BMW E46 M3 Ignition Coil Replacement and Cylinder Misfire

[jlinker6]

Great video! Very helpful! The mystery of what's going on with my car is solved, just a bad coil!

[Arontje]

gooood video. helped me alot!

[zao177]

Thank you for nice video!

[SenIoRToTA]

how much would fixing this cost

[majuwaqas]

Hey..its really very informative for me, I'm learning EFI System at a workshop but the guy there doesnt teach me exactly each thing. Can you please upload some EFI Trouble Shooting videos? So that i can learn what to check first if car doesnt start or car is misfiring etc. I'll keep in touch with you

[magpiemayo]

Thank you so very much for posting this, as my mechanic where going to replace two coil's & they didn't even know if it WAS the problem with either coils!!!

[ksjdaniel]

Can I get a knocking noise in my engine due to detonation, if there is a dead spark plug. Its a 06 S54 engine

[rookieweb]

Just wanted to thank you for the excellent vid. Did exactly as you instructed and finished the job in under a hour. This vid saved me tons of money. Wish I could buy you a beer...cheers!!

[oscarv362370]

my 04 3 series makes a misfire when in a stop light? and i'm getting codes p1071 and p1074 or something like that cant quite remember what are this codes? o2 sensors? thank you

[528im52]

@oscarv362370 Those codes indicate the fuel system is too lean on both banks.

[oscarv362370]

@528im52 and how can i fix them?



[homeztracyt]

@528im52 what does that mean exactly i have those codes as well

[528im52]

@homeztracyt Are you talking about the p1071 and p1074 codes?

[homeztracyt]

@528im52 yes i have both codes and thanks for this vid i just fixed my cylinder 1 that had a misfire on my thunderbird

[atourdeforce]

@528im52 yes does that mean o2 sensors are on the blink, i have the same problem, engine check light is on(it goes away sometimes) and recently i have experienced shuddering or vibration at idle, sometime the engine seams like its gonna die, and sometimes i have no power(wont take off) was at the electro mechanic recently for a diff problem and he said it came up engine mixture too lean. i really dont have the money to send it back again, could you please help me out, is it o2 sensors?? thanks

[528im52]

@atourdeforce That can be a variety of things, the most common are the oxygen sensors and also any cracks or holes in the rubber intake bellows which would require replacement. These are the things that should be checked and replaced first, beyond that there could be an issue with the fuel system, but in many cases a lean code is due to one of the reasons I listed above.

[atourdeforce]

@528im52 chers for replying back mate, last question, all the boots are good no air leaks, no bad coils or spark plugs,tried cleaning the sensors, car still runs the same, tried testing them , and the voltage was going all over the place, i did the flame test(im fairly sure that means there broke)?? if i were to unplug them from what i have read it would make the car run rich, but if they were at fault would the shudder go out of the engine if i unplugged them for a few days?? thanks again dude.

[528im52]

@atourdeforce It sounds like your front O2 sensors have gone out, you cannot run without the front O2 sensors on your car. If you unplug them, the car will automatically go into "limp" mode and will not be very drivable for daily driving.

[atourdeforce]

@528im52 i have both plugged out now and its running fine, better than it was, but wants to conc out if i feather the throttle at very low revs. i have 2 sensors ordered. again. thanks very much for the replys. subbed!!

[chivi32]

@oscarv362370

these faults are fuel mixture faults, too lean, most common reason for these faults to be triggered are vaccum leaks. The most common parts to fail are the crank case vent valve or intake below is torn at the throttle...

[oscarv362370]

@chivi32 i changed the crankcase ventilation system, and my friend's bmw seems alot smoother sound when pressing the gas, and my seems to be sucking to much air... i checked the intake boots and they are fine, also checked icv and good, just cleaned it and that's about it.. thanks again

[darthba11er]

I just paid $283 to replace an ignition coil.

Is that the going rate?

If I knew it was this easy, I would've done it myself.

Funny because the mechanic didn't even call me to tell me what was wrong with the car before performing this. I guess he figured it was an easy fix for the sale. Because there were other issues with the car that had nothing to do with the engine and they didn't bother with that without my "permission"

[528im52]

@darthba11er It all depends on your shops labor rate and how long the diagnostic process to find the problem coil took. Had it been at our shop the total labor rate including the cost of the new coil would have been approx $175.00 being that with the scan tools we use and the method above we can identify the problem coil very quickly.

[chivi32]

@darthba11er

Thats about right.... you figure 1 hr diag charge & aprox. $100 for a coil... take in mind not all cases are this easy... there are other contributing factors for misfire... you can chase your tail all day looking for a misfire, come to find out you have a lean/rich mixture, which can also trigger misfires...

[Operator21]

Yeah that's what I was thinking about thanks I will check into that and will report back

[Operator21]

Hi very nice video Im still trying to find why mine is still misfiring I changed the coils and the plugs and im still getting the misfire only #3 cylinder and only when I start it up once its running the misfire is gone and the engine runs great what else should i be looking for?

[528im52]

@Operator21 At that point, if you have changed both the coils and the plugs, the next item to look at would be the injector. It may be that it is sticking, and until you have ran the car for a bit is is not opening all the way or at the correct speed.

[chivi32]

@Operator21 This is the perfect example why this Method isn't reliable when diagnosing misfires. Like i mentioned in previous post there are other factors that can contribute to a misfire. If you have already replace all coils and plugs your next step would be check for leaky injector. Sounds like after it sits over night or extended period of time, the fuel injectors leaks and at first start-up the cylinder needs to burn the excess fuel...

[Gripen85]

Very nice movie :) Learned something from it. Greetings

[flyingrv6]

Doing this may foul the spark plugs on the working cylinders.

[hom2fu]

at the end, who come up with ideas putting the coil pack on top, inside, and direct of the engine vibrations? That's stupid to me. BMW

[jdmlowk]

wow ur amazing Sr I had I misfire in the cylinder #2 that what the scanner said but i did what this amazing guy done to the care I checked every coil and I had the #1 dead so I changed the 2 to the 1 and yeah the coild was the problem so first thing in the morning I'm gonna buy a new coil bacause it's 12:30am now I'm gonna go to sleep happy thanx so much god bless u guys

[SmokinFuckenKush]

just what i needed to see....i had sparks and coils changed but my 545i still shakes a bit...Any idea????

[Zukatsr125]

My dads Bmw 530i, has this problem, a mechanic change the 2 igintioncoils (I think it was cylinder 2 and 4 that missfired), but after a couple of days the engine lamp start to light again. But,, those 2 coils were NOT NEW. I will do the samething you did in the video. Maybe the other coils is bad,, or just wait and lets see if the lamp stop light. Great video!

[ccline84]

I used this exact video to change all six sparkplugs and ignition coils on my lunch break. Thanks!

[AnthonyXwearsXgucci]

Hello, my 2004 325i jerks and hesitates, most noticable around 2,500-3,000 rpms in 3rd gear. Is this due to bad coil packs? I'd appreciate a response!

[528im52]

@AnthonyXwearsXgucci It could be, there are various things that it could be, the coils and plugs would be the first things to check.

[AnthonyXwearsXgucci]

@528im52 Now that i have done more research, it seems like my vanos seals are shot.

[Flamboyantkid1]

@AnthonyXwearsXgucci I had a similar problem! I changed the valvetronic motor and it done the trick! also chek the cars breathers aswel!

[Jetubeb]

Thanks. I really really appreciate your response, has helped me a lot

[Jetubeb]

do all ignition coils have to be the same brand ? or can you mix them?

[528im52]

@Jetubeb The two biggest and most used coil manufacturers for BMW are Bosch and Bremi. Both are built to the same tolerances and specs for each vehicle, but some are preferred for different models for different reasons. For instance with the E46 M3, the Bosch coils have an exta layer of heat shielding that helps prolong coil life.

[Jetubeb]

When you buy Ignition Coils, do the they come label, which is which , 1, 2, 3, and so on?

[528im52]

@Jetubeb They do not come labeled that way since the coils are inter-changeable and are not cylinder specific.

[superco0l88]

GOOD SHITT

[AnthonyLoMo22]

Can anyone help me by recommending what coils and where I should buy them from? I was thinking about going to autozone ? I am trying to do everything I can to avoid the dealership because I know their parts are over priced.

[528im52]

@AnthonyLoMo22 You could give us a call, if you have the same coil as in this video, they are $29.95 each and we have them in stock. We also carry all coils for all BMW Models. Our number is 800-648-7278

[aleksankazakov]

can someone please respond. My 04 E46 seems to have a misfiring, but it is not a constant misfire like in this video. I replaced the spark plugs, and orange circles on all of the coils brought up to my attention, seems like the coils are old and have some visible heat damage, is it a sign for the coils being bad? seems like it only misfires sometimes, while running normally most of the time. the service light comes and then goes away when the car restarted.

[528im52]

@aleksankazakov It sounds like one of the coils is having an issue, since it is not happening all of the time the only way to figure our which one it is would be to read any stored fault codes the car has saved. You could use the technique in this video if you were able to reproduce the rough running condition while working on the car.

[aleksankazakov]

@528im52 I replaced 4 coils, and it seems to misfire a lot less, however it still misfires. When I unplug a coil at the time out of 2 old remaining (as it is shown on video) the engine idle changes dramatically when i unplug one of those old coils everything shakes more. I cant understand, that means that those old coils fire, but not all the way? or fire intermittent ? I thought a coil can be only dead or only working? there is no in between?

[528im52]

@aleksankazakov Actually there is an in between, it would be heat and vibration related. Heat changes from cold to normal operating temperature would cause a change in the resistance levels inside the coil causing it to fire early, late, or not at all. Vibrations cause the internal components/wire windings to come apart and cause intermittent operation. If you have changed 4 of the coils and there is still a misfire, I would think it is either one of the remaining coils or the spark Plugs.

[aleksankazakov]

@528im52 OK, done deal. Replaced all 6 coils. finally no misfire. Ne plugs and new coils. Every single one of the old coils was bad! and it was not possible to test them. just replaced all the coils and it solved the problem. Surprised that they lasted 125K MILES.

[aleksankazakov]

@528im52 Ok, I changed the last two coils and finally there is no more misfiring going on. New spark plugs and new coils, that baby runs like a beast now. All of the 6 coils and 6 spark plugs were bad. And i am surprised that they lasted 125k miles. Noone changed them since the car came from Germany. It took me $250 to change it all. (( sux.

[aleksankazakov]

Hi sir. Can a coil be at fault partly when it goes out only at high RPM. MY 330i drives normal until I hit the gas hard and it revs over 5000RPM then it starts misfire and a service light comes on. After a restart it goes away and misfire goes away until I accelerate hard again .

[hrvatsoulja]

hi great videos they always help me with my diagnostics

about two months ago i noticed that it sounded like my exhaust manifold was leaking (i know this because it happened before). then one day i started my car and it sounded like it was misfiring

i serviced the car and changed all spark plugs and ran the test described in your video. i swapped cylinder 4 ignition coil with cylinder 3 ignition coil and the miss fire still remained in cylinder 4. do you have any idea what my problem is?

[hrvatsoulja]

by the way my car is a 95 e36 328i. thanks in advance for any help you may give me

[oscarv362370]

How do I reset? Thank you very much, your video really helped me.

[528im52]

@oscarv362370 Sir, the only way to reset it is to use a BMW Specific Tool to read and cancel the fault codes, all BMW Dealerships can do it or you can use a Peake Research Tool for it. We have them in stock here at BMP Design and for your vehicle they are $139.99. This will also give you the ability to read and reset all BMW Specific codes for your vehicle where as most OBD2 Scanners will not even recognize them.

[forgewire]

I've changed spark plugs on my e46 but forgot to reconnect 2 wiring plugs. The engine started to misfire and engine fault light came on. But when I connected wiring plugs back the fault light stayed on. Will it dissapear itself or I have bring it to service?

[hexcliff]

@forgewire: Hi there. Do you mind sharing whatever happened to the check engine light? Did it just diappear or did you have to get this reset?

Thanks.

[forgewire]

@hexcliff

my light went off on a second day. I checked some forums and as far as I remember it can take up to 23 engine starts for it to go away.

Dont worry it should go away if you have your plugs connected

[aturriet]

very very helpful

[pverskine]

Great video. Thanks.  Seems much more "do-able" when you see how it's done.

[telinusawell]

hi good evening, please let me clarify one thing please, and my doubts about the BMW. BMW M3 E36 and E46 and that, and the other type models 325i, 325, 330, E36 and E46 are the models M50 , M52, S52 which are, are the old models in May, I wonder also whether the model of the BMW M3 and the same engine as 325i or 325ci, E36 and E46 .. THANK YOU.

[thugzthrust]

Excellent thank you. I used this tecqnique on mine as it was running poorly, turns out the coils for cyls 2 & 4 were shot. Thanks again.

[flunkie91]

I have a misfire on cylinder 1 only in my 323is, I don' tknow if its my ignition coil or my spark plugs or both. Plus its got a power steering leak...

[bamidbar2]

drive with reduced engine loud ... i took it to a gas station and the guy put his computer and said the coil no# 5 making problems thats what it says in his computer ... now my question is u think thats the problem ? and how am i sure its really no# 5 shouldnt i just buy all 8 coils ? can i really trust this computer the guy pluged into the car ?

[bamidbar2]

great Video !!!i have a question for u i got a bmw 645 2005 with 75,000mil on it i hed the Increased Emissions msg shows on the screen for a long time but i never pay attantion to it couse the car runs and drive great this week i drove with new fuel only 20 mil left and i put fuel in a gas station i never use before,the car start shaking after an hour just like in your movie.and another msg on the screen "engine malfunction" increased engine loads may damage catalytic converter."

[omerjr2003]

thanks for your help

[tatla333]

thanks for such a good knowledge...........

[joshtrejo]

very cool video

[0TheCupIsEmpty0]

Thanks for this video. My ignition coils are giving me a problem on my 07 Rav 4. Was planning to start replaceing them myself since it's 200+ at the dealer. Will these steps work on my Rav4?  It's a 6cylindar car. Ps: I know nothing about cars.

[makemeatube]

Really good video. Thanks!!

[ballmephisto]

Hello. Also asking about the S54 engine.

Which is the recomanded valve ajustment interval ?

Thanks

[nicerod77]

That was awesome!!! thanks

[562SICKSIDE]

awesome video man thanks for the upload.

[khmerboi82]

hi there you said i have to reset the engine light,,,,, can i just unplug the battery? coz i dont have the thing to reset!!!

[NORMAN3016]

thanks mannn..!!!!!!!

[redlinePL]

why don't you just hook up proper diagnostic tool to identify on which cylinder you have a missfire...makes life so much easier

[moodringsrfake]

@redlinePL Well thats fine if you have the tool, I have a peake tool on the way from BMP now, but I don't trust my dealership since they fried my ECU last time I took my M3 in for a CEL, my car was down for two weeks waiting on a new one. I did this over the weekend, cyl 2 was the culprit.

[redlinePL]

At least your M3 had a permanent coil failure which is easy to diagnose. Back in the day my 328Ci misfired only below 1800RPM and only under load. Impossible to trace by simply swapping the coil packs. Replacing whole set sorted out the mess. Now I have an access to BMW DIS. Solving similar issues is no longer a problem.

[cncmastr]

Which BMW had 6 cyl.? A Lot of them do, it's their halmark engine configuration- inline six.

[tishobmw]

wich bmw from e46 has 6 cylinders pls tell me

[tishobmw]

nice

[nitro74cs]

very good video, would a bad coil still produce spark?

[datzDope]

This video was extremely helpful! I currently have a 2000 Honda Accord V6 with 5/6 cylinder misfire, which I find really weird. My spark plugs was just recently done by dealership, but I'm going ahead an probably purchasing a new set of spark plugs since its not even that costly for plugs.

The next thing I will try is most likely my coil packs, all 6 are going I don't care. I would rather have all brand new than only a few new.

Anyway to test working coils when it is out of the engine?

[Zero22005]

I like the idea of using the cup of water!!

But is it really safe to unplug the coil while it is running?

[mat205125]

Great video. Thanks very much. With this video, and the engine cover removal video, I was able to successfully diagnose which coil pack was faulty, and rectify the problem ..... I'd have muddled through without this video, but my driveway time for the job was reduced to only about 20 minutes thanks to this.

[lauracadman]

Is it recommended that dielectric grease be put on the heads of the spark plug boots? Does BMW use it? I bought second hand and it did not have OEM plugs so I am unable to tell. Thanks!

[Supersprintcom]

It's not anything that the Dealerships do, or that we do on a normal basis, but by all means it couldn't hurt anything...

[GremlinDFA]

Great video... You tube needs more usefull vids like this! Thanks

[CeeBoogie]

How would I know if all 6 of my coils are bad? All 6 of my cylinders are misfiring

[528im52]

Well it is possible buy unlikely that all 6 coils go out at once, how new are the plugs that are on your vehicle? if All 6 cylinders are misfiring, that sounds more like old plugs that need to be changes and maybe a few coils.

[nido76]

@528im52 Does misfiring cause the car to not start up straight away at times? I have a Golf and it struggles at times when moving in gear and gas is being applied... it also occasionaly doesnt start up straight away.. ive been told by my mechanic its the coil.. could it be?.. would appreciate you thoughts.. cheers

[dragonblood199]

lol... thats not good... My lil 4cyliner Hyundai has 1 misfire, and its almost useless.

[californiansteven]

New plugs are necessary, if that doesn't fix it, try putting a full tank of fresh premium gas and running it through the lines.

[ItchyHouseFilms]

Man I love this video! Took me about ten minutes to isolate the bad coil! Now I'm off to the auto shop to buy the replacement. You guys just saved me about $400 which is how much BMW charged me to do this exact procedure.

[mobileissa]

We didnt replace the coils or anything of that sense. We think it could be a vaccum or air leak, coils, other sensors, or the car is a complete failure. Please help get this amazing car up and running, it truly is a waste sitting in the garage.

P.S. the people at BMW were clueless.

[mobileissa]

I own a 2004 330ci that is a complete headache. When I turn the car on, it idles normally but pushing the gas while its in park, the RPMs climb slowly. When put in drive and driven, after about a minute of regular driving or if you floor it (barely any power comes from it) the EML, and DSC lights kick in, the engine RPMs begin get jumpy and the car has NO power. We replaced the throttle body, camshaft position sensors and still no luck. Any suggestions?

[craigyjoe]

good video,but surely touching a coil connection whilst the engine is running,you risk an electric shock..correct me if i am wrong...cheers Craig

[JX426]

this is why i love C.O.P.

my 78 tbird has one coil so when it whent out the whole car whent out, at least with COP you can run with a bad coil

COP FTW!!!!

[m3pOwEr4LIFE]

528im52:

Great Video! Looks like I need to check my ignition coils because earlier this year my SES light came on and I took it to Autozone to borrow the OBD decoder; misfires on 3 and 4, which was a associated with a subtle engine knock. Replaced all six spark plugs, but doesn't run as smooth like this car after the coil replacement. I hope it's as simple as replacing the coil; Could you pm me about the Bosch coil pack and severity of not replacing the coil pack immediately. I'm broke! lol

[Buchoass]

I juat had to replace the ignition coil on an Audi A4 for the second time in 6 months.

Great Video.

[TheKris6666]

modre informacje!

[alfredoporro]

Thank you, I'll try what u do on the video. The sevice engine soon light is off, but I'll try anyways

[karimvc15]

great video

[alfredoporro]

Hello,

I have a 2002 BMW E46 325i. Everytime in the mornings, the car shakes for a while until it warms up. One day the light went on and when I took it to the mechanic shop he said it had a misfire on cylinder 1. The mechanic turn off the light and the car has been running normally, but I still have the same problem everytime the car is cold. What do you suggest? what do you think it could be?

[528im52]

Well, that could be one of a few things. First it sounds like the mechanic just cleared the code and the problem has persisted. The 2 main things to look at are the Spark Plugs and the Coils, to determine if it is the coils you can use the technique in this video. If you do like we have done in the video and the problem persists or does not move with the coil, then you will want to change/replace the spark plugs. After that it is either the injector or cylinder compression.

[1984StangV8]

cool video... give me an idea how find if my problem is my coil or not cuz i just end up having a misfire at cyl. #4 n later on was only cyl. #1...

now how can i reset the engine code light?... if i may know.

[endfield928]

you need an obd II code reader (for 96 & newer cars) to plug into your car's computer to reset it

[1984StangV8]

thanks bro.

i'll buy one today....

[mstockma]

Great video. My OBD II read a cyl 5 misfire on my '97 M3 and I went through your tests. New plugs and a coil exchange kept the problem at Cyl 5. Any ideas for troubleshooting this misfire? Intake gasket leak? Should I try and exchange the fuel injectors around and see if the cylinder follows? Thanks! Keep these videos going!

[Bushkin84]

Great vid, ive gotta 2001 M3 and i dont think the coils have ever been changed, would you recommend i change them for new ones?

[528im52]

Honestly,

I wouldn't do it unless you feel a misfire, or rough running. The only other reason for doing them is if you are doing spark plugs and since you are already in there want to change the coils.

We have never seen a big power gain or increase in drive-ability by replacing the coils unless one of them is giving us problems

[Bushkin84]

Thanks!

[325xitgrocgetter]

Would a misfire also trigger a check engine light?

[528im52]

Hello,

Normally Yes, a misfire will through a check engine light 90% of the time, but from time to time we have had a few cars in our shop with a slight misfire but no check engine light. This is due to the fact that on BMW's the misfire must occur 6-times in a drive cycle for the Check Engine Light to come on.

[zeoneozero]

subscribed! what a great video! thank you! please make more e46 m3 dyi vidz!

[528im52]

Thanks,

Soon we will be doing the rear trailing arm bushings and a Valve Adjustment that is standard on the BMW's Inspection 1 & 2 Service Intervals.

[darkcrash21]

Awesome video! I would love it if you had a video on valve adjustments!

[speedfreak3721]

how do u konw if ur engin is misfiring?

[zleepyjan]

Where can I get parts for the e46 there is cheap? :) engine parts to be exact.

[gst69man]

How did you know it wasnt a bad injector?

[528im52]

By all means it could have been a bad or clogged injector, but during the video when we swapped the coils from Cylinder 1 and Cylinder 2 the misfire followed the one coil. If it would have been an injector it would have remained on the same cylinder and not move around with a single coil.

[gst69man]

makes sense thanks