[s-cars] Poll: Who's using a 1.8T coil conversion

[Varon H. Fugman]

>> an annoying random hiccup under load

Wylie,

Does the check engine light flash on when your hiccup occurs?  I had a
seemingly random cutout that usually occurred when cruising at a steady
65mph.  Check engine light would come on and power would totally cut out for
about 1/2 a second--as if someone turned off the key, except dashboard
functions, etc. continued to operate.  Might happen twice in one day, then
several days with no occurrences.

Replaced RPM sensor and CPS, but neither one fixed the issue.

While examining ECU wiring, I found one pin in the connector that wasn't
seated correctly.  I seated the pin better, then went for a test drive--the
problem got worse--happened several times in 2 miles!  Took the ECU out and
pulled the cover off to look for any visible problems--cold solder joints,
etc.  Didn't see anything obvious.  Put the ECU in the freezer overnight (to
test for temperature related problem in the ECU) and after reinstalling in
the car and driving the problem did not reoccur.

That was in April, so I've been through summer and back to winter
temperatures (down to -25F) again with no more problems.  I'm guessing the
ECU pin was the problem, and for some reason after initially reseating the
pin I got a worse connection that resolved itself after a couple more times
unplugging and plugging in the ECU.

Not sure if your hiccup is the same as my cutout, but it would probably be
worth inspecting your ECU connector to see if there are any pins that
weren't seated correctly at the factory.

Varon
'95 S6

P.S. I am running 1.8t coils with the 034 kit.  Had this setup for 4+ years,
long before the cutout started happening.  I have found the cheap $26 BWD
coils I've been buying at O'Reilly Auto Parts don't seem to hold up as well.
Seems like I need to replace cylinder #4 on a regular basis.  Guess I need
to spring for a set of genuine VW coils... or move to a different setup!