VAP

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/711/primaryresistance.jpg"></center><p>
You want to hook the multimeter leads to the pictured harness connectors to test primary resistance. POS harness is the brown harness connector with female terminal leads while Coil harness is white and has male spade terminal lead connectors. Coil #1 red circles. Coil #2 yellow circles and coil #3 light blue circles. When testing just connect multimeter leads between the same-colored harness pins on POS and coil harness connectors to check resistance.

Spec resistance is .5-1.0 Ohms. Mine all test at .9-1.0 Ohms.

No idea if the 034 units works on the 12V. Doesn't look like it will mount in stock location as OEM coils have female/side-mount ignition wire connections while the 034 unit appears to have male/top-mount ignition wire connections. If it works at all it would likely have to be relocated and would definately require different ignition wires.

Helpful Hint: There's plenty of evidence to suggests the OEM vacuum reservoir ball which sits in front of the IM on it's right (passenger) side restricts/compromises air-flow and cooling under the intake manifold where these wires are routed. Relocating that reservoir goes a LONG way increasing wire longevity by allowing cooler air to circultate thru that otherwise restricted and/or perhaps even totally blocked passage. This modification simultaneously allows better cooling as well as dramatically improved heat dissipation to the low RPM intake runners. You get cooler intake temps, longer-lasting, more efficient coil life, spark, dwell and under-IM wiring life.

VAP

this is something that even the casual forum visitor easily recognizes. And if that link was posted by some "certified/certifiable" mechanic he should know that as well. There is a Bentley procedure that will test this just as easily and with a ZERO risk. Doesn't take 5 minutes. There is not a test in the world that can be done with water that cannot be done with a multimeter safer, faster and with better results. And the MM tells you EXACTLY how bad something is outta whack. Arching tells you nothing other than there's electrical leakage occuring that now due to a dramatically more conductive surfaces is flying about, uncontrolled and getting into places it would NOT have without water. If you want to test in this fashion simply test with a long metal probe attached to a ground with an insulated handle and wave that probe over the suspected areas. That at least doesn't make EVERYTHING in the same zip code conductive!

And even driving in a torrential downpour doesn't come close to introducing the kind of water, concentrated on the coils as a spray bottle with a fine mist. Water/rain is pretty much converted to steam upon contact with the radiator and burns off prior to getting inside the engine bay. If after driving in rain or snow your engine bay is soaking wet something's wrong or missing!

There's a VERY good reason testing with water is not offered as a 2nd choice or alternative method for testing electrical issues in ANY/ALL techinical repair manuals. No matter what spin you put on it it remains wholly wrong, unacceptable, without merit, potentially fatal to MANY components and careless/wreckless thinking!

CK NYoC

leak. they cost almost nothing, i got mine from axis motorsports.

VAP

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/711/vacreservoirball.jpg"></center><p>
ya needn't look any further than the "superceeded" vacuum reservoir Audi came out with for the 12V engine 4-5 years ago. And remember this ball sits out in the open airway "ahead" of the IM yet Audi determined it needed additional protection from heat on its under-side. Now visualize all those knock-sensor, coil harness wires sitting under the IM, hidden behind this reservoir and tucked in tightly under the 190*F hard coolant line and against the spot where cylinder heads meet the block deck surrounded on 3 sides by high heat-generating surfaces in ultra-close proximity while simultaneously having this reservoir blocking most, if not all cooling &amp; recircultaive air from getting to them. That's a SERIOUS heat issue!

If heat weren't a issue "out-in-the-open-and-in front" of the IM this reservoir would've NEVER been made even more expensive and better shielded against heat. Pity the poor wires shielded from cool recirculative air hidden "behind" this reservoir. They don't stand a chance long-term! Not a matter of "if" but simply "when" they are going to stop the car dead in it's tracks WHEREVER it sits when it happens. If you're lucky the best you can hope for is a "glitch misfire" or an errant hiccup. Most of us try to drive right thru that behavior and take a "wait-n-see" approach. This one is not likely to afford someone a 2nd chance! If the 1st warning with a POS/coil wire doesn't abandon you on the side of the road it's an odds-on, better-than-even shot that the 2nd occurence will!

"Well in all this excitement I kinda lost count m'self. But ya gotta ask yourself; do ya feel lucky today? Well do ya punk?"

;-)

CRAZY_RUSSIAN

i just ordered a new vacuum reservoir, i broke the nipple off when replacing vacuum lines. (ooppppsss...) i will try to run the test tonight if i have time (its inventory time for us, so i'm at work 7 days a week)
also i was wondering, will it help to run the wires on the outside of the motor by the fuel rail? (kinda sounds like a bed idea...)

VAP

already too-busy engine bay. With the ignition wires, injector harnesses, PS lines etc on passenger side and the vacuum line for brake boost, ignition wires and injector harnesses on opposite side it will just make things appear even more cluttered. Beyond heat there's nothing inherently wrong with the OEM wire path when/if proper/adequate ventilation is available. You cannot eliminate the heat but you can "prevent" wire failure via enhanced heat-dissipation/cooling thru the area where the wires are routed. And by doing so you reap other cooling benefits as well. Remember an "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Leaving the stock OEM vacuum reservoir in place even if the coil wires are relocated continues to create heat and stagnant air flow in an area that shows marked improvement with "flow-thru" ventilation.

I would approach things a bit differently, opting for increased air flow in the existing location which I've already done by eliminating the OEM reservoir YEARS ago. This could be improved dramatically further by using higher temp-rated/more conductive wiring with teflon/silicone insulation and additional insulative wiring sleeves with a "barrier shield" between wires and heat-generating surfaces so no "1st-surface" contact occurs between hot surfaces and the wires or the wires additional heat sleeves. It's my personal opinion that just relocating the OEM vac reservoir would likely "double or more" the effective life of all "under-IM" wiring on the passenger side. Measures beyond that could easily triple/quadruple wire life while simultaneously giving enhanced coil/POS output performance as well as significantly cooler intake temps. And nothing that adds visual clutter to the engine bay.

moribundman

"Chewie, give me the hydro spanner!" ;-)

CRAZY_RUSSIAN

found a coil in town, put it on, did not solve a thing...
it seams like its missing at idle only, I'm thinking im still getting a vacuum leak somewhere...
i took my elbow connector from the intake pipe to the throttle body off and noticed that the mushroom looking rubber gasket/valve is not sitting flat (it is bowed on two opposite sides of each other, i dont know if it matters or not) also going to order the seal that sits on the throttle body and the plastic elbow piece... also ordered a new vacuum tank and going to relocate that sucker to where the fuses and the heating duct is located.
any more suggestions?
p.s. thank you to all of you that have bean helping me with this problem! I appreciate it allot!

p.s.2 also my tachometer developed a habit in the last 2/3 days of randomly jumping up and down or just drop dead (smacking the dash usually solves that problem), is the cam position sensor where tech gets its reading from?

Lago Blue

<center><img src="http://www.mds.mdh.se/~uks/starwars/pix/ilm/ilm_18b_starwars.jpg"></center><p>Notice the oil leaks. Typical YT-1300 12v. Might need the valley-pan re-done.