Hi guys just driven home from work and my car (2.4 abarth) displayed this warning ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE.Now it drives like a bag of spanners almost like its running on 4 cylinders so i suspect a coil may have gone down.Ok how do i proceed from here please car parked up at mo.The coils i have say bosch on em so i assume that be the thing im looking at.Not much of a car expert but looks easy enough too replace.Oh also how do i determine which one it is as there is 5.All help greatly apprciated.Car has done 26k and i have noticed it sometimes kangaroos a bit when cold so this could point to it being a coil.

Re: urgent help req

There are quite many topics regarding the coils. Try the search funciton.

You can remove one lead from one coil at a time while engine is running. No high voltage before the coils. If the engine changes behavior, you can rule out that one. If nothing happens at coil no.4 (as an example) this is the worn out one.

Morten.

Re: urgent help req

Also there will be a distinct smell of bakelite/plastic from the one that duff so if you want you can take them out one by one and have a good sniff at them Take off your engine cover ..disconect the conections to the coils {ONE AT A TIME] and undo the 10mm bolt holding on the coil and pull out a coil {ONE AT A TIME} that way you wont get any cables on the wrong connections

Re: urgent help req

Ok update:Went outside and took off in turn starting from the left the connector to each coil.Each time the revs dropped and then picked up when i replaced them.Please note i didn't take the coils out.S hould i have too do that or will just taking off connector be enough.Also didn't noticed any funny smells of bakerlite either.I await more instruction.

Re: urgent help req

Looks as though you have ruled them out then Lee

Re: urgent help req

lee gagg said:

Ok update:Went outside and took off in turn starting from the left the connector to each coil.Each time the revs dropped and then picked up when i replaced them.Please note i didn't take the coils out.S hould i have too do that or will just taking off connector be enough.Also didn't noticed any funny smells of bakerlite either.I await more instruction.

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Don't be takin the coils off with the engine running! You'll get yer conkers blown off.

From the sounds of it you did the test correctly.

Re: urgent help req

Latest update.Right guys as i speak my car is presently sitting in W.A.D (Wolverhampton Alfa Dealers) garage awaiting a diagnostic check tomorrow at a cost of £45 plus vat.

He said to me as i dropped it off that if the fault is found too be summat simple there will be no extra cost incured but he cannot say til check done.

Some of the alfa lads were well impressed with the car said you don't see many about.They got all the kit for doing the job and he tells me he got the ECU software update as well so i might ask him how much too do that if cost of repair not too high.I will post further news tomorrow night.Oh ps he said taking off the coils leads will also show as a fault on the check but he said at least we know too rule that one out.I got all my fingers and toes crossed.

Re: urgent help req

Thread name changed to something a little more appropriate.

Let us know the result!

Hiya chaps.Well went too work this morning and at 9.30ish had call off garage.Guess what it was THE COIL no 4 too be exact.Got Bosch coils on mine.I knew it was a flaming coil but i did the test but nothing showed up but as the mechanic said it only failed broke down at higher revs and not when just ticking over which i must say i did notice that too.Anyway reults of my bill are as follows £45 for hook up to computer.£39 for coil from Fiat but i did ask which make he put on but he said it was just from Fiat genuine dealer so i will have a look at that and check.£21 for 1/2 hour labour for fitting which i thought was a bit of a con.I going away at weekend and with me being at work 7.30 til 5 leaves me kinda knackered too sort it myself really.So all in all i got my car back but it cost £123 for 1 coil but hey thats life.He did say they are prone for maybe more than 1 going well next time that happens i think i will do it myself.Cheers for help.Lee.