rough running... help!

[geo7087 11]

Basically my VR has been running really quite badly previously, firstly it was on and off, now it seems to be constant, symptoms are as follows

1 - Rough idle, exhaust will sound like its missing even whilst driving

2 - Backfiring of exhaust on downchanges and on non acceleration

3 - Drinking fuel

4 - Noticable loss of power

5 - Will sometimes try and stall when in neutral and clutch in

I believed it to be the coilpack so replaced today with a brand new patent part, however the issue is still there, have checked my leads, have recently changed to iridium NGK plugs but these seemed to be running the car fine for a good few weeks.

Any ideas what else i can check or what else may be causing this? its doing my head in as im off work for a week with family away and now i have no transport lol

[VR6Nat 9]

try running it without the maf, if it runs ok then clean it using some contact cleaner and try that, if that doesnt work you may need to replace it.

If it runs rough without the maf plugged in it could be the lambda sensor on the exhaust may need replacing.

Is your car OBD 1 or 2??

[geo7087 11]

cars OBD2, also to note the fan has suddenly started coming on for ages and then eventually turning off, even if its only briefly started

[VR6Nat 9]

ok cool, that rules out the isv as obd2 dont have them... so yeah, check the maf, then the lambda, if its not them then wang it on vag com :)

[geo7087 11]

tried without the Maf and its worse lol, however just unplugged each lead from the coilpack one by one whilst running

all of them spark and change the idle pattern except lead 6, does not appear to spark nor does the idle change? does this mean anything

[VR6Nat 9]

yeah means lead 6 is buggered or the plug... check the gap on the plug is the same as the others... might have found your problem right there

[geo7087 11]

hmm ill try checking the lead and the plug, i bought NGK iridiums through fleabay listed for the VR and assumed they were pre-gapped so i guess that could be my issue.

Ill have a look see! thanks for your help

[VR6Nat 9]

no worries, let us know how you get on

[baz8328 0]

i have a similar problem so im trying the coilpack 1st

How do you check the leads ??

[geo7087 11]

well the saga continues....

The lead for 6 was fine, so checked the plug, plug was coated in oil? don't know what this means? anyway fitted a new plug and still had same issues.

So just out of curiosity tried the old cracked coilpack, and it runs much better, theres still the odd backfire and it idles slightly lower than it should but its drivable at the moment at least

so its going on dignostic asap to see if anything else could be linked... ive also still got the fan issue doing my head in too

[VR6Nat 9]

oil on your plug could be a few things...

not done up correctly

worn gasket

worn piston rings

or valve seals

i think thats the options... try cleaning it up and the plug and running it again, it may not have been done up right first time and that is left over oil, it may not be new...

[VR6Nat 9]

is it running hot?

may be the temp sensor needs replacing... gsf do them for under a tenna i think.

[Rsjvr6 1]

Hi

I seem to have the same problem. My car idles rough as well and also the exhaust backfires on a downchange. I will need a new exhaust soon.

The MAF and coil pack. Where are they located and this is a DIY job for a person like me who is not mechanically minded at all...

The car was fully serviced 3000 miles ago, plugs, ht leads, oil, filter and fuel filter...

[VR6Nat 9]

the maf is the plug on the large air intake pipe to the back of the airbox... just unplug it and see how it runs, you can clean it with contact cleaner but be careful!! its delicate!

The coil pack is on the right of the block as you look at it, where all the ht leads feed into... if removing the leads to check the plugs be sure to use the tool and not to yank on the lead itself or it WILL break.

there are 'how to' guides on all these issues under the 'members area' tab then 'knowledge vault'

[Rsjvr6 1]

Thanks Nat

Is it safe to drive the car witout the MAF. If im correct the Maf is like a small adaptor type plug isnt it? If thats the one I will un plug and drive home if thats recommended.

If it is the MAF how will the car run better without it being plugged in?

[Rsjvr6 1]

i also have the same issue with the fan. Its on for a good 10 minutes even after a short drive.

[geo7087 11]

dont know about the temp sensor, ill give the old plug a go0 again after a clean up as the new plug is slightly different.

hopefully diagnostioc will bring up some ideas as to the problems... grrr lol

[CALICO 130]

if you unplug the maf with the engine running and the engine tone dosnt change then the maf will need cleaning or replacing

[ashmk3 0]

Thought the maf made no difference unplugged on idle on the obd2 cars? It's just what I have read off of various Internet pages. Another thing is, is the chain tight between the two sprokets? If not then it may cause running issues mainly due to the timing being out of phase.

[geo7087 11]

Maf made a big difference on mine unplugged so eliminates that

still have a slight tap, almost sounds like low oil tap and very minimal misfire, but im wondering if this is the original coilpack slightly playing up

[Rsjvr6 1]

unplugged the MAF yesterday and drove home from work which is 5 miles, the car ran fine and had some pull, so cleaned it with WD40 and pluged it in this morning - so far no problems -

THANKS GUYS.....

[VR6Nat 9]

no problems, glad you got it sorted :)

[Rsjvr6 1]

now for the rest of the work to begin - i reckon its going to cost me around 2k to get the car sorted.

Respray

Coilovers

Schimmel cams and a remap

Exhaust

OUCH!!!! LOL

[kebster 0]

I had similar problems with mine . Its a 97 obd2 and after i parked it up over winter it had developed a misfire and was quite lumpy. Also it was popping when i tried to accelerate. Chris (big jobbo) plugged it in for me and it came up with fuel relay fault but also he checked my coil pack and it was like a fire work show so i mooched on the net how to repair a coil pack (pikey i know but hey) and i found some one had cleaned theirs up and covered it in high temp silicone so i tried that and found a few cracks in the plastic and it did improve.

I then changed the plugs with ngk's nearly £60 ffs and found that the ceramic on my old champion's was cracked i also changed the leads whilst i was there and changed the fuel relay and since that it has been great. I didnt realise how much power i was loosing. I went for a drive to blackpool on saturday and she purred all the way. Only problem i had was my n/s rear window mech messed up (little white clip that you cant buy) so when i got there i had to wedge it up. I went and bought 2 new mechs and also 2 new tyres on the front and new top mounts on saturday. Its cost me a lot of wedge but i smile everytime i drive it

[Rsjvr6 1]

ok - my misfire problem has started again, albeit not as bad as it was before. I disconnected the MAF once again and there was a difference in the smooothness and pickup. So im guessing I need a new MAF? My question is what happens if I disconnect the MAF and continue to drive it. Will it harm the engine?