Hello, everyone been having a problem with the coil pack.2014 Cruze 1.4T. Cylinder 1 keeps missing. Have swapped out two packs already and replace the spark plugs. First time it happens I chalked it to normal wear and tear. 85k miles in car. Did tune up replace plugs and coil pack. (AC Delco). Been driving perfectly fine for almost 3 weeks, and again started missing on cylinder 1. Looks like the pack burned up again. Any advise? Thanks.
Burning up Coil pack
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How are you figuring it burned up?
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How does the bottom of the #1 plug well look? Is there any oil down there? The 1.8's are prone to valve cover leaks which allow oil to seep into the well and short out the coil, which can damage it, as well as causing a misfire.
As I recall, the gen1 1.4T valve cover gaskets are prone to doing that, too. (Hopefully somebody with one will chime in here.)
When you swapped plugs and replaced the coil module, did you notice any oil on the #1 boot?
Doug
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As I recall, the gen1 1.4T valve cover gaskets are prone to doing that, too. (Hopefully somebody with one will chime in here.)
When you swapped plugs and replaced the coil module, did you notice any oil on the #1 boot?
Doug
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No oil residue, Boots on coil pack look great no burn marks or oil. The old Spark plug (which I replaced) looked burned up as it would be expected at 85k miles, new one looks a bit smoked up but it can be due to the miss-firing nothing to unusual . DTC p0301 keeps setting on ECM and engine has a hard misfire at idle but levels out at about 2k RPM. Same code both times, cleared it after I replaced the coil 3 weeks ago didn’t set again until this new coil went out.
True, many causes for a misfire. But how many for #1 cylinder, intermittent causing the coil to burn up. It is possible the injector could be bad too. Only has a P0301 code. The first time it happened I was at a stop light, engine started to shake and SES light began to blink...had to drive about a block to park. Replaced coil pack and plugs. Car drove fine for about 3 weeks(daily driver to work) no problems. Two days ago same exact thing happened. Pulled the plug it’s not too bad has a bit of white residue But no oil or heavy fuel smell. Coil was under warranty so I have the new one already, but before I just drop it in I just wanted to make sure I’m not missing a bigger issue. I was also thinking faulty fuel injector. Easiest repair was swapping the coil...specially when out on the street. It did Fix the problem so I didn’t think much more of it it now lol.
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The injector may cause a misfire, but will that kill the #1 coil?
That said, inspect the wiring at the #1 injector to be sure it's not damaged.
The other thought I had is, maybe the #1 plug is somehow bad leading to misfires and coil failures. Maybe there's a hairline crack in the ceramic, for example. Try swapping plugs 1 and 2, and see if the misfire moves.
Lastly, inspect closely the wiring going to the coil pack. I can see how a damaged wire could cause misfire, but not sure how that would kill the #1 coil. Nonetheless, make sure the wires are not damaged at the connector.
I've seen someone get a bad coil module right out of the box, but you've replaced it twice now, right? So I'm thinking the problem lies elsewhere, but I'm about stumped.
Doug
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How do we know the coil is dead?
What we know is the cylinder isn't working. For whatever reason. Dead coil is being assumed.
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Good point.
The OP, Abo1775, after replacing the coil module, did say "Been driving perfectly fine for almost 3 weeks, and again started missing on cylinder 1." So that makes me think the #1 coil is indeed bad.
But maybe not. He can ohm out the coil - if #1 is shot, it should have decidedly different readings than the other 3.
And that may steer us elsewhere, such as to a bad connection on the coil module. Maybe plugging in a new coil module restored a poor connection, but now it's worked its way open again, after a few days of driving.
Thinking out loud...
Doug
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I'm willing to bet it's not the coil. I've very rarely seen an actual ignition coil fail (internally anyways, I've seen the boots rip, internals fall apart etc) Especially since he replaced it several times along with the spark plugs.
I'm with Doug - swap #1 and #2 plugs and see if the misfire follows. If it stays with #1 then it's something else - wiring to the coil, injector, wiring to the injector, etc. as coil failure (especially multiple times on the same unit) is a very rare thing.
You could also try the MSD unit: 8236-MSD Ignition Coil 2011-2016 GM 1.4T
Or you could go all-out and get their LS7 coil upgrade. They say it requires a tune but I seriously doubt that. I've never seen anything need a tune after upgrading the coil: BNR-LS7COIL-BNR LS7 Coil Upgrade LUV-LUJ 1.4T
Mice like to eat wires. Toyota made the smart move to soy-based wire insulation a bunch of years ago. The animals LOVED that stuff.
I'm with Doug - swap #1 and #2 plugs and see if the misfire follows. If it stays with #1 then it's something else - wiring to the coil, injector, wiring to the injector, etc. as coil failure (especially multiple times on the same unit) is a very rare thing.
You could also try the MSD unit: 8236-MSD Ignition Coil 2011-2016 GM 1.4T
Or you could go all-out and get their LS7 coil upgrade. They say it requires a tune but I seriously doubt that. I've never seen anything need a tune after upgrading the coil: BNR-LS7COIL-BNR LS7 Coil Upgrade LUV-LUJ 1.4T
Mice like to eat wires. Toyota made the smart move to soy-based wire insulation a bunch of years ago. The animals LOVED that stuff.
Thanks to everyone for the help. Been getting out late from work so haven’t been messing with the car. I replaced all four plugs last time, the chance of getting a second bad New plug on the same cylinder are very low. I’ll give it a shot and straight replace the plug but since I already traded the old coil for the new one (Under warranty) I can’t really duplicate the problem. An Other thing that came to mind is a short somewhere in the coil wiring circuit and possibly shorting out On the frame when I hit a bump. Anyone seen that or now of a common rubbing point. I understand coils don’t just go bad. Most of the time a bad coil is easy to detect even without a scanner, my problem is I can’t narrow down the reason for it going bad or giving me a misfire. No DTCs set other then p301. I don’t work at a shop anymore so I don’t have access to any of the big diagnostic toys or electronic libraries. I Really do appreciate every ones input and help. Thanks guys.
I had similar symptoms in my 2014 1.4T. Replaced the factory coils - which, btw, were like new in appearance - with the MSD 82363. Best $100 I have spent in the car. It not only eliminated the problem, but it improved the idling and performance all around.
Same, along with the Big 3 kit.
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I know what you are talking about, the coil pack is burnt on the side of the coil, it's cracked and burnt and cooked, probably smells like an electrical fire. These guys that are trying to help you by saying " I have never heard of a coil pack burning up, it's your spark plugs" or what ever they are saying just shows they are not technicians and probably shotgun parts at cars and hope they fixed it. I have a 2014 Cruze in my shop right now for the exact same problem. We have not figured it out yet but as soon as we do I will post the fix for you and hopefully that will helps.
I ended up replacing spark plugs with higher quality ones replaced the coil with oem and added die electric grease to the connector to make sure it has a better contact point also been putting high octane fuel. It’s been a few months, driving it every day and still good. Never found a solid cause for the problem,I checked all the harnesses around the engine and connectors. Every thing seemed to be good. Only other possible cause could be a harness around the frame that I can’t see rubbing and shorting out. If anything changes I’ll definitely post it up. Thanks
Not everyone on here are techs, but on average the problem is usually solved fairly quickly. As with anything on the internet, you need to weed out the chaff.
Tips to ensure no misfires occur:
Remove the coil pack. If the boots are stuck on, use a small screwdriver or pick with some dielectric grease on it to go around the outside of the boot and then possibly the inside of the boot to help aid in removal.
Remember to (p)re-gap your plugs to .028, (0.24 if tuned)
Set gap with the black portion of this tool.
To increase the gap size bend the ground strap up to the desired height. DO NOT LET THE GAPPING TOOL TOUCH THE IRIDIUM CENTER ELECTRODE OR PORCELAIN.
Measure the gap with feeler gauges.
Throw this away.
Torque to 18 ft-lbs with no anti-seize on the threads of a stock type plug.
Ensure the boots have no rips/tears or holes in them, lightly coat them with dielectric/silicone grease and make sure the resister springs are clean and not caught up in the boots when you install them.
If the plugs look bad, consider these:
-BKR8EIX-2668 (iridium plugs), ~$25, expect ~10-15k regaps on these, ~40-50k overall life.
-BKR7E-4644 (nickel/copper plugs), ~$8, expect 15-25K out of these plugs, with a regap or two required at 5-8k intervals on stock tune.
Read Hesitation Gone! for more info on the plugs.
A good replacement coil is the MSD Blaster OEM Replacement Coilpack 8236
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