Feels like im running of 3 cylinders.

[1gdave]

So I was driving to work the other day and I pulled up to a red light. While I was sitting there I noticed the car started to vibrate harshly and my revs dropped down to about 300rpm. I drove it into a parking lot but it felt as if it was only running on 3 cylinders (very sluggish hard to start rolling) I didnt hear any loud noises or violent stalls its just all of a sudden dropped in rpms. Any ideas of what it could be? I need to get it fixed soon as its getting to cold to keep working on my car.
-Dave

 

[fbc-eclipse]

check for spark in all four

 

[turbodude]

Could be allot of different things here, but typically all boil down to either an air, spark or fuel issue... check spark, as mentioned already. Check your plugs, wires, etc. check air (boost/vac), make sure nothing came loose creating a boost leak like an i/c pipe, ensure your MAF is connected firmly and is functioning properly as well as any vac lines, you may also want to check your o2 sensors, injectors, etc for any fouling. Just some ideas, as any one of these could make your car feel like its running rough and about to die. You probably already looked at some of these but these are just a few of many things it could be. Chances are its nothing major and is something relatively easy to fix. Good luck

 

[hawkman gsx]

Cheak spark plugs and if that's not the case you might want to check your timing the car could of skipped time my car was doin the same thing yours is doin and it was from bad spark plugs and my timing was off so I hope this helps you out

 

[92AWDTalonTSI]

A miss you can really feel.

A timing issue would only shake the car at low RPM. A miss would shake at low RPM and Chug like a Subaru Boxer engine at high RPM/Under Load.

I've had a lot of issues with this in the past. Sometimes it can be a headache.

First:

Check your spark plug wires. Look for nicks and pinches. Anything that doesn't look like a pristine wire is a problem.

The wire car arch out with a hole/pinch but also if it has been oil soaked for a long period or time. Ive only seen this in old wires. Not so much in ferrimagnetic type wires (Magnecore.). But it is something to look into if you are not running a high performance wire.

Second:

Spark plugs! Pull them and check them out. Compare them to the chart found in most automotive books. You'll easily be able to determine the problem based off of the plugs. But only if you shut the engine off when it is acting up. Plugs can tell you a lot about whats going on in your engine. But if the car is currently running fine they won't tell a thing.

On the plugs verify gap. But mostly compare to a chart.

I would recommend replacing the plug and wires at this time. Make sure you gap the plugs to .028-.032

Plugs should be NGK BPR6ES or BR6ES. P means projected. Some people see better results with the non P plugs at high boost levels.

Third:

Verify base timing. It should be 5* BTDC. Adjust if necessary.

At this time verify your mechanical timing is correct. Meaning, your crank, oil pump, front balance shaft and cam gears are all aligned properly. This is important!

Fourth:

If everything is good here. You are done.

Otherwise,.. Compression! It is always good to check compression.

Your compression ratio should be 7.8:1 for a 2.0 Liter Turbo engine.

You want compression to be around about 165.

The service limit is 121 meaning you'll need to fix something if it's that low.

VFaq for Compression Tests

Fifth:

If you have a low compression,...

Leakdown test! AKA Cylinder differential test.

It's a bit hard to explain so do a bit of reading here:

VFaq Leakdown Test

Sixth:

If you have good compression no obvious leaks etc etc. You could have a clogged injector.

Done!

Well, the list goes on and on and on and on and,.. You know what I mean...

It never ends for cars. Or just engines in general.

For anyone, the first 3 steps should be done when you get your DSM. And it's not a bad idea to do all of them either. You know what you are getting into in that case.

Good luck. Happy DSMing.

 

[1gdave]

Thanks for the help guys. I checked the spark plugs already and they all seem fine. Ill be picking up a timing light within the week and Ill go through 92AWDTalonTSIs list step by step. Thanks for taking the time to write such an in depth reply haha much appreciated.

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

I know from when I had a single inject stop working, you won't hardly be able to tell until you're under load. The engine will idle fine, and rev fine, but once you bring up your volumetric efficiency and fill those cylinders up with air, the it'll shake your legs off.

 

[92gsxbafaro]

check for fouled plugs take them all out and check the spark and iff they have oil on them i would recomend a putting a new valve cover gasket on

 

[1gdave]

So a nice day finally popped up and I decided to start poking around. I found that there was no spark in cylinders 2 and 3. Does this mean that its the coil pack? Cylinders 1 and 4 have a nice strong spark to them still. I plan on fixing it tomorrow Im just not sure weather or not to replace the spark plug wires, the spark plugs themselves or the coil pack.

 

[tturbolife1]

Try switching 2 and 3 wires with 1 and 4.If after you switched them 1 and 4 work and 2 and 3 stopped working its your wires. Buying new plugs is always a good idea and its cheap to rule out a possibility of it being spark plugs. Its could be your Coil pack because there are 2 wires not working and it could just be one side of your coil pack has stopped working. Check it out and let us know what happens, good luck.