Peugeot 407 1.8 help please (coil failure)

Mad_Mike

My daughter bought a 2008 1.8 Peugeot 407 a couple of months back
Car has been driving fine with no issues until today

While down the country she contacted me to say the car felt like it was shaking and would not rev properly after a check engine light came on while she was driving

She finally arrived back here and my initial diagnosis of probably a faulty coil pack, is still foremost after using a generic OBD2 scanner and getting a P0353 code.

The only thing is, I have seen coils fail before and while they drove lumpy etc, they were still drivable. When the car is started, it immediately beeps and the display shows "Engine Fault. Repair Needed", and then it ticks over very bad. When you try to rev the car, it splutters from about 800 rpm up to maybe 1,800 and then smoothens out, and then seems like it's in limp mode and starts to limit itself at 3,000 rpm

I got into the car just now to pull it into the drive, and it's so bad, it's almost impossible to drive. I honestly have no idea how she made it back to here, and had I known how severe it was, I'd have gone to collect her earlier.

My question is this. Is it "normal" that a car will be practically un-drivable when a coil pack goes? I'm sure I had coils fail before and the car still drove and had no kind of rev limiter issue to contend with also, but I have a funny feeling it was on a 6 cylinder BMW, so it still ran ok on 5.

The other issue with this car is it has a full coil pack with all 4 sparks on it, not the 1 coil per cylinder type, so I can't even try swapping coils around to see is it definitely the coil pack that is gone.

Jerry Atrick

Very similar symptoms on a French manufactured car I drove previously. Had to get all the coils replaced as others then went once the faulty one was replaced. A pain in the b0llix really as it's costly enough.

Mad_Mike

Jerry Atrick wrote: »

Very similar symptoms on a French manufactured car I drove previously. Had to get all the coils replaced as others then went once the faulty one was replaced. A pain in the b0llix really as it's costly enough.

At least this one is just the single bar type with all 4 on it, so once it's replaced there isn't any more to do. I just hope it sorts it as I don't recall coil failures affecting a car so much before.

Mad_Mike

So yesterday I had tried to move the car about a metre, but it took forever to get it to even start, so I was sure it was going to be a lot more than coil pack

This morning, the coil pack arrived that I ordered on Monday.
Just fit it there now
Turned the key and away it goes!
Running perfect again

Just leaving this here in case anyone finds themself in a similar situation as there was very little when I searched the internet for this particular car and error code

Jerry Atrick

All's well that ends well!

Mad_Mike

Jerry Atrick wrote: »

All's well that ends well!

Thankfully!

greasepalm

We normally replace spark plugs at the same time so less stress on the coil pack.Some mad designers out there with tips of spring sitting on plug top to deliver current.I have seen too many dirty plug tops which can stop current transfer and will fail with another coil pack.

Years ago plug lead was pushed down over plug top and got a tight connection.

Mad_Mike

I actually spotted that when I took the rubber insulators off the old one and plan to do a plug change this weekend as I just got her moving again today after being without the car since last weekend.

I took photos, and will try attach here although I have never tried attaching from mobile, so not certain it will work.

greasepalm

Yes can see photo and you might see 1 of the others a funny colour which was giving a missfire.

Mad_Mike

Weird. I just pulled all 4 springs and not a mark on any of them on either end

greasepalm

Sometimes you dont see marks and it goes internally.