Ignition Coil......help!

[Ali]

Hello!

Ive got a 1999 IS200 Auto. Had to call AA round today as started to misfire all of a sudden yesterday! He plugged a computer in and fiddled about a bit and diagnosed that Ignition Coil no.6 needs changing. He was very surprised as he said he had never known a lexus coil to fail. My question is, what might be the reason for the coil failing? Is it simply a matter of getting the coil replaced or could there be another underlying problem? Would it be worth changing all of the coils and plugs? Finally, should I go to Lexus or should any good mechanic be able to sort the problem out?

Thanks

[sparkystav]

the coils do fail, there quite a few members on here had them fail from time to time. Strange he's not heard of it.

Problem is they normally fail in pairs so be prepared. Not cheap from Dealers either, try to find some one eBay, in fact i think there was 4 on eBay for £100 which is probaly half the dealer price.

Also you dont need either Lexus or a garage, Remove the airbox, unplug the wiring to the failed one, undo the one bolt that holds it in, pull it out and replace it with the new one.

Shouldnt take more than £10minutes.

Stav

[Ali]

Thanks for that Stav.

I was worried bcos i got to work yestday and it was fine, but when i started it to leave work it immediately started misfiring. Do you think there might be any underlying cause why the coil failed? Also when it happened the 'engine management' warning light was flashing on the dash, but at the same time the 'TRC OFF' light was also flashing?

[DJ Wozza]

deffo sounds like coil pack(s), be prepared as they tend to fail in pairs (lord knows why )

[sparkystav]

Thanks for that Stav.

I was worried bcos i got to work yestday and it was fine, but when i started it to leave work it immediately started misfiring. Do you think there might be any underlying cause why the coil failed? Also when it happened the 'engine management' warning light was flashing on the dash, but at the same time the 'TRC OFF' light was also flashing?

Nah, they just fail over time mate, just get the faulty one(s) changed, and possibly the plugs as well if their due and everything will be fine.

[Ali]

Thanks for that Stav.

I was worried bcos i got to work yestday and it was fine, but when i started it to leave work it immediately started misfiring. Do you think there might be any underlying cause why the coil failed? Also when it happened the 'engine management' warning light was flashing on the dash, but at the same time the 'TRC OFF' light was also flashing?

Nah, they just fail over time mate, just get the faulty one(s) changed, and possibly the plugs as well if their due and everything will be fine.

Ok Thanks. I'm new to this forum and am still trying to navigate my way around it! I've just posted something elswhere about servicing....basically lexus quoted me £750 for the 120000 mile service. I asked them why it was so expensive and they told me it was because the spark plugs needed changing and that was the major part of the 120000 mile service!

If i go to another mechanic, what should i make sure he does for the service, i.e. what should he change and check? Is there anywhere i can get a 120000 mile service check list?

Thanks

[sparkystav]

Yeah somewhere on here is a list of whats included in services, use the search button at the top of the page.

Stav

[Ali]

the coils do fail, there quite a few members on here had them fail from time to time. Strange he's not heard of it.

Problem is they normally fail in pairs so be prepared. Not cheap from Dealers either, try to find some one ebay, in fact i think there was 4 on Ebay for £100 which is probaly half the dealer price.

Also you dont need either Lexus or a garage, Remove the airbox, unplug the wiring to the failed one, undo the one bolt that holds it in, pull it out and replace it with the new one.

Shouldnt take more than £10minutes.

Stav

Hi

Been searching for the coils on eBay, cant find them! You remember which section they were in.

Thanks very much mate

[sparkystav]

Item: 120333459201

the buy it now has gone, but only a few days left.

[Steviewevie]

I posted a walkthrough (with pics) of how to change the spark plugs here. You have to remove the coil packs to change the plugs, so that walkthrough will also show you how to change the coil packs.

Spark plugs are an easy job to change, I did it and I'm not much good at mechanical stuff !

[Ali]

Hey thanks stevie, the walk through is great....will deffo have a go myself. Any idea where i can buy discounted coil packs? There are some on eBay as stav mentioned, but not sure about used ones.

Thanks

[Steviewevie]

Hey thanks stevie, the walk through is great....will deffo have a go myself. Any idea where i can buy discounted coil packs? There are some on ebay as stav mentioned, but not sure about used ones.

Cool, glad it might help you. Yeah, I'm a right numpty when it comes to mechanical stuff, so if I can change my plugs, anyone can !

As for new coil packs, you could try getting a quote from somewhere like CheapToyotaParts (I got my water pump from them recently).

[Ali]

Hey thanks stevie, the walk through is great....will deffo have a go myself. Any idea where i can buy discounted coil packs? There are some on ebay as stav mentioned, but not sure about used ones.

Cool, glad it might help you. Yeah, I'm a right numpty when it comes to mechanical stuff, so if I can change my plugs, anyone can !

As for new coil packs, you could try getting a quote from somewhere like CheapToyotaParts (I got my water pump from them recently).

Talking of water pumps.....what are the symptoms of a failed water pump. I had an AA guy roun to look at my car and he saw that there was a bit of white scale around the water pump....he said if i took it to lexus they would say it needed changing!

[Adie]

I have a few 2nd hand coil packs still kicking around, as I've bought loads of them in the past. Not really covered much milage if you're interested.

[Steviewevie]

Talking of water pumps.....what are the symptoms of a failed water pump. I had an AA guy roun to look at my car and he saw that there was a bit of white scale around the water pump....he said if i took it to lexus they would say it needed changing!

I recently got my cam belt changed, so decided to get my water pump changed as a precautionary measure. I was glad I did though, because although it looked fine from above, it was actually leaking slightly at the bottom. Pics in this thread (at the end).

The Toyota long-life coolant is pink in colour. If that's what's in your car (which is recommended), then it's pretty easy to spot if the water pump has been leaking because you'll get pink deposits around whereever it's leaking. The bypass pipe and o-rings by the pump are another common source of leakage (and another recommended thing to change if you're having to take the thing that far apart anyway). If you've got white scale around your pump then I wonder if you haven't got the "proper" coolant in it ?

[Ali]

I have a few 2nd hand coil packs still kicking around, as I've bought loads of them in the past. Not really covered much milage if you're interested.

I am interested....do you think its ok to fit used ones? I am presuming that the coil packs are the same for all IS200's....mines a '99 model. How many do you have and how much do you want for them?

[Ali]

Talking of water pumps.....what are the symptoms of a failed water pump. I had an AA guy roun to look at my car and he saw that there was a bit of white scale around the water pump....he said if i took it to lexus they would say it needed changing!

I recently got my cam belt changed, so decided to get my water pump changed as a precautionary measure. I was glad I did though, because although it looked fine from above, it was actually leaking slightly at the bottom. Pics in this thread (at the end).

The Toyota long-life coolant is pink in colour. If that's what's in your car (which is recommended), then it's pretty easy to spot if the water pump has been leaking because you'll get pink deposits around whereever it's leaking. The bypass pipe and o-rings by the pump are another common source of leakage (and another recommended thing to change if you're having to take the thing that far apart anyway). If you've got white scale around your pump then I wonder if you haven't got the "proper" coolant in it ?

My coolant is the pink one, but need to look at the colour of the scale again. What should i look out for to know whether there is an active leak? Temp rising?. Is the water pump expensive to replace? Did you have it replaced by 'lexus'?

[Steviewevie]

My coolant is the pink one, but need to look at the colour of the scale again. What should i look out for to know whether there is an active leak? Temp rising?. Is the water pump expensive to replace? Did you have it replaced by 'lexus'?

I don't know what sort of symptoms you'd see in terms of temperature etc, but maybe someone else here can help ?

Also see this thread, which shows a leak (in post number 4) around the bypass pipe and o-rings.

The water pump is about £100 from somewhere like CheapToyotaParts (bit more from Lexus), but the "problem" is that you need to take all the drive belts etc off to get to it, so there would be a fair bit of labour cost involved to replace it (which is why it's a good idea to replace it as a precautionary measure when you're replacing the cam belt, since the extra labour is virtually nothing if you're doing all that).

No, I had it replaced by ToyotaGT. They're a trader on this forum, look down the list of forums and you'll see their own one, with a link to their website.

[Rob]

u will find that the vast majority of pumps leak a bit and u get the pink deposit around the bypass tube of the pump but then the leak stops and seals. monitor the fluid level and if it is dropping then get it fixed, if its not leaking i personally dont worry about it.

[Adie]

I have a few 2nd hand coil packs still kicking around, as I've bought loads of them in the past. Not really covered much milage if you're interested.

I am interested....do you think its ok to fit used ones? I am presuming that the coil packs are the same for all IS200's....mines a '99 model. How many do you have and how much do you want for them?

I've at least 2 that I know of. I sold quite a few a while ago. I'll have a proper look later mate.