Hi, I just joined this forum because there seems to be a wealth of knowledge in an area which I have completely no understanding of. So here is my dilemma:

My car's "Service Engine Soon" light turned on and started blinking about 2 days ago. I noticed that it was sputtering as I drove. Not making noise, but it felt as if the car were running out of fuel even though it had a half tank remaining. When I drive on the freeway it feels as if I'm driving on a bumpy road even though it is a smooth surface.

I took it to a mechanic and he connected his computer and it gave out some readings. The codes said that Cylinder 1 and 6 were misfiring. So what he told me I needed to do were get new ignition coils, and while I was at it he recommended I also change the spark plugs and spark plug cables.

My question is which ignition coil do I need to get? I've searched all over the internet and found several different types for my car but don't know which one I need for my situation. Do I need two or are Cylinder 1 and 6 paired off? I know practically nothing of cars so if anyone could please post a link with a picture of what I should be looking to get I would greatly appreciate it.

He's charging $250 to change the ignition coil. I'm guessing its excessive. What would be reasonable?

I have a 2002 Land Rover Discovery with around 77K miles.


Thank you.

 

Yes 1 and 6 are on the same coil, $250 to change the coil pack out is a great deal (if it includes the part) as a coil costs around $100 and the plenum needs to come off. Otherwise it is about average for a 3-4 hour job. Have him do the wire and plugs. You buy the wires either magnacor 8mm (from apex performance), kingsborne (from their website), or 8mm or STI 8mm (from BP Utah). Any plugs will do, NGK single plats being your best bang for buck IMO.

 

It does not include the part.

He is charging:
$250 just for labor in changing the coil
$30 for switching out the spark plugs and spark plug cables

I'm searching for parts on my own. He's probably going to call me today with prices for parts, if I can't find any cheaper then I'll probably just get them from him.

So is this good?

Spark Plugs (second ones on the list):
http://www.landrparts.com/catalog/?N...bmit_search=Go

Which Ignition Coil?:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...er=416289_0_0_

http://www.landrparts.com/catalog/?N...bmit_search=Go

 

Do your self a favor and go buy your self a good set of 8mm plug wires like STI or Magnacor and some new plugs. At your mileage, I'll bet you have never tuned your engine and there is a real good possibility that that is all that is wrong.
By the way, make sure you always use 91 plus octane.

 

Okay, So I'm going to go ahead and buy the Magnecor 8mm spark plug wires. Are these the blue ones that everyone recommends:

http://www.apexperformance.net/CartGenie/prod-1155.htm

so for $89.50 I get the whole set with 8 cables, correct?


And these are the spark plugs I have heard are very popular amongst Discovery II owners:

Bosch-Platinum+4/Spark Plug

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...9323_107457_0_


I have another question. Is there any way for a mechanic to know if the fault of the misfire is definitively the ignition coil and not the spark plug wire or spark plug without removing the Intake Manifold?

The mechanic I took my car to connected some cables with a clear plastic that allowed me to see the sparks of each of the engine's cylinders. Most of the sparks were bright, but 1 & 6 were very weak. Could this indicate a simple problem with the cables or plugs or does it point towards faulty ignition coil?

 

Yes, you could throw a P0350 to P0362 fault code, specific for coil or with a good scanner that can actually read each coils output.

 

FWIW, many have had very good experiences with the Kingsbourne 8mm spark plug wires. You might want to check them out before spending a lot more $$$ for Magnecore wires...

http://www.kingsbornewires.com/produ...&categoryId=38

I've installed a set and they're great so far...

 

X2 with the Kingsbourne wires, great wires and great price I installed a set on my 96 D1, no issues ever.

 

What about the coil pack? Any specific recommendations for that? I was thinking of ordering one of these:

Huco Ignition Coil

http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200...tion_coil.html

Would that do the trick or is there something more reliable but no too insanely expensive?



**I've also decided to buy the spark plugs locally. I'm going with NGK Platinum plugs from Autozone.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...Z8gctdZ1z110ps