5:53 PM

    That's terrific. It is only a few hours since I read of your car trouble and I was loathe to comment because I didn't know what a coil pack is and I still don't know exactly. I'll check. Ok, replaces the distributor on modern cars. No wonder I didn't know. So no more filing distributor points or putting a smear of grease on the cam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Strayer6:02 PM

      I didn't know either, Andrew. I remember the distributor caps and points, and the problems they would cause. I guess these coil packs boost battery voltage really high for the spark.

      Delete
  3. Elephant's Child9:40 PM

    Yay you. I am so very impressed - and glad for you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Odd Essay5:28 AM

    I'm impressed! Don't know if I'd have the nerve to dismantle my car... Way to Go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Strayer6:38 AM

      Well, it wouldn't run anyway, very far, on three cylinders, without the violent vibrations and bucking. Nothing to lose.

      Delete

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