ive searched the forums and read a few things

i dont know the codes but the mac tools code reader my buddy has (he used to work on cars for a living mainly alfa and high end ones) said cyl 2 misfire, the check engine light is on the dash until the car is started, he said prob spark plugs

is it ok to drive it with that problem until i can figure out if i want to try to change out the stuff before paying someo0ne else to do it ?

if its not the plugs coils etc etc, whats the next logical thing to do?

so i guess im asking is it that big of a problem if i dont do anything right away?

174k on the car

 

You can drive with a CEL on, in fact most of us have a CEL on more often than not (guilty). If the CEL flashes, that means that you're actually misfiring right now, which is bad. You can still drive around like that if you absolutely have to, but i wouldn't recommend it.

As for fixing the problem, start with your plugs. How old are they? Whats the gap between the electrodes? If the plugs are in good shape, the next culprit would be your coilpacks. swap the coilpacks between Cyl2 and another one, and see if the misfire follows the coil pack. If so, thats your problem. Wouldn't be surprised, its a pretty common failure for B5's. I don't *think* 30v's have an ICM, but I could be wrong. Anyone care to chime in on that?

 

There's no external ICM on a 30v and unfortunately the packs can't be swapped around like those on a 1.8T - they're locked in on a bracket. You'd have to unplug the harness and make a breakout harness that moves the wire connections around, swap plug wires accordingly, and go from there. Troubleshooting a V6 misfire is tougher than on a 1.8T for that reason.

 

Damn. Thanks Jeremy! For some reason I thought they went to separate coil packs on the 30v. I should know better though since I used to have a 12v. Thanks for the input! Given the arrangement of the coil packs, can you replace them separately, or do all 6 have to be replaced at once?

 

It's got the same triple-double setup as the 12v where each of three coils drives two plugs. They're still bonded in place though so moving them isn't really a possibility - you'd have to make a breakout harness like I listed above. About the only real difference for 12v vs 30v is that on the 12v theres a harness that runs through a bunch of **** on the engine and makes it a pain to change (see Erik's DIY), whereas on the 30v that's integrated into the EFI harness and plugs right into the packs at the bracket.