Out of no where yesterday my car lost power started shaking and the TCS/CEL lights started flashing, got the codes read and there are a few misfires, now is there ANY way to tell whether the problem is with the spark plugs which are Bosche platinum 2's which are less then a year old or with the coils??

 

Start with using approved plugs for the TL- I am surprised you made it this far on Bosch before having this problem- which may be 1 or 2 coils have crapped out- the plugs are not friendly with our system- hopefully its just new plugs to solve it
Two brand names are allowed- Denso which cost more and last less miles- and NGK which many ziners use- NGK Platinum or NGK Iridium is what you want from the parts place= about 7 bucks each
Install those and take pics if possible of the old plugs and their location
If you see one all blackened and cruddy- thats probably a bad coil there too

 

OK, cool, thanks for your help 01tl4tl!

 

OK, got my NGK iridium plugs, 01tl4tl? Since I've never had spark plugs misfire before I'm wondering if there is any kind of lubricant needed on the new spark plugs or anything that I should do before putting them in, just wanted to know before another problem is caused

 

I use a very small amount of spark plug thread `anti sieze`
a little around threads 2 and 3, OR a vertical stripe up the length of the threads.
Not much of the stuff- dont want to interfere with threads or drop any into the engine.
That will make them easy to install- I use a rubber hose on the top of the new plug to lower it down and start the threads- that way you make sure not to cross thread them- should go in easy and smooth with the anti sieze -- 1$ packs at parts store counter

The cylinders that have misfire codes shoud be suspect- look at the old plug for moisture or anything on them at all- and color and wear (which is a different thread discussion)
If the plugs are funky on 1 or 2 cyls- they may have a bad coil
To find out which cyl needs a coil for sure- and it wont be ALL 3 or 4 that the codes tell you are bad, you buy 1 coil and test it on each cylinder the codes gave- install new coil-
reset ecu by removing fuse number 12 in passenger footwell- wait a minute then put it back
That reset the ECU and clears the codes
If car runs perfect now- stop- you found the bad coil
If still runs funny- remove new coil from 1st location and move it to the next suspect
reset ECU and start engine- fixed- done
not fixed- move new coil to next suspect----
reset the ECU is MUST DO item when tracking coils and changes
Always put the original coil back on its same plug if the new coil was not needed there,
and move to the next one. Dont randomly swap coils around- do it 1 at a time with focus!!

 

be very careful and gentle with the coils- they are like lightbulbs in the fact that one minute they work- then the slighest tap will kill it.
Set them down gently on a rag as you work to remove the plugs,

 

Great, thanks for your help 01tl4tl, doing this tomorrow, will let you know how it all worked out, I know it's usually simple but I have read about some pretty annoying situations with similar problems..........

 

read the DIY on plug change- do 1 front to see how it all fits together- then the rears, because they are more difficult to reach- then the other fronts and your done

 

OK changed the plugs, still have the same symptons, the next step is to check each coil which I found instructions on how to do, so hopefully I can find out which coil is bad and then just change it, if all coils are working fine, hopefully you can give me some more advice on what else it could be, wish me luck.......

 

Ok, found the bad coil pack, fortunately it seems to be only one, found it at autobarn for $43.99, is that a good price? If not, any online stores you recommend? Thanks

 

You can get it for 42.50 from

http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...catdisplay.jsp

 

thats a good price- especially if you can get it now and be done with the project!!
How did you find the bad one without a new one to test with?

 

Cool, thanks fsttyms1, 01tl4tl I following the instructions I found on here where it tells you to pull out each ignition coil with the spark plug still attached hold the coil pack with an insulated pair of pliers, with the spark plug grouded I had a friend of mine start the car and I looked for a spark which I saw on 5 of the spark plugs, I Clearly saw on the 6th one that the tip was extremely clean as if it was right out of the box, and after testing that one and not getting a spark it all made sense as to which one was bad, so I'm going to order 1 coil pack, replace the one that appears to be bad and then hopefully I can put this to rest. Thanks for your help guys, I will let you know when it's fixed.

 

wow- I had never heard that method on the TL- on a regular old school car- sure!!,
but with our trick ignitions I was concerned- hey whatever worked!
The other way is buy 1 coil and test it on each plug (especially the ones with misfire codes) till you find it.

Make sure you reset the ECU after you replace the coil- so the engine can relearn that its running on all 6 now.
Remove and replace fuse #12 passenger footwell marked CLOCK
or disconnect the negative battery cable- as long as you know the radio and nav security codes- if not-- fuse 12 is your savior
May want to seafoam after as well- very likely carbon buildup in the cylinder/piston top if it wasnt firing 100 percent. Contamination- crud on the piston causes bad things.

 

Lol, yeah, sounds pretty old school but those were the only instructions I was able to find on here, hopefully there accurate, I will definitely seafoam the TL, I also wanted to add a fuel injection cleaner, which one would you recommend?

 

Or, you could simply unplug a coil at a time until you find the one that you unplug that doesn't change the way the engine runs. That's the bad one, and you don't have to work hard at all to figure it out, or buy one (just in case your diagnosis is wrong. Double check by swapping it with another coil, plug in the one that should be good, now on the other cylinder, and start it, then plug the other in and engine should not change.

Helped a guy that bought coils because he was sure he had a bad one. I unplugged the back two on the driver side, swapped them and told him, "don't be offended at my doubt in you mechanical abilities, but now go start it."

PURRR. "Hmm, sounds great, still got the receipt for those?"

I am all about isolating before buying anything. Just me, though. I am known for being "frugal." lol

 

seafoam is the all purpose fuel -injector- induction cleaner
add 8 ounces to 1/4 tank of gas for cleaning doseage
thats 2oz per gallon gas

 

OK so as it stands right now PROBLEM FIXED!! It was that one Coil pack, just put it on, started up fine, reset the CEL, let it run for a half hour, put it in neutral reved it a little, I did notice that when I stopped reving at times the rpms would drop for a split second and fumble the engine a little, does not seem like anything big right now, just a little strange, also as far as the seafoam goes, when I did it before I put some in the oil/Gas tank/also ran it through one of the line.....in this case do I have to do I have to pour it in all 3 or just 8 oz's in the gas tank, thanks again for all the help, it's a relief.

 

No need to do oil again. That is a once in a while type deal. Throw some in the gas and do a Vac port cleaning. Throw it in when gas light turns on, drive for 30 mi. and then fill 'er up. Throw another can in tank if you wish for some extended low level cleaning.

 

Oh, and glad you fixed it!

 

hitlayer-
when you added seafoam to the engine oil itself- thru the cap on the top of the valve cover- did you change the oil and filter soon after?
Thats not something you let slide,
if just the gas tank and vac port method, then oil is fine, BUT if you added it to the oil - it needs an oil and filter change.
Go look at the dipstick- its going to be black

 

01tl4tl, Yes I did change the oil shortly after, I know you mentioned putting 8oz's of Seafoam in the gas and I was wondering if I should do the whole process again or just put some in the gas...

 

throw some in the gas whenever you want to- it does not effect the oil change time
2oz foam per gallon of gas for super clean dose- thats 8 ounces- 1/2 can to 1/4 tank of gas
Or use half tank gas and 16 oz of foam, longer cleaning time that way= more cleaning!!

or 1oz per 1 gal as maitenance cleaning before a trip for example

I put some in the lawn mower gas- runs nice now!!

 

sidenote- had to get the wifes kids car ready for smog- a major POS, 2000 pontiac with oil everywhere under the hood' leaks and whatever, not well cared for car
--sprayed TB cleaner in the intake snout while running and triple dose level of foam in gas tank
A few days go by and it passes fine, with an amazed look by the machine operator!

 

Seafoam is the way to go! Put some in yesterday and did alot of driving, noticed a difference in power, good chance it's the NGK spark plugs along with the seafoam, Well thanks for all your help!