[s-cars] S-CAR-List Digest, Vol 46, Issue 34

[Eric Phillips]

> Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:35:20 -0400
> From: "matt ludwig" <urs6avant at gmail.com>
> Subject: [s-cars] AAN stumble- forget the test
> To: s-car-list at www.audifans.com
>
> Hey people,
>
> Sorry for this being asked a million times, but I just cannot seem to find
> the email/link giving the clear explanation for isolating which could be
> causing rough running; POS vs. coils.

Go to Audiworld, the Original S-car forums, and look at the FAQ.  It's
got a nice section on ignition troubleshooting.

> - Plugs have ~10k miles on them.
>
> - Car is stock ECU
>
> - POS and Coils are original

Seems likely a coil.  From your description, at least.

> I am thinking given age of hardware and milage gotten out of them, to just
> go w/ the Apikol/034 POS kit to be sure they are all good there. Opinions
> welcome and anyone in Portland willing to come check it out is also
> welcomed. : ) Thanks people- I really appreciate it.

Well, there are two schools of thought:

1.)  OEM is the best.  And, if the miles gotten out of the stuff is
any indication, I'll guess that's probably true.

2.)  The coil kit is a good low-cost solution for those folks making
RS2 power and lower.  DO NOT use 034's.  They have a weird failure
mode after 2-5k miles.  Apikol, if you don't want to build your own.
While the components for this set up don't last as long as the OEM
stuff, they are cheap, available everywhere and very easy to replace.

I think the 1.8T coil kit is a very viable solution for those folks
who aren't racing their cars, or trying to make super-big power.  But
the robustness of the stock stuff is really hard to beat, even at the
price.

Remember, too, that the V6 POS is a direct replacement for our stuff,
at a fraction of the price.