Will the CEL go on for failing coil packs, or is it a 'ghost code' where i need to pull codes manually but the cel light isnt on during operation?

I am having a couple troubles I havent been able to diagnose yet; warm temp idle is around 700 rpm, and every few seconds, it shutters and drops down to about 550-600 for half a second or so, then goes back to normal. This makes me think coil packs (99 max 50kmiles). Then last night with a warm car I did WOT in 2nd gear from about 2500 to 5500 rpms and my cel starts BLINKING and a large amount of smoke goes pouring out my exhaust. I immediatly park it, luckily i was in a good place, and let it rest for 2 hrs, came back, CEL was off and car drove fine. I havent gone WOT since then yet....

Any suggestions?

 

Sounds like bad coilpacks to me...

Sometimes a bad coilpack will set a misfire code and light the CEL, but other times it may not.. since 99's are prone to coil pack failure, it's a good bet that yours are bad.

 

trying to get a hold of a ohmmeter now so i can test em... with the prices coils are going for i cant afford to buy an ohmmeter for a quick test

 

Borrow one.

 

looking for one

 

PM Narrator. He has a set of 6 working coils (used), available for $125. Can't beat it. Testing the coils is going to prove pointless and inconclusive (most likely).

 

Let him learn the hard way!!!

 

Don't feel bad - I am having the exact same problem, except I floor it more than ocassionally and have no problems. The car just "kicks" when in drive, stopped at a light or something. It's extremely annoying and I don't feel like forking out tons of $ for new coils. I need to get my hands on an ohmometer and test the damn things out.

 

I have a 95 max and i think my coil packs or some of them are bad. The engine vibrates a little in park. When i accelerate the car sort of stalls a little then kicks after reving to about 2000-2500 rpm. Is this problem my coil pack for sure?

 

I have a 99.

Last winter, it was "kicking" while in drive at a light: the RPMs would drop and it would catch itself. The warm weather solved most of the troubles until July, when it came back. Initially, it only kicked in drive but it started doing it in park/neutral. The first cold-ish day here (Pittsburgh) it had troubles during WOT - rough running, no acceleration, although I never had the blinking CEL. Then, randomly, the CEL illuminated: "General misfire". I cleared the code, hoping for a more descriptive failure. Nope, "General misfire", again.

Replaced the coils with 97's (Mitsubishi - it's odd putting parts with the three diamonds into a Nissan), and should have done so earlier. Some of the vibration is gone, some of the low end power is back, and certainly some of the top end power is back. Highway accelerations are fun again.

Replacing them was astonishingly easy. Nothing went wrong: no frozen nuts and dropped screws were easily retrieved (Aluminum engine!). Took me less than an hour in the dark.

 

I have a 99 SE, just yesterday the light went on with the 0201 and 0608 codes. Judging from the posts here, should I get the coils checked or take it for certain that the one is broken? Also is OK to buy USED coils?

 

And most importantly what are the instruction for replacing the coils?
Please help!

 

Lets get this over with....Buy a Haynes manual and study the Stickies...!

 

I had a similar problem, idle sputter, and serious hiccupping when WOT, especially in 3rd and 4th gear. Replaced the rear 3 coils with used coils from a 97.....and boom goes the dynamite, runs like she's brand new again.