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Hi - I was driving my A4 1.8 Turbo last night and the engine started to shake and loose power. Checked the sparkplugs and there was some oil in 2 of them. changed the sparkplugs, it is a bit better, but it still shake in intervals. Do I need to change the coils or is ther something more to it?
Optional Information: 2003 Audi A4 1.8 L Turbo Already Tried: changed sparkplugs, but it is as if still there is a gap on getting the power to the engine, everytime the 'gap' happens the engine shakes considerably.
Hello,
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Based on your description, it sounds like you have a misfire situation. This should however trigger an illumination of the malfunction indicator light (MIL).
Is the light illuminated? Is it flashing?
The MIL illumination would indicate a problem in the engine control system. A steady light indicates a fault that may cause high engine or evaporative emissions. Under certain conditions the light will blink or flash. A blinking light indicates a severe level of engine misfire that can cause expensive component damage. It also indicates that a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) has been stored, which will indicate the affected component or circuit to be tested or replaced.
I recommend you take the vehicle to a repair shop where they can scan the onboard diagnostics to determine the cause of the MIL illumination and performance issues. Then based on the retrieved code(s), they, or we, can proceed with the diagnosis of the vehicles condition.
If the MIL is flashing, I advise you do NOT drive it. Misfires on this year/model/engine are common. The most likely cause would be a coil. They are located under the black plastic cover on top of the motor. If it is a coil, they are fairly simple to replace and relatively inexpensive. I usually recommend replacing all 4 coils if one has failed. If you want to take a chance you could simply replace all coils, but it may not correct the fault. There are other possibilities, but without a scanner and the vehicle to test... this is just a guess based on your description.
If the MIL is flashing, it's a pretty safe bet the coils will do it, but no guarantee's.
The MIL will still be illuminated and must be cleared with a scanner. It should go out by itself, but it may take awhile.
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Jake "THE AUDI DOCTOR"
Experience: Over 30 years experience, 17 years with Audi, Factory trained