Ignition Coil broken for 3rd time

cfreak · 01-07-2011, 09:57 PM

My car engine shakes and check engine light went on this evening when I started my car. The symptom is the same as when my ignition coil broke down. If it is ignition coil, this will be my 3rd coil. Do they normally that easy to break? They are different coil though.

I also noticed oil leak around engine screws and may be gasket. I also had my engine head gasket replaced less than 2 years ago -- now again?. I read on the net and it seems that leak can cause ignition coil problem.

Tomorrow, I will need to talk with the dealer. How should I address the problem so that they will look into the root cause?

roundle · 01-08-2011, 06:15 AM

How many miles?

Same coil three times, or different coils each time?

What prompted the last HG change? Was it due to cyl head swap?

cfreak · 01-08-2011, 10:29 AM

My car is at 65-66K mile. It's different coil every time (not sure which one yet this time). I am not sure if it due to the head swap. Last time, the coolant dried out and they found that it's leak. (not sure if this is what u mean by HC).

My car is still under CPO warranty.

EDIT: Head Gasket was replaced around 55K and first coil was replaced around 57K and second one at 62K.

BKV122 · 01-08-2011, 06:55 PM

Engine coils are normal to go do to normal wear.

e90pilot · 01-08-2011, 06:57 PM

If you get oil where the spark plug connects to the ignition coil that will kill the coils. I've had no issues with the coils but I did replace the valve cover gasket. I've got 150k on my car.

cfreak · 01-09-2011, 11:25 AM

Isn't it not right that I have to replace head gasket 2 times within 2 years within 15K-20K mile?

e90pilot · 01-09-2011, 01:14 PM

Head gasket?! That's not normal at all. The valve cover gasket is the one that get replaced, and even then it only get's replace once usually.

cfreak · 01-10-2011, 04:33 PM

That's what I thought also.

This seems to be the second time. The first time was coolant dry out so they replaced my head gasket. This time, I saw oil around the engine and at the bottom.

Very interestingly, I took my car to have oil change and they put the oil around 3/4. Two week ago I checked the oil level and it was down to 1/4 (1 level before min). 2 days before I had this problem, the computer shows max (4/4)....

PS: I called road side service when my car broke, though operators are good and helpful. The towing company was so rude like I've never experienced in my life. It was a terrible weekend for me.

Geemoney713 · 01-17-2011, 11:12 AM

I just had one ignition coil replaced last week after my car started shaking and making this awful sulfurous smell. The check engine light went on as well.

The dealership replaced an ignition coil and less than a week later the same thing happened when I started my car again. I called the dealership and they're claiming that it's likely a different ignition coil this time and that these things break based on mileage and timing. I find it VERY hard to believe that the ignition coils broke within 8 days of each other and both were due to 'timing' and 'mileage'.

Any suggestions?

cfreak · 01-18-2011, 05:11 PM

It wasn't my 3rd actually, it's 4th.

This time, they had to replace 2 of the coil.

This is 4th time in 2 years / 15k-20k miles.

My SA told me he has seen this thing went bad like domino.... BTW, I noticed, it happened on 2006 car Oo.

Chriztofor · 01-18-2011, 07:52 PM

^ Ok this is happening way too many times. I wonder if they are diagnosing the problem correctly. My car started rough every morning, I used techron fuel injector cleaner and no more rough idle start-up. That was over 9,000 miles ago. Try it, you have nothing to lose. Think about it, you don't change the expensive fuel filter, it gets clogged/dirty, injectors get dirty, car runs rough and throws codes for bad coils. Hey, you never know.

hypebeast · 01-19-2011, 03:09 PM

I had one ignition coil replaced about 6 months ago. The same problem happened to me about a month ago, rough idle, check engine light, etc. so I replaced all six and it's been running fine ever since. Bought the parts online and changed them out myself using a DIY I found in the forums.

FYI, I have a 06 325i with 51k.

F32Fleet · 01-20-2011, 07:10 AM

In the old days whenever a coil went out the dealership would replace all of them on the premise that the others were soon to follow.

Chriztofor · 01-20-2011, 02:44 PM

At 60k no coils so far, but if I do have to replace one, I am replacing them all.

Chriztofor · 01-20-2011, 02:46 PM

As a sidenote: On my e46 no coils replaced after 190,000 miles!!!!!!!!!

F32Fleet · 01-21-2011, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

As a sidenote: On my e46 no coils replaced after 190,000 miles!!!!!!!!!

All 6 of mine were replaced in 2004 (26k miles).

denniel · 02-17-2011, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfreak

Isn't it not right that I have to replace head gasket 2 times within 2 years within 15K-20K mile?

your car is e90 or e46

jsublime · 03-02-2011, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geemoney713

I just had one ignition coil replaced last week after my car started shaking and making this awful sulfurous smell. The check engine light went on as well.

Any suggestions?

Exact same symptoms here including the smell. Diagnosis - bad coil. Second one in last 12 months, car is a 2006 with 42K.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypebeast

I had one ignition coil replaced about 6 months ago. The same problem happened to me about a month ago, rough idle, check engine light, etc. so I replaced all six and it's been running fine ever since. Bought the parts online and changed them out myself using a DIY I found in the forums.

FYI, I have a 06 325i with 51k.

This might be something I need to do when my CPO expires in a few months, which site did you get the parts from? DIY very difficult?

Vamshi · 03-06-2011, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypebeast

I had one ignition coil replaced about 6 months ago. The same problem happened to me about a month ago, rough idle, check engine light, etc. so I replaced all six and it's been running fine ever since. Bought the parts online and changed them out myself using a DIY I found in the forums.

FYI, I have a 06 325i with 51k.

My situation is exactly like yours. One of the Ignition coil went (2006 325i with 57K) wrong around 6 months ago and got it replaced. Two days ago another one.

I went to the BMW dealer, they suggested replacing all the spark plugs and the ONE failing Ignition Coil. Bill $410. They wanted replace all spark plugs because they were looking bad.

I called another European shop and explained about the situation. The guy I talked to seemed very experienced and told me that if "one Ignition coil goes wrong it is MOST LIKELY that another one goes wrong pretty soon". And cost for labor remains approx. same. Towed the car to this shop on Saturday need to talk to him again.

It think it is right. But why the servicemen in BMW dealer suggested replacing JUST one and all the spark plugs??.

..who's right?? As you already know, Coils are not cheap.

Dracon · 03-06-2011, 04:33 PM

Coils aren't too terribly expensive and easy to replace yourself.

You can get a brand new set of coils from Tischer for about 250-300$ and replace them yourself in an hour, easy.

e90pilot · 03-06-2011, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vamshi

My situation is exactly like yours. One of the Ignition coil went (2006 325i with 57K) wrong around 6 months ago and got it replaced. Two days ago another one.

I went to the BMW dealer, they suggested replacing all the spark plugs and the ONE failing Ignition Coil. Bill $410. They wanted replace all spark plugs because they were looking bad.

I called another European shop and explained about the situation. The guy I talked to seemed very experienced and told me that if "one Ignition coil goes wrong it is MOST LIKELY that another one goes wrong pretty soon". And cost for labor remains approx. same. Towed the car to this shop on Saturday need to talk to him again.

It think it is right. But why the servicemen in BMW dealer suggested replacing JUST one and all the spark plugs??.

..who's right?? As you already know, Coils are not cheap.

The independent shop is right. You should replace all of the coils. It's a good idea to replace the spark plugs at your mileage. If you're taking the coils out anyway, it's easy to get to the plugs. The shop that changed my coils gave me a huge discount on the labor for the spark plugs.

gunner · 03-16-2011, 01:46 PM

I just got my car back. I took it to a local independent BMW shop. Very nice guys.

Ignition coil on the #2 cylinder. He said that it is a common problem and didn't recommend changing all of them. His words, "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

Cost was 40 bucks for the coil and 40 for the labor.

I may do the others myself. At least I know now what it feels like when this happens; One rough-ass engine idle and missing during acceleration.

01-07-2011, 09:57 PM	#1
cfreak New Member 5 Rep 24 Posts Drives: 325i 2006 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	Ignition Coil broken for 3rd time My car engine shakes and check engine light went on this evening when I started my car. The symptom is the same as when my ignition coil broke down. If it is ignition coil, this will be my 3rd coil. Do they normally that easy to break? They are different coil though. I also noticed oil leak around engine screws and may be gasket. I also had my engine head gasket replaced less than 2 years ago -- now again?. I read on the net and it seems that leak can cause ignition coil problem. Tomorrow, I will need to talk with the dealer. How should I address the problem so that they will look into the root cause?
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01-08-2011, 06:15 AM	#2
roundle EXPAT 65 Rep 889 Posts Drives: 18 VW GTI;18 CX9;11 E91 N52 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	How many miles? Same coil three times, or different coils each time? What prompted the last HG change? Was it due to cyl head swap? Last edited by roundle; 01-09-2011 at 06:57 AM..
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01-08-2011, 10:29 AM	#3
cfreak New Member 5 Rep 24 Posts Drives: 325i 2006 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	My car is at 65-66K mile. It's different coil every time (not sure which one yet this time). I am not sure if it due to the head swap. Last time, the coolant dried out and they found that it's leak. (not sure if this is what u mean by HC). My car is still under CPO warranty. EDIT: Head Gasket was replaced around 55K and first coil was replaced around 57K and second one at 62K. Last edited by cfreak; 01-08-2011 at 10:38 AM..
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01-08-2011, 06:55 PM	#4
BKV122 Major 47 Rep 1,160 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NY iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330xi [9.50]	Engine coils are normal to go do to normal wear. __________________ Monaco Blue 330xi - Terra Interior/6-MT/Sport/Premium/Cold/CSL's/M3 Spoiler Lip/Black Kidney's
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01-08-2011, 06:57 PM	#5
e90pilot Freight Dawg 104 Rep 2,103 Posts Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA iTrader: (3)	If you get oil where the spark plug connects to the ignition coil that will kill the coils. I've had no issues with the coils but I did replace the valve cover gasket. I've got 150k on my car. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Deiselboost caliper brackets \| E46 M3 front rotors
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01-09-2011, 11:25 AM	#6
cfreak New Member 5 Rep 24 Posts Drives: 325i 2006 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	Isn't it not right that I have to replace head gasket 2 times within 2 years within 15K-20K mile?
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01-09-2011, 01:14 PM	#7
e90pilot Freight Dawg 104 Rep 2,103 Posts Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA iTrader: (3)	Head gasket?! That's not normal at all. The valve cover gasket is the one that get replaced, and even then it only get's replace once usually. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Deiselboost caliper brackets \| E46 M3 front rotors
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01-10-2011, 04:33 PM	#8
cfreak New Member 5 Rep 24 Posts Drives: 325i 2006 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	That's what I thought also. This seems to be the second time. The first time was coolant dry out so they replaced my head gasket. This time, I saw oil around the engine and at the bottom. Very interestingly, I took my car to have oil change and they put the oil around 3/4. Two week ago I checked the oil level and it was down to 1/4 (1 level before min). 2 days before I had this problem, the computer shows max (4/4).... PS: I called road side service when my car broke, though operators are good and helpful. The towing company was so rude like I've never experienced in my life. It was a terrible weekend for me.
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01-17-2011, 11:12 AM	#9
Geemoney713 New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	I just had one ignition coil replaced last week after my car started shaking and making this awful sulfurous smell. The check engine light went on as well. The dealership replaced an ignition coil and less than a week later the same thing happened when I started my car again. I called the dealership and they're claiming that it's likely a different ignition coil this time and that these things break based on mileage and timing. I find it VERY hard to believe that the ignition coils broke within 8 days of each other and both were due to 'timing' and 'mileage'. Any suggestions?
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01-18-2011, 05:11 PM	#10
cfreak New Member 5 Rep 24 Posts Drives: 325i 2006 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	It wasn't my 3rd actually, it's 4th. This time, they had to replace 2 of the coil. This is 4th time in 2 years / 15k-20k miles. My SA told me he has seen this thing went bad like domino.... BTW, I noticed, it happened on 2006 car Oo.
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01-18-2011, 07:52 PM	#11
Chriztofor Colonel 103 Rep 2,783 Posts Drives: '06 325i and '13 X5 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Burbs iTrader: (1)	^ Ok this is happening way too many times. I wonder if they are diagnosing the problem correctly. My car started rough every morning, I used techron fuel injector cleaner and no more rough idle start-up. That was over 9,000 miles ago. Try it, you have nothing to lose. Think about it, you don't change the expensive fuel filter, it gets clogged/dirty, injectors get dirty, car runs rough and throws codes for bad coils. Hey, you never know. __________________ If no codes are being thrown use Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner (concentrate). It solves rpm fluctuating upon cold start-up. Also, for most BMW problems start off by scanning your car with the Peake Research Tool. It contains the actual BMW codes. If you want to register a newly installed battery for free (just buy a $10 cable) and google/download BMWLogger
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01-19-2011, 03:09 PM	#12
hypebeast New Member 0 Rep 7 Posts Drives: 06 325i Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (0)	I had one ignition coil replaced about 6 months ago. The same problem happened to me about a month ago, rough idle, check engine light, etc. so I replaced all six and it's been running fine ever since. Bought the parts online and changed them out myself using a DIY I found in the forums. FYI, I have a 06 325i with 51k.
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01-20-2011, 07:10 AM	#13
F32Fleet Lieutenant General 3575 Rep 10,355 Posts Drives: 2015 435i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southeastern US iTrader: (0)	In the old days whenever a coil went out the dealership would replace all of them on the premise that the others were soon to follow.
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01-20-2011, 02:44 PM	#14
Chriztofor Colonel 103 Rep 2,783 Posts Drives: '06 325i and '13 X5 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Burbs iTrader: (1)	At 60k no coils so far, but if I do have to replace one, I am replacing them all. __________________ If no codes are being thrown use Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner (concentrate). It solves rpm fluctuating upon cold start-up. Also, for most BMW problems start off by scanning your car with the Peake Research Tool. It contains the actual BMW codes. If you want to register a newly installed battery for free (just buy a $10 cable) and google/download BMWLogger
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01-20-2011, 02:46 PM	#15
Chriztofor Colonel 103 Rep 2,783 Posts Drives: '06 325i and '13 X5 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Burbs iTrader: (1)	As a sidenote: On my e46 no coils replaced after 190,000 miles!!!!!!!!! __________________ If no codes are being thrown use Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner (concentrate). It solves rpm fluctuating upon cold start-up. Also, for most BMW problems start off by scanning your car with the Peake Research Tool. It contains the actual BMW codes. If you want to register a newly installed battery for free (just buy a $10 cable) and google/download BMWLogger
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03-06-2011, 04:33 PM	#20
Dracon Major 555 Rep 1,244 Posts Drives: 2013 F10 M5 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Out and About iTrader: (34) Garage List 2013 BMW M5 [0.00]	Coils aren't too terribly expensive and easy to replace yourself. You can get a brand new set of coils from Tischer for about 250-300$ and replace them yourself in an hour, easy.
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03-16-2011, 01:46 PM	#22
gunner Private 10 Rep 65 Posts Drives: Black 2006 330i Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Louisville, KY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [9.00]	I just got my car back. I took it to a local independent BMW shop. Very nice guys. Ignition coil on the #2 cylinder. He said that it is a common problem and didn't recommend changing all of them. His words, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Cost was 40 bucks for the coil and 40 for the labor. I may do the others myself. At least I know now what it feels like when this happens; One rough-ass engine idle and missing during acceleration. __________________ Scott
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