# Uhoh, Dead Coil Pack?



## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

I think a coil pack died in my car this morning. I started it this morning and it was clearly running on less than 6 cylinders. Drove about a half a block and the SES light came on. I returned home, turned the car off, then restarted and it had the same symptoms (less SES light). It's off to the stealer Monday morning, ugh.  

Well, maybe they'll replace all 6.


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## Terry Kennedy (Sep 21, 2002)

SteveM said:


> I think a coil pack died in my car this morning. I started it this morning and it was clearly running on less than 6 cylinders. Drove about a half a block and the SES light came on. I returned home, turned the car off, then restarted and it had the same symptoms (less SES light). It's off to the stealer Monday morning, ugh.
> 
> Well, maybe they'll replace all 6.


Happened to me the other day (09/2002 build date) and I rolled into the nearest dealer w/o an appointment and they had all 6 changed in less than an hour.


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## joebry (Aug 21, 2004)

*My 2003 525i got*

My 2003 525i had to be towed in this morning and the BMW service manager called and said they replaced all 6 ignition coils. Kinda ticks me off cause I had to cancel an out-of-town trip, but the BMW person was nice as he could be under the circumstances.


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## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

It must be the season for coil pack failures. I made an appointment for Mon AM, hopefully I'll get a BMW loaner and not a rental.


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## drmwvr (Feb 21, 2003)

SteveM said:


> I think a coil pack died in my car this morning. I started it this morning and it was clearly running on less than 6 cylinders. Drove about a half a block and the SES light came on. I returned home, turned the car off, then restarted and it had the same symptoms (less SES light). It's off to the stealer Monday morning, ugh.
> 
> Well, maybe they'll replace all 6.


This happened to me on Wed. Same experience. I had Roadside tow my car in and the dealer replaced all 6 coil packs. Was there a weather change right before your coil pack died? Mine died on the first morning the temperature was in the 30's :dunno: Up until then, the temperature has been in the 60's to 70's in the morning. Also, I thought I heard a loud "pop" sound at start up :dunno:


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## drmwvr (Feb 21, 2003)

Terry Kennedy said:


> Happened to me the other day (09/2002 build date) and I rolled into the nearest dealer w/o an appointment and they had all 6 changed in less than an hour.


09/2002 build date here as well.... 

Is your car a SA car?

:eeps:


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## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

drmwvr said:


> This happened to me on Wed. Same experience. I had Roadside tow my car in and the dealer replaced all 6 coil packs. Was there a weather change right before your coil pack died? Mine died on the first morning the temperature was in the 30's :dunno: Up until then, the temperature has been in the 60's to 70's in the morning. Also, I thought I heard a loud "pop" sound at start up :dunno:


No rapid temperature changes, no pop. Just started it yesterday morning and rough idle.

It had been hunting around at idle occasionally, so I think at least one of them had gone intermittent.

I wonder if it's OK to drive it the 20 miles or so to the dealer on 5 cylinders?


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

SteveM said:


> No rapid temperature changes, no pop. Just started it yesterday morning and rough idle.
> 
> It had been hunting around at idle occasionally, so I think at least one of them had gone intermittent.
> 
> I wonder if it's OK to drive it the 20 miles or so to the dealer on 5 cylinders?


If you wanna add spark plugs to the bill sure!


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## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

misterlance said:


> If you wanna add spark plugs to the bill sure!


 

It's warranty work, I won't be paying (thankfully)!


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## drmwvr (Feb 21, 2003)

SteveM said:


> No rapid temperature changes, no pop. Just started it yesterday morning and rough idle.
> 
> It had been hunting around at idle occasionally, so I think at least one of them had gone intermittent.
> 
> I wonder if it's OK to drive it the 20 miles or so to the dealer on 5 cylinders?


I would call Roadside assistance have them haul your car to the dealership of your choice, it's free and you won't run the risk of damaging something else or stalling on a busy street.

Good luck!


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## London Talking (Mar 1, 2003)

Search this forum, there is a batch of ignition coils from a certain date that are a 'bad batch'. My car had ignition coils from the 'bad batch', and my dealer replaced them all (after two coils went).


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## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

drmwvr said:


> I would call Roadside assistance have them haul your car to the dealership of your choice, it's free and you won't run the risk of damaging something else or stalling on a busy street.
> 
> Good luck!


I had come to that very same conclusion; thanks for the advice.


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## Terry Kennedy (Sep 21, 2002)

drmwvr said:


> 09/2002 build date here as well....
> 
> Is your car a SA car? :eeps:


Nope, Regensburg (sp?). My car normally stays in my garage at night, but I'm at Amanda's and it is out in the open. The coil failure was after a full night sitting on the first 20-degree night (it is 9 degrees here now).


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## Mark_325i (May 1, 2003)

I had the same thing today. Drove to work this morning in the cold and everything was fine. Went out later and started it up and SES light came on and motor bucked and stumbled. Called dealer and tech came on and said that I could either have it towed or drive it in (I was 15 minutes away). When I got there they already had the work order written and a loaner warmed up. SA said that they would replace all 6 coils. Should have it back tomorrow.


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## drmwvr (Feb 21, 2003)

Mark_325i said:


> I had the same thing today. Drove to work this morning in the cold and everything was fine. Went out later and started it up and SES light came on and motor bucked and stumbled. Called dealer and tech came on and said that I could either have it towed or drive it in (I was 15 minutes away). When I got there they already had the work order written and a loaner warmed up. SA said that they would replace all 6 coils. Should have it back tomorrow.


What is your car's build date?


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## Mark_325i (May 1, 2003)

> What is your car's build date?


How can I find that out -- without having the car here? Can I run the VIN thru something?


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## Daver (May 13, 2002)

My 2001 Z3 Coupe (3.0) suffered the same problem. From my observations and investigations, often it's just a bad mechanical/electrical connection between the coil and the plug... or perhaps between the cable and the coil.

After asking around, I suggested this to the dealer (the car had been there a few times to try and diagnose/reproduce the issue). They reseated all the connections and the car has been trouble-free since. It had about 8 episodes in the first 6 months, and none at all in over two years since then.

Mine didn't appear to be weather/temp related, but I could see how that could be a factor for some. For me, it always occurred when running the engine at rpms at/above 3500 for several minutes at a time... like descending a long hill. I suspect this was a vibration issue.

In my case and most others that I've read of, reseating solved the problem... but I know others have had outright failures requiring complete replacement of one or more coil-packs. Some people have suggested that the bad connection leads to the coil-pack failing (it's been a while now, so I don't recall their reasoning)

All-in-all ... the first time you encounter the engine going into "limp" mode, it's downright scary, and in my opinion it can be a safety issue due to the engine being severely de-powered (depending on the circumstances). When I suggested this being a safety issue to the dealer, they seemed a lot more interested in helping me get it resolved.


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## drmwvr (Feb 21, 2003)

Mark_325i said:


> How can I find that out -- without having the car here? Can I run the VIN thru something?


I don't think you can without your car; the build date is on the sticker located in your driver's side door jamb. Let us know when you get your car back.

Good luck!


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## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

Dropped mine off at the dealer this morning, they replaced all 6 coils and had the car ready by 2 PM. Mine was built in April of 2003. I don't think it was in limp mode because it was definitely running on less than 6 cylinders with a noticeable vibrtion when the missing power pulses hit. Now, it runs smoother than before the failure.

I had the joy of driving a rental Pontiac Sunfire from the dealer to work and back. Somehow, Pontiac managed to even screw up the manual mirror control - it works opposite to what you would expect from a mechanical linkage.

Driving that pig makes you appreciate how well executed the E46 really is.


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## Mark_325i (May 1, 2003)

> I don't think you can without your car; the build date is on the sticker located in your driver's side door jamb. Let us know when you get your car back.


Build date for my e46 is 1/10/2003.

I dropped the car off at 3pm, took the loaner back to the office and was called and told it was ready at 4:30. I probably should have just waited for it, but the SA was not sure at the time if it would be taken care of the same day.

One coilpack failed and all six were replaced. Don't know what brand the old ones were and what the new ones are.


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