Hey guys , I usually just read threads and try to learn but now I need a lot of help.
I have a 2004 1.8 turbo quattro.
I have not been able to drive the car since Thanksgiving.
The car was running sluggish that morning , and took a lot of pedal to move.
The check engine light came on as I drove home from work so I stopped at autozone , had the code read and got P0303.
I picked up a coil from them and NGK plug and changed both.
Car still would not turn over.
A few days later , after reading about autozone coils being bad quality , I returned it , thinking this was now the reason why my car is not running ,and got a new coil from the dealer. I also got more new plugs from autozone but they were 4 cheap autolites.I figured maybe all the plugs were bad.
Well the coil I had originally taken out didnt look bad and after changing ALL the spark plugs , thereby taking out every coil , I found a coil that looked horrible. After seeing how bad this coil was , I thought maybe I counted the cylinders wrong in reference to the code saying "misfire P0303". So , I put the new coil I got from Audi in the 3rd spot and put back all other coils and new plugs. Car still wont start. It's sounds like it's cranking a bit though.
It's been very cold the last 2 weeks here so I thought perhaps the battery is dead. I tried jumping it with my wifes car to no avail. Same sound. Same result.
Any ideas on what could be wrong? I dont know any decent , honest Audi shops around here and I dont want to get screwed.
I know it's about time to have my water pump & timing serviced
(I'm at about 103K ) and I was saving up to have this done. I just hope my engine is not ruined. When I pulled the coil out , it looked like there were black spots or burn marks.
I'm pretty worried and I havent driven my great car in a month. It finally snows here and I've been getting on the bus. If anyone has any ideas , please let me know.
Pics are of the coil and plug from what I NOW think are cylinder 3 , although I am not sure I am counting them right. Is it 1 from the hood with 4 being at the firewall or the opposite?
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

was your check engine light flashing? - thats an indication of a misfire..

Your car should still start even with a fouled cylinder.. from your photos it looks like your getting lot of oil in the cylinder.. there shouldn't be that much carbon on the tip and there also shouldn't be that much oil film.. there is just so many things that it could be..

have you pulled the rest of the plugs to see how they look?

 

Thank you for the response.
Yes. I changed all the plugs and although they were bad , none looked as bad as that particular one.
The "check engine" light came on and I believe it was flashing.

 

I would first run a compression check (you can rent the tool for free from AutoZone). That will tell you if there is anything mechanically wrong with the engine(ie gaskets, rings, holes in piston, even valve timing)

If that checks out you should check your fuel pump / pressure. If you sit in the drivers seat and open the door you should be able to key the ignition "on" and listen to the fuel pump prime for 2 seconds.. You can check the pressure by renting that tool from AutoZone too.. It screws onto your fuel rail, you key the ignition a few times and then go check the gauge.. It should be somewhere around 55-60 psi..

Let me know

 

Ok , I am going to check my local store shortly for the compression tool.
Thanks for the help.
I will post the info as soon as I get it.

 

hmm are you sure your battery is charged? just saying. either that or check your cam sensor for fraying wires.

 

hmm are you sure your battery is charged? just saying. either that or check your cam sensor for fraying wires.

 

The battery wouldn't cause it to be sluggish.. Him thinking it turns over is a little strange.. If I had to make a blind guess it would be fuel pressure related..

 

with that much oil, it looks like a leaky valve cover gasket to me. it probably fouled out the plug, or coated it enough to cause a misfire.

 

The pig trails that go to the coil themselves tends to dry rot and crack and sort out. So check your ignition fuses if it's not cranking. If you pull back the rubber boots on the pig tails you should be able to tell very quickly if the wire is bad.. it also has the same problem on the two injector wires.. but looks like you coils are bad for sure.. you can ohm them out.. I just replaced them all on mine runs like a dream.