replacing 07 coil packs

[dtgrosse]

Ive been doing a lot of research here and have learned a lot from you guys. I am thinking i need to replace at least one coil pack. but i'm getting lots of conflicting info about doing that. some folks tell me that each pack has to go on specific cylinder and others (including the dealer) say that even if the coil packs are numbered it doesn't matter which pack goes with which cylinder.

i changed my plugs about 2k mi ago when i first had this stuttering problem. I didn't have any idea that the coil packs could possibly need to go back on a particular cylinder and the car was almost worse. after swapping the packs around i finally was able to get the car running very strong and very smooth for about a month. now the stuttering is worse. two of the packs have discoloring on the inside of them, so i figured i would at least replace those two, but again am unsure about if they need to go on particular cylinders. im at about 125k and its a 2007 base model.

[Texas Coyote]

There was a guy in the Philippines that cleaned the burn looking stuff out of his coils when they gave him problems and they worked fine afterward.. It is a buildup of carbon that forms when there isn't a tight connection and arcing occurs... In the old days of ignition points carbon would form and could be cleaned of with with fine wet/dry sandpaper... I would try to clean that stuff off first and see if it works for you... If you do and have good results, please post about it so we will know.

[Subie]

Originally Posted by Texas Coyote

In the old days of ignition points carbon would form and could be cleaned of with with fine wet/dry sandpaper... I would try to clean that stuff off first and see if it works for you... If you do and have good results, please post about it so we will know.

So true TC... contact points and distributor caps... No ECU codes just sand paper magic! Yes please let us know...

[JCrimson]

heres what I know,

Your engine harness has a specific plug order, not the coil pack. this goes for coil pack plugs and fuel injector plugs also.

I have a complete L15A engine for sale. I would probably be willing to sell you the whole set of coil packs cheaper than what you can get them for new. i would even label them with tape with numbers on the tape and take pics for you if want to make 100% sure they are correct. PM me if you are interested.

[koolkevin1107]

Originally Posted by dtgrosse

Ive been doing a lot of research here and have learned a lot from you guys. I am thinking i need to replace at least one coil pack. but i'm getting lots of conflicting info about doing that. some folks tell me that each pack has to go on specific cylinder and others (including the dealer) say that even if the coil packs are numbered it doesn't matter which pack goes with which cylinder.

i changed my plugs about 2k mi ago when i first had this stuttering problem. I didn't have any idea that the coil packs could possibly need to go back on a particular cylinder and the car was almost worse. after swapping the packs around i finally was able to get the car running very strong and very smooth for about a month. now the stuttering is worse. two of the packs have discoloring on the inside of them, so i figured i would at least replace those two, but again am unsure about if they need to go on particular cylinders. im at about 125k and its a 2007 base model.

Replace the bad coils that have discolored.

I have 130k and mine is a 2007... so far i've replaced 2 FULL sets of coils (yes that means 8 of them) this is my 3rd full set.

After ordering it this last time, I noticed that the coil plugs now have a black base rather then a red base. Maybe they upgraded the design, but my car is now 100% again.

Replace the red faded ones and ur car will be back to normal. There is NO order in the coil packs, they are all identical and you can switch them around as you please. Just don't switch around the wiring harness that they plug into (you couldn't do this anyways since the stock harness will not reach the other cylinders)

[dtgrosse]

ok so i ordered two coil packs from beck arnley - and btw this is all new to me so hopefully i didnt buy shit products - and got them in the mail today.

the oem packs were numbered 1,1; 1,2; 1,3; etc. these have a blue, not red, base and are numbered 2,1; 2,2 etc.

I swapped one of them and it didnt do jack. i was afraid to swap both since i was still unsure of the numbers and if they meant anything at all. dealer says they dont, and you guys so far have said they dont, but why the hell are they even there then?

when i replaced my plugs initially i didnt keep the packs in any order, just threw them back on at random. car still stuttered. so i moved them around and presto stuttering was gone for a month or so. so thats why thiswhoel numbering thing has me so confused. i'll try swapping both packs and see what happens

[dtgrosse]

ok so pulled them all out and found the nastiest looking one and replaced it. no more stuttering! then i moved all the packs around just to see if it made a difference - nope. and just to be sure, i pulled out the replacement pack and put the old one back in its place and sure enough the stuttering was back again. need to have the engine light reset to be sure, but hopefully problem is solved! thanks again guys, i'd be out several hundred bucks if it weren't for all your help

[JCrimson]

Originally Posted by dtgrosse

ok so pulled them all out and found the nastiest looking one and replaced it. no more stuttering! then i moved all the packs around just to see if it made a difference - nope. and just to be sure, i pulled out the replacement pack and put the old one back in its place and sure enough the stuttering was back again. need to have the engine light reset to be sure, but hopefully problem is solved! thanks again guys, i'd be out several hundred bucks if it weren't for all your help

hell yeah!

glad you actually followed up with your solution. I F N hate it when I FiNALLY find someone with the same problem I have and then they just QUIT posting.

+rep to you sir. GG

[Subie]

Thanks for the update dt!!!

[Fits-Tight]

Anyone know if there are any upgrades available for the coil packs ie: aftermarket setups? Or would there even be a beneFIT from this mod?

[Texas Coyote]

Originally Posted by Fits-Tight

Anyone know if there are any upgrades available for the coil packs ie: aftermarket setups? Or would there even be a beneFIT from this mod?

HKS make an ignition booster that ignites numerous times with greater intensity for about 6 degrees of crank rotation during the power stroke while the combustion is happening...It is a good thing for ultra high compression ratio engines or ones with boost and water/methanol injection.. I have a Mallory HY Fire box on a 97 GMC Safari cargo van and found that I got better fuel mileage , faster starts and more low end torque.... It was equipped with 4 speed automatic transmission and it didn't down shift as often on hills or gently accelerating, I had one on a Harley also. ..... It wasn't near as costly as the HKS.... It is just one more thing on my list of thing that will be going onto my car after I get the W/M injection kit installed and sorted out.... When I find a nice clean older Cadillac STS I can afford, is when I will be getting more serious about squeezing much power and speed from my Fit....I have a lot of stuff that will be going on to it that seem seems to keep growing... When I bought the car I had no idea i would let myself get so out of control.+++

[codenamezero]

I read it somewhere that I could just replace the rod part of the coil pack, is that true? If yes, could someone point me to the right thread?

[blknblurx7]

I think that is the boot but rock auto sells the whole coil pack for the same price most everywhere else sells the boot

[codenamezero]

yea? but I'm trying to avoid replacing the whole thing... I inspected the coil pack but not sure how to disconnect it... at the very least I want to take it apart and clean the corrosion or just inspect it.

[azzaj]

Hey guys, here is what worked for me.

needed things:
10mm socket and ratchet
co contact cleaner
caig de-oxit
dielectric grease
wife with small hands to get the bolts back in.

I took the advice of one of the previous posters in another thread and cleaned, lubed and greased my coil packs. All good sofar.

Number 4 (???) (closet to transmission side) was brown instead of pink/discoloured red around the boot and i thought i was up for at least a replacement but after squirting in plenty of co cleaner, then swabbing some caig deoxit and packing in some dielelectric grease to all the coils the car runs smoother than i've had in the month that ive owned it. The packs were quite dry so must have been arcing badly.

Hope this helps anyone looking for a cheap fix, as far as i can tell you cannot buy aftermarket coilpacks in new zealand.

[codenamezero]

Is there any other DeoxIT alternative? They don't sell it here in Canada.

[azzaj]

Originally Posted by codenamezero

Is there any other DeoxIT alternative? They don't sell it here in Canada.

You could order it from amazon perhaps.

deoxit is prety much an oily contact preservative that supposedly stops oxidization from forming between electrical connections.

This looks like it might do the same thing and apparently can be bought in many places in canada Contact Cleaner Pen A quick google search shows people swearing by it.

I've only used caig before tho so cna only recommend it.

Hope this helps.

[Jeff Pirkey]

Don't waste time and money on this. I got 4 new packs from N.A.P.A. for less than $200.00 and the motor has been running great for over a year. The number thing is bogus.

[Xcentrick]

I will start by stating that intermittent electrical failures on a vehicle are one the most difficult problems to pin down, even if you run it up on a dyno and thru the computer. The CEL may or may not exactly pin point the issue and in many cases don’t.
Here’s my experience with the “stuttering” problem. At 117K miles my car started stuttering immediately after filling up at my regular gas station. I immediately went to the parts house and purchased a Lucas gas additive. I ran about 100 miles but with no improvement. Then, after reading all the blogs on this site, I saw that the majority of solutions seemed to be coil(s) replacement. From that, I purchased a new coil from the dealer.
I started by changing out the #1 coil, the ran the car but got no improvement. Then I changed coils #2 and then #3 with the same new coil I had purchased, still no improvement. Before I changed out the #4 coil, I pulled the 1st three original coils and carefully removed both seals in all of them. I applied a very thin coating of dielectric grease inside the top seal housing, on the entire outer post and on the 1st inside 1/4 “ of the end that goes on the plug but NOT on the metal cap that fits over the top of the plug. Then, I put the new coil into #4 and went out for a test drive, under load. The car ran perfectly! So, to prove coil #4 was defective, I put the old #4 coil back in and took the car out again. Surprisingly, the car ran perfectly now even with all the original coils back in the car. I even ran it up near the red line in the lower gears on the road and it ran flawlessly. So, either the original coils(s) defect has corrected or it has intermittent failure which may reveal itself again or by applying the dielectric grease to #1 - #3, I have fixed the defect which was in one of coils #1- #3. My guess is the dielectric grease fixed the problem. Why? Because when spark increases it seeks the path of least resistance. If the original dielectric grease n the spark post (if any) has degraded, the spark will bypass and ground out to the block, usually intermittent or under load. This was so true of the high performance cars of the 70’s and early 80’s. So, I would recommend before investing in new coils, at least try the dielectric grease on the old coils, run them up and see what happens. Permatex 67 VR dielectric grease is just one of many.
Back to the new coil…. I noticed a difference in the physical characteristics of the new one. It has what appears to be a small vent hole in the housing which protrudes out slightly. Looking at the brand name they are the same, Hitachi. The 1st set of numbers are the same, CM11-110. However, the 2nd row of numbers are entirely different, 6802C on the old coil, 11823F on the new coil. I am going to try and find out what these mean. If Hitachi has put an engineering change into the new coil when they knew the original one was defective, this is a problem they should have revealed.
These original coil misfirings can cause serious injury, even death, to drivers who are depending on them to move the car forward, especially in critical instances, i.e. passing on a two lane road into on-coming traffic.
I will keep you updated on what my findings are as they occur.
Finally, if you need help finding/pulling out the coils, PM and leave me your name and phone #. I’ll RSVP.